Kino's Journey: Volume 4 - Not Without Reservations (DVD)

Introduction

I think it's a cardinal rule in anime that quality is in inverse proportion to quantity. There are exceptions of course, Ghost In The Shell and Ikki Tousen to name but two. But the likelihood is that the more you appreciate an anime, the quicker it will finish. Bubblegum Crisis lasted just 8 episodes and people still talk about the original series. FLCL runs to just six episodes, and they only made three of Cyber City Oedo 808. Yet they still keep churning out Naruto. It's with immense disappointment that I come to the final volume of Kino's Journey, as thirteen episodes are all we get. It's been a ray of light in my anime viewing schedule, made all the more precious by the fact that shows of this calibre are extremely few and far between.

Kino is a young adventurer who is travelling the world on a motorrad named Hermes, to all intents and purposes a talking motorcycle. It's a strange world that Kino travels, set in some unspecified future, full of wonders and mystery. It's not for the timid, and naturally Kino is armed for self-defence. Kino has one rule, to never stay in any one place for more than three days, to keep on moving so as to keep learning something new, and to never settle down.

The final volume of Kino's Journey concludes with three episodes.



11. Her Journey
Peacefully floating down a river on a raft, Kino has the time to reflect and try and understand what her travels have meant. The first rule of travelling in these harsh times is to stay alive, and it's advice that Kino has shared with whoever has asked. But surviving means being harsh oneself, and Kino's skill with her guns means that her advice may not have been interpreted as she had hoped. Later, when Hermes begins running out of fuel, they look for help from an old man living as a hermit.

12. A Peaceful Land
Veldelval is the peaceful land in question, a place that Kino just has to see. And true enough, everyone is happy and cheerful, and the thoroughfares are filled with decommissioned weapons as monuments to a violent past turned distant memory. Kino is invited to see how the country solved its perennial problem, a 200-year war with a neighbouring country. A weapons drill seems to belie that statement, but they assure Kino that no one from either country dies anymore, and she's even invited to attend the next war, scheduled for tomorrow.

13. A Kind Land
There is a country with a bad reputation among travellers, a place utterly inhospitable to visitors. Kino's curiosity is piqued, but she's surprised by the warm welcome she receives. A little girl named Sakura invites her to stay at the family guesthouse, and even offers a guided tour of the land. Everyone is warm and welcoming, Kino wants for nothing, and is even invited to attend a wedding. But when Kino decides to change the habit of a lifetime, and stay for more than three days, the welcome suddenly turns cold.

Picture

Kino's Journey has a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer that doesn't put a foot wrong during the runtime of the disc. The image is impeccable, with no signs of aliasing or compression artefact, and even digital banding was conspicuously absent. A lot of it has to do with the style of the anime itself. It's certainly a unique piece, very impressionistic and minimalist. I think there is a conceit that reinforces the fact that you are watching it on television, with horizontal scan lines deliberately placed in every frame. The character and world designs are simple but effective, and the show has a somewhat 2D feel that harks back to an earlier age of animation, eschewing the CG snazziness of modern productions. The palette is a gentle pastel one, which reinforces the story's ethereal and magical mood. Kino's Journey is a visual delight.

Sound

You have a choice between DD 5.1 English and DD 2.0 Japanese, along with the usual subtitles and signs tracks. Go with the English if you want the extra surround oomph, but the stereo is no small potatoes either, with audible separation and understated but effective sound design. The dialogue is clear in both versions, and there is nothing to fault about the dub. Except that I personally disliked the English dub voice of Hermes. Incidentally, make a note. Kino's Journey has the best opening song for an anime that I have heard yet. It's wonderful.

Extras

Just the usual for the typical anime disc, comprising textless credit sequences, a 3½-minute slideshow gallery, and trailers for Gravion, Gad Guard, Last Exile, Sakura Diaries, and Evangelion.

Conclusion

Kino's Journey goes out on a high note, which given the standard of the first three volumes is something of an understatement. If the show has been light on something, it's background into Kino herself. Aside from the fourth episode that chronicled the start of her journey, we have little insight into how she got to this point, and we haven't delved too deeply into her character. After all, the show had been more about the journey and the places Kino visits rather than Kino herself. She has acted as an everyman, an observer through which we can explore the fantastical worlds that are encountered. The final volume remedies that a little, with three episodes that bring out more of Kino's character, and provide a couple of hints of those events that shaped her. Her policy has been to visit a country for three days, learn what there is to learn, and then move on, without getting emotionally invested, or passing judgement, but here there are three situations that call on her to do just that.

Her Journey is the most reflective of the episodes, with Kino pausing to meditate on what her journey actually means for the people that she encounters. Although she has a rule of not staying in one place for more than three days, that doesn't stop her interactions with people from having an effect. We've already learned that Kino's world can on occasion be a brutal place; it's why she is armed and quick on the draw. Reluctant as she may be to draw her weapons, it doesn't stop people from looking up to her, asking for advice on travelling safely. She gives the advice that she was given, to stay alive, but invariably this is misinterpreted. There's a tantalising glimpse of her past here, not long after she first left her home to travel, where she encounters her Master, the woman who taught her how to shoot. It's the briefest of moments, but it hints at a fascinating relationship.

A Peaceful Land offers the first of the temptations of Kino. Veldelval has done away with war. For a moment I was reminded of the Star Trek episode, A Taste Of Armageddon, which saw a society automate their wars so as to reduce destruction. Computers would calculate death rates and citizens would head to suicide booths to tally the numbers up. A Peaceful Land looked for a moment to be heading in the same direction, but the final solution chosen by Veldelval and their foes is far more brutal and horrific. It's leaves a sick taste in the mouth, and for once, you can see that Kino, the consummate tourist and observer, is aching to pass judgement. What's worse is what the situation ultimately forces her to do.



A Kind Land concludes the series, and brings us full circle. We saw Kino's journey begin in episode 4, and the way this episode starts seems to be a mirror image of that, with Sakura a bullied girl living with her parents in the guesthouse that they run. Kino naturally winds up seeing this through her own memories, and despite the eager welcome and the hospitality of the townsfolk, she and we are just waiting for the shoe to drop. Every word is layered, everything appears to have a second meaning, and the story just has ominous overtones, as if the lie of this idyll is just about to be exposed. It never is though, and gradually Kino relaxes and is actually tempted to make herself at home. But the townspeople have a rule that travellers can only stay as long as they first indicated, and Kino said three days. The twist in the tail is an utter kick in the teeth, and I'd defy anyone not to have 'lump in the throat' syndrome after watching this episode.

This volume is the perfect ending to an astounding series. Kino's Journey offers wonderful varied stories that enthral and captivate. Its glimpses into strange worlds are gentle allegories of human nature, but the messages that the show has to offer never overwhelm the beautiful animation, the thoughtful characterisations and the imperative to just tell a decent story. The only complaint is that it is all over far too soon. In Japan there are two Kino's Journey movies, half-hour OVAs in fact, one of which relates Kino's history with her master, and another stand-alone story. If enough people picket the ADV offices…

Kino's Journey is essential anime that should be on every shelf.