Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou

The anime for this manga had been on my radar for some time. I knew very little about it, other than it was usually compared to Kino's Journey which I enjoyed. I think I watched the entire anime within a forty-eight-hour period of starting it, and I immediately knew I had to read the manga to find out more.

So, I had already read the manga a couple times in unofficial translations by this point, so this isn't exactly my first read. I've had plenty of time to process my feelings towards this story, and there was really an extraordinary amount to process.

The first thing most people I know who have either seen the anime or read the manga say is it's very depressing. I'll be honest, just looking at the basic plot makes it seem like a horrifically sad and hopeless tale. Yet, I never was hit by any pity for these two girls in this hopeless situation. If anything, I envied them.

They were born into a dying and nearly dead world, in a collapsed society built in the ruins of an older collapsed society. They seem to have been separately taken in by an older man after something conceivably happened to their separate sets of parents. That was the only family/parental figure they can remember. They lose him at a very young age and are forced into the world to fend for themselves.

They are almost entirely ignorant of humanity, history, morality, and basically anything that we humans take for granted from our social constructs. So, they experience the remnants of this long dead world from an entirely fresh perspective, and it's so well executed to make it breathtaking. I was in constant awe of how effortlessly thought provoking it was. Heavy concepts were given fresh perspective from the eyes of these two unbiased observers. War, death, life, the afterlife, art, music, literature, and that's only the first ones to come to mind.

They have one simple purpose, and that's to find their way to the highest level of the multilayered ruins, hoping there's something up there. Yet, the journey comes to mean more to them than the destination. All the experiences they share together on their trek make their lives worthwhile, as unfair as their lives seem. Despite having only each other for almost the entirety of the story, they always had each other. Both of them had one ever faithful and unshakable companion to help them navigate through life.

I guess that's why I'm envious of them. The simplicity of their existence, coupled with having a person they loved deeply to get through it with, sounds nice. I suppose that's odd to say about two young girls forced to scrounge for every bit of food and water they can find, but the author herself mentioned feeling envious of them in the afterword. I guess I'm not alone, and that's one of the feelings these manga volumes gave me. I felt that as long as this story existed, and there was an author out there who could invoke these kinds of emotions in me, I'd never be alone.

There are so many powerfully emotional scenes that it's hard to even begin going into the finer details of the plot, so I'm not going to do that. I just want to say that I'm not sure if a work of fiction has ever moved me like this. Even the artwork, which I don't have much of an eye for, constantly made me want to sit and appreciate it. Every time I read this, I'm filled with a sense that everything will be okay, in the end, and that life, for all its hardships, is very much worth living.

This review will contain spoilers.

"I didn't realize it before, but making a manga is actually pretty strenuous.
Despite the boundless anxiety eating away at me, occasionally I'm able to draw a good line something, and I get a little spark of joy. And when that happens, I sort of feel an overlap with the girls' journey."
Art: The quote above is the afterward from volume 1 of the manga. Tsukumizu's artstyle in Girls' Last Tour is really sketchy-looking, and it gives the the vibe of an artist who cares more about the overall image that something creates rather than each line that builds up to it. The backgrounds often lack detail, and the farther back you look, the more abstract shapes become until a skyline becomes a mess of rectangles. The only problem with this style is that sometimes perspectives seem off and certain panels come across as notably unplanned or poorly thought-out. The character designs are simple but nice, and the style allows for some of the comedic panels to have characters squished down, which seems to have become a Tsukimizu staple given how often they're used in Shimeji Simulation. Despite any minor problems I have with the art, it's unique and appealing enough that I enjoyed it a lot.

"Reading it over again, I think Ishii (and Kanazawa too) must have been terribly lonely... Do we humans start building airplanes and what not when we're lonely...? Perhaps they were envious of Chito and Yuuri, who have the luxury of living together. I get envious of these two girls I draw all the time too. 'Ah.living just for the sake of living... How great would that be?' I think as I pet my outdoor dog."
Character (1/3): The quote above is from volume 2. This section will specifically be about Kanazawa and Ishiii. I'll have sections later focusing on others and the main duo. Kanazawa is fairly unremarkable other than the fact that he gives the girls the camera which becomes important in volume 4. Other than that, his role is identical to Ishii's but I think Ishii captures the emotion presented better than Kanazawa does. This feeling is "relief in failure" or something along those lines. This emotion is key to Girls' Last Tour. One of the main ideas that the manga presents is that failure and success are identical in some aspects. In this world, failure and success both mean the same thing: and end to your journey. And Girls' Last Tour is all about the journey and the goal. No matter what the goal is, whether it's practical or not, whether it's meaningful or not, whether it's possible or not, a goal keeps you going on the journey when there's nothing else there.

