Kino’s Journey is a show that tries to answer this philosophical question and it does it in a philosophical way:“The world is not beautiful, but that in a way lends it a sort of beauty.”StoryThe show is based on a series of novels written by Keiichi Sigsawa (9 books have been published to date as far as I know). The story is about a young girl, Kino, who travels in her fantasy world with her talking motorcycle who is called Hermes. She visits one country after another and always stays for 3 days in each country, no more and no less. She has often said that her dream is to continue travelling forever which is why she never stays more than 3 days in every country she visits; she doesn’t want to emotionally attach herself to any land because she might stay there for the rest of her life if that were to happen.The story in Kino’s Journey is of episodic nature. Each episode is about Kino visiting one or more countries on his journey’s path. That means that there are new characters in every episode who will never appear in other episodes.Now Kino is one weird show. The show is extremely philosophical in nature and it can even be surreal at times. Unlike many other philosophical shows however, the wisdom each episode tries to deliver is pretty straight forward. The show never tries to go around in circles. I guess the show can’t afford to go around in circles since each episode is a stand alone story.Kino is more than inept at using fire arms and she always carries a pistol and persuader with her for self defence. I should point out though that she has used it many times and yes, there were fatalities as a result. In fact, many people die throughout the show for various reasons and their deaths can often be of violent nature so if this is not your cup of tea then don’t watch it.In a way, Kino’s Journey reminds a lot of the voyages of Sinbad the sailor from the Arabian Nights except Kino’s story takes place in a semi European setting. Just like Sinbad, the fantasy world of Kino tends to manifest itself in an extreme and exaggerated manner (the land of books and the land of adults for example) but that also helps to highlight the ideas of the story better.The show deals with many concepts like war and peace, censorship, value of work, revenge, democracy and forms of government, war between classes and religious beliefs.I should say that the conclusion of the story is satisfying. I will not reveal any details but I will only say that it is one of the most memorable conclusions that I’ve ever seen.The details of the time Kino spent with the woman she calls “master” are not shown in the TV series. Instead, they are revealed in the movie Life Goes On which is just an extra episode.Characters & Voice ActingBecause of the episodic nature of the show, the only recurring character throughout the show is Kino and his motorcycle Hermes.Kino has developed quite a different personality from her original one after the time she spent with “master”. Her new personality is that of a calm cold girl who doesn’t seem to have a sense of fear and who has forsaken all for the sole purpose of continuing her journey. This personality has helped to confuse many viewers and lead them to believe that Kino is a boy. Indeed, Kino has rarely shown any signs of feminine behaviour throughout the show. She is a girl who is not afraid to use a gun to defend herself and has indeed used it many times. That definitely gives her a scary image but that is not the whole picture. She would often just observe the lifestyle of the people of each country she visited without interfering in any way but there were instances where she decided to interfere for her own reasons. Her reasons for interfering can sometimes be for moral reasons and sometimes for pure curiosity. This brings up another philosophical debate as to whether outsiders are allowed to interfere in a foreign culture even if just for pure ethical reasons. The debate still continues in our real world to this day.Hermes, being a motorcycle, doesn’t play a big role in the events of every episode apart from providing transportation for Kino. He has an interesting sense of humour though and his comments can be quite cheeky at times. His attitude and comments whenever Kino is captured by an enemy tend to be sarcastic and that has puzzled me a lot; I still don’t know whether he doesn’t care what happens to Kino or whether he is more than confident Kino will manage to escape danger quickly and defeat her opponents!Out of all the remaining characters, two were more memorable than the others: Nimya who appeared in episode 8 (land of magic) and Sakura who appeared in the last episode. Nimya was a clever girl full of energy who worked very hard to build a flying machine. She came across many hurdles (including financial and personal) but her optimistic nature always managed to overcome them and carry on with her life. Sakura was a sweet young girl who helped her parents run an inn. She was also full of energy and had a cute voice and appearance. In other words, she was the epitome of innocence.I think what made those two characters more memorable than others is the fact that they were the main characters in the episodes in which they appeared in while Kino took a back seat in those episodes. I consider episodes 8 and 13 to be my favourite episodes.I have no complaints whatsoever about the voice acting as every character had a voice suitable to his / her personality. Kino’s voice actress, Maeda Ai, also performed the ending song for both the TV series and the movie. Her voice for Kino was calm and cool and it was more of a boy’s than a girl’s voice to be honest which further increased the confusion