, shortened to ''Kino's Journey'', is a Japanese

light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...

series written by

Keiichi Sigsawa is a Japanese light novel author. In 2000, his work ''Kino's Journey'' was a finalist for the 6th Dengeki Novel Prize, and was subsequently serialized in '' Dengeki hp'' magazine in March of the same year, marking his debut. ''Kino's Journey'' ...

, with illustrations by

Kouhaku Kuroboshi , also known as , is a Japanese illustrator and character designer. He is from the Kanagawa Prefecture and lives in the Fukuoka Prefecture. He is probably best known for his frequent collaborations with writer Keiichi Sigsawa as the illustrator/cha ...

. The series follows a traveler named Kino and her talking

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

named Hermes, as they explore countries with unique customs and people around a mysterious world, only spending three days at each location. The series originally started serialization in volume five of MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine '' Dengeki hp'' on March 17, 2000. The first

volume Volume is a measure of occupied three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). The de ...

of the series was published on July 10, 2000 by

ASCII Media Works ASCII ( ), abbreviated from American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Because of ...

under their

Dengeki Bunko is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks). It was established in June 1993 with the publication of '' Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania'' volume one, and is a light novel imprint a ...

publishing

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

. As of November 2020, 23 volumes have been published. A 13-episode

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

adaptation produced by

A.C.G.T is a Japanese animation studio established on December 19, 2000, by former Triangle Staff members in Suginami, Tokyo. It has been involved in the development of many series, predominantly contributing to other studios and adapting works based ...

and

Genco is a Japanese anime production enterprise, founded on March 3, 1997. Presided over by Tarō Maki, its headquarters is located in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo. It has produced numerous anime series such as ''Honey and Clover'', ''Nodame Cantabile'', ' ...

aired between April and July 2003 on WOWOW in Japan. Two visual novels for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

were released by ASCII Media Works, the first in July 2003, and the second in December 2005. There have also been two 30-minute animated films produced, the first in February 2005, and the second in April 2007. A ''Kino's Journey'' light novel was only released as a promotional gift for the second animated movie. Additional merchandise includes three

art book Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects. Overview Artists' books have employed a ...

s, three

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

s, and a

drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

. Two manga adaptations were produced, and a new anime series aired 12 episodes between October and December 2017. A

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...

light novel series titled began with the first volume published on July 10, 2006 by ASCII Media Works; seven volumes have been released as of May 2021.

Plot

In ''Kino's Journey'', the protagonist, Kino, accompanied by a talking

named Hermes, travels through a mystical world of many different countries and forests, each unique in its customs and people. She 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 in The Land of Visible Pain that this principle is probably a lie, specifically noting "if I stay any longer, I'm afraid I will settle down." The recurring theme of the anime and novels is described by the phrase, ''"The world is not beautiful, therefore it is."'' ''Kino's Journey'' explores what the anime director

Ryūtarō Nakamura was a Japanese director and animator, best known for directing the landmark anime series ''Serial Experiments Lain'', and for his collaboration with Masamune Shirow and Chiaki J. Konaka on ''Ghost Hound''. Death In 2009, it was announced that h ...

described as ''"a radical sense of 'beauty,'"'' and brutality, loneliness, nonsense, oppression and tragedy are often juxtaposed against compassion and a fairy-tale atmosphere. For protection and hunting, Kino carries a .44 single-action

revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

(called "the Cannon", based on a

Colt Walker The Colt Walker, sometimes known as the Walker Colt, is a single-action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six charges of black powder behind six bullets (typically .44 caliber lead balls). It was designed in 1846 by American firearms in ...

) that uses liquid explosives in place of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

and a .22 automatic

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

(named "the Woodsman", based on a

Colt Woodsman The Colt Woodsman is a semi-automatic sporting pistol manufactured by the U.S.Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1915 to 1977. It was designed by John Moses Browning. The frame design changed over time, in three distinct series: series one being 1 ...

). Later in Kino's adventures in the novels, Kino also uses a pump-action shotgun (based on a Winchester M1897) and a semi-automatic

sniper rifle A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...

(called "the Flute", based on an

M14 rifle The M14 rifle, officially the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire battle rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 in) cartridge. It became the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. military in 1959, ...

), along with a variety of other tools, including

knives A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

. In the anime, Kino is shown to carry no fewer than five knives, including one which can fire .22 bullets from its hilt. Kino is an unusually quick draw and practices every day before dawn.

Technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

in this world exists, sometimes to the level of

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

, although

anachronism An anachronism (from the Ancient Greek, Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronology, chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time per ...

s are common (for example, the same land that has talking

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

s also appears to have

phonograph A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

s, yet simultaneously the world has only begun to develop heavier-than-air flight). The level of technology also varies from country to country. The world is not heavily magical (the only "magical" elements include land that moves, talking vehicles, and a talking dog), although it has a certain fairy-tale quality.

Characters

; : :Kino is the main protagonist in the series and travels to different countries with her talking motorcycle Hermes, discovering their cultures and people. In the anime, Kino's sex is ambiguous in the beginning, but was confirmed to be female in the fourth episode, when she first meets Hermes and borrows the name "Kino" from another traveler. She is skilled in combat, carrying both guns and knives, and is accustomed to life as a traveler. To those she meets, she is invariably polite and answers questions directly. ; : :Hermes is a talking

Brough Superior Brough Superior ( ) motorcycles, sidecars, and automobile, motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. The motorcycles were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce car, Rolls-Roy ...

and is Kino's loyal companion; although it can be reluctant sometimes, it faithfully accompanies Kino in her travels. The relationship between Kino and Hermes is presented as symbiotic—as explained in the Land of Adults where Hermes provides speed, and Kino provides balance. In the first couple of episodes of the anime and almost all of the chapters in the novels, it has a tendency to mispronounce words and phrases. Its name is a reference to the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

god

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

. Although its name is spelled "Hermes", in the third book it emphasizes that the "H" in its name is silent. ;; : :Not much is known about the original Kino, only that he is a young man with

glasses Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples or ...

and a calm demeanor who traveled by the same three-day rule that the main character Kino does. He arrived to the Land of Adults and was most likely the reason why the main character goes on her journey after he dies protecting her from the customs of her country. She often makes statements similar to the original Kino's and even quotes him on occasion. In the novels, the original Kino explains that he makes a living selling medicinal herbs and unusual items he finds while traveling. ; : :Shizu is a young man with a great talent for

swordsmanship Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

. He travels in a dune buggy with Riku, his talking dog companion. He appears in multiple stories just about him, Riku and Ti in the novels. Riku narrates all but one of these stories. Later in the novels, Kino and Hermes meet up with Shizu and Riku again, but Kino seems to remember only Riku's name. ; : :Riku is a talking dog of the Samoyed breed who travels with Shizu. He is large, white, and his face seems to be always smiling. Apparently, in the anime, Riku has only spoken to Hermes, as Kino does not believe Riku can speak when told about the discussion Hermes had with him. In the original anime version, Riku also speaks to Shizu, but in the English version, only barks or whimpers to him in these instances. In the novels, Riku speaks to both Kino and Hermes. In the 2017 anime, he speaks to both Kino and Hermes, much to the surprise of the latter. ; : :Ti, also known as Tifana, is a 12-year-old child Shizu befriends in the Ship Country. When Shizu decides to leave, she refuses to separate from him and decides to kill herself along with him. After being stopped by Kino, Ti is taken in by Shizu, traveling with him and Riku since then. Ti's weapon of choice is grenades, and she carries a bag containing a number of them for self-defense. ; : :Sakura is a girl from the country Kino visited in the last episode of the first anime series. She shares many similarities to Kino, such as her parents also owning an inn. In the English version of the first anime series, her name is changed to Lily in order to preserve the explanation that her name, pronounced slightly differently, becomes an insult. The children call her "Silly Willy" instead of and in this version. ; : :Shishou is Kino's master who taught her

marksmanship A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than- ...

. She lives in the forest and does not travel. Her actual name is unknown; "Shishou" is a title meaning "mentor" or "master" (although Kino does not realize this at first). In the final episode of the first anime series, which chronologically takes place before most other episodes, the gunsmith who repaired Kino's Cannon recognized it and told Kino that he once knew a young woman who insisted everyone call her "Shishou". She traveled between countries and stirred up trouble wherever she went. In the novels, multiple stories are devoted to her travels alongside a man referred to as her "student", when she was in her late twenties. She and her student are shown as being incredibly greedy, even to the point of being cruel. They travel in a battered yellow car resembling a

Subaru 360 The Subaru 360 is a rear-engined, two-door city car manufactured and marketed from 1958 to 1971 by Subaru. As the company's first automobile, production reached 392,000 over its 12-year model run. Noted for its small overall size, 1,000 lb ...