"It seems like mankind still isn't able to define the concept of life that well, In contrast with Chito and Yuuri's instinctive perception of it, maybe life is really something that goes on eternally, uninterrupted. Maybe it has no end... Thinking of it that way makes me a little uneasy. An uneasiness that my 'self,' for which an end will certainly come one day, could end up being left stranded eternally... Or maybe it's loneliness? Life, civilization, the universe-I'd like all of these things to be over at some point. I think that having an end is a very comforting thing."
Character (2/3): By the way, I'm going to list all of the volume afterwards in order preceding each section. The quote above is the afterward from volume 3. Aside from Kanazawa and Ishii, my favorite side character in the manga is the robot from volume 3. There's not much too him, but the concept of a robot driven by empathy rather than any specific "laws of robotics" or something like that is appealing to me. The explanation of what empathy means to this robot is also so simultaneously simple and impactful. "It means that when you are happy, so am I." Anyway I don't have anything special to write about Nuko or the elevator AI so I'll cut this section short right here. In short: Nuko is great but the AI is fairly forgettable.

"Why are there always wars...? Why can't everybody have equal lives...?
I read a lot of books and think about this.
I'll make attempts to get to the bottom of it...or I'll dream about my ideals...
But I don't get it. I start to hate everything.
Thinking wears me out.
Maybe thinking too 'big picture' doesn't make people very happy The only feeling I want in life is the texture of the persimmons from the persimmon tree in my family's yard."
Story (1/2): Here I'll talk about the biggest flaw with Girls' Last Tour. The story is great and I'll write about why in the final section, but the largest flaw with the manga is the worldbuilding. The world isn't really the point of the manga so it's easy to discredit complaints about the worldbuilding as irrelevant or missing the point, but it still bothers me that the story of the world is so unexplored. Any consideration about the background of the world falls apart after any questions are asked. How did the fighting of the war reach so deep into the city as shown in chapter 27 when most of the city is still intact? Why are there residential areas so close to the giant mechas? Why was the city built in layers? What sort of apocalyptic event killed everybody on Earth but miraculously left four or five people not only alive, but completely unharmed? Why are there no corpses? What started the war in the first place? Some of these questions might have answers, but there's just so many questions to ask and not enough thought put into the world to address most of them. It's different from "we don't know all the answers" too, because it's clear that there are no reasonable answers to some of these questions. This is more of a character-focused manga rather than world-focused so it's fine that there was more thought put into the characters, but the review would be incomplete if I didn't write what I thought about the worldbuilding considering how large of a flaw it is relative to the rest of the manga.

"I like dreaming of the past.
Meeting people I'll never meet again, my childhood self talking to my mother or father..
Then when I wake up, I feel sad.
Does that sadness stem from having lost those things? Or is it because I've remembered that l'd forgotten even the
things l'd lost..?
Humans long for things to stay the same, for eternity, but on the other hand I think that the act of forgetting heals us."
Character (3/3): Time for the most important part. Chito and Yuuri are the heart of the manga. Most chapters for the first five volumes consist of these two talking, driving, and exploring. The characters simple enough that they're easy to understand from the start, but their interactions with each other and the world around them are still endearing. Yuuri's drive to eat fits perfectly into the situations where the girls have to look for food, and Chito's drive for knowledge is more interesting in a world where most knowledge has been destroyed and forgotten. There's not a single boring chapter because these two are always there to bring some light into the cold, dark, uncaring world. The more you read, the more you'll notice subtleties in their characterization. For example, you might notice that Yuuri is surprisingly more inquisitive than Chito is. Oftentimes their conversations will start by Yuuri asking Chito to explain something. The combination of simple characterization with subtle detail makes the situations relatable. Every experience that they had in the manga was something that I could feel for myself. Excitement when they find food, worry for each other, intrigue when they find a new person or area, and most of all the grief at the loss of the reliable Kettenkrad. The breakdown of the Kettenkrad marks the point in the manga where the journey will become a lot harder for Chito and Yuuri.

