Anime character holding a gun

"Kino's Journey", one of the works by Keiichi Shigurezawa. Published in "Denzai HP" Vol.6 in March 2000. There are currently 16 novels, which are still being serialized and published by MEDIAWORKS Dengeki Bunko. The work was adapted into a 13-episode TV animation and a 1-episode OVA in 2003. The first theatrical version was released in 2005, and the second part was released in Japan on April 21, 2007. The work tells the story of Kino, a traveler who traveled to various countries on her talking motorcycle Hermes. Kino only stayed in each country for three days. During her experience, she experienced the people of that country. After learning about the culture and customs, she left and went to another country.

As a unit drama, "Kino's Journey" successfully breaks away from the monotonous and repetitive pattern, and naturally tells the most hidden pain of the human heart like gurgling water. The audience follows the protagonist Kino's journey through various countries, and the English title of each story is the finishing touch, quietly hitting the main theme of the story.

Kino (voice actor: Maeda Ai) (This is the actress’s Maeda Ai, not the female voice actor and singer’s Maeda Ai.) Protagonist, girl (see "The Country of Adults", "Alive" "Goal" and other chapters), the name comes from the German "KINO" (meaning "screening"). Neutral attire with short hair and a windbreaker. He has the "Persuader" (i.e. Gun) rank and adopts a non-interfering attitude toward things he encounters during his travels. The main weapons are the revolver "Cannon", the single-shot automatic pistol "Forest Man" and the detachable rifle "Flute". The process of acquiring the three weapons is as follows: gift from the master (see "The Living Goal"), gift from the disciple (see "The Kingdom of Kindness"), and victory in the competition (see "The Kingdom of Heroes"). But this does not mean that Chino only has three guns. In fact, she also hides at least an unknown fourth gun, which is shaped like a knife and was a gift given to her by a gun collector (see "The Country of Collectors"). A weird gun appeared in "The Cannibal Story". Regarding Kino's real name, some people think it should be "Sakura". For example, Tv4 said that it is a kind of bright red flower that blooms in spring. If it is slightly changed, it will become an unpleasant word; and Tv13 hints at this again, but these There is not enough evidence to prove that the red-haired girl Sakura who appeared in TV13 once explained to Chino that her name was often tampered with. Chino's surprised reaction after hearing this can be interpreted as "having the same experience", not necessarily " have the same name." Chino (girl), Hermes (car)

Erumes (Hermes) (Voiced by: Ryuji Aise) Motoride, a two-wheeled vehicle, especially a non-aircraft The vehicle) was originally dilapidated, but was later repaired by the traveler Kino. He can talk to his surroundings or talk to himself. In the animation, his voice is that of a little boy. He often complains about Chino or says the wrong idioms, but he will encourage Chino when necessary. The name comes from Hermes, who appears in Greek mythology, and Hermes is an accent. The author mentioned in the novel version that using this name has no connotation.

Master (voiced by: Akeno Watanabe, Junko Sui) is an expert in persuasion. She is a problematic figure who once caused great commotion in various countries. She teaches Kino the knowledge of persuasion and travel. Master (right), disciple (left)

Disciple (voiced by: Chiba Kagome) [Appeared in the PS2 version of the game] A slightly shorter but handsome man who once traveled with the master, in the 'Land of Leaders' He has become a partner (or follower) with his master, and he has never had a name. "Disciple" is actually a nickname given by his friends on the Internet. Although it seems useless, he sometimes behaves unexpectedly. Specialized in gun maintenance and repair techniques. The old man (voice: Shingo Hiramatsu) who repairs Kino's gun in the 13th episode of the anime version "Friendly Country" is actually him.

Siz (voiced by: Takashi Irie) is a prince of a certain country. His weapon is a samurai sword. He has a positive and helpful personality. He drives an off-road vehicle with the same fate as himself and a talking dog "Lu". Travel together. The purpose of traveling is to find a place where you can immigrate.

Siz (left), Di (middle), Lu (right)

Lu (voiced by: Otsuka Yoshitaka) has a cute big white dog that looks happy and smiling, although he is not really happy. , traveling with Siz, will quarrel with Elumes. The original character should be the Samoyed dog of the same name raised by the author.

Ti (Tifana) (Voiced by: Mamiko Noto) [Appears in the PS2 version of the game, but does not appear in the animated version] A white-haired girl whom Siz and Riku met in a certain country is now with Siz and the others act together. She usually doesn't speak (although she's not speechless). Plus she loves grenades and throwing knives.

Foot is the fourth character with an independent main line after Kino, Xiz, and Master. She first appeared in "Before the Clouds" in the 12th volume of the novel version. She had no name at the time and only mentioned that she was a slave. She appeared again in Volume 15 of "Fut's Life", and only then did she have a formal title. A tomboy like Chino, but with long hair. He is very hard-working, has an innocent personality, and is even a bit simple-minded. He lacks defense against bad guys, is very accepting of death, and does not like violence. Therefore, unlike the other three protagonists, Ford does not have powerful self-defense weapons. She has good luck but also bad luck. She is often framed by others, but she always grabs life-saving straws in desperate situations... The name comes from the English "Photo", which is the abbreviation of her identity as Photographer. Ford (girl), Su (car)

Su Motorcycle, Ford's travel companion. His personality is different from that of Hermes. He is rather venomous and frequently complains about his master. He unceremoniously calls Ford an "idiot". However, at the same time, he also cares about Ford and is worried about her ignorance of the world. It would put her in danger.

The girl Sakura (voiced by: Yuuki Aoi) met in the Land of Kindness is somewhat similar to Kino when she was a child. Her parents also run hotels, and her dream is to become the best guide. Kino was her first guest and also her last. Kino was very fond of their country and even wanted to stay there for more than three days, but was rejected.

As a traveler, Traveler Kino (voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue) passed by the country where the protagonist is - the country of adults. After implementing the thoughts of being a traveler to the protagonist, the protagonist did not want to be controlled and became an (adult) The father of the protagonist wanted to kill the protagonist, who had just celebrated his 12th birthday, because he did not want to undergo surgery. At this time, as a traveler, Kino made the mistake of not intervening in another country. He blocked the knife that stabbed the protagonist and died on the spot. . Since then, the protagonist has traveled under the name Kino.

About the author

Shigusawa Keiichi (Shigusawa Keiichi, 1972-) is a Japanese light novel writer born in Kanagawa Prefecture. The representative work "Kino's Journey" was submitted for the 6th Dengeki Novel Award. Although it was not selected, it was still published in the bimonthly "Dengeki HP" in 2000 and became a popular series of works. I studied in the United States, so I am more accustomed to using English than Japanese.

Born in 1972. In 1999, he became famous with "Kino's Journey--the beautiful world--" in the 6th Dengeki Game Novel Awards. One of my favorite quotes is "Just when you have lost your way, you begin to understand it." He likes to travel by motorcycle, but the most difficult thing is that he is very worrier, so he has to take everything with him. My dream is to drive my car around the world. In fact, it has already been implemented, and it has spread to the eastern part of Saitama Prefecture in the Kanto Circle of Japan in the Eastern Hemisphere, Asia, and Japan. It's just a matter of eating ramen nearby...that's how it is said.

Main representative works

"Kino's Journey", "Alison", "Lilia and Therese", "Gakuen Kino", "Meg and Theron"