キノの旅 S1

Thought provoking

Warning for anyone who is easily triggered or does not like dark/sensitive subjects; find something else to watch. If you don’t mind that kind of thing then watch away :)

Personally I enjoyed this and found it to be a more adult version of a book series I enjoyed as a kid. In this series though, the main characters travel through different countries spending only 3 days in each to get to know the people and how the country works.

Overall, it deals with human nature, both the good and the bad, while also showing how some people may adjust to certain situations based on their own circumstances. There are some episodes with some pretty dark themes running through them and it does touch on some subjects that some people may find distressing so a word of caution to anyone who can be triggered by sensitive subjects.

Vocabulary is varied but each country will have repeating vocabulary that can be picked up on. Grammar does seem to be up to about N3 level (from what I can understand, possibly touching on N2 in places?) for the most part and covers polite and casual speech. There are a few parts where things are narrated but mostly it’s just the main character’s speaking to themselves or those they come across.

What I found most difficult was keeping up with the grammar but that’s due to my listening skills not being up to scratch and there doesn’t seem to be japanese subtitles from the DVD I’ve got, only English voices or English subs with Japanese voices.

I would recommend it for anyone who wants to watch something a little different, or is struggling to understand some of the light novel if they are reading it alongside but keep in mind the episodes are not in chapter order and only a small number of available chapters are covered.