"This world is so massive and complicated that many things pass us by without us even knowing. But no matter what, Chito and Yuuri believed that the joy of living would never pass, and I want to believe that too... I think that's what I had in mind as I drew this...probably.
Thank you so much for reading my clumsy work all the way to this point."
Story (2/2): The concluding four chapters of Girl's Last Tour cemented it as one of my favorites of all time. There's not really a good way that I can describe the emotions brought up in these chapters, but it's a mixture of sadness, happiness, and maybe some other emotions too. But one of them is definitely relief. From the start, it was always about the journey before the goal. It doesn't matter that there's nothing on top of the city, what matters is that they made it there. As I wrote earlier, I think that "relief in failure" is one of the important emotions to the story, and the ending perfectly encapsulates it, or maybe the ending portrays "relief in success," or maybe it's the same thing. And in the very end, I don't really think that it's all that sad. After all, "Living was the best, wasn't it?"

Well thanks for reading my clumsy review all the way to this point. I didn't plan it at all and wrote it based on what I've thought about it over the course of about a year since I first read it. I mostly just wrote it for myself, but if anyone's made it this far and has any feedback about my review then I might write more in the future. If you want to hear more about Girls' Last Tour then "Hiding in Public" on YouTube has great videos about the series, and you might also like Tsukumizu's other manga Shimeji Simulation which is currently being published.

Girls Last Tour is a truly morbid depressing story that holds back nothing in it's attempt to portray an awful situation. It is sprinkled in with moments of joy, hope, happiness and learning but never strays from reminding you about the grim conclusion that is to come. I believe this story accurately shows how young girls may experience a world where survival is a constant struggle and where it must be faced alone.

The story feels episodic with the 2 main characters moving to a new setting and encountering problems and usually learning a lesson while overcoming them. The girls push towards a goal to reach the highest level of the city they inhabit while undergoing constant struggles and learning things about themselves and the world along the way. The story moves towards a satisfying and seemingly inevitable conclusion but every road bump they experience on the way feels meaningful. The story also explores many themes without ever preaching to the reader and is likely to invoke thought from the reader who may then struggle with the same issues as the characters. Every bit of dialogue feels necessary and thought provoking and each outstanding moment will make you wish the Girls' tour could have lasted just a little bit longer.

The art in this story is often just as bleak and harsh as the subject matter it explores. The cute cartoonish look of the characters is juxtaposed by the real collapsing world they live in and the rare beauty seen in the ruined city feels all the more satisfying. Although the settings look similar throughout the story this feels entirely appropriate and none of the beautifully drawn panels ever felt out of place.

The story follows 2 young girls who have been raised in a world where society has collapsed and all seems to be coming to an end. Yuu and Chiito were the best conduit for the reader to experience this world and adventure through. There childlike innocence, ignorance and curiosity makes the way they view the world all the more interesting. Every time they get to experience a moment of joy and respite feels like a relief from the constant struggle they live in. There relationship and dialogue was written very intelligently and seems to be written by someone who has spent time with children. It is hard not to empathize with these characters as they are written both likably and realistically. The mind of a younger person only enhances this mangas darker and more mature themes and makes the painful things they experience even more moving to the reader.

Girls' Last Tour is truly a unique story that takes on some of humanity's oldest struggles and is fearless in its portrayal of what the future could be. It is truly a unique story that takes on some of humanity's oldest struggles and is fearless in its portrayal of what the future could be. This story meant so much to me and invoked more thought and emotion than anything I have read in years. I enjoyed this manga thoroughly from start to finish and would recommend it as a must read to anybody.

I've started reading this more for the art than anything else. But as I read on, I became more engaged in the journey of the characters, and the thematic exploration. By the end, it left me both fulfilled and with a heart-ache for the characters.

This is by far the best work of manga that can be described as 'philosophical'.

Through the soft, round art it makes it easy for readers to engage with the overarching theme of journey and death. Through the perspectives of young girls' innocence, this provides a different perspective.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD




This is one of the rare works that I've read that actually has an ending rather than a dragged-on, wishy-washy, frayed ending. Of course, the ending is open to interpretation, but I chose to view it with a definitive, heart-breaking end.

