Kino's Journey - Simulwatch!
- Thread starter Professor Irony
- Start date
MaxonTreik
Chuunibyou
I liked the question Hermes posed to Kino at the end. "Do you think the prophecy came true after all?". That was an excellent way to handle the conclusion of the episode and gives the viewer food for thought. As for the tradition obsessed country, I quite like the idea of the act of creating new traditions being a tradition in itself. Very nice.
Did anyone else think of this when Kino was in that country of sorrow?
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Did anyone else think of this when Kino was in that country of sorrow?
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Genkina Hito
映画男！！！
Episode IV - Land of Adults - Natural Right
Okay, no spoiler tags.
The moment when Kino came into being.
When I first watched this episode I was surprised that Kino was a girl - lazily I assumed I was following a male protagonist - but I grew to admire her more because she is defying gender conventions and it links in to her growth as an individual (I wrote about it on my blog not so long back).
Anyway, this episode shows us the origins of Kino, her meeting with Hermes and where she got the notion that she has to stay three days in a country to experience it and not get too involved with a culture. There are a lot of grisly moments that help establish this - I felt chill when that awful sounding operation was described immediately followed by a screen bathed in red. It is also a celebration of individuality because Kino questions her existence and defies her parents to strike out on her own.
The relationship between the original Kino/traveller and the soon-to-be Kino was touching because their friendship seemed genuine and they were learning about their respective cultures. I loved the night time scene where Kino gazes out of her window and actually begins to ponder the meaning of her existence/essence.
"What I like to do."
Then the events of the next morning ended in tragedy. When I watched it this morning I was getting pretty emotional, especially at the scene where Kino and Hermes break through the gate and they see open land and so much freedom both in direction and options. Kino has transcended her situation and achieved a degree of existential growth that I had to admire.
"Whenever people see birds they get the urge to travel."
Okay, no spoiler tags.
The moment when Kino came into being.
When I first watched this episode I was surprised that Kino was a girl - lazily I assumed I was following a male protagonist - but I grew to admire her more because she is defying gender conventions and it links in to her growth as an individual (I wrote about it on my blog not so long back).
Anyway, this episode shows us the origins of Kino, her meeting with Hermes and where she got the notion that she has to stay three days in a country to experience it and not get too involved with a culture. There are a lot of grisly moments that help establish this - I felt chill when that awful sounding operation was described immediately followed by a screen bathed in red. It is also a celebration of individuality because Kino questions her existence and defies her parents to strike out on her own.
The relationship between the original Kino/traveller and the soon-to-be Kino was touching because their friendship seemed genuine and they were learning about their respective cultures. I loved the night time scene where Kino gazes out of her window and actually begins to ponder the meaning of her existence/essence.
"What I like to do."
Then the events of the next morning ended in tragedy. When I watched it this morning I was getting pretty emotional, especially at the scene where Kino and Hermes break through the gate and they see open land and so much freedom both in direction and options. Kino has transcended her situation and achieved a degree of existential growth that I had to admire.
"Whenever people see birds they get the urge to travel."
MaxonTreik said:
Hah, very appropriate.
I actually wondered if there was going to be some greater significance to the bridge that the girl was standing on while she recited the poem. Considering that they'd clearly modelled the city on Venice, I thought maybe it was going to be the bridge of sighs, but it doesn't really look like that.
Ep 4 - I need an Adult
Despite having seen young Kino in the ep preview, I hadn't realised the girl was going to be her until the flashback started up. I think I'd heard somewhere before that Kino was female, so it didn't surprise me, but the series certainly does avoid any obvious clues and I can understand why you'd be in doubt.
On the whole though, I feel this was easily the darkest episode yet. The series seems good at lulling you into a false sense of security and then doing something quietly rather horrifying. The way the adults (particularly Kino's father) behaved, with their twisted, yet totally assured logic, was very Kafka-esque and I thought the macintosh'd 'Inspector' seemed like a clear nod to The Trial. At any rate, that image of the crowd cheering with approval as Kino's father tried to pull the knife out is probably going to stick with me for a while.