regarding Kino’s gender.MusicI love both the opening and ending music. The opening has exciting tunes and vocals while the ending is more on the sad side. The background music is very sparse but what there is of it is quite pleasant. Most of the background music uses a flute like instrument (which kind of reminds me of zampona music) and that was to my liking.The opening song was performed by Shimokawa Mikuni who is more famous in the anime world for performing the openings and endings for the hit series Full Metal Panic and its sequels.Animation & ArtThe animation studio that did this, Studio Wombat, doesn’t have a long history like other animation studios in Japan but it managed to provide consistent animation quality throughout the show. I didn’t notice any drop in animation quality as far as I can remember. The background scenes in particular were beautifully done and this applied to both the TV series and movie. Even the opening and ending animation were a real visual treat.Character DesignsThe character designs are very simplistic and there is a heavy emphasis on using rectangular lines to draw many of the character’s faces. I can’t say that I like them but in a way, I think they suit the abstract nature of the story. An interesting point I should mention is the character design of Kino herself. Because of the boyish nature of Kino’s design, I had a difficult time convincing my self that she is actually a girl. It doesn’t help when her name is more of a boy’s name and she also carries a gun!! For those people who haven’t watched the show yet and are unfamiliar with the novels, rest assured that the hero you are watching is a girl.And there you have it. The show has been licensed by ADV Films. If you like philosophical shows that make you think then by all means watch this. You can also find a lot of extra information (and images) about the show and the related novels in this website.
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At a time like this, I wonder how this adaptation would have been if the drawing is a lot better. The interesting storylines in these episodes deserve a better design treatment than what they ended up getting. However, this show proves that a good storyline can sustain a mediocre character design while the reverse hardly ever works. It helps that all supporting characters in the series are fleshed out rather well, instead of existing simply to support Satou and his story. This also shows that although Satou thinks that he has a big problem in his life, nearly everyone in his vicinity also has his or her own problem to deal with. If I remember correctly, this is the part where the storyline in starts to show that Satou's and other character's problems are just a minor part of a larger problem in society.
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It has been a little while since I’ve posted about an episode of Ergo Proxy, but this one deserves a little special attention. On one level, it continues the chain of “Vincent and Lil wander into the reach of some random Proxy, conflict ensues, Vincent triumphs” episodes, but the tone really stands out. I [...]
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This episode really shows that the anime and manga are undergoing a divergence. But as I mentioned its all good and healthy, and though a lot less bleak, its also an intruiging watch nonetheless. Satou and Misaki are still both embarassed about the kiss they nearly shared - this leads to a sort of vicious cycle [...]
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Note: Only episode 21 is here now. Think of this as a placehloder, which will be updated in about a half hour. I have a reason for doing this which is unimportant and this message will be erased after episode 22 is up. Air Gear 21 Hmm… I watched this a couple days ago, so lets see [...]
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Inumaru Rin, the creator of Ojaru Maru, jumped off the roof of her 14 story apartment building on Sunday. The kicker to me — seriously, I laughed aloud — is that the 48-year-old author of children's books and novels left a note saying "I'm not good at my job." Hahaha, I mean really? HAHAHA! Good [...]
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Well, when I saw the headline, that Viz had edited Fullmetal Alchemist, I had assumed what I thought to be the worst. Maybe Lust's breasts would be edited to show less of them or something, I don't know. Some ridiculous thing. But I found my imaginative brain to be utterly lacking compared with the outright [...]
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The Weekly Round-Up is an example of an efficient weekly feature- I add to it during the week and then it’s ready to be posted on Friday morning (GMT). Tuesday Rumble, however, is quite the opposite, written on Tuesday afternoon for posting on Tuesday evening. Next week, however, I promise to be more efficient- I [...]
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This Japan thing is really creating a dramatic shift out of me. These days I find that watching anime seems more like a chore than a charm. See, I had to take note of when it broadcasts on TV, which is more likely than not after midnight. How do otaku manage to watch them so [...]
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Have you ever watched an anime and remembered only the ending of it? Most series often followed the common format of series. There are of course other experimental series but most series that I have watched followed this sequence of action. Background/Climax –> Build up character –> Lead up –> Climax –> Conclusion Generally, every single part [...]