This manga is an odd beast , at one point it's comforting at another it's daunting and at one point it's depressing. I'm pretty sure the overall message has a positive albeit nihilistic tone , you're meant to get along with the feeling of hopelessness , but that's not a bad thing , rather it's good you don't worry about things you can't control and enjoy your life with whomever you share it with. I was sad to finish it honestly. The story might hit you as simplistic as it is scenario after scenario of Chito and Yuuri just exploring the desolate world around them , however the payoff is honestly left to interpretation , I'm conflicted as I am both disappointed and satisfied with the end. The art has it's own style , nothing that'll make you oooh and aah but it fits the world Tsukumizu was trying to create. Overall I enjoyed my time reading and watching this piece of literature.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou is the melancholic tale of two girls lost in the barren, desolate world of the Layered City. Supposedly, being the last two human beings in the entire world, their only objective is to reach the top, hoping to find just any sign of life. However, the world revolves around them now, no one to command or guide them, so their journey is a very erratic one full of many experiences. They learn not just about their own lives, but of the ones long gone. An entire philosophical, almost harrowing and introspective look on the struggles of Chito and Yuuri as they prepare for anything with the ambition of meeting someone else or at least something to live for besides themselves.

Tsukumizu is a bizarre figure in the manga industry, not making much of an appearance aside from independent artwork and doujinshi. They seem to keep a keen interest on very surreal, and even completely ridiculous concepts that all somehow form in to a weird combination of dark comedy and the deep roots of many philosophers' ideals, which is especially in the case of Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou with it's seemingly hopeful but nihilistic outlook on life when there is truly no one left. Artistically, they're extremely unique and for once, that uniqueness of an artists' style really fits the atmosphere and tone of the entire series. It's genuinely fantastic and I've grown a really soft spot for Tsukumizu's artistic endeavors as a result.

Character development is minimal to say the least, but if anything, the story doesn't seem to drag at all despite this. In fact, this is by far the most satisfying thing I've sat through to read, and I've read it too many times to count at this point, so let's just say it was a lot. Chito and Yuuri are fairly stagnant characters; they have typical reactions to each other, with Chito being the brains and Yuuri being the... brawn, I guess. They're almost polar opposites of each other, except for one thing that drives this entire series' plot until the end, and that is curiosity. Beyond the existentialist and dreary themes throughout there is one hopeful and big thing that comes out of this; curiosity. A lot of minds think alike even if they aren't on the same wavelength. Both of our main characters in this series are very curious individuals. For what other reason than curiosity and hope would they even continue their journey here? Such a simple thing like curiosity is so charming and fulfilling to the plot of this manga that it keeps me hooked throughout the entire book multiple times over. I just can't get enough of it.

I haven't enjoyed a series like this in a while. When the anime was first announced, I went straight to the manga to get a sneak peek and I didn't regret it. There is not another story like Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou out there. There may be similar things out there, but none will put the nail in the coffin of my definition of "perfect" like this manga does. Every time Chito and Yuuri interact feels so real and beautiful and the way they react to the new things they find throughout the series is seriously one of the most charming developments I've ever read in all my time sifting through hundreds of books, Japanese or English or Spanish or any other parts of the world. It just does what I want, and I wish I could thank Tsukumizu personally for giving me and many other people this experience. It's pretentious to end reviews like this, but I only have one last thing to say about this.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou is a masterpiece.

10/10

“Sleep and wake and eat and move” - Yuu

Apocalyptic stories in anime come in many forms and serve a variety of purposes. Many times the setting allows for action scenes and having a hero come into their own, something like Attack on Titan or High School of the Dead. Others take the situation in slightly different ways, more contemplative ways, series like Casshern Sins or Neon Genesis Evangelion as examples. Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou takes an alternative route of using an apocalypse for object lessons on a variety of topics.

The story of Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou isn't so much about an overarching plot as the chapter to chapter encounters and experiences of the main leads, Yuu and Chii. The only connecting element of the series is the girls’ constant movement upward and need for supplies. Their stops along the way result in a wide variety of thought-provoking situations from odd encounters found throughout the crumbling city them are in.