While it may not show you anything too explicit, so far, I feel like the narrative definitely seems able to suggest terrible horrors lurking just below the surface. It's not often you see that done so effectively.
MercenaryRaiden
Great Teacher
Episode 4 - Land of Adults -Natural Right-
Wow, what an episode. Kino's origins, as well as Hermes and the reason for the three day stay. The feel of the beginning of the episode felt somewhat different to how the series has been so far, with Kino being positively girly and nothing like how we've seen her. But yet again the tone delved quickly into rather disturbing teritory - When children turn 12 they have their heads cut open and their child part removed
And again the mob mentality showed through when Kino just asked about what would happen if she didn't get the operation. What was even more disturbing was the reaction to it, with trying to throw away Kino because she was "defective." The reaction after killing adult Kino was almost that of a cult. There was a weird sort of melancholy with Hermes saving Kino like that.
I wouldn't have minded Kino's backstory being dragged out a little more, but this was really well paced. It was nice to see Kino's origins quite early on and it adds some possible permutations for the future. I wonder for one whether Kino would ever revisit her hometown in the future, although I suspect the risk would be too great. At least with this episode we can see kind of how she easily had the mentality to deal with the slave traders in episode 2.
Completely the same, I had no idea and I didn't piece it together. Thinking about it the show has been quite good in hiding the fact that Kino's a girl for the first three episodes. It never outright specifically said and obviously it's never been an issue.
Wow, what an episode. Kino's origins, as well as Hermes and the reason for the three day stay. The feel of the beginning of the episode felt somewhat different to how the series has been so far, with Kino being positively girly and nothing like how we've seen her. But yet again the tone delved quickly into rather disturbing teritory - When children turn 12 they have their heads cut open and their child part removed
And again the mob mentality showed through when Kino just asked about what would happen if she didn't get the operation. What was even more disturbing was the reaction to it, with trying to throw away Kino because she was "defective." The reaction after killing adult Kino was almost that of a cult. There was a weird sort of melancholy with Hermes saving Kino like that.
I wouldn't have minded Kino's backstory being dragged out a little more, but this was really well paced. It was nice to see Kino's origins quite early on and it adds some possible permutations for the future. I wonder for one whether Kino would ever revisit her hometown in the future, although I suspect the risk would be too great. At least with this episode we can see kind of how she easily had the mentality to deal with the slave traders in episode 2.
Completely the same, I had no idea and I didn't piece it together. Thinking about it the show has been quite good in hiding the fact that Kino's a girl for the first three episodes. It never outright specifically said and obviously it's never been an issue.
MercenaryRaiden said:
Yeah, given that they had that same motif with the field of red flowers in the present day, I did wonder if Kino had actually come back to the outskirts of her hometown. The episode didn't make any reference to it though, so I dunno. Maybe it is something they'll come back to later on.
Genkina Hito
映画男！！！
Episode V - Three Men Along the Rails - On the Rails
After the tragic events of the last episode this episode brings us back to Kino's present journey and yet it retains that ability to start off light and end on a very dark and enigmatic note.
At the start, Kino is travelling through a forest: "In the forest it's easy to go the wrong way". A comment on freedom?
Well this episode illustrates how easily people can fall into an unthinking routine when they stop thinking about the direction they want to head in and just follow rules/orders.
The most blatant example are the three old guys performing the sisysphean routine of working on that railway line. Kino tells two of the men a tale of a land where people don't have to work but insist on doing so just so they can feel stress. Similar to the old guys, these people are doing pointless work but for a completely different reason - they need to feel feelings that connect them to stress although one wonders why they don't try doing something more constuctive - another example of people falling into a cycle.
The city at the end... was that where the three old guys came from? If so, that makes the episode even more tragic.
After the tragic events of the last episode this episode brings us back to Kino's present journey and yet it retains that ability to start off light and end on a very dark and enigmatic note.
At the start, Kino is travelling through a forest: "In the forest it's easy to go the wrong way". A comment on freedom?
Well this episode illustrates how easily people can fall into an unthinking routine when they stop thinking about the direction they want to head in and just follow rules/orders.
