Kino's Journey: the Beautiful World

[Shradow]

[center][size=3][img]http://static.theanimenetwork.com/images/shows/Kinos_Journey/KJ_353x248.jpg[/img][/size][/center]

[center][size=3][font=sans-serif]In [/font][i]Kino's Journey[/i][font=sans-serif], the protagonist, Kino, accompanied by a talking motorcycle named Hermes, travels through a mystical world of many different countries and forests, each unique in its customs and people. Kino only spends three days and two nights in every town, without exception, on the principle that three days is enough time to learn almost everything important about a place, while leaving time to explore new lands. Kino says that this principle is probably a lie, specifically noting "If I stay any longer, I'm afraid I will settle down." A phrase repeated in the anime and novels is [/font][i]"The world is not beautiful, therefore it is [beautiful]."[/i][/size][/center]

[center][size=3][font=sans-serif]The "beautiful world" Kino travels through almost always has its dark side. Often the countries Kino visits are places where the populace is oppressed, where a tragedy has occurred, or where the culture has become extremely strange because the rulers or people sought to do what they believed was right. The phrase "the world is not beautiful, therefore it is" symbolizes how the dark aspects of life, such as oppression and tyranny, make the good and happy parts of life all the more precious and wonderful.[/font][/size][/center]

[center][size=3][font=sans-serif]The use of violence and whether or not it can be justified is a recurring theme in [/font][i]Kino's Journey[/i][font=sans-serif], from whether animals should be killed in order to sustain the life of others to whether an entire population should be destroyed in order to save two other civilizations. The problems inherent in communication are also a prevalent theme, for example the havoc wrought in societies by telepathy or diverging interpretations of prophecies.[/font][/size][/center]

[center][size=3][i]Kino's Journey[/i][font=sans-serif] explores[/font][i]"a radical sense of beauty,"[/i][font=sans-serif] and brutality, loneliness, nonsense, oppression and tragedy are often juxtaposed against compassion and a fairy-tale atmosphere.[/font][/size][/center]

[size=3]It's a pretty philosophical anime if I've ever seen one, and while it's certainly not for those who prefer actiony stuff, I quite enjoy it. Discuss.[/size]

[Shradow]

Having finished it in anime club, I must say it's one of my favorite anime, alongside more action-oriented ones like TTGL, FMA, and Yu Yu Hakusho.