Media

Light novels

''Kino's Journey'' began as a series of

s written by

, and illustrated by

. The series originally started serialization in MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine '' Dengeki hp'' with the release of volume six on March 17, 2000. The first

of the series was published on July 10, 2000 by

under their

publishing imprint. As of November 2020, 23 volumes have been published. The eighth volume of ''Kino's Journey'', originally published in October 2004, was ''Dengeki Bunkos 1000th published novel. An additional volume entitled was only released as a promotional gift for the second animated movie. A collection of special chapters entitled ''Kino's Journey: the Sigsawa's World'' came with the first volume of

' light novel magazine ''

Dengeki Bunko Magazine was a Japanese light novel magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks). The magazine succeeded the light novel magazine '' Dengeki hp'', and originally was published as a special edition issue of ''Dengeki Daioh'' for the first ...

'' on April 10, 2008. In commemoration of Dengeki Bunko's 20th anniversary, ''Kino's Journey'' was serialized weekly from April to September 2013 in several Japanese regional newspapers. The ten stories serialized during this period were included in the 17th volume published in October of the same year. The previous 16 volumes were released with new cover artwork also in commemoration of the anniversary. The light novel series has also been translated into Chinese, Korean, and German.

Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed J ...

licensed the novels under the original title ''Kino no Tabi'' for release in North America, and the first volume was published on October 3, 2006. The chapter order of Tokyopop's English release of the first volume differed from the original Japanese release. According to Tokyopop representatives, there are issues with the licensor that have left them unable to release further volumes of the series. Tokyopop used an image from the sixth chapter-title page from the original novel for use as the English novel cover. In May 2021, Tokyopop confirmed its license for the series had expired. The first volume of a

of the regular series titled ''Gakuen Kino'' was published on July 10, 2006 under Dengeki Bunko; as of May 2021, seven volumes have been released. The series is a collection of parodies originally published in three spin-off magazines of ''Dengeki hp'': ''Dengeki p'', ''Dengeki h'', and ''Dengeki hpa''. The spin-off features Kino as a

magical girl is a subgenre of Japanese fantasy media (including anime, manga, light novels, and live-action media) centered around young girls who possess magical abilities, which they typically use through an ideal alter ego into which they can transfo ...

in a school setting. ''Gakuen Kino'' was translated into Chinese and Korean.

Art books and manga

A 96-page

containing illustrations by Kouhaku Kuroboshi was released by ASCII Media Works in March 2003. The book contained illustrations from ''Kino's Journey'' and the ''

Allison Allison may refer to: People * Allison (given name) * Allison (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Eugene Allison Smith (1922-1980), American politician and farmer Companies * Allison Engine Company, American aircraft engine ...

'' series of light novels, which is created by the same people as ''Kino's Journey''. Also included in the art book are original illustrations never released in the novel volumes, and an original ''Kino's Journey''

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by Keiichi Sigsawa. Two more artbooks from Kouhaku Kuroboshi were released in commemoration of the novel series' 15th anniversary. These artbooks include illustrations from ''Kino's Journey'' up to the 18th volume, ''Gakuen Kino'', all of the ''Allison'' light novels, and other novels by Keiichi Sigsawa, as well as artwork by Kouhaku Kuroboshi as Takeshi Iizuka. Three

s were also released by ASCII Media Works under their ''Dengeki Bunko Visual Novel'' label. The first, released on December 3, 2003, contained forty-eight pages and is entitled . The first picture book came bundled with an audio CD containing

image song An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album (often called an image album or character album) for an anime, game, ''dorama'', manga, or commercial product that is sometimes sung by the voice actor or actor of a character ...

s (one of which is based on the tune of

Pachelbel's Canon Pachelbel's Canon (also known as the Canon in D, P 37) is an accompanied canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. The canon was originally scored for three violins and basso continuo and paired with a gigue, known as ''Canon and G ...