The most blatant example are the three old guys performing the sisysphean routine of working on that railway line. Kino tells two of the men a tale of a land where people don't have to work but insist on doing so just so they can feel stress. Similar to the old guys, these people are doing pointless work but for a completely different reason - they need to feel feelings that connect them to stress although one wonders why they don't try doing something more constuctive - another example of people falling into a cycle.
The city at the end... was that where the three old guys came from? If so, that makes the episode even more tragic.
MercenaryRaiden
Great Teacher
Episode 5 - Three Men Along the Rails -On the Rails-
As somebody going into Accounting the thought of that story by re-doing all of the work the machines have done just to get it right and to have stress is terrifying
So we've already well established by this point that the show knows how to shift in tones masterfully at points; and this one is no exception. Going from the old man slaving away at making the railroad perfect, to the old man disassembling the railroad behind him, to the old man behind him putting it back together again. None of whom have any idea about the others behind them. It's ironic and in a way quite depressive that their work is pretty much meaningless. Yet again - Mob Mentality of people doing it just because they're told and in large masses. Also you have to feel this so called company is a bit crap if they have three employees doing this
The question the first old man asked felt like quite a meaningful one that didn't need an answer; "Where are you headed to?" Similarly it was with painful irony that the story Kino told him about pointless work was a reflection on what the old man was doing. And of course Kino said the same story to the second old man knowingly, however she didn't say the story to the third man. This had me thinking in terms of the Butterfly Effect and whether the third old man would ever catch up to the second because Kino didn't stop to talk to them. After all from the sounds of it they were only a days space apart (Hermes mentioning that the first old man was met "Yesterday" when going towards the second) and so something minor could become major.
Next time: A multi parter! How interesting! The show has weaved some brilliant stories into singular episodes so it'll be interesting to see how it spreads things out a bit.
Ooo that is an interesting one. With the way that the show ties these stories together I don't think it'd be too much of a stretch to say that this is the case.
As somebody going into Accounting the thought of that story by re-doing all of the work the machines have done just to get it right and to have stress is terrifying
So we've already well established by this point that the show knows how to shift in tones masterfully at points; and this one is no exception. Going from the old man slaving away at making the railroad perfect, to the old man disassembling the railroad behind him, to the old man behind him putting it back together again. None of whom have any idea about the others behind them. It's ironic and in a way quite depressive that their work is pretty much meaningless. Yet again - Mob Mentality of people doing it just because they're told and in large masses. Also you have to feel this so called company is a bit crap if they have three employees doing this
The question the first old man asked felt like quite a meaningful one that didn't need an answer; "Where are you headed to?" Similarly it was with painful irony that the story Kino told him about pointless work was a reflection on what the old man was doing. And of course Kino said the same story to the second old man knowingly, however she didn't say the story to the third man. This had me thinking in terms of the Butterfly Effect and whether the third old man would ever catch up to the second because Kino didn't stop to talk to them. After all from the sounds of it they were only a days space apart (Hermes mentioning that the first old man was met "Yesterday" when going towards the second) and so something minor could become major.
Next time: A multi parter! How interesting! The show has weaved some brilliant stories into singular episodes so it'll be interesting to see how it spreads things out a bit.
Ooo that is an interesting one. With the way that the show ties these stories together I don't think it'd be too much of a stretch to say that this is the case.
Genkina Hito
映画男！！！
Episode VI -Coliseum Part I - Avengers
You know you love a character when you punch the air after a moment of pure bad-assery. Kino delivered that in spades with this episode.
The first episode of a two-parter sees Kino tricked into vising a land which has been described as wonderful but actually turns out to be a death-trap as travellers, whether they know of the place or not, are forced to either becomes slaves or take part in a tournament where people fight each other to the death for the opportunity of becoming a first class citizen of the land which means living a life of luxury and adding a new law. This tournament has come into being because a new king has ascended to the throne and he is a hedonist and possibly mad.
Something straight out of Roman times. The crowd are totally into the event which shows the easy corruption that a life of hedonism leads to. These people are so focussed on their own enjoyment that they have forgotten the value of life. The event has drawn a group of people so focussed on winning they can see nothing else and they too have lost all notion of the value of life. That said, some of these participants are different kinds of bad-ass from Kino to the mysterious lady and the chap with the dog (I've watched this before so I know who wins). Out of them all, Kino is the only one with her eyes open.
