What did you think of this episode?
5Loved it!
70.0%
271
4Liked it!
21.7%
84
3It was OK
7.5%
29
2Disliked it
0.5%
2
1Hated it
0.3%
1
Average 4.6
387 votes
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| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- Another beautiful episode. I wonder if the railroad workers' jobs were as meaningless as the ones of the people in Kino's story. Not if they had people received the money they worked for. But after 50 years, those people might not be there anymore? |
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| I remember watching this and laughing out loud every time she came across another railroad worker. One of my favourite episodes. |
| Lol 3 noobs on the railroad lol Hermes got pwnd by Kino in the end haha i was laughing pretty hard when that happened |
| Aww, you've gotta feel sorry for them xD I love Kino. |
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| Was the town in the second half the town the workers worked for, if so that is very sad. If not then they are helping their families and I understand them, but you have to wonder about a railroad company that would ask someone to fix, then dismantle, then repair a line all in about a year. The second half was sad and shows that humans are evil. |
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| The railroad workers made me think of the situation in England where three people were placing trees in a park. One dug a hole, one placed the tree and one filled the hole. If one of them was sick the other two still had to do their job which was as meaningless as the work these rail road workers did... wonder whether they though about this when they made this episode. |
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| those three railroad workers.............. what they did was so useless, and for fifty years, too.. makes me sad. |
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| I found the whole story about the ruined town very interesting- I think I understand better why Plato disliked democracy. |
| Well I'm quite in love with Kino No Tabi now. That was a really interesting episode on the meaning of work, life, and the potential horrors of democracy, which is so often uncritically accepted as a good thing nowadays. "Wow, to think that they keep working that meaningless job" was enjoyable irony too .^^ |
| "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." Douglas Adams |
| It makes you think about your own culture and customs, and that of others. They may be more logical than we think. The railway workers seemed pretty happy with their jobs. Does that mean that even though their work is being strapped down in a day, it is all meaningless? I do hope the second town wasn't the town those railway workers originated from... |
| Gosh, what to even say. It seems they pulled almost a Star Ocean 3 with that futuristic town. I don't think I would do that. And I don't think most people would. Another nice food for thought episode, though. |
 Old avatar and sig retired for now. |
| I'm not sure whether the story with the workers and the ruined town were supposed to intertwine or not? |
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| The futuristic town reminded me of Wall-E, except the people aren't fat and lazy. I wonder why Kino decided not to tell the third man a story. |
| Traveler, where are you heading?.... I don't quite understand the meaning behind it... anyone mind to explain? |
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AirStyles said: Traveler, where are you heading?.... I don't quite understand the meaning behind it... anyone mind to explain? I think Kino just didn't know the answer and just tried to avoid being asked the question, which maybe she thought was brought about by telling the story. Either that or we'll find out the answer later in the series, which I doubt in an episodic series like this. Maybe it was just meant to be ambiguous. |
| "Yes, I have been deprived of emotion. But not completely. Whoever did it, botched the job." - Geralt of Rivia |
| lol oppression by majority. Honestly I thought the first half of the episode was pretty pointless... I'm used to suspending my disbelief in anime but it's too much to accept that the workers would have enough food and supplies to last for fifty years of work - and that they wouldn't bother checking up on their dependents who they're working for in that time. Maybe if I was Japanese and had their stringent (even obsessive) work ethic it would be more relevant. |
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| I really loved this episode, the railroad part was just so sad and the democracy part was just brilliant. Beautiful anime :) |
AlcoholicideSep 16, 2010 2:57 PM
| I probably regret this post by now. |
| This was one of the more stranger episodes. I wonder how the 3 workers are so alike, yet they've never met each other down the railroad after 50 years. |
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| i just love how this portrays the human stupidity xD a true mind**** :) 5/5 |
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) |
| I don't quite get the message in this epsiode, because the ones before it have been quite clear. Were the two stories supposed to intertwine? And what was the meaning behind "traveler, where are you headed?" Was it supposed to imply that her traveling was just as meaningless as the worker's jobs? |
