KINO NO TABI: Book One of the Beautiful World
Keiichi Sigsawa
Illustrated by Kouhaku Kuroboshi
TOKYOPOP
ISBN-10: 1598164554
ISBN-13: 9781598164558
208 pages

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Kino is a traveler. She rides on Hermes, an extremely impressive talking motorcycle. Together they explore strange and bizarre countries and lands, rarely staying more than three days at a time. Kino believes it only takes three days to get to know what you need to about a place. Then it's back onto Hermes and off to another adventure.

KINO NO TABI is, quite honestly, a beautiful and fairy tale-like adventure with some extremely magical moments. Opening the book reveals a simple sentence: "The world is not beautiful, therefore it is." This is a great conceptual anchor for the story as Kino often finds herself in what would be considered non-beautiful territory, such as the Land of Majority Rule, a ghost town of hollow halls and vast graves, where a horrific King killed those who disagreed with him.

Throughout KINO NO TABI, we see that our hero is no mere passerby taking in the sights. She becomes involved. She is a seeker of knowledge and yet she is also willing to stand strong should she need to. This is quite prevalent in the segment entitled "Coliseum," where those admitted into the city-state are automatically entered into a savage tournament whereby the victor gains citizenship. Though not her first choice, she is ultimately left no choice but to fight, as refusers become slaves. She must take on the incredible swordsman, Shizu.

The Beauty to be found in the Beautiful World is not necessarily pretty. It can be brutal. It can be tragic. The story itself, almost in a travelogue narrative, is incredibly reminiscent of GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, perhaps sprinkled with a liberal touch of "The Twilight Zone." KINO NO TABI, while entertaining and sometimes humorous, also provides moments of introspection and occasionally borders on the philosophical.

After enduring some white-knuckle moments, Hermes asks Kino near the novel's end why she travels, why she never settles and undertakes a normal life. Kino never answers him. From the stories contained here, one can plainly see that it is the journey that keeps Kino going, that keeps her satisfied with her life, no matter how difficult it may be. It is the adrenaline rush and the uncertainty of it all that is life for her, as it is in all great adventure tales.

   --- Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard

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