What are we watching: Kino’s Journey
What’s it about: Kino, a 15-year-old traveler, forms a bond with Hermes, a talking motorcycle. Together, they wander the lands and venture through various countries and places, despite having no clear idea of what to expect. After all, life is a journey filled with the unknown.
Throughout their journeys, they encounter different kinds of customs, from the morally gray to tragic and fascinating. They also meet many people: some who live to work, some who live to make others happy, and some who live to chase their dreams. Thus, in every country they visit, there is always something to learn from the way people carry out their lives.
It is not up to Kino or Hermes to decide whether these asserted values are wrong or right, as they merely assume the roles of observers within this small world. They do not attempt to change or influence the places they visit, despite how absurd these values would appear. That’s because in one way or another, they believe things are fine as they are, and that “the world is not beautiful; therefore, it is.”
Studio: A.C.G.T.
Director: Nakamura, Ryuutarou
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDm6cLP83us
Where can I watch it: https://twist.moe/a/kino-no-tabi-the-beautiful-world/1 https://www12.9anime.ru/watch/kinos-journey.3012/ep-1 https://nyaa.si/view/1069013
Rewatcher: I just noticed, how are so many places Kino goes motorrad friendly? Maybe most countries just design houses to be motorrad accessible or something, kinda hilarious Hermes can just fit anywhere. But they're not common enough that we've seen other motorrads, so I dunno.
I really like the mysterious track that plays as they're first exploring the house, though I'm not sure what song on the OST this is. Okay so I'm just guessing the twist: the old woman is actually a scientist and it's only the family who are robots, at least that seems like the obvious thing. Okay and it is.
My eyes did get a little watery when the old woman died, it was brief but there was some surprising emotion in that scene. It seems like her robots have gained a sense of humanity thanks to her and are feeling genuine emotion at her death. One surprising part about this reveal was that the woman genuinely thought she was a robot, but other than that, pretty expected. There's some irony in the woman being the one to serve robots instead of the other way around, but also, they really were serving her insofar as giving her purpose. And the role reversal of human and robot is a pretty solid idea.
As far as this submerged society goes, if you're creating advanced technology to make work obsolete so two factions can end their dispute, that in itself would end the conflict. If all material concerns were addressed, then you're not going to have society-destroying disputes, but ah well.
The last scene though, WTF Kino, you made them do a dang triple suicide. You should've at least told them to serve each other or wait for some other human to serve. That is a bleak as hell ending, and I kind of would've liked something happier, but there are a lot of bleak outcomes in this show because that's a reflection of reality. Kino herself is still so emotionally aloof; I'm sure she feels something, but she doesn't cry at either the scientist or the robots dying. I know she's seen some shit, but I don't want Kino to be dead inside. I at least want to see her shed some tears, which may be too much to ask since being cool and composed is such a big part of her character.
Yeah I definitely would have preferred some message to the effect of "Now you've gained humanity from caring for this woman you can find your own purpose and meaning in life", but that's an angle a little too dramatic and involved for Kino to take.
And it's a small nitpick but it did bother me how robotic and mechanical the family was at dinner, but they instantly became more conversational and sympathetic when it's time to explain everything to Kino.