Many of these situations take a look at modern society and norms from a future that has forgotten the reason for some inventions: the amazing marvel of technology that is the camera, why humans take pictures at all, and what happens when those pictures are either lost or outlive their subjects as a single example. Other stops focus on the nature of living and what one does when the world and time as we know it has ended. These ideas and their underlying themes make up the true appeal of the series and form the major reason for reading it at all. Each chapter works through a new idea, not offering an answer for the questions the series raises but instead gives that reader a chance to consider things they might take for granted or as a normal, and whether that mundanity is really something to appreciate

The art of this manga skillfully plays into the messages and themes of the story, drifting between believably run down and apocalyptic buildings to slightly fantastical or constructions out of science fictions story. The art, whether meant to be literal illustrations of the dilapidated world surrounding the girls or showing how they see their world as a mysterious,vaguely foreboding landscape pairs well with the readers lack of knowledge of the world, being shown only what the main characters see. Every location that Yuu and Chii visit contains broken constructs, hints about the activities and purpose of each area, and creates a wonderful atmosphere of a once mighty and thriving world now breathing its last.

Especially effective are the vaguely ominous and foreboding backgrounds, hinting at world that fell to ruin and only continues down the path of entropy. The final few chapters especially point to how little remains of the human world and how broken it is without upkeep and inhabitants. Watching Chii and Yuu traverse this vast and varied landscape is another major selling point for the series, as it is a masterful example of a story without words, giving information through interpretation and implication rather than outright explanation.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou is a masterfully crafted trek through a dying world, contemplating the very reason for living and being, seen through the eyes of two girls who make do with whatever they have. While perhaps a slow boil, Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou is a unique collection of ideas wrapped in a deceptively simple yet deeply intriguing world.

Girl's Last Tour is a difficult story to fully describe, as the value of it as a story is almost totally dependent on the reader.

Plot is present in the story, but in a different way than most. There is the overarching story of the two girls trying to reach the point that their father told them about, but it is definitely a story where the journey means more than the destination. We spend all of our time exploring the world alongside the two main characters, watching them go through day by day trying to find food to eat, discovering new things and meeting the occasional person or robot to talk to. A lot of the story is absent of any constructive dialogue. Just images of where in the world the girls find themselves in. It leaves room for immersion and for the reader to fill in the gaps.

The characters that appear usually represent different themes and ways of life, with dedication to what you love, or purpose, being a major repeating factor. In a sense, you could say that that is exactly what this story is about- finding your purpose and holding onto it for dear life. The map maker was willing to die for his creations, and the same goes with the airplane maker. The robot that loses its purpose begs for death and an end to the meaningless life it is now living. For the main characters themselves, their purpose is to just live with one another and to stay together. This is so clearly seen in the last scenes of the manga, which I won't spoil, but just know it adds a very poignant underscore to the theme.

The art is super funky in this, so if classic manga drawing is your style, you might not enjoy this, but it is always interesting to see something different.

Overall, what you get out of Girl's Last Tour is dependent on what you put in into thinking about it. For me personally, I didn't actually enjoy the story all that much, and I was left at the end thinking, "Well what was the point of that?" To some it may seem like a story trying to be 'fake deep', while others may pick up many, very real lessons. To me, I clearly see the theme of finding and holding on to what you love, but others may see it as more of a story about the importance of being content, a warning on the environmental state of the world, or about nothing at all, only two girls living life. Either way, it's a fast read that you could go wtihout, but gives an opportunity to think if you're willing to

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryoukuo is a different show that has seen the light in a time that normally would not accept this kind of works.

The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which the journey of Chito and Yuuri is followed, which travel aimlessly through this new destroyed world. This is when the story takes a turn when we see that the girls are discovering aspects of ancient society and seeing the natural way in which they unfold with these elements is something worth seeing.
Another important thing is the stellar, Yuuri and Chito reflect such an air of friendship and tenderness that they are easy to get attached and understand the situation they are going through and although their development is slow it is satisfying to see how the manga manages to capture these small changes; with the secondary the same thing happens, they are simple but they manage to reflect what they want to tell.
On the other hand, the stories and philosophical questions are with a simple but effective way without many taboos but that does not clash with the tone that the series establishes and even these simple answers later become more complex while the difficulty of the trip It goes up, although there are exceptions where the series manages to give a greater depth in the conclusions of different places.

Art is another point in favor because although it is simple in character, it is very expressive and the scenery is well taken care of.

I feel it is a manga that can reach more emotional moments of which it has arrived and I also think that with time we will see better mini-stories, but for the moment they have been good and that makes me happy. A pleasant surprise in this sea of ​​mediocrity.

Versión español:

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryoukuo es un show distinto que ha visto la luz en una época que normalmente no aceptaría esta clase de obras.

