Series synopsis
Kino's Journey, also known as キノの旅 is a Japanese animation sci-fi & fantasy drama action & adventure television series that premiered on WOWOW Prime on April 8, 2003. It ended on July 8, 2003. It stars Ai Maeda and Ryuji Aigase.
In Kino's Journey, 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. 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.
Premise
In Kino's Journey, 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. 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.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Ai Maeda as Kino (voice)
- Ryuji Aigase as Hermes (voice)
Guest cast
- Kazuhiko Inoue as Original Kino (voice)
- Aoi Yuuki as Sakura (voice)
- Hochu Otsuka as Riku (voice)
- Takashi Irie as Shizu (voice)
- Ai Kobayashi as Nimya Tchuhachkova (voice)
- Junko Midori as Kino's Teacher
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 16 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 3 | October 19, 2005 | April 21, 2007 |
| Season 1 | 13 | April 8, 2003 | July 8, 2003 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Tower Country -Freelance- The inhabitants of the country are building a giant tower. A twelve-minute episode of Kino's Journey which was not included in the official TV series. |
October 19, 2005 |
| 2 |
In Order to Do Something -Life Goes On- A prequel 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. |
February 19, 2005 |
| 3 |
Country of Illness -For You- 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. |
April 21, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Land of Visible Pain -I See You- Together with their sentient motorcycle Hermes, Kino is a traveller who journeys from country to country, staying in each country for three days to experience what it has to offer. On their latest stop, Kino and Hermes find themselves in a country that seems to be inhabited only by servile machines. Is Kino the only person in the entire country, or will they be able to track down the humans and discover their story? |
April 8, 2003 |
| 2 |
A Tale of Feeding Off Others -I Want to Live- Towards the end of winter, Kino comes across three starving men who are trapped in the snow. Deciding to save them forces Kino to choose their lives over the lives of the three rabbits she must hunt for their food. Will the men prove worthy of the choice and obligation Kino has made -- and will they in turn respect the implicit obligation they have to Kino? |
April 15, 2003 |
| 3 |
Land of Prophecies -We NO the Future- People are always looking for meaning, adding depth to even the most abstract of writings and actions and turning them into rituals and traditions. As Kino travels from country to country, they encounter the traditions of many different lands, starting with a land whose Book of Prophecy claims that the end of the world is only one day away. This episode consists of four different stories. |
April 22, 2003 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | WOWOW Prime |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 8, 2003 |
| Last aired | July 8, 2003 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Tuesday at 18:30:00 |