Kino no Tabi

Kino no Tabi
キノの旅
Kino’s Journey

A girl named Kino and her talking motorcycle, Hermes, travel through different countries, seeing how people live. It sounds a little whimsical, very light-hearted, and innocent. Watch episode 2. The first 2:13 minutes alone will convince you of otherwise. The first 31 seconds, if you’re not counting the OP sequence.

Kino no Tabi is a 2003 anime consisting of 13 30-minute episodes. It can be classified as “adventure.”

I thought I’d be getting a cute adventure story about a girl and her motorcycle. What I got was something deep, heartfelt, and somber. The color palette reflects the seriousness of the issues addressed in Kino no Tabi. It’s very muted, though the scenery is well drawn.

Kino herself defies the description in the 1st paragraph. She’s a young girl, probably at the cusp of puberty, who can be mistaken for a young boy. At her age, she’s become philosophical, a little jaded, and a nearly perfect shot with her pistols. The weaponry she carries is … a lot of knives. A lot of firearms. Hermes IS a talking motorcycle, but he’s very cynical as well as Kino’s companion.

Kino has two rules regarding her travels: She can only stay 3 days and she cannot get involved with the country’s customs. Each country she visits has one attribute about it that is exaggerated grotesquely for commentary. Ultimate devotion to a prophecy, over-censorship, genocide for peace, being able to understand each others’ thoughts, etc, etc. It’s not a feel good show, that’s for sure.

The way it’s set up, each topic and episode is very artistically done to induce thought, not just repulsion as most commentative shows go. Kino’s silent musings and then explanations for Hermes show only Kino’s thoughts and not her thought processes, so the viewer must often attempt to grasp her feelings for themselves. Hermes helps facilitate the process as he is often, to a greater extent than the viewer, feeling a little lost at Kino’s conclusions. It’s not that the viewer cannot get to Kino’s conclusion, but that he/she must think it through, however briefly, that’s the gold-mine of this series.

The slow pace contrasts the heavy emotions wonderfully, and Kino is a superbly done character who can fade in and out with her presence, emphasizing what needs to be emphasized and helping the viewer switch from observer to active participant.

This show is worth a look at, at the very least, the first episode. The second is an eye-opener. I won’t recommend this series for a sit-back-and-enjoy show, because it’s not. It will engage you and leave you asking questions about yourself and what you believe.

It’s good. It’s very good.
The rich, indulgent chocolate in an industry of marshmallow.

Tags: Adventure, anime, kino no tabi, kino's journey, review