Kino's Journey - Simulwatch!

Ep8 - Where Mages Dare

Nice to get back to something a bit more light hearted after the last couple of eps. The lack of any other flying machines surprised me too, after the technology in episode 5, but this was a nice episode. I wonder as well, if the little robot helper is supposed to be one of the ones from ep1? I think that looked like a blueprint for the robotic dolls from ep10 in the 'mage's book as well.

Ep 9 - Armed Librarians

I really liked this one; it was complex and clever, but in a way, I thought it was very funny as well. It might have been more appropriate in the story's original format (as a light novel), but the little exchange where the author suggested that perhaps Kino was the main character in a book really made me laugh.

Narratively, I think this is the most daring episode so far, as it seems to pull every trick possible to disorient the viewer, and even goes as far as to undermine Kino and Hermes as protagonists. The dream sequence, where Kino imagines she is the (dying?) girl with the 'auto-reader' headband is the most obvious example, but even the page-flipping shots seem keen to place them as characters in a book being read by someone else.

The Castle isn't one I've read, but it wouldn't surprise me if that was another reference to Kafka. Even if the events surrounding Kino's departure from her hometown weren't intended as reference to the Trial, I noticed Hermes paraphrases The Metamorphosis in the ep preview for this one, so I think we can be reasonably sure that the author had Kafka in mind.
 
Episode 10 - A Tale of Mechanical Dolls -One-way Mission-

That was rather interesting. I had initially thought that the family were mechanical dolls through their behaviour and lack of emotions right when they were introduced. I hadn't twigged that the maid actually was human though. The terrorist bombing was actually really shocking. The darkness this series portrays come out yet again, and despite expecting it I was still amazed. The mechanical dolls she created were very smart and they actually seemed to have feelings. Kino's responses to the dolls at the very end were quite cold and curt. We've always known that she's focused on the journey and she won't let anything stop her.
 
Ep 10 - I, Robot

Quite a bleak one, this. I didn't realise the maid was going to be human either. My initial thought was that she was a robot, serving the robot family she thought was human, while the robot family were serving her, under the assumption she was human.

Kino and Hermes's sheer lack of response to the robots jumping off the cliff surprised me though. Perhaps we should be asking who is really the robot?
 
Episode XI - Her Journey - Love and Bullets

In this episode Hermes gets a break as Kino and Hermes take a trip on a boat down a river. Kino recalls the different people and lands she has met including people who are traelling without weapons, a woman who wants revenge for her husband's death and a wise man who is dying.

The first two stories seem to paint a picture of futility. You can live consciously and change yourself (like the criminal) and you can try to change the world (woman campaigning for peace) but the sad fact is that it is all futile because the world is absurd and people are an element of chaos.

Then the final story refutes the first two. Kino made a change with something she learned and she reveals it to the wise man - there can never be an ideal world/situation and you have to live consciously and make the best of your situation.

This was an interesting episode. The first two stories were kind of bleak but I had a bit of a hard time deciphering the exact meaning until the third story.

We also got more of Kino's back story, which was interesting.
 
Episode 11 - Her Journey -Love and Bullets-

I don't even have the words in mind for when Kino repeated the same warning to the lady as her fiances killer, but I can't seem to get over them. It was interesting, yet cold again. Both stories were dark and had clear meanings, but it was nice to see some more of Kino's journey after the second. We finally see her master which is a nice tease.

The last story somewhat tied things together, although it could have been made into a full episode on its own. The young assassin who had been removed of all self-conciousness clearly had some left, therefore is that a way of saying that's impossible to remove it completely? It took a sad turn when the old man realised that he was tricked and started questioning his life right at the very end.

From the moment that Kino's master showed up in that flashback though I started to wonder about how the anime will end. I don't think it'll have any overarcing story or a "proper" conclusion so to say. I think it'll end with a story much like the episodes we have been getting. But then of course there are the two movies...
 
Episode XII - A Peaceful Land - Mother's Love


Kino and Hermes head to a land that claims to be peaceful but the presence of an army training leaves Kino intrigued by this contradiction and so she heads to a museum where they find out the horrific basis of this peace.

This was probably the most disturbing episode in the series as the simple story gives way to horrific asymmetrical warfare. It's made by the ending and the idea that innocent travellers have been attacked by the villagers who are seeking a form of revenge. It has the most pessimistic message about human nature thus far and it has nothing to balance it out.

Museum Curator: Humans naturally possess competitiveness, hostility, and cruelty and they need to vent these feelings.

The world and human nature is truly ugly in this episode.

Puts on cinephile hat: Did anybody else get Apocalypse Now vibes from the 'war' scenes? The people on the pier getting attacked by flying units as a Wagner-esque score plays out and radio chatter squawks out?

Rather interestingly when Kino challenges the curator she raises the idea that when one lives for someone else - children, husband, wife - then the actions on display are justifiable.
 
