Sora wa hateshinai kokoro no kagami dakara ne
Mainichi iro o kaeteku utsushidasu you ni
Shiroku haita kemuri kumo ni natte
Koboresou na namida kakushite ite
Shinjiru mono ga kowareteku toki ni wa
Me o tojite negau
Hitori-kiri de nemurenai yoru ni ochitemo
Yami no naka ni hitomi tojite
Hoshi no kagayaki ni mimi o sumashiteru
Yuzurenai kara hadashi de mo hashiri-tsuzukeru
Aoi sora no tsuki no you ni
Hakanasa idaite te o nobashitai
Prologue
In the Middle of the Crimson Sea
Far off memories of birds flying through the air...
My desires fly on the wings of my dreams...
All thoughts from the heart of a spring day...
I send to the other side of that rainbow...
Encore!
I want to hear two or three more songs.
Either that, or...
Or what?
Get me up!
Okay, I guess I'll sing a little more then.
I can see the world's reflection in your smile...
Back then the whole land looked like a crimson sea too, didn't it?
What are we going to do after this?
The same thing we always do.
That's right. Let's do it.
Though I did not know the place,
I set out for the land of my dreams
Having arrived at the land of my dreams,
I found I did not know the place
Land of Adults
When I first met the traveler called Kino,
I was still living in the country I had been born in.
It was when I was 11 years old.
To be honest, I don't really remember what they were calling me then.
But I had the name of some kind of flower,
and if you changed the pronunciation slightly,
it turned into a very nasty insult. That much, I remember clearly.
Because I was often teased with it.
Hello there, my name is Kino.
I'm on a journey, traveling to various places.
And you are?
Huh?
What's your name?
Perhaps it was rude of me to ask.
Is there an inn somewhere in this land?
Some place on the cheap side with a shower would be great.
Ours is like that!
Oh, that sounds wonderful!
Would you show me the way?
Sure!
This way!
That's a big building.
What is that?
It's a hospital.
I see.
I guess the medical field must be very developed in this country.
This way!
We're almost there.
See? It's that building!
Oh, okay.
Dad, we have a customer!
What? Oh!
Welcome, traveler!
Please come on in!
How long do you plan on staying with us?
Until the day after tomorrow.
So can I get a room for two nights?
Certainly.
Could I please get you to sign this?
The day after tomorrow!
Hey, thank you so much for bringing me to such a nice inn.
Hey, there!
Good morning.
Oh, good morn-
Oh, I can't believe this!
Hey.
What are you doing?
I'm fixing this motorrad.
When I asked them to sell it to me,
they just said it was old trash and gave it to me for free.
Can you fix it?
I'm going to heal him!
Huh?
Wow, awesome!
Wait a little while longer and this guy will be moving around.
The motorrad's going to be moving around?
Well, accurately speaking, this guy can't move around by himself.
Somebody has to ride him and make a pact with him.
A pact?
In this situation, it's where you'll make a promise to help each other.
I could never run as fast as a motorrad, right?
Because you're too skinny, right, Kino?
A motorrad can run really fast, but he'll fall over
if someone's not riding him and providing balance.
I'll give him balance, he'll give me speed.
That way, my journey will become much easier and a lot more fun.
And that's your pact to help each other!
Right.
That's why, once he wakes up,
I have to ask him, "How does that sound to you?"
You can talk with the motorrad?!
Of course!
But before that happens, I need to buy some parts.
Are there any shops like that in this country?
I know one!
I'll take you there!
Sorry for the wait.
Did you find the parts?
Yes, and now I can fully heal him.
I'm glad!
Everyone in this country does their job with a big smile, don't they?
That's because they're adults.
Yeah.
Kino, what do you do?
What do you mean?
You're an adult, aren't you?
I guess more so than you are.
And don't adults have to always work at some kind of job?
If I had to say, I guess my job is traveling.
Traveling?
Is there anything bad about that?
Some things, but the fun parts overwhelmingly outweigh the bad.
Then that's not a real job.
Oh, really?
