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Watching Kino's journey since some months back someone compared me to umamusume's stay gold and apparently that's the same character as this one at least in superficial vibes so I must verify this claim. Yes! This is a normal reason to watch an anime, thank you.

I'll go episode by episode for this one, seems like a rather short 13 ep package so it shouldn't be too bad. Maybe if I like it I'll read some of the manga too. Consider it some sort of watch-along post with in-the-moment commentary from Just Some Guy™️ rather than a real noteworthy analysis.

Spoiler free review: Kino's journey is an anime about a traveler. This traveler goes around many places, most of which are presented in a parable or really more of an allegory. It's kind of a slow paced anime with a protagonist that doesn't often willingly act as much as they observe what goes on around. If you feel like this sounds very frustrating, I would not recommend it. If, however, you enjoy the idea of journeys as a means through which to experience what life has to offer, both good and bad, sometimes the gruesome, it's worth checking out. It reminded me of the feeling you get from reading fairy tales as a kid, tough more grounded in reality and centered around moral / philosophical issues. While it is sometimes very overt with its messaging, it doesn't always hold your hand and lead you to a conclusion for every episode. I found the protagonist and their bike companion to be very entertaining, and oddly, the show to be very heartwarming as a whole.

DO I recommend you watch it first before reading this post: yes go watch it this is a strong recommend go watch it close this right now and go watch like the first four episodes (or hell maybe even just the 4th one first as it is a backstory one that comes early and has a main theme of seeing past the values, experiences and expectations that you inherit) to see if its your kind of anime

"getting a lot of nb vibes from this" -guy who has seen kino journy anime episode 4

Japanese difficulty: Oftentimes it's an anime with mostly "normal person fluid spoken" kind of japanese. From time to time you will encounter very rough bits, so choose your battles wisely. I would personally recommend N2 level minimum for a smoother experience overall. You'll see from time to time that the anime tries to go for a kind of "folk story" approach to its writing which bumps the difficulty a tad. Furthermore, you'll find that this is the kind of show where you also depend on understanding the dialogue more often than not to understand the story rather than being able to navigate it solely from the animation; if you miss a crucial nuance it might prove difficult to get what's going on. You might be able to pull through with a mid to late N3 but come out of it scathed and charred around the edges I think. Not too rough to parse out, but sometimes rough to put it all together.

Total new word haul: 116. Favorites: 境遇, "情けは人のためならず", 町並み, 義賊, 健闘(を祈る), 放浪

Episode 1:

I like the opening! It almost feels like an old 2000s AMV lmao

We open to Kino in a desert seemingly in a dire situation, talking to her motorbike somehow. She seems to be quite particular in the ways of a traveler. Seems like a stubborn to a fault and an introspective character with a past that's rather unexplained, someone important now forgotten to her.

"Have you ever been jealous of the birds in the sky?" Interesting first question to pose for this character, guessing she felt restricted in some way in her past and that set her up to want to travel.

The setting established seems to put an implicit emphasis on robots and machinery being advanced despite the verdant pastures and terrains she travels. Or rather, at least this town in particular appears to be devoid of any human life.

Seems like someone's got an affinity for gun mechanisms. Ok damn I guess it's quickdraw practice at 5 in the morning, I can stand behind this honestly. Not the most unjustified scenario to be doing this at, considering how ominous the city appears to be. More like a ghost town, really.

Small aside I love Kino's design, the outfit is really simple but it looks great. Ah to be designed as an early 2000s anime character... Coincidentally, this anime released on my same year of birth. I wonder what it was like to have this as a new contemporary release back then, I like the aesthetic of it quite a fair deal.

"How would it feel to be the only person living in this country?" pretty lonely if I had to guess.

Ah everyone's a shut in. Maybe the episode will be about how the country solved all its problems with robots and that isolated people.

3 days rule for attachment issues is a good way to settle it at least, makes for a good episodic show if nothing else.

lol everyone cowering in fear at a single traveler on a motorbike calmly going past

"Do you understand what I'm thinking?" Maybe it's a telepathy situation? weird country

Ohh this is a more interesting plot point. Kind of a mix of what I was thinking earlier then, a country that developed a way to grant its inhabitants telepathy to understand one another's minds that ended up with nobody truly happy. How much friction do you think there needs to be in interpersonal relationships in order for them to feel real? Could you handle all of your thoughts being conveyed to someone and to know everything back, even the bad parts? I suppose the true question the episode poses is whether knowing someone's pain to a full extent without being willingly extended that leads to the way you know one another being meaningful or even satisfying. It's a fun question to pose, trying to blur where you end and someone begins.

