Ranked #430

Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - Byouki no Kuni: For You

Title: Kino no Tabi: Byoku no Kuni -For You-

Movie: Kino no Tabi: Byoku no Kuni -For You- was premiered at the Dengekibunko Movie Festival in April of 2007, and started running in theatres on April 21st, 2007. It was animated by Studio SHAFT (famous for their work on REC and Sayonara Zetsubo-Sensei) and directed by Ryutaro Nakamura (famous for his work on the Kino no Tabi series and Serial Experiments Lain). It has yet to be licensed Stateside.

Story: Kino (who's grown up a bit and filled out o.O) and Hermes make a stop in a country where the majority of the citizens are sealed in a germ-free bubble, and the minority are out in the wastelands, reclaiming the land. They meet a girl who has the one disease (that sounds kind of like cancer to me) that they haven't been able to cure, and is currently the subject of pharmaceutical research. She asks them to deliver a little trinket to a boy out in the reclamation who she's been writing back and forth with. But when they go out to deliver the trinket, they discover the truth about the reclamation... (What, you thought I was going to give it away? :P)

This felt like a Kino no Tabi episode. This is what the other movie was missing. While the other movie was good, and it did explain more about Kino, it just didn't feel like the series did. This movie, however, could have very easily fit anywhere in the series.

It was apparently adapted from later in the novel series (whereas the show only stuck to the first few volumes), which renews my wish for more Kino. They've got the source material and the fan base (I think) that they could probably do it.

Art: There's a bit more CG this time around than there was in the series, but while it is distracting at times, it blends very well with the animation, which is in the same style as the series (even though it was done by a different studio).

Music: There's the same themes from the series from what I noticed of the background music, and the new ED wasn't all that noteworthy.

Seiyuu: Same seiyuu as the series, so nothing to add here.

Length: Like the other movie, it's a half-hour, but this time, I don't feel so cheated because of it.

Overall: A good story that would've made a fine episode in the series. Now hurry up and do a second season already!

Story: 9/10
Art: 9/10
Music: 8/10
Seiyuu: 8/10
Length: 9/10

Overall: 43/50; 86% (B ) read more

An unpredictable, yet familiar story unfolds in a calm and deliberate fashion, this 'movie' is can easily pass as another episode of the series, albeit with far superior production values. Those who are disappointed at the paltry 28 minute run time, rest assured that the story was not rushed or truncated in any way. There is no need to watch the series in order to appreciate the story, as it is fairly straightforward, yet profound.

The character artistic design is adequate, and you will find no deviation from the series. Kino is as enigmatic as ever, although Hermes seems just a bit more immature and inept than usual. The backgrounds were much more detailed and the enhanced production budget shows here. Although the integration of CGI was not seamless nor flawless, it did not detract from the overall experience.

'The Land of Sickness' is every bit as enjoyable as any other story in the franchise, and remains true to the original concept of gimmick-free story telling, using violence only to advance the plot. Add the requisite subtle invitation to examine human nature, and you get one of my favorite stories of the franchise, following the travels of the most underestimated 'tough guy' in anime. I will definitely watch this again, in a few years.
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