Kino's Journey Vol. 2: Emerging Lanes 2003   ADV Films Official US Website Buy It Now Official Japanese Website

People have often remarked at surrealism used in the world of painting. While Kino's Journey may not be something that you are going to find hanging in an art gallery, surrealism is probably the main key that makes this a successful series. After just one volume, I already had seen a wealth of opportunity within Kino's often-morose approach, but it was enough to hook me. Kino's adventures with Hermes continue in the second volume, "Emerging Lanes."

I really didn't want to spoil the secret that surrounds Kino in the first volume, but by now most of you already know that Kino is a girl. This is something that really is given away quite a bit more in the English version that the Japanese, mainly due to the voice acting. With Japanese seiyuu, it's quite common for a woman to assume the role of a young male, so initially, that could have gone either way, but the cat is out of the bag at this point. The next three episodes make no bones about Kino being female.

Irony is another of the things that Kino's Journey plays to the hilt. The first episode on the disc finds Kino and Hermes running across a man who has been working for years on a railroad shinning the tracks. Miles later, yet another man, working for the same railroad is busy tearing it apart, and that is followed by yet another man lying the tracks down. All three men have been doing this without fail and haven't stopped simply because they were never told to.

In other ways however, Kino's Journey also takes a look at some of the societal laws, such as a kingdom where democracy took over, but the votes eventually led to votes against those that went against the majority. The result was execution, and thus is continued until but one man remained. Even the concept of patricide is explored as well as what could more or less be classed as genocide, but that concept really has been used many times in the Kino series, and seems to be one of the themes that keeps coming back.

Kino's Journey can be looked at as a social commentary in some ways, although it never takes the approach of one thing being negative and something else being against how people should behave. Instead, it almost looks at various circumstances that can and do occur in every day life, and throughout history, in an extreme fashion. And yet, the series also is somewhat calming in a fashion, and ripe with humor that is on par with a sharp, sarcastic wit.

I suppose in some ways, perhaps irony is the same approached used in the extras. Kino's Journey is a very fascinating and griping drama, but the extras are quite simple. All that the DVD includes are clean open and closings and a look at the production sketches. I would like to see a more in-depth look at Kino from other perspective, preferably with those involved in the original production, but then again, it may spoil some of the profoundness of the series, so it might be better left as is.

The only real disappointment here is the fact that there are only three episodes. ADV however has been going with the short series lately, and spreading the episodes out over a few discs instead of just lumping them together over the course of a couple of discs which I suppose isn't' really that bad of an idea. Kino's Journey however is an anime series that tends to go for more of a thought provoking approach much of the time. It may be a road less traveled, but well worth every grueling and often bleak mile.

Episode 5 - Three Men Along the Rails

Kino and Hermes find themselves in the company of a man who has worked for the railroad most of his life, shinning the tracks without fail, as he had never been asked to stop. They then meet another who is tearing apart the same track, for the same reasons, and then another who is building the tracks, again for the same reason. The trek culminates in a city devoid of life save for one man.

Episode 6 - Coliseum Part 1

Kino has found her way into a city where a modernized form of gladiator combat is the norm and the citizens’ cheer with glee for the combatants. The winner becomes a citizen of the kingdom and gets the chance to make a new rule for the realm, and while Kino plans to surrender and be exiled, she changes her mind. It seems however that one of the entrants has their own personal reason for being in the contest.

Episode 7 – Coliseum Part 2

Kino has made it to the finals, but the combat becomes more fierce, and the bloodshed commonplace. Kino has it in mind to win, however there’s that nagging in the back of her mind about the king’s son who wants revenge on his father, but it may be Kino that strikes the killing blow.

-mike-