Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - Byouki no Kuni - For You

Part of the beauty of Kino’s Journey is that Kino doesn’t just visit interesting places; she interacts with the people, who believe in their ways of life, however strange or vulgar they might seem to us. In highlighting the many ways in which people can live, Kino’s Journey gives life to the phrase “the world is not beautiful; therefore it is.” At first glance, For You seems to fit this mold. Unlike Life Goes On, it’s essentially another episode, following the standard formula of focusing on a unique set of customs for contemplation. Compared to other episodes, though, it’s pretty lackluster. Instead of developing the philosophical/culturalaspect, most of the story is about Kino driving around the city and talking to a single person, a young girl who embodies the system but lacks the maturity to embrace or rationalize it. It isn’t until the climactic finale that the cultural aspect comes to the foreground, but even this is rushed and underdeveloped, leaving us with a superficial analysis of a custom that wasn’t too novel to begin with. As a Kino’s Journey fan I still enjoyed For You, but it would have benefited from more time reflecting upon the country’s culture and less time telling the girl’s story. Or it could have shortened the “Country of Illness” story and added in one or two other journeys. As it stands, there just isn’t much of substance to show for dedicating a half hour to a single country. On the bright side, the soundtrack and voice cast are the same great stuff from the series. The new animation style is pretty, but it’s harder to gauge. The crisper, higher quality give the film a sharp look, but it also loses the storybook feel. If more Kino’s Journey is ever made, hopefully they’ll improve the classic style (as Life Goes On did) rather than discard it for something more mainstream. For You is a decent continuation to the series, but this journey doesn’t possess the magic or depth of the rest. Even Life Goes On gave me more to think about. If you want more Kino, this is one of your only options, but it’s also the weakest.

An unpredictable, yet familiar story unfolds in a calm and deliberate fashion, this 'movie' is can easily pass as another episode of the series, albeit with far superior production values. Those who are disappointed at the paltry 28 minute run time, rest assured that the story was not rushed or truncated in any way. There is no need to watch the series in order to appreciate the story, as it is fairly straightforward, yet profound. The character artistic design is adequate, and you will find no deviation from the series. Kino is as enigmatic as ever, although Hermes seems just abit more immature and inept than usual. The backgrounds were much more detailed and the enhanced production budget shows here. Although the integration of CGI was not seamless nor flawless, it did not detract from the overall experience. 'The Land of Sickness' is every bit as enjoyable as any other story in the franchise, and remains true to the original concept of gimmick-free story telling, using violence only to advance the plot. Add the requisite subtle invitation to examine human nature, and you get one of my favorite stories of the franchise, following the travels of the most underestimated 'tough guy' in anime. I will definitely watch this again, in a few years.

Kino’s Journey – The Land of Sickness: For You, serves as a sort of one-off reboot of the original Kino’s Journey series. It is longer than the average episodes we are used to, clocking in at around 28 minutes. This, unlike the other Kino’s Journey movie, actually feels like a normal, yet remarkable, Kino’s Journey episode, which is always appreciated. Firstly, it is important to note that this has not been created by A.C.G.T, the studio which worked on the previous Kino's Journey adaptation, but has been handed over to Shaft. Subsequently, this created a familiar but different art style, which feels more modernised. Theanimation budget has clearly increased, as interesting camera techniques and more detailed backgrounds are used multiple times, which one would not usually expect from Kino. However, this has also led to the introduction of CGI, which can be distracting at times, but it generally works well with the art style. What I do feel the need to mention is Kino’s slight design alterations. Even though she has not been changed drastically, and her great personality remains intact, one differing aspect becomes very stark. Kino has been given breasts; hefty breasts at that. Why? Isn’t it a reoccurring reference surrounding her character that people aren’t sure if she’s male or female? This is made obnoxiously apparent, seen as we see her nude silhouette and cleavage (SFW) when she is forced into a cleansing session to enter this new country. It just seems rather redundant, as she is clearly written to be androgynous. So why make her more feminine? It doesn’t even seem like it’s done for fanservice; it’s just there, which is slightly annoying. Even still, this really doesn’t degrade the overall quality of the movie at all. There’s not really much more to say. The story is just as impeccably written as ever. It’s very philosophical, but still enjoyable. I’m unable to discuss it here without spoiling, but I will say that I was confused by the ending. It felt out of character and only there to have a cool action scene. To conclude, I highly recommend that all who have seen the original Kino’s Journeys series watches this. There’s no real reason not to.

Byouki no Kino: For You was released almost half a decade after the original series had finished. Given the long time gap, it makes one wonder whether or not a new addition to the Kino's Journey series will be as high quality as the original series. With Shaft as the new production company, it's almost guaranteed to be different. Byouki no Kuni begins like most episodes do in the original series; Kino arrives at a new country and starts exploring. Soon though, one of the main differences is noticeable; the art style. The level of detail in each shot has increased. Kino herself now has blue-ishhair and for some reason isn't wearing her treasured coat after the first five minutes. They have also added some camera techniques and CGI to some scenes. While this is more aesthetically pleasing, it takes away from the charm and feel that the original series had. This is especially noticeable when it comes to Kino's design since there was no need to ever change it. Nevertheless, this isn't much of an issue overall and shouldn't detract from the viewing experience. The story in this short film is slightly different to usual. The beginning of the episode is similar to the original series where Kino enters a new country, however after that it adopts a different tone. In most of Kino's Journey's episodes, a theme would be the central focus. In Byouki no Kuni however, it appears that the central focus is Inertia, a young girl suffering from a chronic illness. The issue with this is that it lacks the philosophical exploration that Kino's Journey is known for. Instead Byouki no Kuni has replaced the philosophy with a depressing story that is somewhat thought-provoking. Kino's Journey has a reputation for leaving you with a feeling of wonder. Byouki no Kuni, however, doesn't achieve this. Kino and Hermes themselves still behave the same and the soundtrack is just as good as the original series. But the other aspects of the show are not as high quality. Still, I believe that most people would enjoy watching this short film and I do recommend this to anyone who has seen Kino's Journey and want to see more.

Merchandise

Links may contain affiliate references

Студия