Oh man this guy must be lonely as hell to ask a genuine stranger whose thoughts he cannot read for the first time in years if they'd like to live with him so out of the blue. It might've been actual years since he last interacted with someone.

Oh wait that's a cute detail, he kept on caring for the flowers despite not liking them and she kept the music they both listened to. In the end they did positively affect each other a lot more than they must've felt. Sweet if a bit tragic in the end that they've grown to never be with another again.

And it's brought full circle with Kino and the man reading not each other's minds but their intentions, not fully certain on what they got from one another.

Very lonely country, this one.

Oh the ending theme is quite pleasant too.

Overall thoughts: Fun introduction, seems like the kind of show I'll like already. No true clues into whether I can claim to be "just like her frfr" just quite yet, though. Stubbornness is a common trait in people. I'm guessing the general thesis statement of the show will be something like "what beauty can you find in the world around you even in the terrible parts" or something along those lines, who's to say. This episode's main message was a bit overt but it was short and well done, not much happened and it felt kind of relaxing overall, really.

Episode 2:

They don't shy away from killing a little rabbit in this anime.

Right well Kino appears to be someone who cares deeply about the value of life based on this short interaction, at least. Letting the death of the little rabbit go in vain would imply a disrespect to killing it in the first place.

First time she's shown actually helping someone, going out of her way to do so at least. Kind of wonder why but I'm guessing its because these three guys are in such dire straits that she HAS to step in to help

Well it's a bit surprising for these 3 guys in squalor stranded in the middle of the snowy forest to have such a valuable ring like that, guessing criminals of some kind. oh lol dog for your wife?? okay

I guess I kind of relate to the thought that you can't really fully be certain on whether you can arbitrate who's more deserving of living here, Kino did have to go out of her way to hunt the rabbit for the people she found to whom she has no relation with. Posing it as something she'd like to be on the receiving end on if ever found in the same circumstances, I see.

Another bunny down. Ah they were tradesmen.

Fearing I'll get quite a few proverbs from this show.

Too good to be true it seems. Tradesmen in the way of human trafficking. Sad for those three rabbits after all.

"we're wolves metaphorically speaking" HAHAHA kino we're the alphas here u gotta let us human traffick you cmon we're sigma cmon

DAMN FIVE KNIVES?? ONE'S A GUN????

Well that's 3 rabbits and 3 men down. So much for dictating who deserves it more. Ah so cannibals on top of human traffickers, real stint of rotten luck to stumble upon these three and go out of your way to help them.

"You can have this back as I wasn't able to help you." Hmmm.

Seems like she just considers this to be human nature, doesn't even seem to blame them that much. Bleak but I can get it, honestly.

Overall thoughts: An unfortunate chapter but a traveler moves ever onward in the end. The title of the episode 「人を喰った話」 does kind of spoil the twist, but I feel like it doesn't take that much impact away from it. It's the kind of chapter that a character always needs to face that makes them reconsider their values, even more so for Kino who seemed to had been just about getting attached to these people in what seemed to be a contradiction to what was established the episode prior. Pretty good overall. SHE HAS 4 KNIVES 2 GUNS AND ONE KNIFEGUN. GOD DAMN.

Episode 3:

"There's times when travelers turn into poets" funny

"The world is ending" I like Kino a lot yeah, that's a great reaction to have.

Okay it seems like each country Kino visits will be some metaphorical fable kind of thing after all.

Seeing how people in stories react to their daily lives even when the world is seemingly about to end rendering it mostly meaningless is a kind of topic I enjoy greatly, hoping this chapter becomes one of my favorites.

full of weaponry and ammunition.

We have just asked around the street what passersby think of this chapter, our latest testimony states as follows: "getting lots of religious metaphor vibes from this"

Good day to do shopping before the world ends at least.

Kino just going whatever im sleeping tonight when asked what she'll do if the world ends lmao

YEAHHH QUICKDRAW PRACTICE RETURNS AGAIN

Immediately going towards moving the goalpost when the prophecy is disproven lmaooo classic

"about the things you bought yesterday..." hahaha

okay seems like it's just an episode based around not blindly following figures of authority then, not favorite material but it's incredibly funny so far with how deadpan it's been.

Seems like we're moving away to another country rather quick, interesting. Kino fucking HATES cat ears she will NOT be putting them on. Traditions are pretty interesting, I see them as more of a promise between people to connect in a particular way, but it's usually a promise that gets passed down and distorted along the way if you don't willingly learn about it and choose to do it yourself. Interesting that they're offering for Kino to partake in the tradition as a method for inclusion of a stranger, I guess it must be since this country is unpopular for whatever reason.

