| Kino's Journey is one of those rare series that is rather difficult to describe in a few words. On the surface the plot sounds quite simple: You have a character, Kino, who is on a journey with a talking motorcycle named Hermes. Kino never stays in one country for more than three days, and gets to see many different customs and events. With such a basic premise the show could have ended up rather dull, or simply one of those shows where the protagonist goes from town to town each week helping people like we have seen in so many programs before on TV. Kino�s Journey, however, almost feels like a Twilight Zone road trip, or even a collection of short stories akin to Isaac Asimov or O. Henry. Some episodes even become rather disturbing, with resemblances to Stephen King. It is no exaggeration that the true draw of this series is by far the fantastic writing. Stories include a town that involves people that read minds, cannibalism, war, peace, censorship, the death penalty, democracy, citizenship and much more. Besides touching on some truly intriguing concepts, each episode tackles the issues in a way that is never clear-cut, and is even often morally ambiguous. I won't go and spoil the stories for you, but the writing will frequently surprise, disturb or cause you to really think. Kino is a fantastic character that is far from the norm. This small, young, black-haired individual is not initially supplied with a lot of story or motivation that is easily apparent. Where is Kino going? How did Kino get a talking motorcycle? Who is this "master" Kino frequently refers to? How did Kino learn to become so skilled in the use of firearms and knives? Even Kino's gender is a mystery at the beginning. All of these secrets are slowly unveiled as we follow the journey. Kino is also not exactly your common personality type, either. Kino gets scared and is by no means superhuman despite being such a formidable warrior. Kino also displays very little emotion, and is willing to watch many events that a scrupulous character would intervene in. For instance, upon watching a woman murder a man in the woods the question is raised why Kino didn't try to stop her. Kino replies that "I am not a god" and leaves it at that. Kino never tries to interfere with a country's customs no matter how shocking they may appear, and is content to be a simple observer. Yet while Kino will not hesitate to kill, the character will never do so without just cause. The perfect companion to Kino is the talking motorcycle Hermes. If you're expecting a motorbike with eyes and a mouth you've got the wrong idea. Hermes has no human traits and is incapable of controlling his own actions, but he is most assuredly alive. Hermes helps the series from getting too dark by providing innocent and funny comments and frequently getting his metaphors mixed up. Hermes also has the tendency to ask Kino many of the questions that the viewer is probably wondering and helps us learn more about this traveler's motivations. While this is not an action piece by any means, there are some great actions scenes scattered here and there where we get to see Kino show off some impressive moves. One story in particular involves a country where citizenship is determined by competing in a gladiatorial event. The battles in these two episodes are very well drawn and excellently choreographed. Kino's Journey is not an anime for everyone, but if you're looking for a thoughtful and deep show with great writing you'll be very impressed. We get to see a lot of unusual concepts and many a close look at basic human tendencies from a decidedly different perspective. Kino's Journey will create in you feelings of wonder, unease, sadness, shock, anger and compassion while making you think, often having these feelings linger long after the show has ended. This is a series that talks about choices, the roads that we take and what could be or might have been had we taken another path. In the end, Kino is about a world that is full of joy and sorrow, beauty and horror, love and pain- experiencing the full spectrum of life's colors. This is one journey all mature anime fans should take. |
| Kino's Journey |
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