Common Name: Kino's Journey
Alternate Names: Kino's Journey: The Beautiful World, Kino no Tabi
Score: 10/10, 5/5
Length: 13 episodes, 1 short-form special, 2 30 minute movies
Genre: Adventure, Action
Summary: Based on the classic concept of the meditative road trip, typically associated with self-discovery and the discovery of some universal truth, Kino's Journey is a philisophical journey into the human condition and the various problems and beauties that stem from it. Kino journeys her world filled with bizzare but fascinating cultural extremes, while she tries to remain a neutral party to whatever goes on, so long as it doesn't impede her journey.
Review: From the very start, Kino's Journey set's itself up as a very deep and thoughtful show that has a lot to say, but never goes out of its way to directly state it's overall message. Each episode has a kind of lesson of the day, but they are all ultimately an examination of the world from a relatively neutral standpoint. Kino herself is a kind of universal neutral, a balance of all things human. She is all things but none of those things entirely. While being a woman, that fact isn't made blatantly obvious until a third of the way through the show. Though she is a neutral party in the midst of conflict and choas, she is also not a pacifist due to the fact that she is perpetually ready and willing to kill if the situation calls for it. Rage, sorrow, empathy, mercy, joy, regret, she is capable of all these things and occasionally acts on them as proof that she is human--arguably more human than any of the towns, villages, or people she meets along the way.
Kino is capable of basic human emotions, so are all characters worthy of note. So what, you may ask? What point is there to pointing all this out when it should naturally be assumed. One might be willing to argue that my analysis of her serves as an excuse to give personality to an otherwise dull and uninteresting character. On the surface, I could certainly see an argument for her being a boring character, so long as you simply look at her stoic, ever-neutral, attitude and her code of non-interference. It is through her moments of partiality where she bends or outright breaks her code that we see her character unfold as she discusses her view of the world and the justification for her actions with her constant companion, Hermes the talking motorcycle, who makes up for her understated but many faults.
Faults like being an insanely lonely person who has conversations with her motorcycle.
Hermes serves as a means of actually getting answers and reactions out of Kino when she'd be more inclined to leave the audience in the dark. He is far more of a chatterbox but is never overbearing, merely a tool to make sense of the world and his partner. More than just a tool though, Hermes is Kino's constant ally and ultimately the driving force, no pun intended, behind the story since Kino's Journey would be impossible without him. What's great though is that the relationship these two share is hardly the strangest thing in this show. In comparison to some of the towns and themes analyzed during the show, a quiet and stoic girl who talks to her motorcycle is far more tame and reasonable.
While I wouldn't be inclined to call the various towns and scenarios Kino finds herself in necessarily believable, they are all interesting glimpses into human extremes. From a town of machines, to one that revels in war, to another that changes their identities constantly, each town serves little more purpose than being a simple "flavor of the day" for thought exercises. In spite of their lack of any kind of purpose outside of being a sideshow attraction, they are all no less interesting to look at and consider. Much like Kino herself, it doesn't take much for the audience to wonder what kind of social pressures or events would have made such places possible, yet it doesn't take much to imagine them being real places. While not believable, I'm inclined to call them realistic since societies themselves are built on various extremes and defined by their responses to situations which can be equally extreme so long as a voice of reason isn't present.
Afterall, what is the cat ear village if not a subtle jab at the bizzare pageantry seen in Akihabara and other "gimmick towns" today?
Outside of this simple character analysis and explanation of how the show essentially functions, there's honestly not much that can be said about the show though. Since it lack any particular "plot" or reason for being outside of being a deeply intellectual and thought provoking series of events, there are few characters to analyze outside Kino and Hermes or any coherent world outside of the societal simulacra Kino visits. There is also little action to speak of since Kino's skill is unquestionable and any fights she finds herself in usually end in an instant. The art is, for the most part, full of soft colors and softer edges, making it easy on the eyes. The music is appropriate for the tone that the show is trying to set, and is rarely discordant outside of the few moments where Kino is upset. It's just the perfect kind of series to sit down to after you've grown tired of the world, and watch it both validate your jaded viewpoint while also offering the simple reminder that the world is, in spite of all the ugliness in it, absolutely beautiful.