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Kino no Tabi Volume 1: Book one of THE BEAUTIFUL WORLD (Pop Fiction)x
  (12 reviews)
Best Price: $7.99
Destination is a state of mind. Kino wanders around the world on the back of Hermes, her unusual motorcycle. During their adventures, they find happiness, sadness, pain, decadence, violence, beauty, and wisdom. But through it all, they never lose their sense of freedom. This work tells the tale of one girl and her bike and the road ahead.
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Customer Reviews
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Courtesy of Teens Read Too
By A2TX179XAT5GRP on 2006-12-01
"The World is not beautiful, therefore it is."
The first line in this book, and a powerful one. How funny it is that the one thing everyone strives for is perfection, yet we all agree that a perfect world is impossible. Even if it was possible, would we really want it?
Kino doesn't remember what her original name was, only that it was the name of a flower. The first Kino came into the town she lived in when she was eleven, days before she was to have the operation to make her a grownup. The first Kino was a traveller, spending only three days in each new place.
While "curing" a junked and discarded motorcycle, the first Kino tells the young girl about other places and other lives. Places where you don't have to have an operation to be considered an adult. Places where you don't have to do a job that makes you unhappy, just because it's required. He sparks a light in this little girl, and inadvertently brings about his own death. A new Kino is born. She escapes on Hermes, the repaired and animated motorcycle.
Kino becomes a traveller, moving from place to place, staying only three days. Some places are nice, some strange, some scary, and some are downright dangerous. Kino and Hermes learn about life, themselves, and humanity as a whole.
This was not only a really great story, but a really interesting look at the nature of people and society. As well as an interesting take on the concept of "be careful what you wish for". It challenged my ideas of right and wrong, and what cost they come at. It's the first of a planned eight books, and I am extremely interested to see what Kino and Hermes get into next.
Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
Evocative but short
By AX7I9WPK9L8ZM on 2006-12-21
I was surprised to encounter an English edition of Kino No Tabi while browsing the "teen fiction" section at (major chain bookstore), so I picked it up. At 200 pages, it's a very quick read, and it has a "teen fiction" feel. Overall, Kino No Tabi contains some interesting and valuable stories about human morality and relationships, but if you're past your teenage years, you've probably encountered similar stories before. And at the list price of $8 for 200 pages, it's hard for me to justify the cost of continuing with this 8-volume series.
Now a word about Tokyopop's treatment. Kino no Tabi is what's known as a "light novel" series in Japan. They typically have full-color cover artwork, perhaps a color insert page, and full-page black-and-white illustrations every chapter or so. Tokyopop's release is highly stylized, with black pages separating chapters, and most illustrations in a sort of filmstrip size/effect (i.e. greatly reduced). The original cover art is nowhere to be found. These changes were probably made to fit Kino no Tabi into Tokyopop's "pop fiction" line, and I must admit that they are reasonable alterations, though the purist in me would rather see a format closer to the original. There are no translation notes (not even for the title) but there is little cultural context in this series.
The anime series that was made from this novel series is very good, and I would have to recommend it over the novels.
Sad and Sweet
By A29HUTV9XEMNXM on 2006-10-09
Although "Kino No Tabi" is aimed at teens and preteens, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read for children of all ages. Maya Bohnhoff has done a wonderful job of bringing this Japanese Anime tale to life in delicious prose.
Many questions crossed my mind as I read this tale of Kino and her sentient motorcycle Hermes as they travel across a land of both beauty and ugliness, with, sadly, most of the ugliness provided by the people that young Kino meets. Should a young girl carry guns? In this case, absolutely. I highly recommend "KINO NO TABI" for everyone.
A great fast read-- but one eensy nit
By A2M78XJP8T3GL7 on 2006-10-14
I am an adult fan of the series, and I'm coming out in favor of this version as well.
The only (minor) nit that I have to pick on this book is the fact that it's linear (by time). Many people I've talked to about the anime series say that part of the appeal is the fragmentation of the episodes, and trying to figure out what events fit where.
