AoD Advance Review: Kino's Journey Vol. #4

[Chris Beveridge]

Review (http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/3042.php)

[bakafoo]

nice review, Chris. So do we ever get to find out <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>why the false rumors behind the town? Or are we left to find out for ourselves?</span>

[Iwakura]

Having read all the positive aspects about this series from Chris and others I know has finally convinced me to check this one out for myself. Can't wait.

[leongsh]

Can't wait for my copy of Volume 4 to arrive. Love this series to bits. Positively, one of the best series released this year.

[Sugei]

Sounds like something that I would really enjoy. And since no one is buying it that means a heavily discounted bundle ala The Right Stuf thank you very much.

*Swish*

[ayumu]

[ QUOTE ]
bakaBANG-BANG said:
nice review, Chris. So do we ever get to find out <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>why the false rumors behind the town? Or are we left to find out for ourselves?</span>

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes. <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>The rumors are not false. </span>

Just finished watching it tonight. This is one of my favorite series. It's very similar to reading a collection of short stories based on the same character and I suppose that's probably exactly what the stories in Japan were.

I wish ADV would also have released the teaser episode as it is cool in and of itself. I'm not really sure why they haven't.

It's too bad if this series isn't selling that well as it is one of the most thought provoking series I've ever seen.

[Huntressfan]

I thoroughly enjoyed this series. It has become one of my favorites. I don't know if I am the only one, but during the last episode: <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>I was thinking Kino would die. Considering that the town had a bad reputation, I thought the town was just pretending to be nice. Plus they introduced the little girl, who I thought would take the name of Kino and become a traveler herself(and parallel the fourth episode). When Kino said she wanted to stay longer, I thought that was a bad omen for Kino. So I was pleasantly surprised when it didn't turn out as I expected....</span>

I am glad that I was able to sample this show with the Newtype DVD. If someone just told me the premise of the show, "It's about a traveler named Kino, who goes from town to town, and discovers the quirk in each town", I may never have considered getting this series if I never had a chance to actually watch it.

I am curious as to what the Japanese PS2 Kino's Journey game is about...

And I want merchandise from this series! ADV's Kino's Journey website shows some merchandise from Japan, but I want a Kino figure(w/ Hermes!) Hear that, ADV Toys? /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[ayumu]

[ QUOTE ]
Huntressfan said:
<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'> Plus they introduced the little girl, who I thought would take the name of Kino and become a traveler herself(and parallel the fourth episode). </span>

[/ QUOTE ]
<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>That certainly would have been interesting (but sad because I love Kino.) To be honest, I've never been able to figure out the significance of that girl. She's obviously supposed to be a parallel of Kino. She makes the same comment about her name (being a flower and one syllable off from a word that local boys make fun of), and with parents who run an inn. It's also obvious that Kino notices how much this girl is like himself. But what's the significance? That Kino would have died if he'd stayed in his village (even if his parents hadn't tried to kill him)? Was it just supposed to make Kino more sad because the girl was so much like him? </span>

[Nylock]

Finally, Customs decided to release my copy of Kino #4.

About this disk - the recap episode was nice, but I thought the last two episodes really nailed why I love this series. The "war" episode was simply horrific. I felt like Kino - their solution was terribly wrong, but it's hard to come up with something better given how long they had been fighting. The scene at the end was frightening - Kino has been in conflict before, but this was ugly. Maybe the warmongers in the real world should be made to watch this until they get the point.

The last episode had me on tenderhooks all the way through. I kept waiting for the catch - a betrayal, the people showing their true colours and living up to the towns reputation. When it did finally happen, it caught me off-guard (although there is a hint in the guided tour). It was a fitting end to the series - Kino as a traveller is the guardian of stories, and this particular story was very poignant.


The series overall - I watched the Newtype promo and, while not completely sold on it, I thought I'd give it a chance. It's been excellent. If I have any regrets, it is that it is over.

Assuming the anime follows the writer's books, I wish I could read Japanese so that I could read the original novels. The author is very observant and knows how to build a story around a theme, but in a sneaky way, where you're not handed the answer on a plate, but have to work at it. Sometimes there is no answer, just the lesser of many evils.

[Damaramu]

[ QUOTE ]
ayumu-chan said:
[ QUOTE ]
Huntressfan said:
<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'> Plus they introduced the little girl, who I thought would take the name of Kino and become a traveler herself(and parallel the fourth episode). </span>

[/ QUOTE ]
<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>That certainly would have been interesting (but sad because I love Kino.) To be honest, I've never been able to figure out the significance of that girl. She's obviously supposed to be a parallel of Kino. She makes the same comment about her name (being a flower and one syllable off from a word that local boys make fun of), and with parents who run an inn. It's also obvious that Kino notices how much this girl is like himself. But what's the significance? That Kino would have died if he'd stayed in his village (even if his parents hadn't tried to kill him)? Was it just supposed to make Kino more sad because the girl was so much like him? </span>

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it was more to remind Kino of something resembling a home, and what she once had (although her past obviously wasn't quite as pleasant). Kino was even moved to the point of breaking her own 3 day rule by asking to stay longer in that country. That visit was like a challenge to her wandering spirit and way of life that she'd come to love; as a traveller, she'd found a destination.

I just marathoned the series for my first watching over this past weekend and immediatly loved it. It's a poignant portrait of the makers' perceptions of humanity, made of things and characters that at times are not obviously recognisable as humans. It paints colours that can resemble emotions, but aren't confined to a single person; rather the whole country evoked various contradictions that, while at times far fetched, are genuine and appeal to something basic/fundamental in us (or me, at least).

This series quickly found a place in my heart. Definitely something many more people should check out.