Jobs aren't supposed to be fun, right?
We have to do them to live, right?
Then traveling isn't work.
But everyone in this country does their job with a smile.
That's because they're adults.
That's the same boy from yesterday, isn't he?
I wonder where he's going with his parents?
To the hospital.
Today is his twelfth birthday.
What?
The day after tomorrow is my twelfth birthday, too,
so I'm going to the hospital to have the operation.
Operation?
In this country, everyone older than twelve is an adult.
Everyone younger is a child.
Adults are people who have jobs, and that's a very hard thing.
Everyone, got it?
Unlike you kids,
adults aren't allowed to do whatever they like.
At work, you may have to do things you don't like,
or things that you think are wrong.
But still, you must do them.
This is a terrible thing.
But don't worry.
Once you grow to be twelve,
they'll open up your head and pick out the child from within you.
Once you undergo this operation, you will become an adult overnight.
And then, you'll be able to do everything,
even the things you hate, with a bright smile.
Just like me.
That's a pretty horrible story.
What? Why?
Thanks to the operation, any kid can become a perfect adult,
who can even do what he or she hates with a smile.
I have no idea what you mean by "perfect adult."
Is being the "perfect adult" just about being able to do things you hate?
If they have to continue doing things that they hate,
do they enjoy life at all?
Before, you said that you were more of an adult than me.
So, then, are you an adult?
According to your definition of an adult, I don't think I am at all.
Then, are you a child?
No.
According to your definition of a child, I don't think I'm that either.
So what in the world are you, Kino?
I'm just Kino.
I'm just a man named Kino, that's all.
And I'm on a journey.
Doing what you like to do?
That's right, I like traveling.
It's fun to learn about all the different countries in the world.
So what kind of things do you like?
I love to sing songs!
I like to sing as well.
I often sing during my journeys.
Your eyes are a mirror in which I can see the world's reflection...
Without ever forgetting your kindness...
even if my heart is full of sad words...
I will still stare long and hard at the stars...
I'm pretty bad, aren't I?
Huh? Oh, yeah! Very!
So if you like to sing so much, why don't you become a singer?
I can't be a singer.
My family runs the inn, so I have to take over their business.
But, I turn twelve the day after tomorrow,
so after that, I'll be happy, even if I have to work at the inn.
Oh, that's right!
We've got to name this guy.
What do you think would be good?
Did your old friend have a name?
Yeah, his name was Hermes.
That's wonderful!
Let's name him Hermes, okay?!
You think it sounds good?
Okay, let's do it!
Hermes, we're going to ride together and go on a journey.
Kino...
Why did you become a traveler, Kino?
Whenever people see birds flying through the sky,
it's said that they get the urge to go on a journey.
Someone told me that once a long time ago.
What I like to do...
Well, well, good morning, Mr. Inspector, sir.
We appreciate the work you do everyday, sir.
Mom, Dad, I want to talk to you about something.
What is it?
What will happen if I don't get the operation to turn me into an adult?
Is there no other way that I can become an adult by just being myself?
You imbecile!
What do you think you're saying?! You ungrateful little girl!
That's right.
The leaders of this country came up with the operation
for the benefit of everyone here!
Apologize this instant!
Say you'll never think such things again!
What's going on?
Please forgive us, Sir!
Our foolish daughter here said
she doesn't want to take her twelve-year-old's operation tomorrow.
What?!
She doesn't want to have the Great Operation done?!
What a horrible little girl!
A failure!
She's a failure! A failure!
She's a failure! A horrible failure!
Who was it?!
Who filled your head with such an atrocious idea?!
A failure!
What a horrid little girl!
A horrible failure!
You!
It was you, wasn't it?!
You filled my daughter's head with that foolish idea!
Thanks to you, my daughter has become a waste of a girl!
That's right!
How could you do this?!
You can't do whatever you want,
just because you're a traveler!
You're responsible for this!
You think you'll be forgiven
just because you're a traveler?!
That's right!
What's the meaning of this?!
What are you trying to do to us?!
Kino...
Okay, let's leave it at that for now.
