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| Yea, I was thinking they should replace war with sports or video games. Too bad they don't have laser tag or paintball guns. That was freaky at the end. Kino was lucky. She could've given them warning shots in their heads. |
| W.........T.........F? |
| Best episode yet. This episode really hit home for me. |
| "Yes, I have been deprived of emotion. But not completely. Whoever did it, botched the job." - Geralt of Rivia |
| Wow... Now that is sick... Makes you really question the solution of war... and nessasary sacrifices, but I really hope our world won't resolve in such solution... |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| Holy shit, I think that was the sickest thing I've ever seen in an anime. Loved the ending - the villagers are also cowardly and just as willing to kill people weaker than themselves for their own satisfaction. |
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Lepchin17 said: This. How can the people of those two countries even think of a solution like that?W.........T.........F? |
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stAtic91 said: Truthfully, that solution is much better than war... That being said, it is still simply a contest that could of been done without killing.Lepchin17 said: This. How can the people of those two countries even think of a solution like that?W.........T.........F? |
| And that leads me to the conclusion.. War is never good. Whether your intention is good or bad, it doesn't matter because war is war. Also, I'd like to quote something my former social studies teacher told us "The end does not justify the means" - it means that even if your intention is good, the end result is not worth having if you have to break rules to achieve it. |
| damn what a controversial episode O.o...but it satirised the real war so nice,it was awesome :) for 80% of the time,i just wanted to slap that old hag :\ 5/5 PS:next time they should just play paintball and stop killing innocent people |
Sayonara,papa! "Just how a mirror reflects you,people will also reflect your heart." ~Athena Glory,Aria "Whatever happens,happens" ~Spike Spiegel's thoughts on dying(Cowboy Bebop) |
| "War. War never changes." |
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TheFirst said: I think it's a mistake to look at this show with reality-tinted glasses. Kino's Journey is a satire. It is allegory, a twisted reflection of the real world through which viewers can focus and learn about the world they live in. I personally loved the twist at the end of the episode. The 3rd party, whom we saw as innocent victims of the two nations at war, turns out not to be so innocent. Just like their more powerful counterparts, they turn to the barbaric slaughter of those weaker than themselves as well. Through their wanton killings of unarmed travelers, they made themselves no different than their tormentors. This episode was an excellent observation on human nature. This sums it up quite well. Of all the episodes so far, I think the message in this one was the most fittingly presented. Probably the best episode so far. I loved it. |
| another stupidity of human beings. |
ARXLaevatein said: "War. War never changes." +1 |
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| The cycle of violence. I think it's quite realistic. It may be a metaphor but this is pretty much what takes place in our world. On a large scale.. and even just one person passing on abuse to another who passes on abuse to another. |
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| How twisted being humans are. “We haven’t had a war, nobody has died” – In the two “fighting” countries, that’s it. It’s like a game. A very sick game. “Let’s see who can kill more Tatatans and that’s who wins this war, this time!” It’s like they don’t consider them to humans, just animals, or mere things that are there just for them to sort out their differences in this perverse way – if there’s no casualty between them, then everything is OK. “And that sacrifice absolutely cannot be our children”— Ha, other peoples’ children don’t matter, do they? Human selfishness reaches unimaginable heights. And yet, we see. What we thought were the innocent victims are not so innocent anymore. Just because they want to take out their frustration, their anger and all the anguish they feel. No matter on who, it’s the same. One always fall lowly, trying to seek revenge. Wars are hopeless, there’s no way out of the hole; we only dig on further. It’s futile. Even if they change wars for sports, or videogames competitions, someone will feel unhappy and suggest the idea of war once again. It’s a vicious circle. It’s impossible to free of it. We’re, in real life, in the same situation, aren’t we? |
I think, then procrastinate. Therefore, I am. |
| I'm surprised no one's mentioned the Cold War yet. This seemed to be a (simplified) satire of that to me. This was probably the most pessimistic episode of this show yet. The subtitle of "the Beautiful World" has never been more ironic. So much unnecessary bloodshed and death. |
 Znips: When Shay is born she just crawls back in the womb to shitpost for another year |
| THAT CURATOR WAS A WOMAN!???? |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
| What a bunch of cowards. |
| Do they not fear retribution? |
| Vietnam war was the first thing that came to my mind, although as someone pointed out already, Cold War in general was the target of the satire. Not that this kind of thinking would be completely in the past even now, from military support and arms trade to clear alliances. |
