This is the third and final part in a three part anime review series. Coincidentally, they all involve girls of various ages. Part 1 was on Kill la Kill which you can read here. And part 2 was on Gunslinger Girl seasons 1 and 2 which you can read here. I hope you enjoy!

Season 1

In an undisclosed future, humans are gone. The earth is empty…well mostly. Only two young girls remain, Chito and Yuuri. They travel the land on their Kettenkrad motorcycle, trying to remain alive, with the end goal of reaching the top of a multi-layered city. Along the way, they discover what life used to be like before the eradication of the humans as we see their perception of an empty world and its remains of the past. The manga for Girls’ Last Tour was first released in February of 2014, and just recently ended its run in January of 2018 with a total of 6 volumes. Since then, it has received some pretty high praise for both its manga and anime adaptations, with the first two volumes being placed on the 2018 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, published by YALSA. I’ve also seen users on Reddit claim that it is a masterpiece. While the last few volumes of the manga have yet to release in the States, the first season of the anime is on Amazon Prime, which was released in 2017.

The opening scene has Chi and Yuu being figuratively birthed, as they travel dark corridors of the interior of a large facility looking for the exit, followed by the opening theme song. Amidst the opening theme being so cheerful, the color pallette is quite drab, with washed-out colors, a lot of grays, greens, and browns. And is very reminiscent of World War II with the Kettenkrad motorcycle, the clothing Chi and Yuu wear, and the post-apocalyptic world they are set in. There is a dissonance between the colors and the tone; the foreground and background. Chi and Yuu have a more western style to them, as they are more cartoony in nature, the more realistic look that you’d typically see in other anime is absent. Whereas the backgrounds have a lot of detail put into them and are very realistic and quite immaculate, creating this sense of “little-ness”, and gloom. The opposition between the two presents this theme of simple, yet complex, Yin and Yang. Not necessarily the difference between right and wrong, but innocence vs. maturity and the mix between them to create peace. Combine that with the girls’ end goal to reach the top of the city and I began to see a more religious side to Girls’ Last Tour. The designs all around that work together to craft this overarching theme of innocence and coming-of-age in a nasty and broken world. This is much different from Gunslinger Girl season 2 where I felt the colors clashed with the tone in a negative way.

Keeping with this simple, yet complex construction are the episodes themselves. They each have a central idea, but approached it with smaller segments, where each segment covers one chapter of the manga. We get into topics like memories, friendship, culture, etc., all of which are seen through the eyes of these two girls with very little external influences, with few exceptions. Because Chi and Yuu are alone, and primarily only have each other, seeing them piece together what humanity was like I found to be truly fascinating. There does lie some criticism however. Although it is interesting to see the girls’ experience the past life of the humans, sometimes the ideas can be too general and shallow. This applies more to the first few episodes, as a lot of ideas return later on with deeper exploration. There are times when two ideas flow seamlessly from one to the other. And then there are times when they do not flow together very well, and would instead be accompanied by either a hard cut, or a fade to black. I feel there could have better way to do this, and to make it standard among all of the episodes.

Amidst some criticism, there is this great balance of time. Respecting the past, as it got you to where you are. Understanding the present, as it is where you are, and where you act. And expecting the future, as it is where you will end up. Chi collects books she considers to be essential and treats them with care. This admiration becomes even more evident when the girls are given a camera. One good example of this when the girls try to keep a fire alive during the night. Yuu takes one of Chi’s books and throws it into the flames, since she doesn’t understand it’s importance the way Chi does. Chi of course snatches it out of the fire, but the damage to it is already done. There also is this constant sense of progression. We are always moving forward. And when we stop, there is a good reason for it. It never felt like there was time wasted.

Chi and Yuu’s background is kept pretty under wraps for most of the first season, and what we do get comes up the latter half, but it still isn’t very much. The girls come in as blank slates, relating to the “birth” of the opening scene. This is a story from a child’s perspective. Every experience is viewed through the lens of girls on the brink of puberty, if they are not already experiencing it. It’s interesting that the tone of Girls’ Last Tour displays more joy than depression, when it’s setting is so mellow. Yuu is always very happy and outgoing, constantly ready to move on even if she does not know the outcome. Where Chi is the opposite. She is very reserved, careful, and loves to hold onto the past. Chi serves as a voice of reason and safety, and Yuu is the voice of progression, and curiosity, acting before thinking. Together, they are representative of humanity and its innocence, and perhaps its ignorance. The climax of the first episode shows the opposition in personality between the girls. Yet, there never came a point where they shoved each other way because of their opposition. They have learned, perhaps prior to the start of the story, that they must work together in order to survive.