Oh they're just... trying to start random traditions so that visitors spread them to other places or something? odd

"Without entering the town follow what tigers do" This is a true proverb. Always follow it. LMAO DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO CORRECT HIM

I guess cultural traditions are pretty important if you want to bring up a sense of nationalism and all but framing it as "they didn't even have anything to boast about :(" is hilarious. If they boasted to me about their tradition of wearing lion tails I'm not sure I would be jealous but it'd be quite the fascinating one. Ah but it is a cute detail that they did make a new tradition of greeting travelers with a fake tradition, bringing them all together.

Really moving through these countries fast huh.

yooo gondola country. I guess the real theme of the episode is traditions, what with the bringing the country together in fear under the prophecy, with a plan to fool travelers or with a melancholy to tie everyone together.

do NOT spread joy in my country EVER. MAKE SAD POETRY NOW!! but emperor i do not know sadness such funny stories in this one.

WHOA WHOA WHOA OKAY LIVE WIFE SUICIDE OUT OF NOWHERE

this poetry is a nightmare to read this is bumping up the show's jp difficulty alone good lord

They really cursed the shit out of this kingdom just because this guy was "too happy" once. what a problem to have.

Ah so it isn't to bring this one country together either, but that there's always a theme of countries importing or exporting or attempting to. Fun to see this is where the first country got it from.

"YO random traveler, did you just get outta that place? yeag we're about to blow that shit smooth off, cool." ??? ??

NO WAYYY IT'S ANOTHER FUCKASS PROPHECY HAHAHA Everyone is nuts in this anime it's amazing.

Overall thoughts: Completely crazy episode, insanely funny to me. I can't get a full clear read on what the takeaway is but it's clearly to do with examining the thoughts handed down to you and figuring out why it is that you choose to follow them rather than just going along blindly. The funny random tradition country in the middle throws me off a bit, I guess it must be something along the lines of realizing how the natural processes that involve the people that surround you should be the ones taken into account for these traditions rather than trying to force something. Kino is the funniest protagonist she really does not give a fuck I love her. Just like me fr verdict check? still unclear.

Episode 4:

MY REVIEW DIDN'T SAVE WHILE DRAFTING fuuuuuck

look ok it's a beautiful episode that deals with a lot of false binary choices and Kino's backstory which deeply informs the way they are in the present day.

I thought it was fun that the only thing Kino remembers about their old name was the bullying that came with it, it's a slight slant on the "just like me fr fr" scale but I did get a bit of that too back when I was young lmao

Some other things I found noticeable were how the adult's appalling actions were framed as something they didn't really know what to do and they had to reason shit through the lenses of "oh well yea that sounds like an adult way to handle things" after literally killing some guy and then getting the knife out of his body all the while they were cheering.

I really loved how this has that old anime way of presenting the topic of "What actually matters is what you like and what you want to do" rather than the presupposed expectations imposed on you by the people you grow up with

Kino's impromptu motorbike lesson was great and the breaking of a barrier that opens up to a wider more beautiful world was very moving despite how simple it was

Kino remembering the song paralleled the prior episode with the girl remembering her father's curse chant which was sweet

Lobotomizing kids at age 12 is CRAZY

I adored the fact that in most cases Kino chooses an option that isn't immediately presented as either of the two extremes

Hermes calling them kino made me want to throw up a little this is such a sweet episode

^ looks so happy now Overall thoughts: i'm gonna throw up, im gonna throw up im gonna throuw p

Very lovely episode and I CANNOT do it justice even for how simple it is in presentation, you have to watch it yourself and also god fucking dammit my previous in the moment review ouagggg fuuuck It felt like an elegantly packaged presentation for how a small influence can help you grow beyond conditioning, something along those lines.

Episode 5:

We open on some poor old guy being exploited for 50 years

I find it funny that Kino goes on about another country where people don't have to work considering they were also in one in episode 1.

"why do you work" "so we can be stressed" god if only. Imagine the success rates if that was your metric. "We're really wealthy so we have to divide things up fairly and we do it based on who's most stressed" ???????? "yeah if you don't have something to stress you that's no good. That's what jobs are for!" ??????????????????????

Kino, in the most flat tone ever: "Right."

...If there's another guy fucking up the railway tracks as his job that's about to be revealed this might be the most insane episode so far

NO WAY HAHAHAHA

and a third one. funniest shit i've ever seen.

