Kino's Journey: Tower Country

I did not see a review for this so I decided to write one. I often see people confused of what order to watch anime especially when episode 00s and prequels are involved. A good rule to follow is watch them in order of date they were released, this way you will not spoil or mess up something for yourself. This episode does not contain any possible spoilers if you watched it first but I still highly suggest following that rule. Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - Tou no Kuni is shorter then the usual episode but the story is still welly put together, doesn't seemrushed, and has the charm Kino no Tabi is known to have. In this country people are constantly putting their whole life into constructing a massive tower. I can't go much into story because spoilers but I definitely feel this is one of the odder countries. This episode does not really contain action (she does pull her gun out at a point tho) and is not one of the tragic episodes. The music in this episode seems to have a more Egyptian vibe to it. Possibly trying to connect a message about the construction of the pyramids and modern day civilization? I suggest watching this and trying to decipher it's message, especially if you enjoyed the rest of the series~!

For anyone who is a fan of Kino's Journey, this is a nice addition to the series. Being only 14 minutes in total (around 10 minutes without counting the OP and ED) there isn't much to say about it. In this OVA, Kino travels to a new country. This time it is a country that is building a giant tower. Surprisingly, within the ten minutes, Tou no Kuni manages to tell a story with almost as much depth as a full episode from the original series. The art style and sound is very similar to the original series, so anyone who has already seen the serieswill know what to expect. For those that haven't; the soundtrack is great, however the art isn't very detailed, but it does it's job. If anyone hasn't seen Kino's Journey and is wondering whether to watch this, my suggestion is to first watch the original series before coming to the OVAs. For people that enjoyed the series, this is worth watching. Tou no Kuni is thought-provoking and should satisfy any Kino's Journey fans.

Kino’s Journey – Tower Country, serves as an extra episode to Kino’s Journey. It is shorter than an average episode, clocking in at just 14 minutes, which is more akin to 11 minutes when considering the opening and ending. This is a bit disappointing, as another country could have easily been explored in a new episode of normal length. Yet, this is definitely a welcomed addition. It may be confusing what order you should watch this series, especially since this is known as episode 0. I would recommend watching in order of release date. This is not necessary, and if you were to watch this episodefirst, you wouldn’t be at all spoiled. Yet, this is still advice worth noting. This is a gruelling tale centred around Kino’s visit to a large city that inhabits a massive tower in its middle, which has been built upon for the last 233 years by the country’s citizens. When asked why they continue to build, the people reply with a vague, indirect answer, simply stating “because it’s our job.” It’s strange just how perfectly this episode sums up the overall show. From its consistent art and sound to themes and story, everything about it screams, “this is Kino’s Journey!” A reoccurring theme throughout this series is humanity and the lack of it. It seems that people have been living for so long that they go to whatever extreme means necessary so to find meaning in their life. Here, the menacing tower represents that idea. It is built manually, brick by brick, until it is so tall that it loses its stability and comes crashing down – then to only be rebuilt, again and again. At night, when Kino starts to fall asleep, she is approached by a timid, frightened young man. After a quick commotion, the stranger begs Kino to take him travelling with her, and is quickly turned down; but for what reason does he wish to leave so desperately? It’s quite clear, really: he wants to find a real meaning in life, just like Kino. Fortunately, he will eventually find this meaning through the minor advice given by Kino at the end of the episode. To conclude, I highly recommend this episode to any fan of Kino’s Journey. It has a great, clear message which can be fun to try to decipher. Given how short it is, there’s no reason to ignore it.