Disclaimer: This is a review of the 2017 anime TV adaption of "Kino's Journey - the Beautiful World," not the 2003 series.Remakes and reboots are not unusual in anime, sometimes even just a few years after the original (see "Fullmetal Alchemist"). The choice of which franchises get a new adaptation can sometimes be unexpected. Such is the case in the 2017 series "Kino's Journey - the Beautiful World," based on a (apparently still ongoing) light novel series. There was already a 2003 anime adaptation, which officially had the same full title; in America, it was simply released as "Kino's Journey," so the added subtitle of "the Beautiful World" is an easy way to distinguish the two series. The premise is that the story follows Kino, an young androgynous traveler and their talking motorcycle, Hermes. Kino travels from country to country, peacefully staying for only three days or so before moving on, but not being naive, typically sleeping with a gun in hand. Each episode takes place in a new country in a mysterious land, each distinct from the other, acting as short stories about humanity, society, and the joy of travel. For example, one country seems normal, except that killing people isn't a legal crime. Another country is a giant moving monolith, peacefully living as it tramples everything in its path. Some of these countries are futuristic, some ancient, each with a slight sci-fi or dystopian bent to it. When this new series began production, it employed the idea of a fan survey to help decide which of the many stories to adapt. It was an odd choice; it means there's a missed opportunity for linear storytelling, but "Kino's Journey" was always episodic anyway. It also means some popular stories already adapted in the 2003 series is repeated here, but if you're like me, you've forgotten the stories enough for them to seem new. That's not to say that "the Beautiful World" is an all-around improvement on story. It seems to forego subtlety: Kino is assumed to be a boy, everyone else hears Hermes just fine like any human, and morals or endings of each story are spelled out quite clearly. Kino and Hermes also frequently refer to certain important characters that the viewer hasn't seen yet. On the positive side, the 2003 series seemed a bit too random to me. "the Beautiful World" does seem a little more consistent and part of a whole, perhaps because of more talkative characters or a more modern and common art style. One side-character named Shizu and his traveling companion (a dog named Riku) apepars in more than one story, further connecting them.
Speaking of the individual stories: they're quite good. Even if it's just based on the premise of each story rather than clever twists and dialogue. And despite most of the stories here being more violent or depressing (perhaps because of the fan survey). Even so, it's easy to understand why books of these short stories would be popular. Of course, the updated production values helps tremendously. I tried to be generous with 2003's experimental and low-budget visual aesthetic to better represent the better qualities of the story in my overall review. "the Beautiful World" has better, cleaner visuals, and better animation. The animation isn't better than average compared against any anime from the 2010's, and the use of CGI for Hermes (and Kino whenever riding him) is a little jarring. The music is pleasant, but largely just in the background. Funimation's English dub is good, fitting to the stories and the weight of the various subject matter."Kino's Journey" still isn't the best "short-story-anthology" type of anime I've seen (I still recommend "Mushi-Shi" over any adaption of it), but it's frequently the one other viewers bring up, and is still a good example to turn to. Watching at least one of the two series is recommended for anyone looking for smarter stories that make you think and ponder the world around you.... but which one? I admit that 2017's "the Beautiful World" loses a bit of power after already seen the original series, but the production values of the 2003 version and the wild variety of its stories make it a bit difficult to watch, especially a decade or two later. Personally, I'd say if you haven't seen either series, I recommend the 2017 version. And if you have seen the original already, there are still some interesting new stories here to make it worth the journey.