Second plotline for the episode is darker but it's kinda silly to think the inhabitants of this kingdom were so trigger happy with the executions that they ended up killing most of their own. 13604 executions is insane, how much cut rope is that?

It's a bit silly to ask a traveler to stay and become a citizen of your country RIGHT after you told them about your rampant and continued abuse of democratic measures to kill your own fellow citizens and also it's literally just you left. wonder what the multiple gunshots were for.

funny squabbling at the end.

Overall thoughts: truth be told I feel like I'm missing something in my understanding of this one but it was really funny to see the absurdities of this story's setting. maybe I'm just tired while watching this one lol something about making choices for yourself rather than relying on authorities or external systems idk a traveler doesn't dwell on stuff and the like, next chapter

Episode 6:

there must be some sort of clause against what the lack of information regarding entering the country means for travelers, surely some manner of jurisprudence is not being applied properly here

ohhh slavery okay yeah it makes sense that it's like this

坊や lmao

frankly this country looks a lot worse for wear than what was advertised.

Interesting that kino is participating in this contest considering their usual lack of interference with any of the places traveled. Ep2 already seemed like a very marked exception to their general philosophy.

"I don't mean to stay for long" that's bullshit I saw the next episode's title something's about to go terribly wrong or this is about to be some worrying pacing.

kino has grown bloodthirsty there is no longer travel only glory

Feels kinda weird to see characters like this. "Why don't we talk about god together this time" ?? ???? ? who is this guy

first (second) match. "I was born as a lowly assassin in another country, thus this one should surely be suitable for me as a first class citizen" -> immediately tries to boomerang self to death.

next match! oh wow is everyone bullet resistant here A flamethrower is NOT a good weapon here dude shit is open air and fucks up your mobility by having to carry an entire can of fuel that can be shot. It got shot. okay sure if the guy wants to be a piñata for the audience despite being offered a chance to surrender you might as well. dude you were not that tough you had a shotgun and a shitty flamethrower that doused you in gas what is with the kill or be killed shtick

just smacking him with the gun instead lmao

oh wow that grenade explosion would've been way redder than that, that person got atomized

flashback scene

Overall thoughts: this episode felt very out of place for this show but it's a change of pace at least. It feels like it breaks many rules established earlier like the 3 days rule or the not getting involved proclivity. I wonder what it's getting at, honestly. jp for this one was a bit annoying to parse out at times.

Episode 7:

this play sucks.

oh this is just this guy shittalking his dad. is this just a play made by the new king to traumadump on the colosseum winners ok so dog guy is clearly this guy's son

cold turkey marriage proposal is an unorthodox strategy let's see how this plays out. not going well he's fumbling the bag with his tragic backstory more. oh dude no you can't wish death upon them after this that's not a good look

I really don't understand what would drive Kino to keep going with this.

Good grief what kind of sniper rifle can blow rocks up.

Everyone's just in a backstory dumping mood today huh

oh they really don't want more surrenders.

ah they REALLY really did not want more surrenders.

dog vs bike feud b-plot is interesting

It's kind of fun to imagine what other kinds of people Kino might've met multiple times in their travels, odd that this one in particular proved so fascinating so as to bring them to participate this much in a country's tradition. Also I guess I was wrong on this taking more than 3 days

ENTIRE crowd silent, they NEED some blood to spill.

"why did you participate" "idk i was bored lmao" cinema

funny to hit the hilt of the sword with the gun.

oh damn is kino aiming at the king that's gonna be a problem

IS THAT A FUCKING FIREBALL??? GODDAMN okay, kino commits regicide as a climax to the mini arc.

I still have no clue what Kino meant by doing any of this. It didn't feel like there was something that would particularly motivate them towards getting involved so deeply in a country considering the previous track record, and how episode 2 built it up to be such a rare exception.

the random diss lmao alright

Overall thoughts: That was certainly 2 chapters. They were fun but I guess I'm not really sure what to think of them as a whole. Maybe I missed something crucial with Kino's characterization but this whole mini arc seemed a bit odd to me. Watching the action scenes was neat, they felt a bit reserved which was interesting, but seeing Kino in action was a nice change in pace. The whole plotline with the prince was there too, I suppose? I liked the dog. Watching them just actually have the king splash blood all over the people besides him was neat maybe.

just like me fr verdict is very inconclusive right now.

Episode 8:

Callback to the first episode! Windmill country! I might like this one.

We open on a woman sleeping in some storehouse with what is clearly a mechanical project, her fiance stated as someone she kind of puts up with. Interesting that they're magicians despite seemingly being analog technology so far.

Ah looks like it was just a kid's naming convention, cute. Funny that it'd become the entire land's name just like that.

