"The world is not beautiful, therefore it is..."

A beautiful journal of an adventurer's journey which has a lot of fantasy element but realistic at the same time. It focuses on human nature and relations with other. Each story leaves the reader with something to think about without lecturing the reader by giving a conclusion.

Kino's Journey is my all-time favourite piece of writing and what got me into light novels and web novels in the first place. It has a very similar atmosphere to Mushishi, exploring a beautifully created, fantastical world and its residents in an episodic format, with a somewhat detached protagonist who acts like a temporary observer rather than a resident of every place they visit. The difference is that Kino's Journey has a more cynical undertone and Kino is very different from Ginko.

Kino herself is my all-time favourite character. She's extremely... more>> cold, uninvolved, and unsympathetic towards others, but her behaviour is that of a person who has a conscience. Her actions are sometimes what I read as "doing the right thing", but I still always feel that she herself isn't acting on any sense of justice. It's just a byproduct of her acting in her own self-interest. She's intelligent, capable, and unmoved by other's opinions. Yet, she isn't cruel and never takes things further than she needs to. There's a depth of warmth to her genuine cold-heartedness. A lot of characters are written to be cold-hearted, but compared to Kino they fall flat and feel fake, not like a believable person like she is. <<less

As of writing this review, I have read the series up to volume 23, the latest Japanese release.

The series is a collection of self-contained short stories about eccentric people traveling the world and experiencing the strangeness of the places and people they come across.

The main group consists of the young traveler "Kino" and the talking motorcycle "Hermes". Kino's gender is kept ambiguous at first and is revealed early in the series, but they are still referred to with gender-neutral language throughout.

Other main character groups include a duo of selfish and... more>> seemingly invincible mercenaries who go by their nicknames "Master" and "Partner", a well-meaning but often unlucky swordsman "Shizu" and his talking dog companion "Riku", and a kindhearted photographer girl "Photo" and her talking motorcycle friend and mentor "Sou".

Each chapter's "abnormal" qualities reflect on various aspects of society and the human physique. Mostly emotionally detached in tone and can be very dark and/or disturbing at times, but frequently has lighthearted moments and downtime to make it not too grim.

Chapters are mostly medium-length at 30-50 pages long, though there are also short skits that are less than 10 pages, and also big stories that span 80-120 pages. Each volume typically has at least one chapter featuring a new named character, and these ones are more involved and elaborate compared to the rest.

The series has multiple fan-made translations. I'll rate the ones I've read as follows:

Barnnn (volume 1 + specials) - Good quality, especially with the specials. Original JP text's gender-neutral language in regards to Kino is fully preserved, which results in some parts coming off as somewhat awkward.

Baka-Tsuki (multiple contributors, volumes 2-11 + 13-17 + specials) - Quality varies, ranging from medium to good. Preservation of gender-neutral language depends on the contributor.

Untuned Strings (volumes 2-12) - Good quality, but for the most part does not preserve the original text's gender-neutral language. <<less

This is a really great novel which details the journey of a girl and her motorcycle. Each chapter is a new story where every country has something new and fascinating (or just really creepy). It's definitely a great reading material, though it can get dark at times.

Kino's Journey follows a girl and her motorcycle named Hermes. Kino's Journey is a Philosophical and Psychological novel that highlights the nature of humanity, the nature of the world, and even the nature of the universe. Kino's Journey through the exploration of multiple villages examines the very essence of man and the knowledge of them. Through these villages and their exploration of themes/philosophies such as Qualia, Neo-luddism, and much more, you get to grasp multiple ideas that our real world is testifying to this very day. Kino's Journey, moving away... more>> from the deep, thought-provoking ideas, also addresses answers to questions such as "What is beauty?" and "What is the value of life?" extremely well. Through these messages, Kino's Journey also develops multiple layers that leave multiple subtle details that enrich the series, adding just that much more value to it. Overall, the series is also very enjoyable, with some very strong characters and lovable ones.

-thank you for translating Kino no tabi, truly appreciate that you picked it up instead of letting the project die, hope you continue this project, and hope it stays successful ❤️! <<less