Episode 12 - A Peaceful Land -Mother's Love-

Well this...was an episode.

It's interesting again at Kino and Hermes reaction to a huge grave of bodies at the very beginning. No fear or remorse. From the very beginning there was an element of doubt as the man at the start kept mentioning how safe the country was. Then everyone kept mentioning that tomorrow they would be in a war.

And then the "War" happend...I was pretty shocked when it began, I had no idea what to expect and I certainly didn't expect that. It explains all of the dead bodies at the beginning. But what was it for? Did I just miss that or wasn't it explained? Or was it just for fun? And we get a reaction from Kino! She also seems to see it as quite a horrific act by saying it was a massacre or execution. The reasons for doing it were certainly...Disturbing. Praying on the evilness in people to wage this war. The museum curator seemed to be bordering on insanity without showing it - saying there is no other alternative to war other than slaughtering people who aren't even involved.

And even the ending was quite disturbing, with the villagers own methods of revenge. Having them just outright saying what they were going to do to Kino was a good way of being quite shocking. Kino visably shocked; mentally too as she doesn't want to go to the neighbouring country...

This was probably the most disturbing episode in the series as the simple story gives way to horrific asymmetrical warfare.
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Agreed. I had no idea what to expect from that but it seemed like it was always going to be a very depressive episode from the start. And with one more episode left (And technically 2 movies) I have no idea what to expect...
 
Episode XIII - A Kind Land - Tomorrow Never Comes


Kino and Hermes travel to a land which has a reputation for shunning travellers but when she arrives what she finds is great kindness and friendliness. She makes friends with a girl named Sakura who reminds Kino of herself and for once during her travels Kino begins to wonder if she should stay more than three days.

Kino's attachment to this land is understandable. It has been the most pleasant place she has visited and the people are genuinely nice to her. She also recognises herself in Sakura and the events surrounding their meeting play out in exactly the same way as it did in Kio's past when she met the traveller.

When it came to the end she was so attached that the shock of what happened looked devastating. The inhabitants of that land had consciously embraced death and be accepting the fact that life will end they wanted to leave a good impression which they did. Sort of.

In any case, Kino's journey continues.

Again we get more background - the woman known as master once trained at that city.

Favourite quotes

Kino: The country we're going to has a terrible reputation...

Hermes: You're so into these things.
 
Episode 13 - A Kind Land -Tomorrow Never Comes-

Well this episode started off very interestingly - extremely similarly to Kino's backstory with the young girl Sakura. However, the rumours that the country didn't like travellers was seemingly dispelled very early on with the warm welcome Kino received.

Kino's answer to the gunsmith was interesting as clearly that's the woman we know to be Kino's "Master," so obviously her Master has done things that she doesn't want Kino to be associated with. Such a shame we won't learn that in this adaptation!

It's weird, after the rumours mentioned at the start I fully expected some serious undertones to the villagers, but the darkness came from the unexpected ending of the village. No wonder her parents gave Sakura the choice to leave, and yet she stayed behind. The reasons given at the end were kind of heart wrenching and yet again went perfectly with the flow of the series. And so Kino carries on with her journey.


Final thoughts

Well! This series certainly affected me in a lot more ways that I wasn't expecting. There always seemed to be a deeper hidden meaning behind all of the stories and it was never afraid to go into darker territory. All of the stories were well written and directed, whilst remaining very memorable. Kino as a character is very deep and has so many complex sides that it helped having Hermes being different yet similar in ways. Their interactions were excellent and they played off of one another really well. The music must also be praised for being effective, without being overly loud or overbearing.

This has been fantastic to watch from start to finish. I'm unsure about whether I'll watch the movies or not, but i'm satisfied with the last episode as an ending point. If anything it helped build more development for Kino, right up until the very end. It's a shame there isn't another proper series as I'd love to see more.
 
Final Thoughts

Good idea MercenaryRaiden

I loved this series. The animation and designs are wonderfully simple yet full of character. The landscapes and music combine to provide a beautiful world for a fascinating character to explore. The writing was perfect because it episodes felt light in passing but deep in meaning and the way the stories were structured was always intriguing. The relationship between Kino and Hermes is really well-drawn and provides a lot of humour. The Japanese VA's are perfect (the American ones weren't to my taste) as they captured the humour between the two characters.

As my ramblings over the last few pages show, I read Kino no Tabi as being pretty interested in existentialism (although the stuff I wrote might have been incoherent and I may have misinterpreted the anime and came across as pretentious). The deceptively simple tales always give way to darker and deeper themes and they always provoked an emotional response from. These tales show the absurdity of life and explore human nature and for every story that ends on a downer there are wonderful stories that reaffirm that life can be beautiful and we should consciously make the most of it.

Kino as a protagonist is so enigmatic and capricious, so brave and intelligent, that I know I will follow her into her movies.
 
