Kino's Journey Complete Collection - Underland Online
- Underland Online
- Mike Lewis
- 02/13/06
- click here
"Kino's Journey is very unlike any other series..."
"...you're next journey is to find yourself a copy and get ready for one of the most unique anime to come along in quite some time."
Every so often, a series comes along that really doesn't fit in with other anime. For example, you could say that a series like
Maburaho has some ties to
Love Hina,
Fafner has elements that make it quite a bit like
RahXephon, or that
Excel Saga just picks and chooses from everything under the sun. Then there are those rarities that immediately become fan favorites simply because they are different.
Kino's Journey is very unlike any other series simply because it is so surreal, and now Kino is back with a all-new ThinPak Collection.
The world of
Kino's Journey is often times strange, but some of the ideas that the story presents are thought provoking and have some symbolism that can be found in our world. Kino is simply a traveler who is learning more about the world by going from place to place. However, she only stays in each of them for three days to learn about the people and the culture in the different lands and then moves on. Her loyal friend Hermes who also happens to be a talking motorcycle also accompanies her, and the two encounter people they would call friends as well as those who are without a doubt foes.
What is interesting about
Kino's Journey is that if you've ever wanted to see something that has a moralistic tale, almost every episode is presented in such a fashion. You'll see what the outcome is of things that would be considered innocent, what can happen when something is taken completely out of context, and the dark underbelly of society. The series is also filled with beautiful imagery and interesting technology that make this a journey to remember.
The box for this collection somewhat mirrors the imagery that the series presents. On one of the faces you will find Kino looking slyly over her shoulder, her guns drawn and ready for any trouble that may come her way. The image stands out boldly against the white background that it is placed on. The opposite side again faces Kino with her weapons drawn, but this time captures some of the action from the series. As you follow Kino on her adventures with Hermes, she will find her way into a brutal arena battle that concludes with a bitter fight against a skilled swordsman. He is displayed here as well as his fateful dog Riku, and even Hermes is present. The spine simply features Kino atop a cloudy background of grays and blues; the same background is used for the top with the
Kino's Journey logo used to accent it just a bit more.
Although the bonus features are missing due to the fact the series has been compressed into three volumes (one less that it's original four) this is forgivable. The original DVD's simply has clean opening and closing animations, and for most, this shouldn't be missed. The original version of the collector's box also came with a special premium, a license plate with 'HERMES' written on it, but again this isn't necessarily a must have item. For those looking for save a little space in their DVD collections that do have one of these, it can easily be put into the ThinPak cases with no fear of damaging the disc.
It is interesting that while the series concluded its original release people are just starting to discover
Kino's Journey, but in many cases the DVD's have been hard to come by. This collection will change all of that, and if you're just not finding out about the series or have had your interests perked by what others are saying, I'd advise that you're next journey is to find yourself a copy and get ready for one of the most unique anime to come along in quite some time.
Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 (Archive on Monday, March 13, 2006)