Favourite quotes/moments:
Guard in condescending voice: Kino-chaaaan
BAM BAM BAM
Now Shaken Guard: Kino-san
Hermes to Kino: Nobody asked you out.
You know you love a character when you punch the air after a moment of pure bad-assery. Kino delivered that in spades with this episode.
The first episode of a two-parter sees Kino tricked into vising a land which has been described as wonderful but actually turns out to be a death-trap as travellers, whether they know of the place or not, are forced to either becomes slaves or take part in a tournament where people fight each other to the death for the opportunity of becoming a first class citizen of the land which means living a life of luxury and adding a new law. This tournament has come into being because a new king has ascended to the throne and he is a hedonist and possibly mad.
Something straight out of Roman times. The crowd are totally into the event which shows the easy corruption that a life of hedonism leads to. These people are so focussed on their own enjoyment that they have forgotten the value of life. The event has drawn a group of people so focussed on winning they can see nothing else and they too have lost all notion of the value of life. That said, some of these participants are different kinds of bad-ass from Kino to the mysterious lady and the chap with the dog (I've watched this before so I know who wins). Out of them all, Kino is the only one with her eyes open.
Favourite quotes/moments:
Guard in condescending voice: Kino-chaaaan
BAM BAM BAM
Now Shaken Guard: Kino-san
Hermes to Kino: Nobody asked you out.
I was a bit late in watching this one, but I'll get 6 watched later on tonight, so I should be back on track shortly.
Ep5 - Hermes the Tank Engine
Kino's story about the country where people don't need to work really interested me. Going by what we've seen so far, the technology in the series seems closer to the 1920s or '30s, so to see something more futuristic was quite unexpected. Even more so that it should still be quite retro - like a vision of the future from the late 1950s or early '60s.
I'm not sure how to interpret the story of this one though. It certainly makes sense, given the direction that Kino is travelling in, that they would have come from the deserted country, but (given the nature of their task), I actually wondered if they had come from the country where people didn't need to work. Having been away for fifty years, it's not impossible that their country would have gone through a technological revolution in their absence and they wouldn't recognise Kino's description of it.
If nothing else, I thought it might make sense for the series to be comparing their lot with that of the office workers. Although both jobs are overengineered and (at least partly) meaningless, the office workers complain of stress and suicide, while the railroad men seem satisfied with their lives.
That's an interesting idea. Especially since, if it was her intention, that would be the first time we've seen Kino intentionally try to change something.
Ep5 - Hermes the Tank Engine
Kino's story about the country where people don't need to work really interested me. Going by what we've seen so far, the technology in the series seems closer to the 1920s or '30s, so to see something more futuristic was quite unexpected. Even more so that it should still be quite retro - like a vision of the future from the late 1950s or early '60s.
I'm not sure how to interpret the story of this one though. It certainly makes sense, given the direction that Kino is travelling in, that they would have come from the deserted country, but (given the nature of their task), I actually wondered if they had come from the country where people didn't need to work. Having been away for fifty years, it's not impossible that their country would have gone through a technological revolution in their absence and they wouldn't recognise Kino's description of it.
If nothing else, I thought it might make sense for the series to be comparing their lot with that of the office workers. Although both jobs are overengineered and (at least partly) meaningless, the office workers complain of stress and suicide, while the railroad men seem satisfied with their lives.
MercenaryRaiden said:
That's an interesting idea. Especially since, if it was her intention, that would be the first time we've seen Kino intentionally try to change something.
Any reservations I had about the show are certainly dissipating now - I'm really enjoying this.
Ep6 - Kinoius Decimus Meridius
Very often, I find that the appearance of a fighting tournament in a series is a sign the writers are running out of ideas, but this was very well played. Given Hermes's dialogue about 'a country's reputation' in the episode preview and the appearance of the woman on the cart at the beginning of the episode, I got the impression that the wife had told Kino how glorious the country was out of spite (prompting Kino's visit). It seems like that's probably not the case, though.