No one gets a happy backstory in this anime lol I like this woman already though

Honestly, it's kind of an interesting thing to come to know someone past their death. Finding an old encyclopedia of a man thought useless for having different aims from the rest of the community and being enraptured by all the things he has written down must feel a little like making a friend, at least. Ohhh it's gonna be a flying machine inventor chapter I might really love this one

Hilarious that Kino being the first visitor in 5 whole years derails the I guess village chief so much that he goes on whole tirades about crop production rates over the years. Everyone either wants Kino to become part of the country they reside or dead.

COOL ASS flying machine. I imagine 99% ended in failure in real life but damn the thin wooden beam filled to the brim with sails aesthetic of those early contraptions is so fascinating to behold.

lmao talk about a shit fiance "I just want you to be a normal wife" logically I get that she's kind of deep in an ambition hole and using up many life savings but not even trying to find better avenues to explore this dream of hers is kind of sad.

imagine getting outdone by a fucking motorcycle NO WAY I'm ever living down my hypothetical wife feeling more support from a sentient vehicle's single line of dialogue than from all our years together. insane.

hug tackle lol she's great I love this character

perhaps it can be considered a little cheap or overdone to have storylines like this, but I can't help but be a complete sucker for them. seeing a character fulfill a dream they worked on despite all odds and complications even to the very end, even when doubted by the people that should support them, is always a compelling plot. I think flying machines kind of became a symbol for that kind of story, in a sense. Looking at a bird and being jealous of what they get to experience, to the point that you work with all you know, with all the sweat and blood and time it takes, to do just like they do. It's a little cheesy to call it a story about human ingenuity and perseverance, but seeing all the villagers be witness to the first flying machine almost like looking on at a miracle is very moving; to think this character would manage to unite the entire village together in awe. Maybe, just like how the old man was seen as weird but managed to inspire her, she could pass on this kind of ambition to others.

It's a really cool episode. Very effective at showing that in a way, ambitions and aspirations are a kind of magic.

genuinely fuck her fiance though hate that guy what was his problem didn't even apologize ONCE, even kino didn't truly believe it was possible but still supported her wtf

Overall thoughts: It's between this and 4 for my favorite episode so far. It was such a small but heartfelt human story. Nothing is truly really purposeful in it other than the woman's desire to see her wish come true. The old man never imparted the aspiration onto her, not directly. Kino didn't even really do much work either, just chimed in with some encouragement and ideas. And seeing her feel genuine fulfillment and relief that this ambition and wish that she had since she was a child wasn't all a waste, that all the time of her life she dedicated in pursuit of this goal got her up in the sky looking down at the whole village she lived in basked in daybreak, it's a very heartwarming plotline. Very cute episode, got a smile out of me in spite of its simplicity and kind of clichéd nature.

Episode 9:

Interesting start.

this book is ass i dont get it

lmao hermes needs that motorbike active rep otherwise book = trash, funny

Escaping from a library is funny conceptually. I wonder what they did to him. He was forced to read slop 24/7... imagine... Ah he just wasn't allowed to write books. I wonder what that'd do to you, being surrounded with infinite sources of inspiration with 0 channel for them.

Judging from the receptionist's reaction, I wonder if this is a book the escaped man wrote himself, and now she has to put it in the system.

ah it might be a chapter to do with censorship, seeing as there's a higher body that determines whether a book is good to read or not.

"well they're critics duh they can't make mistakes because they're critics" Certifiable and true and correct. I criticize this as true. I am ratifying this claim and also including me in the critics group.

KINO CANNOT catch a break in their travels, so much for remaining distant from the country's affairs when they keep getting roped into them. Whole part of the anti critic underground insurrection now goddamn. it's actually so funny how everyone just keeps asking kino to participate in what troubles them. I guess this is also why the funny regicide episodes confuse me.

imagine reading so hard you loudly declare "OK i wrote all there is. bye now." sorry guys :// no more books :/ ran out of content.

ok these resistance members might be a bit more freaky than initially thought

ah we are going meta with the narrative. Maybe even the resistance is part of this make belief thing. Well, I don't know. It seems a bit difficult to believe that someone could be so engrossed in a storybook they'd actually ruin their life over it, even though I know that has realistically happened and continues to happen in real life, but it seems bit silly to create a whole societal system to systemically determine which ideas are safe for the populace to consume.

