Kino's Journey Recommended

Publisher
ADV
Director
Ryutaro Nakamura
Production
GENCO, ADV Films, Kino's Journey Production Committee
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
13 episodes
Year
2004

Kino's Journey vol 3: Warning - Curves Ahead (eps 8-10)

By John Huxley
26th Mar 05

Fans of Kino's Journey should already be aware that, unusually for a modern anime, it's based around a series of novels. Unfortunately only available in Japanese, we can only guess how faithful this anime remains to its source material; although considering that the two share the same distinctive illustrations I'd assume they're relatively closely related. If you'd like to find out more about the books http://kino.ming-ling.net/ is a good source for everything Kino.

Back to the anime, this third volume of Kino's Journey contains three episodes which see our heroine and her mechanical companion travel to several new 'countries', each with their own distinctive cultures. In the first episode we follow Kino as she visits a country which prides itself on its illustrious agricultural history, a point which the boastful mayor is keen to illustrate at great length to our wearied travellers. Fortunately this boring lecture is interrupted by a feisty young lady who demands the mayor listen to her plea. However, the mayor quickly dismisses her out of hand and the lecture continues apace. With little else to interest her, Kino pursues the lady to her ramshackle home in which she discovers the reason for her causing such a commotion; a beautiful yet incomplete aeroplane. However, before she can finally taste the fruits of her life's work she must gain permission from the mayor to move a commemorative statue blocking her potential landing strip. With Kino's arrival construed as fate, the young lady harbours fresh hopes that her dream of flight will soon be realised...

Whilst this episode may be slightly more grandiose in its subject matter, the lightweight moral provides a welcome change of pace to the often heavy-handed Kino's Journey. There's an interesting little twist at the end, but otherwise there's really very little to make you sit back and consider your thoughts during this entertainingly fluffy episode. Still, the strength of the narrative shines through as always, uncluttered and almost entirely free of the cliches that so typify the majority of anime. In a small way it reminds me of Hayao Miyazaki's methods of storytelling; he rarely tries to appeal to lowest common denominator yet his stories are so universally appealing to all ages. I realise this is a dangerous comparison - comparing anything to Miyazaki's work is a recipe for disappointment - yet I honestly feel there's enough genuine quality inherent in Kino's Journey to warrant such a claim.

For an animation with the subtitle 'The Beautiful World', you'd expect at least a little in the way of impressive visuals. And Kino's Journey doesn't disappoint. At first the strangely subdued colour pallette and simple artwork appear to be all to basic to impress, yet it's this very simplicity that really creates such a wonderful atmosphere. Storybook trees, idyllic European towns and clunky Jules Verne-style technology are all highlighted by sparing use of over exposed sunlight to create an almost dream-like quality. It's not the most technically impressive anime by a long shot, but it's no doubt one of the prettiest.

The second episode on this disc takes us to a world infatuated with books. A forward-thinking nation that would welcome Kino with open arms, you might think...yet the truth is far more sinister. Concerned that books may influence our impressionable minds, all literature is screened to decide if it's 'safe' for public consumption, with the rejected books cruelly locked away inside a giant tower. Tired of reading nothing but factual books and children's literature, the people of this troubled country have formed an underground resistence led by the a mysterious man known only as 'the author'. Kino's appearance on the scene prompts the resistance to take action against their oppressors and soon enough Kino finds herself embroiled in an elaborate ploy to free the forbidden books.

This episode at first appears to be a neat if not unsubtle commentary on the complexities of censorship, but as the story unfolds we're dealt a few twists and turns that'll probably require a couple of rewinds to fully comprehend. Although we're not talking Serial Experiments Lain here, there are a few developments that could potentially have wide-reaching implications for Kino's Journey. Unfortunately, despite such promising beginnings the episode disappointingly fizzles out without really reaching any kind of satisfactory conclusions. Perhaps I was disappointed because I was simply enjoying it so much I really wished it was much longer, or maybe the episode's conclusion was purposefully unclear in order to leave you with your thoughts. Nevertheless, it's not particularly detrimental to what is otherwise a great episode of an already classic series.

The third and final episode on this disc slows the pace down a little with a more pedestrian tale about an android maid who lives only to serve her beloved employers. A kind old lady, the self-proclaimed android is eager to welcome Kino and Hermes into her home, feeding the young traveller and giving her shelter for the night. Soon enough Kino begins to realise that something is out of place in this quaint backwater paradise, her suspicions reiterated by the shocking discovery of an nearby country entirely submerged beneath a man-made lake.

If you found the previous episode to be a little too confusing and unpredictable, this episode should provide the ideal antidote - the straightforward story throws up few surprises and the change of pace is surprisingly relaxing. It's not quite as spectacular as the other two episodes on this disc for different reasons, yet this simple tale is strangely involving if only for the inevitability of the bitter-sweet conclusion and the comforting warmth of the maid character. Another great addition to the increasingly large cast, the maid is a typically robust character despite her lack of screen time. We're rarely dealt the sort of stereotypical, one-dimensional characters that typify lesser anime; each character in Kino's Journey blends into a wonderfully colourful tapestry that really helps to bring Kino's storybook world alive.

It's really becoming increasingly difficult to find fault with Kino's Journey. Sure, it'll never appeal to all tastes, but if you like your anime with a little substance then you can't go wrong with the fantastic Kino's journey.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, clean open/close production sketches, ADV previews

Release information: UK: March 2005, ADV

Notes: Once again Kino's Journey is almost bereft of any substantial extras, a real pity considering the show's intriguing background. The gorgeous cover designs do go some way to making up for the lack of extras, however, with this third volume featuring a lovely image of the young aviation-obsessed girl from the first episode gently lit by a crescent moon as she quietly studies her books. Despite a few obvious anomalies this wonderfully subtle cover artwork does a fantastic job of conveying the spirit and atmosphere of Kino's Journey. Unfortunately the same can't be said of the menus, although they're perfectly functional and easy to navigate. Compared to some of ADV's other recent releases this is really a disappointing package, but luckily you're not going to care much when the main feature is so darn great.

-- John Huxley 26th Mar 05

Kino's Journey Images