Although Kino's philosophy is very much one of not getting involved, I can't help wondering if she specifically visited the colliseum to discover the whereabouts of the cart woman's missing husband.
Other than that, it's always the little observations that seem to make this series stand out. I really enjoyed the touches like Kino being addressed as a boy by the guard, while the cossack realises she's a woman straight away. The 'reveal' that the dog was sentient when he laughs at Kino's exchange with Hermes was clever too.
Incidentally, if I had to put money on it, I'd guess the missing royal children are the lady combatant and the dog's master. Presumably both there to topple the king.
Ep6 - Kinoius Decimus Meridius
Very often, I find that the appearance of a fighting tournament in a series is a sign the writers are running out of ideas, but this was very well played. Given Hermes's dialogue about 'a country's reputation' in the episode preview and the appearance of the woman on the cart at the beginning of the episode, I got the impression that the wife had told Kino how glorious the country was out of spite (prompting Kino's visit). It seems like that's probably not the case, though.
Although Kino's philosophy is very much one of not getting involved, I can't help wondering if she specifically visited the colliseum to discover the whereabouts of the cart woman's missing husband.
Other than that, it's always the little observations that seem to make this series stand out. I really enjoyed the touches like Kino being addressed as a boy by the guard, while the cossack realises she's a woman straight away. The 'reveal' that the dog was sentient when he laughs at Kino's exchange with Hermes was clever too.
Incidentally, if I had to put money on it, I'd guess the missing royal children are the lady combatant and the dog's master. Presumably both there to topple the king.
MercenaryRaiden
Great Teacher
Episode 6 - Coliseum Part 1 -Avengers-
Unfortunatly I've left this quite late to watch so I'm rather tired, which has affected my viewing considerably. I'm going to rewatch it tomorrow during the day, however I'll unlikely post about it or amend my post as you've both done brilliant write ups. I've got a few thoughts below though:
It was interesting to begin with as we, much like Kino, were just flung into the situation of "This is it, you have to fight." Where obviously we saw Kino's mindset can quickly change to emotionless as we've previously seen. Obviously the events of episode 4 have shown us why and justified that. Still, for a country to have such stringent and brutal rulings is interesting, although every where we've seen so far has it's own quirk or two.
And yet even in the face of adversity Kino is able to meet and befriend all sorts of people. We also already knew that Kino was quite skilled, but she really showed it during the fight with the assassin. Obviously she's trained up somewhere and I wonder if we'll see that at some point. Part of me also wonders whether she'll try and kill the king or not...
Unfortunatly I've left this quite late to watch so I'm rather tired, which has affected my viewing considerably. I'm going to rewatch it tomorrow during the day, however I'll unlikely post about it or amend my post as you've both done brilliant write ups. I've got a few thoughts below though:
It was interesting to begin with as we, much like Kino, were just flung into the situation of "This is it, you have to fight." Where obviously we saw Kino's mindset can quickly change to emotionless as we've previously seen. Obviously the events of episode 4 have shown us why and justified that. Still, for a country to have such stringent and brutal rulings is interesting, although every where we've seen so far has it's own quirk or two.
And yet even in the face of adversity Kino is able to meet and befriend all sorts of people. We also already knew that Kino was quite skilled, but she really showed it during the fight with the assassin. Obviously she's trained up somewhere and I wonder if we'll see that at some point. Part of me also wonders whether she'll try and kill the king or not...
Genkina Hito
映画男！！！
Episode VII - Coliseum (Part 2) - Avengers
Well the puppet show at the start of the episode reveals the bloody history of the royal dynasty and it confirms that two heirs were spirited away to safety. Kino is the only one who notices the reactions of one of the competitors - we later learn that his name is Shizu - so we can guess that he's one of the heirs and we now know where he's coming from and what his intentions probably are. As the episode progresses the character backgrounds are drawn out and the woman's is somewhat tragic.
Again, the competitors are so focussed on other things they lose out to Kino who wins be being entirely in the present and in that fight. During a fight Kino mentions the person she knows as Master. A bit of enigmatic background. Also her line, "Revenge doesn't do any good." Speaking from experience?
Kino's reasons for going to the country...