controlmajortom said: I don't quite get the message in this epsiode, because the ones before it have been quite clear. Were the two stories supposed to intertwine? And what was the meaning behind "traveler, where are you headed?" Was it supposed to imply that her traveling was just as meaningless as the worker's jobs? No I'm pretty sure the two stories are separate and I personally think that the "traveller, where are you headed?" part and Kino avoiding answering it is to show a contrast between her and the workers. The workers blindly following what their company told them to do with no questions and which we know, in reality what they do is pointless, while Kino is not bound down by rules set by others just her own and continues her journey freely. Also in a way I believe it's supposed to represent how pointless everything ends up in life eventually so we should do things we believe in. |
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Silverhammer said: Well I'm quite in love with Kino No Tabi now. That was a really interesting episode on the meaning of work, life, and the potential horrors of democracy, which is so often uncritically accepted as a good thing nowadays. "Wow, to think that they keep working that meaningless job" was enjoyable irony too .^^ The system of democracy used in the episode was direct democracy which is not so often uncritically accepted these days, you're thinking of representative democracy. |
| Irony at its best. |
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| I loved how they seem to be of one those little tales with moral lessons at the end. Every worker did its job and it made possible the others’ task, yet it’s still meaningless… They’re working for nothing, their hard work ended up being pointless. They didn’t think so, though; 50 years working, but they didn’t know of each other; so, was it, or not? I guess Kino didn’t want to tell the third worker her story since nothing would change, anyway, why try? They would be still bound by their sense of right, that they had to keep on the job, no matter how much time it lasted. Working for the stress… Hell, that’s kind workaholic. The irony; if you have something, you don’t want it, when you don’t have it, you want it. Humans are never satisfied, who can understand them? Oh, democracy. We don’t have any way to be freed of ours instincts of tyrant, do we? We always end up tripping twice over the same stone, and the cycle goes on endlessly. |
I think, then procrastinate. Therefore, I am. |
| Hmm... |
| I want to know where Kino is heading, but maybe she doesn't even know the answer. |
| Those three men probably just kept working until the end of their lives, which is kinda sad. Still I guess they are happy in believing they are helping their loved ones. Even if it may be just a fantasy. |
| So far, Kino is nothing sort of a masterpiece. Every single episode AMAZES ME in a way nothing else has ever done. |
VeethornJun 24, 2012 9:54 AM
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| Building dat railroad |
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| The story of the three railroad workers was interesting. Should we sacrifice our lives for those we love? When should we stop our sacrifice? Is it honorable or stupid? While the democracy story is logically possible, I find it highly unrealistic. Athens used an absolute democracy and became the most powerful city-state in Greece for a time. That kind of system rewards the great speakers who can convince people to vote their way so effectively become the leaders of the government. Also, there is no point in killing the minority faction if you can just out vote them. |
| Railroad parts were pretty awesome. |
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| Wow. Nothing too deep this time, but it was one hell of a thinker. |
| Traveller, Where are you- headed? 8) Its safe to say I will be having nightmares of rail workers now xD |
| Another fantastic episode. I felt like the three railroad workers could be symbolic of the history of mankind. Throughout history, the same choices are repeated, only to be polished, torn down, or rebuilt by the future generations. As for the land with the majority vote, it really showed the bad side of both extremes - leaving one person with all of the power and giving the power to everyone in the form of majority votes. It really shows how there needs to be a proper checks and balance in place for a society to function. |
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| This anime is really something....I can't explain but this is like ( can't explain ) I liked this anime :) also kino |
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| How thought-provoking this ep is. |
| Lol the railroad part was pretty funny, cleaning -> braking them apart -> rebuilding I do wonder why Kino didn't mention anything or went back to stop them... Good episode though! Lets see what's next! |
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| I don't know if it's just me but I interpreted the railroad workers as coming from the city that Kino talked about. People in the city seem to work for the sake of working. The railroad workers were part of this city and sent to work on the rails just to get them working. My view is that Kino was never actually there yet but heard things about it. When she met the workers, Kino told them what she heard about their own city (which makes it more ironic when one of them says that they're crazy). Then when they ask her where she's going, well… answering that would be awkward. |
skullking123 said: Lol 3 noobs on the railroad lol Hermes got pwnd by Kino in the end haha i was laughing pretty hard when that happened ya i was too also after the second person i was like WHO CHANGES THEIR MIND AFTER ONE DAY THAT THEY WANT A RAILROAD AND IS TO LAZY TO STOP THE FIRST PERSON and then i realized there was going to be a third person and i laughed |
"Stop whining, all I did was chop off your stupid legs." |
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