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Customer Reviews of Kino's Journey - Idle Adventure (Vol. 1) - With Series Box

Kino is...
There's something to be said for the use of quiet as a story-telling device.
I did not know what to expect when I first sat down to watch Kino's Journey, but I was quickly captivated by this series.
Kino is an impartial witness, traveling from one land to the next. Her constant companion is Hermes, a talking motorbike with a sarcastic bent.
Together, they explore various social situations, and their potential consequences. Is knowing the thoughts of those around you a blessing or a curse? Is it right to live at the expense of another? What are the consequences of prophecy? Can a society truly divest itself of all its traditions? What does it mean to be a reasonable adult?
We aren't always given answers to our questions, either. Kino is not a judge. She neither condones nor condemns those around her.
In the second episode, we do see Kino fight against a group of slave traders, but this is only after they threaten Kino's own life.
Despite some moments of graphic violence, this is a series that I would seriously consider sharing with children about ten or older.
Oft times thoughtful, it is the quiet moments when we see that which is truly beautiful in the world.
My sole complaint is that Kino's identity as a girl was supposed to be a surprise in the fourth episode, but the ADV english translation reveals it a bit early.
The art style is intruigingly complex and simplistic at the same time, with vivid detail for the backgrounds and mechanical devices, but with remarkably plain character designs. The colors use a great deal of earth tones, and it is nowhere as brightly colored as some anime. The musical score is both vivid and haunting. The voice cast for both Japanese and English dialogue are superb.
Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a few more like this one.

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Enjoy the journey with Kino
I have a slight warning to be prepared before you start watching Kino's journey. In doing some checking to make sure it wasn't just my DVD, I found that the lines that are found throughout the anime were done intentionally and are not a defect. Like watching a movie in widescreen, this might bother some people and they might not be able to deal with it. For myself, I prefer widescreen and stopped noticing the lines through the video after the first few minutes.

As for the series itself, I have to say it's something of a marvel. Kino and Hermes, Kino's motorrad (a talking motorcycle) travel the world, visiting no country for more than three days. As Kino observes, it's enough time to get a feel for the region and then it's time to go because staying for more than three days means less time that he can stay in another country. Kino is also truthful enough to also admit that this reasoning may be a lie and that he's just afraid of liking a region too much and setting down roots, which would mean he would no longer be a traveller.

Kino and Hermes spend a lot of time talking to one another, having philosophical discussions as they travel, about the places they're going to and what meets them when they get there. Each country they travel through has their own set of laws and government and those who travel through them are not supposed to do anything to disturb their customs. This manages to give us an interesting look at the world and see how things work and don't work.

The first country Kino visits seems devoid of humanity, with machines performing all the roles that humans usually fulfill. Kino is greeted by a machine as he enters the town, is served food by machines and is even given a room by one. It's not until later that Kino notices there are people living nearby, but they are all alone and far spread out, with no one living with anyone else. It's as Kino is leaving that he finally speaks with someone and finds out why the town is like that and how their hope for a Utopian society had led to their downfall and isolation.

In the second episode, Kino doesn't actually visit a town but instead finds three men who are stuck in the snow and are near the point of starvation. Kino stops to help them but even then questions his own motives in doing so, as he feels no paricular regard for them. It's these ruminations that Kino and Hermes have throughout this episode that really intersted me.

In the third episode, Kino visits several towns, with several of the stories about the towns overlapping. It's done in an interesting style, the way these stories weave together, without the point being hammered into your head. I enjoyed the flow, especially with the first country, where the end of the world is being predicted the following day, so everyone gives Kino what he is shopping for for free.

I can't say much for the final episode because I wouldn't want to spoil anything for someone on their first viewing of it. There is a twist here, which is about all I can safely say without giving it away. Depending on whether you watch the anime in English or Japanese will also give you some clues as to what's going on. I think the English version gave away some hints too early on, but maybe that's just me. All in all, I recommend this show for anyone who likes to think. It isn't all out action for those that just like fighting animes, but for those who like their anime to challenge their intellect a bit, I can highly recommend this show.

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A Great Quiet Anime
"Kino's Journey" is a fascinating, introspective show with a quality all its own. The show as a whole spans four DVDs and has no plot; Kino just travels around, visiting one country or another and interacting with whoever lives there. Sometimes Kino gets into trouble, and sometimes just watches. The various lands have nothing in common except a vaguely fairytale European quality, and like the best fairy tales, these stories don't shy away from grim brutality -- as well as an 'existential' quality which some may find amoral or unsettling. But through it all, Kino survives and heads on for the next land, the next adventure. For those who like their anime thoughtful, I don't see how this could be better. I didn't notice the "lines" that some found distracting. The backgrounds, skies and details are rendered in a watercolor style well suited to the stories' general mood. A fine show, well worth watching more than once.