Kino: "I remembered her face at that time. I wanted to find the meaning of that smile." Is this capriciousness or something more?
Favourite points: Hermes shock at a talking dog and trying to convince Kino that Riku could talk.
Well the puppet show at the start of the episode reveals the bloody history of the royal dynasty and it confirms that two heirs were spirited away to safety. Kino is the only one who notices the reactions of one of the competitors - we later learn that his name is Shizu - so we can guess that he's one of the heirs and we now know where he's coming from and what his intentions probably are. As the episode progresses the character backgrounds are drawn out and the woman's is somewhat tragic.
Again, the competitors are so focussed on other things they lose out to Kino who wins be being entirely in the present and in that fight. During a fight Kino mentions the person she knows as Master. A bit of enigmatic background. Also her line, "Revenge doesn't do any good." Speaking from experience?
Kino's reasons for going to the country...
Kino: "I remembered her face at that time. I wanted to find the meaning of that smile." Is this capriciousness or something more?
Favourite points: Hermes shock at a talking dog and trying to convince Kino that Riku could talk.
Ep7 - Kino shoots first
No great surprise about the identity of the prince, but it did surprise me that my initial guess about the cart driver woman was right - her description of the country could have easily sent Kino to her death.
It was interesting to see a little more of the king up close though. The idea that he genuinely couldn't help himself made him seem a little more sympathetic - kind of like the Joker in Batman. I didn't expect Kino to actually kill him either. My initial thought was that Kino would use the new rule to end the arena, but instead killing the king and having the first class citizens fight among themselves actually seemed rather malicious. I suppose she had accepted, after talking to the cowboy, that the only way to truly end the tournaments was to let the citizens have their fill.
I was amused by Kino's gun as well. I thought I'd noticed an extra chamber in the cylinder before, and right enough, she had something up her sleeve. Presumably it's modelled on the American LeMat, which carried a single blast of buckshot along with its more conventional rounds.
No great surprise about the identity of the prince, but it did surprise me that my initial guess about the cart driver woman was right - her description of the country could have easily sent Kino to her death.
It was interesting to see a little more of the king up close though. The idea that he genuinely couldn't help himself made him seem a little more sympathetic - kind of like the Joker in Batman. I didn't expect Kino to actually kill him either. My initial thought was that Kino would use the new rule to end the arena, but instead killing the king and having the first class citizens fight among themselves actually seemed rather malicious. I suppose she had accepted, after talking to the cowboy, that the only way to truly end the tournaments was to let the citizens have their fill.
I was amused by Kino's gun as well. I thought I'd noticed an extra chamber in the cylinder before, and right enough, she had something up her sleeve. Presumably it's modelled on the American LeMat, which carried a single blast of buckshot along with its more conventional rounds.
MercenaryRaiden
Great Teacher
Urgh! Life happend again and I didn't get a chance to watch yesterdays episode till 4am. Decided to wait till today so that I'd actually enjoy and remember it...
Episode 7 - Coliseum Part 2 -Avengers-
"I don't know if the world is beautiful or not, but it sure is big."
Hermes says that during Kino's fight with Shizu. It feels so very important in the context of not just this episode, but of the whole series. I don't really have much else to say about this one. We got a look at the king and his motivations before his end. But holy ****, how cold can Kino be? The rule that she added at the end will tear that country apart killing all of the citizens.
Not much else to say, although it was very enjoyable as always. My post for tonight might also be delayed, as i'll be amazed if I don't end this evening drunk. So my post may come tomorrow, but I'll play catch up with a double episode as normal service for me will be resumed.
Episode 7 - Coliseum Part 2 -Avengers-
"I don't know if the world is beautiful or not, but it sure is big."
Hermes says that during Kino's fight with Shizu. It feels so very important in the context of not just this episode, but of the whole series. I don't really have much else to say about this one. We got a look at the king and his motivations before his end. But holy ****, how cold can Kino be? The rule that she added at the end will tear that country apart killing all of the citizens.
Not much else to say, although it was very enjoyable as always. My post for tonight might also be delayed, as i'll be amazed if I don't end this evening drunk. So my post may come tomorrow, but I'll play catch up with a double episode as normal service for me will be resumed.