I feel this is an appropriate moment to bring up the lolicon elements in Girls’ Last Tour. I briefly mentioned some of these in the second season of Gunslinger Girl, but ultimately decided that they were quite subtle, and I felt it was telling more of an adult story than it was trying to be exploitative. Well, Girls’ Last Tour isn’t as subtle. Chi and Yuu are made out to be overly cute, which, technically, is not too big of a deal. There are a couple of moments, however, when Chi and Yuu are naked. Like Kill la Kill, the details are left out, but unlike Kill la Kill, it’s purpose it not the same. This is a tiny bit conflicting, as it does add to some of the tone, and relationship the girls have. But, there is one lengthy scene in particular that shows them swimming in a pool, which I found to be a little bit uncomfortable, and a tad exploitative. To be fair, this is Japanese culture, where this kind of a thing is more widely accepted than it is here in the west. I can only recall two moments where these elements where fully realized, both of which were no surprise. I feel they can be easily skipped for those who wish to do so. Besides some cuteness and the two moments I mentioned, the lolicon elements were once again, pretty subtle. I cannot speak for the manga, however.

At different points in the show, other characters come into play (not all of which are human). It’s interesting to see these girls help out others so they can achieve their goal, whether that to be to reach the highest point of the city to make a map. Or fly a plane to another part of the world to search for more survivors. Chi and Yuu stay on their own path, but are always willing to help anyone, or anything out when they come across them. The experiences the girls have are more of just pit stops along their journey. Nearly every new character we meet only sticks around for the episode they were introduced in. But, they do not leave the memories of the girls, as they are mentioned later on. It stays true to life, where not everyone we come in contact with will stay, but we can still leave a lasting impact.

And much like Gunslinger Girl, Girls’ Last Tour has a pretty slow, yet interesting pace. It was never so slow that it was a grudge to trek through. Instead, it aids hammering in the desolate setting and simple nature, while also making of the time with each episode. I’ve began to appreciate the slower pace of these two because of how big of an impact they left on me. It’s that slow burn that makes it worth it in the end, leaving behind that juicy flavor of satisfaction. Like with Gunslinger Girl, this slow pace is not for everyone. Some may find it to be too slow. I do not feel this way, but I would understand if others were to make that criticism. It is also unfortunate that it’s not an anime that has a very large following either. But, those who are fans seem to really enjoy it, some even going as far as to call it a masterpiece.

So why? Why talk about Girls’ Last Tour? I feel Girls’ Last Tour is an important anime, one that I would love to see come back for another season to finish off the manga. It’s got an original story, one that was captivating and played with my expectations as to how I believed the story would go. While also teaching me to appreciate the little things in life, and to take another look. Having an innocent perception of the world around me is an interesting mindset. It is purposefully minimalistic. A lot of entertainment these days really likes to be complex. This is neither a good or bad thing, but merely an observation. From cooking and survival, to the sounds of water dripping onto a helmet to create music. There is never a moment wasted. Girls’ Last Tour realizes the significance of these moments where every new discovery feels triumphant and necessary. There is this complex emotion that is crafted, that of a lust for new experiences with a new lens. It gives deeper meaning to the phrase “high on life”.

But, there is still a question that burns within me. Is Girls’ Last Tour a masterpiece?

Perhaps it depends on how you perceive the question and the work. Viewing humanity through this kind of a lens makes the audience look inwardly at their lives. And that fact alone is something truly special. I suppose it really depends on how much of an impact it’s left. And that takes time.

Girls’ Last Tour is bursting with interesting ideas that are deep, and thought provoking. Ideas that made me look inwardly, and see the world through a much different lens, through the eyes of a child. It wasn’t until I sat down to write this review that I realized how much I really pulled out of it, and how much I really want to take away. I will be returning again, perhaps to read the manga as well. And if it is renewed for a third season, I will try my hardest to see it, and review it.

Girls’ Last Tour receives an 9/10 and a very high recommend.