26 Mar 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Kino's Journey]
Although it was a long time before I finally got around to watching this series, my friends were urging me to check it out for ages. These three episodes are further proof that I should have listened to their advice earlier.
The first section is a story within a story: Kino meets a man on a railway line whose job is to polish the rails - a job he has done for years, purely because his employers had never told him to stop. Over a cup of tea Kino tells him the story of a society in which technology has reached a level at which people no longer need to work. I say
need becaue they still do try to do a job of some sort...and the reasons surprised Kino as much as they surprised me. The old guy working on the railway line is one of three workers Kino meets along the tracks in this episode, as the futility of what they are doing soon becomes clear; it also draws some parallels with Kino's story. Soon afterwards she visits a land that is completely deserted, save for one lonely man...but why is he on his own?
This is followed by a two-parter that takes place in a country that holds a regular Roman-style combat event in an arena presided over by the all-powerful and clearly deranged king. Kino is faced with a fight for her freedom but surprisingly her conversations with her fellow participants offers the most entertainment value.
The opening episode highlights the numerous ways in which people's lives can be an absolute waste of time and effort yet rewarding in other ways: the three men are earning a living for their families by doing jobs that ultimately serve no purpose but to provide themselves with more work! It sounds a little bizarre but, in true
Kino style, is a thought-provoking allegory concerning human nature and society. Even the story Kino tells these men (a story that they find amusing...the irony is superb!) is interesting: the technology exists to do the jobs that humans once did, but they still make work for themselves - just to have something to do. As much as we all complain about our jobs in real life, deep down the human condition dictates that people feel compelled to do something with their time that feels productive. This country is also pretty far-fetched but the situation makes some profound points about who - and how - we are.
The coliseum-based story benefits from being spread across two episodes: sometimes it would be better if the story arc were not confined to a single episode, and this is a good example. This is where
Kino's Journey goes all action-packed on us but the focus is as much on the characters as on the battles themselves. There's the expected back story to the country itself, which shows how the king wound up being the mad monarch he currently is, but I was fascinated by the backgrounds to the people who found themselves in the arena. Hermes offers a little light relief as always, which is much needed since this series can get quite dark at times. There's little in the way of explanation as to Kino's past here unfortunately, save for one or two little references thrown in. I suspect that this is to come later on in the series - the main theme for now is how Kino (and the viewer!) learn a few things about life as she goes along.
Sometimes the symbolism and metaphors make the series come across as too pretentious and serious for some, who will ultimately find it to be a strange and occasionally twisted fairy tale. For me though, it is another chance to see the distinctive style of director Ryutako Nakamura, whose striking use of light and shadow and strong philosophical themes makes it really something out of the ordinary; the opening and ending theme tunes are, well, quite beautiful actually. This series isn't for everyone but I'm finding every minute utterly absorbing.
[Filed under Anime Reviews] [Tags: Kino's Journey]
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Posted on March 27th, 2007 @ 7:46 am
Kino’s Journey is a fascinating show.