Genkina Hito
映画男！！！
Episode VIII - Land of Wizards - Potentials of Magic
Kino: Whenever people see birds flying in the sky, they get the urge to fly.
Nimya: Whenever I dream, I dream I am flying.
This episode is narrated by a girl named Nimya and is seen largely from her perspective. She lives in a land where people measure success by the degree a person can increase the amount of crop production. People good at making agricultural advancements are known as wizards. Nimya is an outsider because she spends her days working on inventions that have no practical use in the field. Nimya is pursuing her dream of making a flying machine.
Enter Kino, the first traveller to arrive in the land for five years. She's bored rigid by the leader of that land but in Nimya she sees herself (someone pursuing their dream even if it means being an outsider) and through Nimya we witness how a person feels when Kino does intervenes in situations. This is another wonderful episode where we see how a person can transcend their situation if they are passionate enough. Witnessing Kino and Hermes inspire Nimya was wonderful.
Hermes: I'm just pondering the range of potential that humans have.
Rather worryingly, Kino wasn't entirely sure the machine would fly... After last episode's ending are we seeing a very dark side?
Kino: Whenever people see birds flying in the sky, they get the urge to fly.
Nimya: Whenever I dream, I dream I am flying.
This episode is narrated by a girl named Nimya and is seen largely from her perspective. She lives in a land where people measure success by the degree a person can increase the amount of crop production. People good at making agricultural advancements are known as wizards. Nimya is an outsider because she spends her days working on inventions that have no practical use in the field. Nimya is pursuing her dream of making a flying machine.
Enter Kino, the first traveller to arrive in the land for five years. She's bored rigid by the leader of that land but in Nimya she sees herself (someone pursuing their dream even if it means being an outsider) and through Nimya we witness how a person feels when Kino does intervenes in situations. This is another wonderful episode where we see how a person can transcend their situation if they are passionate enough. Witnessing Kino and Hermes inspire Nimya was wonderful.
Hermes: I'm just pondering the range of potential that humans have.
Rather worryingly, Kino wasn't entirely sure the machine would fly... After last episode's ending are we seeing a very dark side?
Genkina Hito
映画男！！！
Episode IX - Land of Books - Nothing is Written! -
I would be interested in hearing other people's opinions on this because the narrative for this blends fantasy and reality so well and the story at the beginning was very mysterious. Anyway...
Kino and Hermes are travelling through a desert when they chance upon another traveller who is dying of thirst. He has escaped The Land of Books, a place where it's prohibited to write and a library in a place called The Castle (reference to the work of Kafka?) collects books and vets the, keeping away the 'harmful' works from a populace they believe are prone to believing in fantasies. There is a resistance movement named the Publication Society which publishes books that are banned and Kino finds herself caught up in a struggle between the Castle and Publication Society. The only question that remains is...
Have you ever questioned reality? There's no need to ask.
Kino finds herself questioning the nature of her reality and much like Kino we're doing the same. As soon as we arrive in this new town we see that the place looks relatively sane but it quickly becomes hard distinguishing between fantasy and reality as we don't know who the sides are and what they truly want. Even by the end I was unsure. I came to the conclusion that everyone in that land is delusional and playing out roles assigned to them.
I would be interested in hearing other people's opinions on this because the narrative for this blends fantasy and reality so well and the story at the beginning was very mysterious. Anyway...
Kino and Hermes are travelling through a desert when they chance upon another traveller who is dying of thirst. He has escaped The Land of Books, a place where it's prohibited to write and a library in a place called The Castle (reference to the work of Kafka?) collects books and vets the, keeping away the 'harmful' works from a populace they believe are prone to believing in fantasies. There is a resistance movement named the Publication Society which publishes books that are banned and Kino finds herself caught up in a struggle between the Castle and Publication Society. The only question that remains is...
Have you ever questioned reality? There's no need to ask.
Kino finds herself questioning the nature of her reality and much like Kino we're doing the same. As soon as we arrive in this new town we see that the place looks relatively sane but it quickly becomes hard distinguishing between fantasy and reality as we don't know who the sides are and what they truly want. Even by the end I was unsure. I came to the conclusion that everyone in that land is delusional and playing out roles assigned to them.
