Kino's Journey: the Beautiful World, or Kino's Journey, is a Japanese light novel series written by Keiichi Sigsawa, with illustrations made by Kouhaku Kuroboshi, which is still being published. A 13-episode anime adaptation was produced by A.C.G.T and Genco aired between April and July 2003. Two manga adaptations were produced, and a new anime series aired 12 episodes between October and December 2017. As of 2017, around 8.2 million copies of the novels have been sold in Japan. The series has a huge fan base, including the fact that the series is usually mentioned in Takarajimasha's light novel guide book Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!.
Interestingly,you do not have to watch the original series to understand the new remake. It is still highly recommendable to watch the 2003 version after finishing the newer one. However, do not think that the original is much better than the remake. What I am trying to say is that if you do not like the remake, there is no need for you to watch the original series. Anyways, for those who do not know anything about that title, I will say it one more time, you do not have to watch the original series first; however, if you are a fan of the old animation, you can watch the original first and after it watch the remake. It addition to this, if you think that you can call yourself a fan, consider reading the novel, too.
Kino’s Journey tells us a story of Kino, who is on a never-ending journey. Their journey started in 2000 and now there are 20 volumes that describe the beauty of Kino’s journeys. Kino, together with their motorcycle, travel to different places and countries that have their own customs and laws. As a general rule, Kino only stays in each place for 3 days. During these three days the story will show you the most beautiful places you have ever seen in your life, or perhaps even the cruelest country you have ever seen. There is always a philosophical dilemma that Kino has to solve and these dilemmas sometimes involve some serious decisions that might put Kino’s life on the line.
It is worth mentioning that the series used to be very popular in 2000; it still has quite a remarkable fan base. Just like me, you might have seen the original in 2003, or even started reading the novel in 2000. In that case, you already know the whole beauty of this series. If not, Kino’s Journey is definitely a huge pearl for those who like slice of life. However, if you believe that this genre is too boring, but still want to watch the series, I would highly recommend you to watch only two episodes a day, otherwise you might find it boring. I also want to concentrate your attention on the fact that Kino’s Journey is not your usual slice of life; you will find philosophy, many life dilemmas, some really tragic scenes, and even some action scenes. Granted, if you are patient, this diamond will reward you with its reach story-line.
Art and sound wise, the new remake has a new voice actor cast for both Kino and Hermes, and it is quite a challenge to say if they are better than the previous one. They did their work quite well. As for the opening and ending themes, as well as for the OST, I am sure that the original series did a better job with them. But I would not say that it might be a big problem for you. Art wise, on the one hand, the original has a darker feeling to it with its animation, on the other, the remake has a superb new animation, which also does its job the way it should: character designs, background; they all are stunningly beautiful.
As it has already been stated before, there are two protagonists in this series. Kino is the first main protagonist in the series. They travels to different countries with their talking motorcycle Hermes, which is the second main protagonist, discovering different cultures, customs and people. I am sure that it was one hell of a task for the new voice actors to voice their characters, but they managed to do it. The remake has not lost its best part--characters. The duo is able to keep you interested in what will happen next, providing you with the necessary character development.
If you want to know my opinion, an opinion of a hardcore Kino’s fan, the remake deserves its name. I will not try to hide the fact that I am really disappointed that the old voice actors did not take part in the remake, but the new cast still did one hell of a job. Kino’s Journey (2017) is still the anime that I watched long time ago.
All in all, Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World (2017) is a show that I would recommend to: a) all Kino’s fans, b) all fans of the SoL genre. However, if you are not a fan of the genre, as it has already been mentioned in my review, you should either watch this anime little by little, or you should just avoid it. Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World (2017) is, indeed, a worthy remake. I hope that you will enjoy your journey with Kino and Hermes! Overall: a very weak 10/10.