). The second book, released on October 19, 2005, contained eighty pages and is entitled . The second book was released in two editions, with the difference between the two being a DVD of the first animated film ''Kino's Journey: In Order to Do Something —Life Goes On—''. The third book, released on December 25, 2007, contained 40 pages and is entitled . The third book came bundled with a DVD of the second animated film ''Kino's Journey: Country of Illness —For You—''. A

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

adaptation of the spin-off series ''Gakuen Kino'' was illustrated by the

dōjinshi , also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created ...

group Dennō Ōwadan. It began serialization in volume 10 of

' ''

Dengeki G's Festival! Comic is a Japanese magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) and sold monthly on the thirtieth that primarily contains information on bishōjo games, but also includes an entire section on anime based on bishōjo games, and seria ...

'' released on February 23, 2010. The manga continued serialization until volume 14 of ''Dengeki G's Festival! Comic'' published on October 26, 2010. It was transferred to ASCII Media Works' ''

Dengeki G's Magazine is a Japanese magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) and sold monthly on the thirtieth that primarily contains information on bishōjo games, but also includes an entire section on anime based on bishōjo games, and seria ...

'' with the December 2010 issue and ran until the June 2012 issue. It was compiled in three volumes. A manga adaptation of ''Kino's Journey'', drawn by Iruka Shiomiya, began serialization in the April 2017 issue of

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

's ''Shonen Magazine Edge'' released on March 17, 2017. It has been collected in eight ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' volumes as of September 2020. An English translation has been published by Kodansha USA under the Vertical Comics imprint since February 2019. A second manga, with art by Gou, began serialization in the July 2017 issue of ASCII Media Works' ''

Dengeki Daioh is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) under the ''Dengeki'' brand. Many manga serialized in ''Dengeki Daioh'' were later published in ''tankōbon'' volumes under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Co ...

'' magazine released on May 27, 2017. It has been collected in five ''

'' volumes as of February 2020.

Anime

adaptation produced by A.C.G.T and

, and directed by

, aired on the WOWOW

satellite television Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna comm ...

network between April 8 and July 8, 2003, containing 13 episodes. The anime series was also rebroadcast across Japan by the anime

network

Animax , stylized as ANIMAX, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. The channel also dubbed other cartoons in Japanese language. A subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, it is headq ...

, which also aired the series across its worldwide networks in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

, and

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. The episodes were released on six DVD compilations released between June 18 and November 19, 2003; the first volume contained three episodes, while each of the subsequent volumes contained two episodes. The series was re-released on DVD in popular editions again in six volumes, with the first three volumes bundled together and sold on January 19, 2005, and the last three volumes bundled together and sold on February 16, 2005. In addition to the main series, there is also a 12-minute-long prologue titled "Episode 0: The Tower Country —Freelance—" which was released as an

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

with the first animated film's DVD release on October 19, 2005. The anime's opening theme is "

All the way All the Way may refer to: Film and television * ''All the Way'', an Australian film of 1998 directed by Marque Owen * ''All the Way'' (2001 film), a film directed by Shi Runjiu * ''All the Way'' (film), a 2016 adaptation of Robert Schenkkan's ...

" by

Mikuni Shimokawa is a Japanese pop singer and songwriter. She is best known for her songs used for anime theme music, particularly the opening and ending themes of the Full Metal Panic! series. In addition to her vocal talents, Shimokawa can also play the piano ...

and the ending theme is "The Beautiful World" by Ai Maeda; both singles were released on June 18, 2003. The 13-episode anime series was licensed for North American distribution by

ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gre ...

. The episodes were initially released on four DVD compilations released between February 24, 2004 and June 29, 2004; the first volume contained four episodes, while each of the subsequent volumes contained three episodes. The first DVD volume was sold in two editions, with the difference between the two being a series box all four DVDs could fit inside. A DVD box set entitled ''Kino's Journey: The Complete Collection'' was released on October 25, 2005 containing three discs. In 2009, the series was re-released on three DVDs in a single case. Re-releases also happened in 2011, 2013, and 2017, all through ADV Films, one of the three anime series currently distributed by them while being succeeded by

Section23 Films SXION 23 LLC, doing business as Section23 Films is an American multimedia distributor based in Houston, Texas specializing in releasing anime and Japanese films. Established in 2009, Section23 is one of five successors to ADV Films; alongside Se ...