Traveler,
you do understand that every country has
its own distinctive customs, don't you?
Yes.
And in this country we also have our own customs.
And they are not problems that you can do something about.
You're right.
Do you understand what I am saying?
I was just thinking that it was about time I got going.
Because it seems if I stay here, I'll be killed.
You wrong us greatly in thinking so.
You followed official procedure in order to enter the country.
I will guarantee your safety until you leave this country.
This is a land of adults, after all.
I'm thankful everyone here is such a reasonable adult.
Are you leaving already?
Well, I am a traveler.
Just a man who passes through.
So, I must not become carelessly involved in the customs of the land.
It's too bad, but this is goodbye.
Okay, come on over here.
You will be disposed of.
It's only natural, since you defied your elders.
Children are the property of their parents,
and they have the right to dispose of their failures.
You defective girl...
Kino?
What the...?
This man jumped out in front of me,
so I ended up stabbing him instead of the child.
What should I do now?
With our common sense as adults, it is unimaginable
that someone would jump in front of a knife of his own will.
Let us deal with this as an unfortunate accident.
So what should we do first?
For starters, why don't you pull that knife out of him, dear?
That is a level-headed, adult-like conclusion.
Oh, yeah, you're right.
Wait there. I'll do it right now.
Yeah! That's it! Go for it!
If you stick around, you're going to die, right?
Yeah, but...
It'd be better than becoming like them,
or rather, it'd be the same.
So you don't mind dying?
I don't want to die.
So here's your third choice.
Huh?
Have you ever ridden on a bicycle?
Yeah...
Then you should be fine.
First, get on the seat in the back
and grab on tight to the handlebars with both hands.
With your right hand turn the handle back and lean forwards.
If you can do that, you'll be fine.
Then what's going to happen?
Run away!
Look in front of you!
In front! In front!
Whoa! That was scary.
You've got to keep me balanced.
I'll give him balance, he'll give me speed.
The pact...
Imagine that your body goes right down to the tires.
Don't turn with just the handlebars, lean your entire body to turn.
When we tilt, you've got to keep your body down!
You're really good! That's it!
You'll have more stability if you grip the tank firmly between your thighs.
We're going to change gears!
Do as I say!
What are you doing?!
Stop!
Wow!
That was so mean.
Who would do such a mean thing?
Kino...
Hey...
I was wondering if you could please straighten me up right away.
Oh, so it's been your voice.
There's no one else here.
I'm sorry.
And thank you.
I'm just as in your debt, Kino.
Who knows what would have happened to me if I was left back there.
Hey, what did you just call me?
Huh? "Kino."
When I asked for your name just now, that's what you said, right?
I am...
I am Kino!
What a great name!
What about me?
You... Hermes!
You're Hermes, the name of Kino's old friend!
I see. So it's Hermes.
That's not too bad.
By the way, what are we going to do now?
What are we going to do, Kino?!
We're going to fall over from hunger again.
Okay, once we get out of this forest.
Oh?
I wonder if these are blossoming out of season?
Whoa!
That was so mean.
Who would do such a mean thing?
Your eyes are a mirror in which I can see the world's reflection...
Without ever forgetting your kindness...
even if my heart is full of sad words...
---My name is Kino.
I will still stare long and hard at the stars...
I'm on a journey,
traveling to various places.
And you are?---
Touku de furidashita ame
Dareka ga nurenagara sotto furueru
Mori ni mayoi sora ni yorisou
Kuni o tazune hito to yukikai
Soshite tabi wa owaranai
So the beautiful world...
Doko kara kita doko made yuku
So the beautiful world...
Nagareru mama sekai o hashiru
Kino's Journey
Three Men Along the Rails
Kino, if you had to keep doing the same work everyday,
what kind of work would you want to do?
Let me see...
I'd like work that I enjoy or gives me satisfaction.
Just like I do everyday.
Kino, I didn't know you worked.
I do. I wake up with the sunrise and practice drawing my guns.
Umm...
And my most important job of all...
What's that?!
Waking you up.