Kino’s Journey Volume 3

Only 8 episodes in and Kino’s Journey has already established itself as a
real force to be contended with. Yet it’s only when I settle back into my
familiar old chair and start watching this show that I remember just how good it
is. The philosophy and symbolism are so subtle and underplayed that it’s easy to
gloss over why I enjoy Kino’s Journey so much.
This third volume is no
different, it is a collection of 3 brief, thought provoking adventures connected
together by the suggestive running commentary provided by Kino and her talking
motorrad, Hermes.

The first adventure takes us into a relatively normal country (normal for
Kino’s Journey that is) where farm land and crop produce are the most important
aspects of every day life. Soon after, we meet a pretty young lady, a resident
of this country, who has a dream to glide amongst the clouds. After several
failed attempts, she has successfully built a crude flying machine and plans,
with the mayor’s bitter consent, to take flight as soon as possible.
This was
my favourite episode on the volume. It is a story about limitless human
potential, of the power of mankind to make their dreams a reality. It is a
beautiful short story, vibrantly animated and effortlessly inspiring.

Moving on to the next episode, we are introduced to a country made famous for
its large collection of books. Kino is particularly excited to see what this
place has to offer, but it soon turns sour when we discover that all the books
in the country are privately screened before being published and those deemed
dangerous for society are banned and ‘disposed of’. Hence, this countrie’s
fabled collection of books amounts to sappy children’s novels and “how to’
guides.
Disappointed and on her way out, Kino bumps into an underground
rebellion of untainted book readers who, dissatisfied with the current regime,
are attempting to bring down the powers that be and end their run of harsh
censorship.

I’m only scratching at the surface of this episode, indeed it contains
some of the most perplexing themes we’ve yet to see in Kino’s Journey; twisting
reality, flipping strong themes of censorship upside down and even commenting on
the state of mind of the people who are reading these books. We are left with
the question; was this entire episode played out in Kino’s mind? Frankly, it is
an episode I need to (and will undoubtedly) watch again, it’s so densely packed
with ideas that some of it flew straight over my head.
I sometimes marvel at
how Kino’s Journey is able to squish all of this thought provoking philosophy
and symbolism into one 23 minute episode and still be as relaxed and subtle as
it is.

We close out volume 3 with an interesting look at a woman who, racked with
guilt and sadness, uses robots to replace the holes left in her life since the
tragic demise of her son and husband. This is a more straight forward episode,
but an ultimately sad one too.

I’m really looking forward to the fourth and final volume of Kino’s Journey,
but somewhat disappointed that this superlative series is already coming to a
(rather premature) end. I would love a few more episodes focused Kino and
Hermes. They make for such an interesting bunch of characters; it will be
fascinating to see if the few remaining episodes will be able to reveal new
aspects of their slightly mysterious personalities.

In Summary

Kino’s Journey #3 is a continuation of the fine story telling and thought
provoking philosophy that made the previous volumes such interesting
viewing.

Of course, the show’s slow paced intellectual nature won’t be to everyone’s
tastes, but for those of us willing to engage our brains when watching anime,
Kino’s Journey should be on top of your list; it is subtle, fascinating and
thought provoking- everything I look for in my favourite anime.