. It was announced by them that a SD BD set is also coming for a February 26, 2019 release. A second anime television series adaptation titled ''Kino's Journey —the Beautiful World— the Animated Series'' aired 12 episodes between October 6 and December 22, 2017. It was animated by

Lerche Lerche is surname of: * Jacob Lerche Johansen (1818–1900), Norwegian naval officer and politician * Julius Lerche (1836-1914), German politician * Peter Lerche (1928-2016), German jurist * Sondre Lerche (born 1982), Norwegian singer, songwriter ...

and produced by

Egg Firm is a Japanese company with its business focused on production, planning and management for anime. History The company was founded in March 2015 by ex-Genco producer Nobuhiro Osawa with the objective of being a production and planning company for ...

. The series is directed by Tomohisa Taguchi, with Yukie Sugawara supervising scripts and Ryoko Amisaki designing the characters. The opening theme is "Here and There" and the ending theme is , both by

Nagi Yanagi , stylized as , is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Osaka Prefecture who is signed to NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. After becoming interested with music in her childhood, she began singing and writing original songs. In 2006, she began ...

. Crunchyroll streamed the anime with subtitles, and

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

streamed the series with a simuldub.

Films

Two anime films have been created as part of the ''Kino's Journey'' series. The first, was produced by A.C.G.T and directed by

Takashi Watanabe is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director. He is best known for directing the anime series ''Slayers'', '' Boogiepop Phantom'', and '' Shakugan no Shana''. Filmography Director *''Aria the Scarlet Ammo'' *'' Boogiepop Phantom'' *' ...

. It premiered in Japanese theaters on February 19, 2005. Spanning 30-minutes, the film is a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...

to the series, showing Kino being trained by her teacher, learning to ride Hermes, and discovering her naturally excellent marksmanship before eventually deciding to return the original Kino's coat to his mother. The ending theme for the first animated film is by Ai Maeda, and was released on Maeda's ''Night Fly'' album on March 16, 2005. The second film, , premiered on April 21, 2007 as one of the three movies released at Dengeki Bunko's Movie Festival. Produced by

Shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...

and directed by

, it follows Kino and Hermes journey to a highly advanced country where the people live confined in a sealed environment. By request of her father, Kino tells about her travels to a sick girl who is hospitalized there. The second animated film's ending theme is "Bird" by

, and the single was released on March 14, 2007.

Other media

A ''Kino's Journey''

was available through

mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing a ...

via volume fifteen of MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine '' Dengeki hp'' released on December 18, 2001. The drama tracks on the CD were originally broadcast on ASCII Media Works'

radio program A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

Dengeki Taishō is a Japanese radio program broadcast by Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, Radio Osaka, and Tokai Radio Broadcasting which first aired in October 1994, and is produced by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks). The program airs late at night on the ...

'' in 2001. ''Kino's Journey'' has been adapted into two

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...

s for the

by Tycoon and

. The first game, titled ''Kino's Journey —the Beautiful World—'', was released on July 17, 2003, and a "best" version was later released on November 25, 2004. Most of the story for the first game is taken from volumes one, two, three, five, and six of the original light novels, but there is one scenario written specifically for the game by

. The original soundtrack for the first visual novel was released on July 24, 2003. The second game, titled ''Kino's Journey II —the Beautiful World—'', was released on December 1, 2005, and a "best" version was later released on March 8, 2007. Like the first game, most of the story is taken from the light novels, but there is another original scenario written by Sigsawa. Additionally, the second game came bundled with a thirty-six page book entitled containing the story of the original scenario written for the game. Both of the visual novels were voiced, mainly using the same cast from the first anime series. At one time, ASCII Media Works had planned to release a version for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

Reception

As of 2017, around 8.2 million copies of the novels have been sold in Japan. The first novel which was published in the US generated positive reviews. ''

Newtype USA is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, manga, Japanese science fiction, seiyuu, and video games). It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985, with i ...

'' named it the Book of the Month for November 2006 and called it "inviting and addictive," while AnimeOnDVD said it "sucks you in," and "allows you to experience the journey" with the main character. The series has ranked three times in

Takarajimasha is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books. History The company was founded on September 22, ...

's light novel guide book ''

Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! is an annual light novel guide book published by Takarajimasha. The guide book publishes a list of the top ten most popular light novels according to readers polled on the Internet and votes from "collaborators" (critics, influencers, and other p ...

'': second in 2006, fifth in 2007, and sixth in 2008.

Notes

References

External links

Official website of the light novels

Official website of the 2017 anime
* at

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