Kino no tabi

Its a brilliant format to teach a bunch of philosophical concepts. Each country has its own philosophy, and the countries are all small. Kino travels from country to country, while the viewer gains a deeper understanding of the concept. The format is the best format I have ever seen in a TV show and it will always stay in my memories.

If your reading this, you've probably already read the summary so I'm just gonna go on with my thoughts. My friend, who knows my taste well, introduced me to this anime and it definitely was something I like. I've watched and completed many different ones, but this anime was probably the one that struck me most so far. It's unique comparing to all the others. It will give you a different kind of emotional experience through the eyes of a traveler, and many life lessons along the way. You get to know the complex character of Kino very well as you go on throughout the episodes. Which is another reason why it is different from other clichè anime with simple characters that are very easy to figure out.

Definitely a very slow paced anime, if you are looking for action you are at the wrong place.

However, if you are interested in experiencing the elevating joys, the wide arsenal of emotions and artistic features an anime can offer then you have just found what you are looking for.

This piece of art is coming at you with a mixture of sounds, pictures, and dialog like not much other anime out there. Every single episode is a rather complex assessment of the different systems that have existed and exist throughout human history and of the different element of human personality in general.

Our main hero, Kino is a traveler and as such it is not the end point, not the destiny of the journey that is important for her, but the experience she gather while being on the road. Many of the episodes have not much connections to each other, they could be separated from each other and still be meaningful, in other words there are a lots of episodes (in the literature sense).

It was created by the same crew as Serial Experiments Lain, so if you've seen that you should have a good idea what you are in for, however this one is taking a less theoretic approach to the different problems humanity as a whole and an individual is facing. Most importantly, each episode gives you a comprehensive example, that way getting the problem close to you and is looking for practical solutions. Still in the end the Kino takes no active part in the events and is just a bystander, who forms her opinion but does nothing more (maybe with exemption of 1-2 life-death problems she can't stand by).

Summing up, to truly understand this piece you have to do your own part, this show doesn't serve you answers on a silver plate, but rather questions.

This series is quite different to other anime series I've seen; it is neither action packed nor full of laughs although that doesn't mean it is totally lacking in these. The animation has a style of its own too; in some ways it has a simple look but it is stunningly beautiful. The series follows the travels of Kino and her talking 'Motorrad' (motorbike) Hermes as they visit various countries, each of the countries are effectively city states that each have their own unique customs, some are friendly, others less so. As a general rule Kino is just an observer of the countries she visits but occasionally gets involved although that is usually because she has no choice. Just because Kino prefers to avoid conflict does not mean the guns we see in the opening credits don't get used, it did come as a surprise the first time though.

As they are constantly travelling the only regular characters are Kino and Hermes; Kino is an interesting character whose gender is open to question for the first few episodes and is sometimes addressed as a boy and sometimes as a girl in the various countries, Hermes might be a talking motorbike but isn't as silly as that sounds, it looks like a real bike and does not have a face like other animated talking vehicles.

While the stories were gently paced I was never bored, I'd certainly recommend this for anybody looking for something a little different. It is suitable for most ages although one or two scenes might disturb young children; some people and a few rabbits do get shot and we aren't spared the sight of spilt blood.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

"Kino's Journey" follows the duo consisting of Kino and the talking motorcycle Hermes. Together, the two travel through various cities and learn something about the history of the city and its inhabitants.

This is a completely unique narrative structure, which is very refreshing if you like to watch a lot of series (like me, for example).

Each episode contains a short story, which is often quite interesting - the themes of the story range from war to technological progress to grief.

In addition, the relationship between Kino and the motorcycle Hermes is written very warmly.

"Kino's Journey" was clearly a surprise hit for me and thrilled me with its unique premise.