Other than that, I think that the translation is very good and clear. I hope the next one will come out very soon. :)
A Cool Gal on a Motorcyle
By A2OBAJBRB2LLFJ on 2006-10-12
A twelve-year-old girl is all set for an operation that will make her an adult. When she decides she wants to stay a kid, her parents disagree in a really violent way, so Kino makes her way out of town on Hermes, a sentient motorcycle.
With Hermes as company, Kino becomes a traveler, moving from place to place, never staying anywhere too long. She owns two guns, one rightly named the Woodsman. She wears leather. She's a cool gal on a motorcycle. Kino's not just traveling, though; she's journeying, finding out who she really is, all within a landscape like the world gone mad.
In her journeys, she discovers one city where people will not speak to each other, another where all the inhabitants are staying in a graveyard, another where war has become more twisted than ever, but Kino cannot act to rectify any of these situations.
In her final destination, Kino's had enough. Forced to fight in a coliseum, Kino targets not just her gladiator opponents but the one person behind the killing in the ring. She becomes the hero any girl would want to be.
Kino No Tabi drives the reader through a series of fable-like episodes, each one symbolizing new and different meanings of justice and injustice, humanity and inhumanity. The stories really make the reader take a long, deep look at all we take for granted here in the United States: our civil liberties, the ability to express ourselves, to love and care for our families. It's all a lot of symbolism that really reaches into the heart and squeezes--hard, fast and strong.
This paragraph from the book sums up the symbolism nicely:
"The last embers vanished, bathing the girl and the motorcycle in darkness, silent but for the whisper of the wind through the trees."
Beautiful.
reviewed by Sherryl King-Wilds
- A beautiful and fairy tale-like adventure
By AFVZXHIUSXINA on 2007-01-05
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
- A great Novel
By A2HM796P90DP8U on 2006-11-10
I was a fan of the anime before reading this book. It was really good seeing what the anime was based on.
Seeing as there was no Kino No Tabi Manga, it started in this book and continued to 8 books i believe. And onto an anime.
The anime is beautiful in every way, there is a sense of darkness in the series but also a sense of light. Kind of showing the real world in the form of many lands.
The book is wonderful, especially after seeing the anime i can picture it all happening in my head.
Now to tell you about the story. Kino is the name of the traveller. Accompanied by her motorcycle Hermes(May sound childish, but Heremes is a very important character. Kind of the voice of reason) They set off on there travels after freeing Kino from a horrid future. This book consists of the adventures Kino and Hermes had as they travelled Country to Country, village to Village, Person to Person.
As quoted from the book "The world is not beautiful, therefore it is"
This book is a must buy if you are already a Fan of the anime Kino's Journey(I reccomend Purchasing that too) or if you like stories of freedom, and adventure. Either way you will enjoy this book.
Be Warned, this is not for children, nothing sexual, but a lot of violence and harsh stories from Cannibals, to futuristic societies. 13+ age reccomended.
- Wonderful Book
By ABKVQYY1JKZ1H on 2007-06-24
This book is a wonderful find and a great read for people of all ages. It's the kind of novel that really makes you think, makes you question your views on some of the things the main character Kino finds along her travels. This book disguises our own failings and shortcomings as those of people who inhabit different cities or towns. This book was interesting and wel lwritten, and worth it to sit down, relax and enjoy.
- A Book that Really Makes You Think
By AXHJCBB3TILC2 on 2007-11-13
Kino no Tabi presents readers with a world where all of our greatest ponderings on human nature and emotion come together. In one book, you find musings on life, war and several other aspects of life, each one either one the same level of intellect or better than the last.
The characters of Kino and Hermes are also wonderful to follow as they visit the different countries and provide their own personal insight.
All in all, a wonderful book that provides plenty of food for thought (and leaves you wanting seconds).
- Better than the Anime
By A296NTMIOYS3J7 on 2007-01-10
With its peaceful and tranquil look at the world, it makes you want to sit down and understand and look at life as it passes you by. The translation that tokyopop has done from Japanese to English is actually really good. "The world is not beautiful, therefore it is," is something that made me want to understand and that is why I read the book.
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