Apologies, that's me missed two eps now - trouble at work. I'll get caught up tomorrow.
MercenaryRaiden
Great Teacher
Ugh how I wish I wasn't right about last night...Let's get caught up! (going to try and keep it short as i'm writing about two episodes)
Episode 8 - Land of Wizards -Potentials of Magic-
Another country that welcomes travellers in quite a pronounced way! Are travellers that rare? We get an early introduction to Nimya, who narrates her backstory - which is quite the interesting change from going through an episode with Kino's perspective. Kino giving Hermes a quick pat to wake him up during the speech was quite funny.
What I found quite interesting was that there was a little robot helper scooting about, yet no one had managed to make a plane? Still, it felt like we had a happy ending for once, although yet again Kino showed a rather...dark side. I had thought that it might get dangerous with each new addition, but it was really nice to see success. Possibly my favourite episode so far.
Episode 9 - Land of Books -Nothing Is Written!-
That...Opening story was rather dark. At first I was curious as to what was going on, but it feels like there's a rather dangerous meaning behind it.
I liked how the Castle looked menacing on purpose. Whilst they were talking about the publication of the authors books I had wondered if it was real, or whether they were reading from a book. The themes and the way it presented itself were very well done, not giving away anything whilst managing to keep itself quite whimsical and yet still in line with what we'd expect from the series.
Episode 8 - Land of Wizards -Potentials of Magic-
Another country that welcomes travellers in quite a pronounced way! Are travellers that rare? We get an early introduction to Nimya, who narrates her backstory - which is quite the interesting change from going through an episode with Kino's perspective. Kino giving Hermes a quick pat to wake him up during the speech was quite funny.
What I found quite interesting was that there was a little robot helper scooting about, yet no one had managed to make a plane? Still, it felt like we had a happy ending for once, although yet again Kino showed a rather...dark side. I had thought that it might get dangerous with each new addition, but it was really nice to see success. Possibly my favourite episode so far.
Episode 9 - Land of Books -Nothing Is Written!-
That...Opening story was rather dark. At first I was curious as to what was going on, but it feels like there's a rather dangerous meaning behind it.
I liked how the Castle looked menacing on purpose. Whilst they were talking about the publication of the authors books I had wondered if it was real, or whether they were reading from a book. The themes and the way it presented itself were very well done, not giving away anything whilst managing to keep itself quite whimsical and yet still in line with what we'd expect from the series.
Genkina Hito
映画男！！！
Episode X - A Tale of Mechanical Dolls - One Way Mission
Kino and Hermes enter the episode searching a for a new land. They are in a forest and Hermes' speedometer needs to be repaired.
Hermes: When the rider's rough, it's hard on the motorrad too.
They come across an old woman who introduces herself as a mechanical doll made to take care of a family. Kino is introduced to this family and observes their behaviour but things are not as they seem.
Another simple tale that turns tragic. A tale of a shock so great and a guilt at having never properly fulfilled a position that a person gives up their humanity, their ability to make choices which will cause they anguish, and settles into a role where they can be an unthinking object.
Favourite quotes
Kino: I almost grabbed them to get the food they were going to throw away.
Robot (paraphrased): Isn't it hard for humans if they don't live for someone?
Kino (being cold as ice): That depends on the person.
Kino and Hermes enter the episode searching a for a new land. They are in a forest and Hermes' speedometer needs to be repaired.
Hermes: When the rider's rough, it's hard on the motorrad too.
They come across an old woman who introduces herself as a mechanical doll made to take care of a family. Kino is introduced to this family and observes their behaviour but things are not as they seem.
Another simple tale that turns tragic. A tale of a shock so great and a guilt at having never properly fulfilled a position that a person gives up their humanity, their ability to make choices which will cause they anguish, and settles into a role where they can be an unthinking object.
Favourite quotes
Kino: I almost grabbed them to get the food they were going to throw away.
Robot (paraphrased): Isn't it hard for humans if they don't live for someone?
Kino (being cold as ice): That depends on the person.