La serie transcurre en un mundo post-apocalíptico en el cual se sigue la travesía de Chito y Yuuri, las cuales viajan sin rumbo por este nuevo mundo destruido. Aquí es cuando la historia da un giro cuando vemos que las nenas van descubriendo aspectos de la sociedad antigua y el ver la forma tan natural en la que se desenvuelven con estos elementos es algo digno de verse.
Otra cosa importante son las estelares, Yuuri y Chito reflejan tal aire de amistad y ternura que son fáciles de encariñarse y comprender la situación por la que pasan y aunque su desarrollo sea lento es satisfactorio ver como el manga logra plasmar estos pequeños cambios; con los secundarios pasa lo mismo, son simples pero logran reflejar lo que quieren contar.
Por otro lado, los relatos y preguntas de corte filosófico son con estado de forma simple pero efectiva sin muchos tapujos pero que no desentona con el tono que la serie establece e incluso estas respuestas simples más adelante se van haciendo más complejas mientras la dificultad del viaje sube, aunque hay excepciones donde la serie logra dar una mayor profundidad en las conclusiones de diferentes lugares.

El arte es otro punto a favor pues si bien es de carácter simple, es muy expresivo y la escenografía esta bien cuidada.

Siento que es un manga que puede llegar a momentos más emotivos de los cuales ha llegado y también pienso que con el tiempo veremos mejores mini-historias, pero por el momento han estado bien y eso me alegra. Una agradable sorpresa en este mar de mediocridad.

What do you do when you’re likely the last two human beings in a world that’s already ended? You keep moving, of course. This is a survival story where there are no final destination as they drive their Kettenkrad to scavenge for rations and supplies then talk about whatever comes to mind, from questioning their very existence or on why people go on war to whose turn is it to do the laundry.

The world of Girl's Last Tour is haunting yet serene, it's background art is beautiful and filled with detail, really bringing the desolate wasteland that is their home to life. There's so many small joys to be found despite the morbid situation being anything but joyful. Learning about all of the past technology, past culture, and the potential reasons for the world to exist as it does, it's all incredibly fascinating and paints a great picture for both of the world as it is, and as it once was. The art style, character designs, complementary characters, and the poignant philosophy hits all the right spots, especially if you're a reflective kind of person.

Chi and Yuu's dynamic as a pair is the greatest strength of this manga. Majority of the funny moments comes from them having to deal with one another. The two almost feels like they are sisters, they bicker then make up a moment later, ultimately their love for one another shines through. They have such wonderful chemistry and their philosophical banter never feels unnatural. The story thrives by treating the two as a combo, with them being an interesting survival duo where one makes up for the other’s weaknesses, they pull each other through bit by bit and it’s really heartwarming to see them continually bond together as survivors-in-arms.

All they had left in this world are each other's companionship and that human connection is more precious than anything. Their journey through life is a memorable one and they enjoyed it to the fullest extent without being weighed down by their regrets. All while having lost every worldly possession or the shred of hope for the future they might've had. The moral lesson they taught us here, is that the best things in life are experiences and connections and not the mere possession of materialistic things.

If we could all live the way Chi and Yuu live, then the eventual end of our lives, the humanity, the Earth, and the universe wouldn't matter. The world around them has ended, but Yuu and Chi’s lives certainly have not. It's tragic but beautiful.

Review applies to both the manga and the anime, as both are well-made.

Note: I’m probably going to sound like a pretentious asshole.
This work is one that I have no qualms about calling it art. This is what they should be teaching in literature class, not the half-baked book called The Stranger by Albert Camus. Although I won’t claim to be the expert on post-apocalyptic settings or philosophical stories (what even is that?), I will say that I was both captivated and mentally engaged by this experience.

Firstly, I’m not saying that this will blow your mind or anything. I liked it, and some parts felt a bit sluggish to me. For someone who doesn’t like it, I wouldn’t be surprised if they felt it was boring or tedious and dropped it. But it’s far from conversation filled with pointless meandering or a “slice-of-life” lacking substance. Compared to other shows lacking an overarching plot (although I liked mushishi, it took me about six months to finish), there’s an actual sense of a journey and progression here. Sure, there were some parts that I felt were weaker than others, but if you actually think while you’re watching/reading then you can tell that an actual themes and messages are being presented to you.