| So they transformed war over a territory into some sort of killing-fest sport competition just to justify their needs to kill? Call me stupid, but this solution doesn't make sense at all in both reality and satire sense. Is it possible? Yes, but it would take 2 countries full of mentally deranged individuals to make it happen, which is very unlikely in BOTH fictional and today's world logically speaking. Let's go through this logic step by step using (fictional) real world example: 1. USA goes to war with Russia because they both want unoccupied land called Spain 2. They fought for many years until they're out of resources to fight each other 3. They both do not want to lose their loved ones any more, so they decided to talk/make deal 4. Common sense logic would dictate that they both ceasefire, make peace treaty and divide Spain equally to end the war 5. But the logic this anime used is very flawed. IN ADDITION to ceasefire, USA and Russia both proposed that they have a killing competition against a defenseless country (aka France) annually JUST TO VENT their feeling of competitiveness, hostility, and cruelty (in which all human possess) that they have towards each other. (strong wtf logic) The problem I have with this is why would they use the word 'WAR' instead of 'Competition'. Now I understand that USA and Russia still hate each other and ready to kill at any given moment, BUT WHY resort to killing the innocents WHILE acting like they're BEST FRIENDS? They should be ripping each other's throat apart instead of they're not mentally challenged. A more simplified example: 1. Bob kills your wife 2. You found out Bob was the culprit 3. You go and kill Bob's wife in revenge 4. You don't want to lose your son, so you call Bob and have a talk 5. Both you and Bob agreed to not kill each other's son and daughter 6. Both also agreed not to kill each other because they want their raise their children 6. As years passed, both you and Bob still can't get over the fact that their wife were killed by the other 7. Both you and Bob felt the need to vent and still hates each other 8. So, you and Bob had another heart-to-heart chat to come up with a solution 9. You and Bob then decided to have a yearly competition where you both goes to a defenseless small town of poverty and see whoever can kill the most people in a given time. The loser has to buy the winner a bottle of whiskey. 10. What the fuck kind of logic is that? TLDR; Don't get me wrong, I'm completely fine with all other messages/satires the anime was trying to convey. I just have a problem with the logic they used for this ONE part. |
LunaMay 28, 2013 2:57 AM
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| I agree that this episode was messed up.. but it truly does point out how human nature works... to find peace or to settle a difference a lot of times its taken out on the weaker party, in order to keep the peace, and that in turn causes the weaker party to take their anger out on those weaker than them... hatred gives rise to more hatred, a cycle that will never truely end. It's sad to think that people cant coexist peacefully without someone looking for a reason for conflict, but thats how human nature is. |
| I’m glad I finally found an episode of the series I really love. This episode brought up two important ideas that concern war and conflict. The first is that war must be brought to its natural conclusion for peace to emerge, and the second is that one of the greatest sins in International Relations is to be weak. For a war to truly end, someone must win. The Cold War would still be going on if the Soviet Union still existed. It is extremely fortunate for the world that the Communism practiced by the Soviet Union was an unsustainable practice and lead to their own internal collapse. However, the Cold War was never truly a war because the two sides never directly fought. It was peace, but it was a toxic. The only way for those two countries in the show to ever find true peace would require the destruction of one of the countries. “The strong do what they will, and the weak suffer what they must.” It is unfair about what happened to the indigenous people in that show, but that is how life works. Powerful countries exploit weaker countries even to this day. It is cleaner now; the age of colonization is over so now exploitation is more economical. It is a popular position to take in this world to state that war is an unnecessary evil that must be stop wherever it is found. Unfortunately, that view tends to forget that war has been one of the major sources of social change in human history. An example would be that democracy was born through war. The only people who would truly benefit the most form the end of war would be the people who are already well off right now, which I assume would be most of the people who visit this site. |
| Those people at the end... their logic was terrible. LOL |
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Joel_Shelton said: Very disturbing episode. The battle scene went nicely with the music, that scene reminded me a lot of the scene in Apocalypse Now, where Duavall uses Wagner during battle. I agree, but it's not just the music: the bridge, the trees, the eye superimposed over it at the end, it's totally Apocalypse Now! In fact I feel like it was very intentional as both this episode and Apocalypse Now are about the way humans interact with humans who are fundamentally different from themselves. Also, as for everyone who said that Kino should have intervened in the situation, this is clearly meant as a reflection of our own world and the way in which the western USA centric world interacts with the more indigenous populations of the earth, specifically the middle east in contemporary (the people at the end essentially rationalized a reason for turning to terrorism like acts.) No matter what side you find yourself on (though I'm willing to bet that if you have time to discuss anime, and obviously I count myself among that group, you will fall in with the previous group) the conflict is a closed system and far to large and elaborate for one individual to do affect in anyway. However, we did just all watch this episode of Kino's Journey and we could all see how truly horrible the world presented to us was... |
| There were so many things to take from this episode, but the biggest one for me was how humans pass on pain and hatred. When one person wrongs another, they cause that person pain which gives birth to hatred. That person then passes it on to another person who has nothing to do with the sources of their suffering and continues a vicious and nearly endless cycle. I've always loved how this series makes me ponder on and question reality, there's so much to learn from each episode. |
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| Well that was different than I first thought what would happen, that concept sure is hmm rather disturbing... It was an interesting concept but yea quite wrong and disturbing... Good episode though but I don't really know how I should feel about this... |
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Tinky-Winky said: kino should have just suggested like lazertag or a stun gun like in ender's gameskullking123 said: wow talk about being ignorant, those guys getting massacred shouldve just left DUH!!! LOL yeah. Those two countries were jst plain selfish and half-assed... attacking unarmed ppl like that... sheesh... |
