In the world of anime many series are littered with cleavage, tons of action, screaming, and mechanical giants. Every once in a while a show comes along that breaks the boundaries of how anime is perceived and proves to be a truly unique experience. Kino's Journey is that type of show and carries such a different tone that it stands out among the sea of fanservice and anime clichés. The entire series is comprised of thirteen episodes and is based on the light novels by Keiichi Shigsawa. On the thinpaks packaging it states that the show is "the most surreal ride of your life". I have to say that I'm inclined to agree with that statement because this show is so unique and fresh it warrants to be looked at by any Otaku.

The whole point behind the show is going on a journey without knowledge of a destination, and basically just getting out there to see the world. After sitting down to watch the series, I quickly realized that it wasn't just Kino going on the journey, it was me as well. I found myself getting sucked into the show and an impression was made upon me that few anime series have been able to do. A lot of what transpires in the show has a very poetic nature to it and a soft musical score really hits home the emotional notes. Whether it's the stories themselves or interactions between characters, there's something about Kino's Journey that elevates it to a much higher level.

The show focuses on a young adventurer named Kino and her motorrad (motorcycle) named Hermes. Kino is a very somber character who is masterful with a gun and just as skilled with a knife. She's note a bloodthirsty killer, but when you're traveling across the world essentially all alone, you certainly need to know how to defend yourself. Kino does a lot of quiet staring and contemplation, but doesn't get involved in many things. Her motto is to never be in a place for more than three days so that way more of the world can be seen.

Kino's companion, Hermes, is a sentient motorcycle that cares a great deal for its rider and together the two make a great pair. It was a little strange at first to hear the bike talk and such, but it's nice that Hermes is kept as an inanimate object, so you don't have to worry about it moving around on its own or being comedic relief. Hermes is also just as solemn as Kino is, though the character does have a few good lines during the course of the show.

A lot of the series explores what it means to be human as well as many intricacies of societal issues. Every country that Kino and Hermes visit has their own traditions, histories and sets of laws. While much of the show is broken down into stand alone episodes the simple fact that the two main characters are traveling to new towns and only staying for a certain period of time helps it along. Many series have a problem by structuring their episodes like this (especially when there are only 13 episodes) but Kino's Journey handles it masterfully.

It's this style of wanderlust that is so captivating because you learn more about the semi-magical world that Kino lives in with every new location. It's so strange seeing one country that is a futuristic metropolis one episode, then seeing a country where barbaric anarchy rules all. These places seem to have been isolated from each other for millennia, because there almost seems to be no interaction or familiarity between any of them. The only constant is Kino's fascination with the world around her and Hermes purring engine.

From the very first episode the show had an immediate impact on me with an uncommon story about being careful what you wish for. The first country that we see Kino visit is a barren cityscape that is seemingly occupied by only robotic servants. Further inspection reveals that there are in fact people living here, they just all live alone and apart from one another. This bizarre affliction is due to the fact that the townsfolk can read each other's minds thanks to a liquid machine that was supposed to make life better. Instead everyone from the country were hurt even more and forced to seek isolation for the sake of staying sane.

Kino's second journey takes her through a snowy field where she encounters a trio of men suffering from starvation. Even though she usually doesn't get involved with people, she stops to help them until their strength returns. While the first episode of the show was peaceful enough, this one proved to be shockingly violent, especially when Kino pulls out a pistol and shoots a rabbit in the head. She pays her respects, but since the three men will die without the food, she felt she was doing the greater good. Unfortunately there is darkness in the hearts of these men and she soon learns a sad truth about how rotten some humans can be.

Many more heartfelt and well thought out stories are told as the series goes on, and they prove to make an impression. The tone is pretty dark a lot of the times, but the fact that Kino doesn't always get involved with a situation adds a certain element to the show that many are missing. She is an observer who doesn't find it her place to get involved with cultures unless there is no other choice. A similar "wandering hero" show that I just watched recently (Jing: King of Bandits) was quite the opposite because the characters meddled in the affairs of others and in the end were constantly helping people out.

The entire series is a refreshing change of pace, but it's certainly not for everyone. It's much slower in style and not a lot happens in many episodes, except for a bunch of sentiment. If you like your anime to leave an impression on you with well developed characters and many memorable adventures, the Kino's Journey is undoubtedly right up your alley.

Kino's Journey is presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and looks just as good now as it did when it originally came out in 2003. The main draw of the show is the fact that it is absolutely gorgeous from start to finish. The art direction is amazing and the animation is very fluid. I found no repeat animations, still screen shots, or any other issues that typically center around a low production budget. The transfer is beautiful too with very little grain and no aliasing or cross-coloration. One point that I should bring up is the fact that there are faint lines running across the image in many scenes. This seems to be an artistic choice more than a transfer flaw, but even though it's very light it does get annoying at times.

As with most modern anime, this DVD set comes with original 2.0 Japanese as well as a 5.1 English dubbing mix. Depending on what you prefer both tracks offer up some very fine quality with hardly anything to complain about. The Japanese track offers some decent directionality for a stereo mix and even though I preferred the original language, I found the English dub to be great as well. The audio direction for this show is really what hammers home most of the plot points thanks to some minimalist sound effects and a beautiful soundtrack.

Yet another thinpak compromise since in order to get the complete series, we lost anything resembling extras.

Kino's Journey was easily one of the most memorable shows I have ever sat down to watch. I was hooked from the very first episode and found my adoration of the subject only grew as time went on. This is a rare series that steps beyond the boundaries of how anime can be perceived and is easily on my top ten list of all time. The video and audio quality was very good as well, though the lines across the image got kind of annoying. If you missed the individual disc releases you owe it to yourself to check this show out and see what journeys you have been missing out on. Highly Recommended

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