After a long period of time, I've finally finished Kino no Tabi. What a nice read, and it ends well with "Coliseum", which in the anime was the only multi-episode story. Indeed, it is the longest in the book, and works well as a stopping point for this book. I can't wait for the next one!

Coliseum

This story was rather heavily changed when it is adapted into the anime. In the book, the guards of the city are much more ruthless and much less respectful of Kino. In addition, we don't see much of the King in the book; he's left to be solely to be a character in a bullet-proof glass chamber in the stands. Still, the theme of revenge and justice plays out. Essentially, because Kino was trapped, she was forced to interfere with the affairs of the kingdom to get out. Not that she exactly minded this, though.

Shizu, the exiled prince who came to take revenge on his father, gets much less exposure in the book. And the most amazing thing was shown at the end: a talking dog! Hermes, the talking motorbike, is amazed by this! Though he apparently doesn't like the outspoken canine...

Epilogue

I found it quite amusing when Hermes inferred that he's unhappy because he's not moving, when in the previous chapter, he was complaining that Kino was driving much too fast! This 3-page epilogue makes a bit of a circle with the prologue, though instead of Kino asking herself why she travels, it's Hermes that asks her.

Nick's Impressions

I really liked reading through these stories. They were fun, dark, lighthearted, disturbing, and thought-provoking. I'm really looking forward to the next volume of the novel which is set to be released on February 13, 2007. I did find it interesting that TOKYOPOP had changed the order of the stories in the English release. I don't know if it's any better or worse than the original order, or that it even really matters. Either "Coliseum" or "The Land of Peace" are both powerful enough stories to be a good stopping point for the book, in my eyes. Besides, since each story is largely self-contained (other than the two protagonists), it really isn't a big deal.

I can't wait for the next book to come out!