HAHAHAHA NO WAY THEY'RE DOING THE "ACTUALLY A COMA FEVER DREAM" THING LMAOOO

It's an interesting topic to think about, the whole thing about what stories mean to you. In a sense the author is right that even one's own identity and existence is in itself a kind of story you tell yourself, but also this is unhinged. Maybe the people who "fell ill" sought to have more meaning to their lives so hard that they fell victim to trying to replicate what they read in the stories, but even then, that's more of an external problem than something about the books themselves. I like to think stories are more of a point of contact between people, from one to another to even one to a different version of themselves. Framing it as depicting yourself as the main character of your story is probably not entirely wrong, but at the same time, I imagine most do realize that this is just a sort of coping mechanism instead of actually wanting the whole wide world to recognize them as the lead of a story. Reality and fiction overlap a lot but it's never one to one.

Okay the more I watch the more I realize the first guy was right everyone in this country is delusional, I'd hate it too if I lived here.

Alright, this ending was... a little confusing, but I kind of think its fitting MAYBE? I suppose, rather than censorship beyond a surface level, it's more about the blurring between reality and fiction and the perception of either or the relationship a reader and an author have with a story or maybe uhhh like uh fahrenheit 451 dude i dont...

Overall thoughts: Not too sure what my takeaway is here. It's funny that the book of everything ended up being empty, in the way of the cliché of calling the empty space with the possibility to write something down grander than what could actually be written inside a book, and still claim credit for that. It was definitely a thought provoking psychologically focused episode with a very open ended ending that lets you reinterpret the entire thing in many different ways, it's probably the most interesting episode so far if you were to judge it in isolation perhaps, though I'm not sure I liked it..? You can sit for quite some time mulling over who actually is the one writing a story, how they affect someone, the relationship between viewer and the episode itself, the subjectivity of reality and whatever else in there idk it almost feels too dense for a 20 minute chapter, might just be me. needed more motorcycle active role 0/10 this book SUCKS and should be BANNED. (OGRE SO DUMB OGRE WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND KINO JOURNEY EPISODE 9)

I think this episode in particular requires a lot more careful attention than I'm able to give it right now in order to fully grasp it, but well whatever man it's just another story lol "can you end telling a story" yes im shutting the episode off now.

FUN thing to point out though is the framing I set up for this post with watching this show due to a tangential relation to the main character and now the show itself calling out the projection of oneself against a character to believe themselves to be them. I don't think this tilts the me fr fr scale in either direction necessarily but maybe it does make it do a cool stylish flip in the air with a little guitar riff.

Episode 10:

I guess granny has experience talking to machines going by her being appreciative of "another machine person" as well as the episode's title.

Ok so what I'm guessing is the robo grandma maid serves a household in the middle of nowhere forest.

lol the left and right disagreement again

to some this could be a horror plotline screenshot

okay there's the family. SURELY they're not robots too. surely not. they could not be. okay they're creepy as hell sure but they wouldn't all be robots, surely not. ...

Alright well, I wonder where this is going. Seems like granny never came to know her creator, I doubt the robo nuclear family does either. wonder if this episode will contrast the first one in some way.

Oh wow okay, whole underwater city. I guess. I suppose the plotline could turn out to be that the granny is actually human and did all this out of loneliness, maybe, but I'm not sure that'd be an interesting development.

DO THEY GENUINELY HAVE HER DIE? DEADASS??? ACTUALLY??? okay SHE DIES MID CHAPTER DAMN. THEY FUCKING BURY HER. THEY ADD THE SKULL OF HER HUSBAND AND CHILD BESIDE HER.

????????? DEPRESSING ASS BACKSTORY, HER FAMILY BLOWS THE FUCK UP. I PAUSED IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM BLOWING THE FUCK UP. good grief man holy shit

THE THREE ROBOTS FLOODED THE COUNTRY???? ???? ??

DONT TELL ME THEY FUCKING OFF THEMSELVES TOO WHAT IGEVIUFJKOJMN?? ???g?b? WGAT

Overall thoughts:

Episode 11:

bit odd to give the killer of your fiance the chance to atone for him killing your fiance

ok figures.

Well, surely, by asking the same thing of kino with the same exact words, she won't fall victim to cosmic irony and die as well, right?

Ah, this is a Kino centric episode. Looks like it'll be about the people they've met throughout the journey.

well okay maybe it's just about women who have teamed up with their husband's killer to go on a journey. oddly specific kind of people to meet repeatedly I reckon. HOW do you not notice the actual trail of murders literally 5 meters away from you.

ohhhh little kino cameo. oh we're pulling away from this anecdote real quick alright. well i guess this is where the passion from guns came from.

so that's where the advice from earlier comes from.

very sweet that the people Kino meets are such a valuable part of the journey, even if only from a curiosity standpoint. I'm inclined to agree personally.