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Ep11 – Bullet for a Badman

I think what interested me the most about this episode was Kino's exchange with the first woman after she had extracted her revenge. When asked why she didn't intervene, Kino tells her, "I'm not a god" – why not "I'm no lawman" or something along those lines? I've been thinking about that all day and I still can't come up with a suitable explanation. Presumably Kino deems the morality of the situation to be beyond all conventional judgment.

I'd be curious to know how the man with the shades handled so many attackers while protecting the second woman too. Judging by the way the bodies were lying, he was surrounded at pretty close quarters, but still managed to fight them off with (presumably) nary a scratch.

Ep12 – War in the Pocket

Man, that was grim. Strangely, I found myself forgetting about the mass graves at the start of the episode until the penny dropped and I realised what the 'war game' involved. Horrible though it was, this one didn't quite ring true for me though. Why didn't the third tribe attempt to leave their homelands? Not only that, but, if the 'war' happened on such a regular basis, how did they manage to rebuild everything so neatly afterwards?

Genkina Hito said:
Puts on cinephile hat: Did anybody else get Apocalypse Now vibes from the 'war' scenes? The people on the pier getting attacked by flying units as a Wagner-esque score plays out and radio chatter squawks out?
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Hah, I hadn't thought of that, but it's probably quite an apt comparison. It's curious though, that they should possess the technology to create hovering platforms, but not conventional flight.

Ep13 – Up Pompeii

The circumstances were shocking, but Kino's reaction to the eruption was a pleasing display of humanity – I think this is the only time we see her genuinely horrified by something.

I'm not sure how I feel about this as a final episode for the series. On the one hand, it's nice to end at a point that (I think) Kino referred to in ep1, so there a sort of full-circle feeling, but eh... I dunno. I think maybe because the episodes are so self-contained, it was always going to be hard to end the series without the feeling of it just stopping. Certainly, I could comfortably have taken another 13 eps in similar fashion.

Final Thoughts

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Kino's Journey, but it was a good watch. The lack of an overarching narrative still strikes me as odd though. I find it hard to categorise this along with the usual type of series that use self-contained episodes, yet the series doesn't seem to be any the worse for it.

While it definitely shares a lot of DNA with Galaxy Express, it really strikes out on its own path and I think it takes great pains to avoid that sort of storytelling that appears to teach you a moral lesson.

No doubt I'll do a video on the series sometime soon.
 
I just watched the last few episodes.

I did enjoy most of what I saw. However, the episodes that focused on the dark nature of humanity tended to be rather silly and not really deliver the intended message (if there was one at all). It felt like those episodes were being dark for the sake of it. Episode 12 was the biggest culprit, and it even had massive plotholes that Prof Irony has already gone into. The only darker episode that got my attention was the episode where Kino rescued those men in the snow only to have them turn on her once they recovered. While Hermes did ask some interesting questions, his indifference did get on my nerves a lot of the time. The animation and art left a lot to be desired and was rather offputting at times.

I find it hard to talk about the things I liked in a show, so this is going to be brief. Kino pretty much makes this show so good. It's rare to see such a calm and collected but intelligent character, and this is really apparent when taking her age into account (which I assume to be 12). I also absolutely love the ED. It's easily in my top 10 anime EDs.
 
MaxonTreik said:
I find it hard to talk about the things I liked in a show, so this is going to be brief. Kino pretty much makes this show so good. It's rare to see such a calm and collected but intelligent character, and this is really apparent when taking her age into account (which I assume to be 12).
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She's at least 15 at the time most of the series takes place. In the novels it's stated that she started her travels three years after her 12th birthday - before this she was training with her master, who you see more of if you watch the first short film Life Goes On.

Glad to see so many people got something out of Kino's Journey, even though I didn't manage to write much myself. Kino's definitely one of my favourite characters, and the show makes me want to travel myself something terrible...
 
ayase said:
MaxonTreik said:
I find it hard to talk about the things I liked in a show, so this is going to be brief. Kino pretty much makes this show so good. It's rare to see such a calm and collected but intelligent character, and this is really apparent when taking her age into account (which I assume to be 12).
Click to expand...
She's at least 15 at the time most of the series takes place. In the novels it's stated that she started her travels three years after her 12th birthday - before this she was training with her master, who you see more of if you watch the first short film Life Goes On.

Glad to see so many people got something out of Kino's Journey, even though I didn't manage to write much myself. Kino's definitely one of my favourite characters, and the show makes me want to travel myself something terrible...
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Now that I think about it, the kids in her home country got that operation when they turned 12. I feel stupid.
 
Having seen the show before, I thought I would catch up on this simulwatch by just reading through the thread - but I didn't get very far before the act of reading people's thoughts made me want to watch the show anyway. ^^;

This always looked an excellent choice for a simulwatch, and it looks like it went down as well as expected.

Did you decide on another show to follow this up with?
 
Sorry man, hadn't noticed your post there.

I think Haibane Renmei was the front runner for the next one, but I'm not sure when it's likely to happen at the moment...
 
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