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“Once, when I was little, I saw God” No! Yamada genocide! Noooo! Some spoilers inside Morita learns of Hagu-chan’s situation and abducts her. One of the first things to strike me about this episode is that Takemoto falling out of a window in his pursuit of Morita is essentially his way of saying “I am not Morita”. He isn’t. When [...]
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“Memories of my mother Rise, MachGaogamon” The lesson we’ve learned today is that, if you’re a giant metal grim reaper, you don’t mess with a guy’s memories of his mother’s death. You know what will happen if you do? He’ll emerge from his cocoon and his partner will evolve two levels and punch the heck out of [...]
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Hachi, why must you make bad decisions? Why must you fill the emptiness in your life with consumerism and celebrity dreams? Because they are within your grasp, and you are a victim of the disease befalling modern society. Poor girl. Hachi reacts with jealousy and disappointment when she realises that Yasu once dated Reira. She goes out [...]
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“Fortune Eye and Misfortune Eye” Itís fitting that an episode about vision is particularly beautiful. Ginko meets a blind woman who “saw” the mushi ganpaku. Thereafter she could see: first her surroundings, then through walls, then past mountains … eventually, even with her eyes closed, she could see the futures and pasts of people who consulted her. However, [...]
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I have decided to add a new local feature to ADD, called Kino Spotlight where I’ll report new anime related stuff I see at Kinokuniya Orchard to you guys. Why am I that free to do something like this? Well its’ because for some reason, Kino Orchard is a very convinent place for me to go [...]
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People need to stop nitpicking on the storyline. I hope nobody is going “but it’s so obvious Ward is cromwell! why doesn’t Louise notice or something...
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How many Fate figures are there now? I think I've seen Sakura 3 times in the same old bikini as of today...you'd think manufacturers would think up something more creative when they decide to crank out another one. But nooo....instead, now we get Alter's swimsuit Sakura, but on her knees by Kotobukiya. And she seems to have lost her towel too, haha. Alter's one is still WAAAY nicer, IMHO. And bigger too. This comes out in December...but I REALLY DON'T CARE ANYMORE! But I couldn't resist not posting about it. Lol.Name: Matou Sakura Swimsuit 1/8 scale PVCManufacturer: KotobukiyaRelease Date: December 2006Price: 4410 Yen>>> ToyzlogTags: PVC Figures, Figurines, Toys, Anime, Anime Toys, Japanese Toys, Kotobukiya, Fate/ Hollow Ataraxia, Matou Sakura, Tenjou
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I have a problem. I am running on a tight budget this month (hint: Haruhi DVDs) and Japan decided to help me with this problem by releasing all sorts of wonderful things that I would die to get my hands on. For fuck's sake Japan! A guy can only die once, you know. Sad to say [...]
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Major Kusanagi Motoko, the beautiful, deadly, and mostly human heroine of the award winning Ghost in the Shell gets a figurine worthy of her brilliance. Hmm, sounded a little corny, that. This figure of Motoko from Alter/Vice has her in her official police get-up, standing rather lazily holding a cool-looking pistol. I saw this a few days back, and damn, I knew I had to try my very best to procure one for myself. =P The figure pretty much resembles Motoko of the anime and I can't get over how...'Motoko' she looks. I must say it isn't the most detailed figure ever, but everything just blends. The jacket, the gloves, her gun, and I'm lovin' the holster at her back. Very nicely painted, it's a 1/7 scale figure, and comes out in December.I liked the anime and the movies, which consisted of pretty stunning visuals, even looking at them today. As a fan, I can't say it gets any better than this. =)Name: Kusanagi Motoko 1/7 scale PVCManufacturer: Alter / ViceRelease Date: December 2006Price: 6090 Yen>>> ToyzlogTags: PVC Figures, Figurines, Toys, Anime, Anime Toys, Japanese Toys, Alter, Ghost in the Shell, Kusanagi Motoko, Tenjou
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This episode’s Proxy has the ability to delude someone’s mind. You could describe it as bringing its victim in a dream-world. In this dream world, The Usagi has arrived in Romdeau, after which Real turned Vincent in and hid Pino away. Afterwards, she was taken in by Daedalus and his assistant: Swan, in order to [...]
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