HARD pivot from the first half of the episode alright. Time to camp out the rain with some random girl on a hill.

Very suspicious to go own into a cave to visit a sick old man but let's see how it turns out.

"LOL, LMAO, HEY POOR SHMUCK, I'LL GIVE YA ANYTHING" "get out the way dickhead you're blocking the sunshine" words so moving they change your way to view life itself.

do people just randomly carry out brain experiments in this setting's universe?? funny how so many individual countries develop revolutionary, world changing tech, and yet literally 0 of it is ever shared lol

"we here at shithole country have made the revolutionary lobotomy machine. we have, however, forgot that completely blowing up someone's brain makes them not want to increase shareholder profits :("

random ass hypnotist just decided to fuck around and torment some homeless man on the side of the road for the fun of it.

the real blue sky bit is quite funny, I like the metaphor.

OH OH ITS GOING DOWN?

nvm i guess random girl just suddenly felt like finding new purpose in life. Odd that they'd keep tabs on the old man, honestly.

damn dude this guy's life fucking SUCKED. Maybe this half of the episode is about what wisdom mean and how experiences and desires shape you idk that guy's life was utter dogwater waow

Overall thoughts: journeys and such. There's a difference between journeys and wandering aimlessly maybe, or like between the world and life passing you by and you experiencing the world around you. idk wow he was like diogenes but with minimum luck stats damn. this episode doesnt want you to achieve nirvana i think? both parts of the episode kind of contrast each other I think, showing the bad side of desires and then the bad side of completely lacking them. something like that.

Episode 12:

ominous opening sequence

I really like the sentiment of finding the world beautiful and appreciating it even when you don't exactly think the highest of neither it or yourself. This scene probably serves as a pretty good core for the message of the whole show. PIT OF HUMAN CORPSES?????

Really funny to see people surprised by Kino being a gun freak.

suspicious as hell country you just KNOW this shit's about to be one of the most messed up ones.

STRAIGHT UP USING THIS SHIT AS TOYS BROTHER

well looks like they're still at war then idk.

suspicious as hell museum curator. oh wow they might be a peaceful country but their little machine's speaker's voice recording sucks ass this is some gameboy speaker bullshit

yo traveler come check out our sick war tomorrow (it actually means we are in peaceful times)

strange and rather impractical looking hovering vehicle, cool.

no no no no no no wait wait wait wait wait hang on no no no wait no

OH NO

well,

I'm surprised Kino stayed another day to go back to the museum after witnessing that

okay well this clearly deeply traumatized woman musSHE SUBMITTED THE FUCKING IDEA???? THIS WAS HER??? YOU SAW YOUR LIFE AFFECTED SO DEEPLY BY THE ONGOING CONFLICT AND THOUGHT "HEY WHY DON'T WE INFLICT THAT UPON SOMEONE ELSE WHO LITERALLY COULD NOT EVER, EVER IN ALL OF HISTORY STAND UP TO EITHER OF US INSTEAD" WHAT

holy shit man. god fucking damn. alright. I... I GUESS?? I GUESS THAT IS A POSSIBILITY YOU MIGHT OPT TO GO FOR???????? BUT SHIT I DON'T THINK IT'S PARTICULARLY IDEAL.

"what, you got any alternatives?" NOT DOING THIS??? IDK ROCK PAPER SCISSORS THAT SHIT

"Once you have your own children, when you feel their warmth inside you... I'm sure you will come to understand me" im gonna throw up man holy shit rancid

WE HATE THAT COUNTRY SO WE WILL NOW OFFLOAD OUR DESIRE FOR VIOLENCE ONTO YOU, ANOTHER INNOCENT PARTY

????????????????????????????

sad to see Kino shaking like that, but I'd say it's an effective way to show the very cynical outlook in this episode with the thesis statement that no one is incapable of evil. It's much more complicated than that in reality of course, but for the purposes of the episode's story it works to make Kino reflect on what difference there is between them and the citizens.

Overall thoughts: oh my fucking god. holy fucking shit.

Pretty cool episode! I liked it a lot. I hope Kino catches a break. jesus fucking christ. This show does satire well.

Episode 13:

Finally at the last episode! I have very much deeply enjoyed the show, time to see how it ends.

autumn landscape HUGE start to the final ep.

oh this is gonna be a parallel to episode 4 isn't it. Something about this child is ominously little kino like. yeah this is for sure gonna be a parallel story to episode 4 I'm dreading it already there is NO WAY this ends well. Either Kino dies stabbed here (which im not sure about considering the existence of the manga which i believe is longer) or something goes off the rails entirely, neither is a great outcome.