"Stop whining, all I did was chop off your stupid legs." |
OriginANIME said: Those people at the end... their logic was terrible. LOL I disagree, they were constantly getting slaughtered in a so-called "war", so they needed someone that they could vent their frustration and hatred against, even if they weren't apart of that country. They messed up choosing Kino, though. One of the best episodes of the series so far for me. Her logic was correct, but disturbing. |
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| Great episode |
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| "Once you become pregnant and feel the warmth of your child..." For me, this was the strongest moment in the entire episode. The overexaggerated and flawed logic aside with which Kino no Tabi explores issues to convey messages, could anyone be absolutely sure, that in the event of a person he/she loves unconditionally and the most on this planet, would not do something morally wrong to save them? 5/5. |
| wow crazy people are crazy |
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| Those people at the end chose the wrong person to mess with. Two wrongs don't make a right. They may have been suffering a lot but that doesn't give them a right to torture an innocent person. |
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| Nice lady, using personal reasons to create this new concept of war, it's obvious that she shouldn't have decided it because she has a trauma caused by the deaths of her family on previous wars. Sure their families are safer this way, but this is too selfish. They turned war to a summer festival, where you have to take down bottles with a playing gun to win teddy bears as prize. |
fablionNov 21, 2013 4:34 PM
| After reading most of the comments, it seems to me like everyone's comments are complete understatements... The scene where the villagers were killed provoked the most powerful feelings in me. Does nobody understand the absurd senselessness that all the characters and roles have in this episode? It's obvious to the extreme that the two countries were wrong and completely insane, but what surprised me was Kino's reaction to it - she was especially emotionless and deadpan this episode. It makes me wonder - is she bottling all these feeling inside her, or does she feel it's something she faces all the time so she's used to it and it is not comparable to things she has experienced before. In that case, this episode really opens the possibilities to Kino's inside feelings and how she reacts to certain events. Hermes, as usual, is a demonic piece of metal mimicking human thoughts but really has no feelings at all. He is always the one who never reacts enough and is so chill all the time - maybe Kino is getting influenced by him? Generally, I do like Hermes but most of the time, like in this episode, he seems robotic and harsh. This would be good in most anime, because it would allow for some comedic value, but in this anime it is brutal. The villagers I also despised in this episode - sure they are victims and everything, but why are they not doing a thing about it? This vicious cycle is continued by them (travellers who managed to escape or people from the two countries who went travelling and returned could have told the two countries about the attacking villagers and further reinforced the twisted idea that war is necessary and it is fine for the strong to hurt the weak to survive) and they are just like the two countries, murdering innocent people for no reason. Also, they are obviously very unintelligent - having not thought of the idea that they could just move away or run away secretly. If their village was so special to them, then why have they not adapted to this by building underground or somehow infiltrating the two countries and dealing vengeance there? Anyway, the episode was very good in that it demonstrated the ideas I talked about such as their vicious cycle and blindness to an easier option - diplomacy could have prevented the war 200 years before. Also, it was another great addition to the shocking selection of countries to NOT move to. I may be taking this too seriously as this anime does tend to exaggerate certain themes and principles to get the point across and be memorable, it is just an anime in the end. |
| Well that was pretty fucked up ._. |
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| Ironically, the only effective way for war to truly end is to eliminate self-consciousness which includes the desire to commit crime which is war. I guess the wise man's country in the previous episode had a point but then again, that is Kino's world - a world full of contradictions. |
| "Everyone wears their own panties inside their heart" - Kousaku Hata |
| Very powerful episode, one of the best by far. It takes everything to an extreme in order to portray the absurdity of war and its consequences. |
| This is our reality. War is everywhere, fucking disgusting people. |
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| That was utterly despicable. When they mentioned the Tatatan village I felt my stomach turn. Everyone in those two countries is sick in the head. The village isn't any better at all. How about they just go to the other two countries and do something about it? Or better yet, move away so they don't get slaughtered like cattle? After this episode, it makes me think maybe it would do the world some good if some people really do get robbed of their self-consciousness, just like in episode 11. |
"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness." "May those who defy their fate be granted glory." |
| LOL anti-war propaganda. Yeah they can just go and shove it up their ass. Total fucking loss of respect for this anime. How disgusting. Also I can't believe the all the idiots in this thread are just eating this shit up. Goes to show how easily influenced the weak minded are. |
ex_necrossApr 5, 2014 6:04 PM
ex_necross said: LOL anti-war propaganda. Yeah they can just go and shove it up their ass. Total fucking loss of respect for this anime. How disgusting. Also I can't believe the all the idiots in this thread are just eating this shit up. Goes to show how easily influenced the weak minded are. Wouldn't it technically be pro-war since the episode portrayed an alternative to conventional warfare? |
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