Another positive is that nothing is random, that everything is intentional and the author’s choice (sorry if I’m sounding like your high school english teacher). For example: two moe girls in a bleak, post-apocalyptic world. It’s not that the author couldn’t draw anything anything else, it’s to emphasize the contrast between society’s definition of cuteness, and the bleak after-effects of war (though I do admit the sales probably wouldn’t have been as good if it was some old dude with a beard travelling around the world). Additionally, the themes and symbols aren’t exactly convoluted or confusing, such as the importance of companionship in troubling times and the reality of broken expectations as well as recovering from them. You have Chito’s journals (the importance of living in the present over memories of the past), the temples and the stone statues (people want to substitute flashy “fakes” over harsh reality), the symbolism of the “highest level”, and many more that I won’t list.

However, the beauty is that you are meant to experience these messages rather than having it force-fed to you. Taking from one of the manga chapters, a photograph can accurately convey a scene, but art can convey a person’s feelings. Even if you don’t understand everything the author had in mind, you are allowed to take your time and slowly experience the journey as the characters experienced it.

Tldr for the previous two paragraphs: Shoujo shuumatsu ryokou gives an intelligent look into the purpose for its creation without devolving into meaningless fluff or pseudo-intellectual drivel.

While the two main characters weren’t amazingly original or unique, I felt they served their purpose well in the story. They weren’t annoying for being children, they had honestly adorable character interactions, and although the comedy wasn’t the best I don’t think that was the main point. More importantly, they act like real children—and real friends: playing in the snow, hitting each other, making music with the rain. Most importantly, they love each other. You can really sympathize with their struggles, and I was rooting for them the whole way through.

Finally, the artwork was amazing, for both the anime and the manga. It made me feel a little bad to scroll through the chapters so quickly, because I felt like I should spend my time on each individual panel. As for the anime, the soundtrack was also quite good, enough for me to note it in this review.

I’ll end it by saying I only wish I could analyze this for my lit paper.

Story-Instead of the story about what happen, why war happen,it core more like we just wanna survive as long as we can & finding what is this & that things?Normally this kind of story don't work up and end up very boringgggg but this mangaka success make it.When I read it,I will be thinking like if I be their situation,what will I do if I'm at the same shoe,and I also think many things like ugliness of humanity, like the granppa said:human is a fool who will always doing the same history again & again. 9/10

Art- The art is too good,although is very cutie & relaxing,but it can let us readers truly feel the situation & surroundings.The broken city & buildings,the tank & weapons,the lifeless plants ,machines junks everywhere.In a such serious story, the mangaka using his cutie art to relax the manga.9/10

Characters-Only 2 MC .Yes ,only 2!but that is the point,the 2 remain human trying to survive and find civilisation.They bring the lonely atmosphere ,and also the brilliant way of story telling which is the MC conversation, we learn about them from it like they asked what is cheese?what is chocolate? What is music,why it is make me sad?The 2 MC have so much detail like Chichann always know what happen and know the dark side coz she learns a lot by reading and she don't wanna make Yuuchan worried so she keep silent and just saying is nothing when Yuuchan always asking some question,but you can notice it by her face and sometime kinda feel hopeless with her.And Yuuchan always like very positive guy &always be easy forget fello,she once said that she rather forget bad memories along side with the good one ,coz she don't wanna be sad and she always make some fun in the journey coz she know she no clever like Chichann so she always trying to make her happy. 9/10

Enjoyment-Very enjoy,don't expect it ， it had betrayed me again &again coz don't happen to be my expecting. I always thought they will find cilivasation again by the end but they found nothing,and all of their journey became dush, they don't have food, water ,heat,and the most importantly HOPE.This manga keep me thinking & thinking is it what will look like is WW3 happen ? & If they died at the war will be better or if beginning they don't have hope to go to higher place and just stayed at the lower place? 9.5/10

6/10 is my total score

I believe that art and enjoyment are very dependent on the individual themselves so I'll be talking about the story and characters. Two very good characters the complement each other very well in any situation, it's as if Chito and Yuuri are real people that exist in this world right now, a very good job on that. The story though, isn't bad but it's existential edge. Now, don't get me wrong I love me some edge but this is like 6th grader level awareness of "Oh man, we're all going to die." Or "What's the point BS". Christ, I feel like the author had a rope around his neck while writing this or like he went through a break up and now has the mindset of there is no point. Gory, sexual, bloody, suffering edge is fine because it's "Damn bro lol". This is "okay this bro needs a doctor before he jumps"