NEFARIOUS EPISODE FOUL ABSOLUTELY APPALLING NARRATIVE HOOKS THEY'RE SETTING UP AND IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN 5 MINUTES. she has a flower name too fuuuuuuuuuckj 999 kg/dL of cortisol tier episode

this kid is being too kind nightmare nightmare nightmare

yooo 6am quickdraw practice makes its comeback, huge. kino do not point that at your head that is not proper gun safety you have enough possible death flags in this episode.

I'm guessing this old man knows Kino's gun mentor who probably gave them this gun and might be suspicious.

this kid is so fucking dead bro fuuuuuckkkkkk TRAINWRECK EPISODE GET ME OUT OF HERE WHY ARE THEY GIVING KINO GIFTS NOW WHY IS KINO GETTING A NEW GUN huge panic, last episode gave me trust issues

LITTLE GIRL STOP TALKING ABOUT YOUR DREAMS NOOOO YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED

9 minutes left i can make it through

no no no no why does kino want to stay longer no no no no

there is something deeply troubling about the fact that not only did they want Kino to leave, a couple rushed into marriage and on top of that they wanted her daughter to accompany Kino on a journey. There is no chance in hell something terrible isn't about to happen. This town is about to blow up or some shit. Sighing in genuine relief after Kino said 3 days is not a good omen

I WAS RIGHT FUUUCKKK THIS WAS NOT A KIND LAND IT WAS POMPEII

YOU TREATED KINO NICELY ONLY TO HAVE A GOOD REPUTATION AFTER YOU LIED DOWN ON THE IMMINENT DEATH TRAINTRACKS BRO WHAT WHAT IS THIS PLAN WHAT WERE YOU DOING

YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL YOUR FUCKING KID WHAT

SHE FUCKING KNEW ANYWAYS????? AND STILL WANTED TO REMAIN IN THE COUNTRY FUUUKCKK IM GONNA THROUW UP OOAGGG

oh little epilogue let's see. funny.

Overall thoughts: panic attack experience. 10, 12 & 13 are just heavy hitter episode after heavy hitter episode holy shit man only 11 served as a small rest inbetween with its philosophical questioning. I won't lie this is kind of an empty episode but it very much does resonate with what I think is the thesis statement of the whole story.

FINAL SHOW REVIEW:

Kino's Journey is a delightful little show about finding beauty in the world around you, even through witnessing the worst it has to offer. You see war torn countries, personal stories about grievances and deaths, characters you will vehemently disagree with, others that will just confuse you, things which will feel like they don't make sense at all, and a lot of other negatives. This, however, is also an anime that proclaims that it makes life beautiful, too. Not all the episodes are negatives, and not all the negative episodes lack in any way to appreciate aspects of what happens in them. It is, most of the time, a very absurd show about just looking at the world that surrounds you and accepting it for what it is, because being able to experience it grants the main character joy. Maybe through a sense or wanderlust or the like, maybe for a simple curiosity, or because it's all they know. Motives don't really matter all that much here, I believe the main message for the whole show is to just take life as it is. I did very much enjoy it, as well as the musical compositions and the general aesthetics present in the visuals. The writing's something that quietly sticks on occasion. I do also think that this is the kind of anime most would think of as pretentious and slow lol but I liked it.

Very understated show as a whole!! definitely not for everyone and it shows its age a little, but it's got some very unique charm to it.

IS KINO LITERALLY ME FR FINAL VERDICT: I VERY MUCH DOUBT IT.

I DO see where the comparison came from even if it's a tangential one of another character that is really not even actually connected with this one and I based that merely on hearsay and outfit design comments. Not gonna do a whole character analysis because I don't feel like going back chapter by chapter to focus solely on this, but Kino is very much a witnesser of events rather than an active participant, and has a ton they go through. I do personally quite enjoy the idea of finding beauty in the world around you even with the bad parts, vague as that statement is, but I think the comparison was just superficial. you can probably tell from my tone in this review alone lmao

I did find many aspects of Kino to be quite relatable, but I'd act quite differently in most cases (probably for the worse lmaoo.) Still, that shouldn't detract from viewing this protagonist as a very interesting one to think about, I think of Kino as a very non conventional kind of protagonist. Their existence as a point the story follows makes the episodes far more interesting than if you had a more proactive "I gotta be the one to fix this shit!!!" mc. I dislike calling characters complex because you can always usually boil them down to something simple, but I'd say Kino makes you think about it from time to time.

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