Family's Complicated

Is volume 7 of Kino's Journey: The Beautiful World as much a downer as the previous volume? Well, that depends how you look at it.

The volume is split between two stories. The first involves Shizu and what is now his dog, Riku, as they journey towards Shizu's home nation so he can take part in the tournament seen in volume 3. His vehicle has engine trouble and they're forced to stay in a neighboring nation for a few days. A young girl named Rafa sets her eyes on Shizu, and begins to pester him to buy her. See, her family is poor and she has to work to support all her siblings, plus her parents. But if Shizu's buys her, she can leave this land and never have to worry about such things again!

Shizu's got his own impending patricide and subsequent death to worry about, so he's not interested, but she keeps at it and eventually wears him down. As it turns out, Rafa's motives aren't exactly how she presented them, and Shizu is left with nothing to show for his trouble. But as she points out, he's planning to die soon, so what does it matter?

The other story revolves around Kino, at some point in their apprenticeship with Master. It's a very different Kino from the one we see in most stories, and not simply because they have long hair and is still adjusting to being known as "Kino". This Kino is wide-eyed, naive, and still a bit of a child. Thinks that "Master" is an odd name, not realizing it's a title. There's little of the poker face Kino sports later in life, as she cries and shouts and in general doesn't show any patience or forethought.

We see some shooting practice where Kino has to be reminded to wear hearing protection, with the impression this is typical. After doing quite well shooting a frying pan dangling from a rope, Kino tries to jump to grab it to bring it down, succeeding mostly in just making it bob and sway on the rope. It's pretty likely Kino would have a more efficient method later on.

The real hook of that story, and one that prompts a change in Kino, is a traveling salesman who recognizes the coat Kino kept from their namesake, and knows where that land is. It's Kino's first trip with Hermes since escaping their home country, this time going to deliver news to the first Kino's mother.

That trip does not go well, though I like the thicker, wavy line for Kino's perceptions while drugged. End result is, Kino has to leave another country, and understands a little better the dangers that Master left unsaid in the stories of her travels.