Girls Last Tour is a post-apocalyptic, slice-of-life manga by Tsukumizu (Tkmiz). Chito and Yuuri are two good friends, who have found themselves wandering the destructive remains of humanity. As they climb to the higher levels of the older civilisation that once remained, they come across many strange and wonderful things. Their journey to the top-most level leads them on a path of contemplation and discovery of the fate of the world and eventually themselves. Girls Last Tour explores many of these themes through often comedic, nonchalant and intriguing ways, as opposed to the many overly dramatic, vapidly tragic and violent trappings one would expect from a post-apocalyptic story.

The overall tone of Girls Last Tour has been compared to that of another post-apocalyptic manga, Yokohama Shopping Log. Both stories have an often undescribable tone in the face of catastrophe, which is known as 'mono no aware' in Japanese. 'mono no aware' is an "aesthetic primarily oriented in creating empathy towards the inevitable passing of all things", and to acknowledge "the importance of memory and continuity with the past." It's definitely a tone that's not often explored in western media, especially -once again- in the post-apocalyptic genre.

Girls Last Tour has very creative and often abstract in its depictions of humanities old ruins that Chito and Yuuri often find and interact with along their journey. Its this attention to detail and imagination in the setting that really draws the reader into the world of the manga. We soon find ourselves wondering what our duo will do next. What will they eat? Where are they going? What if 'this' happens? What if 'that' happens? Girls Last Tour has a way of opening questions. It's a charm of the manga that will act as a great light for the story as it enters darker themes and territories towards the end of the volumes.

I absolutely adore the world and characters of Girls Last Tour, and that is especially thanks to Tsukumizu's interesting illustrations and unique art style. I would recommend Girls Last Tour to people who are interested in a distinctive post-apocalyptic story, that explores the daily struggles of two charming and quirky protagonists.

(8/10) ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

A unique manga about 2 young girls venturing through a post apocalyptic city. There is no violence, no enemies, no real suffering, no crazy action. It's a modern tale destined to people wanting to get more than what is written, take their time and enjoy reading behind the scene.

Chi and Yuu are born after the cold apocalypse that suppressed almost all technologies and life from the earth. They have few knowledge about life but how to survive by themselves and some warm memories. But what's important is that they have one another and hope.
As they venture upper into the emptier city, they'll cross some few people that will help them. Older, they remind the reader of themselves, as we see those encounter we understand what's written behind the lines. But are they really people ? Are they real, hallucinations, some kind of ghosts or guides ... you're free to find your own answer.

As they travel through the layers of the city, the background changes, it becomes more blended, more illuminated. Simple emotions fade away from the characters with the pages you turn, some deep questions will be asked in few words. Then you realize that they know. Those two girls understand as you do what's happening. You won't need much : some words, a look, a thicker line will be enough.

I cried, I laughed, I was amazed, I questioned myself, I wanted to help them, to hold their hands but I couldn't do nothing but turn the pages. As I write this, the manga isn't finished yet (chap 42). But for the first time, i feel a little guilty to want to read the next chapters, hoping it will end soon with some hope, just wanting them to be free from this. Because, from the first chapter, I know that I'm an hopeless observer of the tale describing the ending of humanity through the eyes of two young brave girls.

Thank you Sukumizu for creating this pearl.

(TLDR Review at the bottom of this review. As always, thanks for reading in advance.)

Do you ever just look at some paper filled with words and think, "Wow! Whoever thought of this idea is a genius." Maybe you do. Maybe you don't.

In life, the value of things make no sense whatsoever, so much so that a £0.99 (~$1.29) Burger King cheeseburger suddenly has less monetary value as a £2.49 (~$3.29) exact cheeseburger simply because one of the Burger King is located right next to a train station. You may be wondering. Who needed to know that? Well, it is the same concept with what I was on about with the thought behind writing things on paper. As humans, we value things differently, part of the reason why opinions exist, like this review, and the various others that you will probably come across. It is because of that we value things differently, we take things for granted or we make precious of everything around us. Some are born into the best life has to offer that requires no effort to achieve such a position, hence may be a reason behind belittling the things around. Others are born with little to nothing, working day in, day out providing for their kin who had trouble standing on their own two legs before the said person was even born, bringing forward the few obvious reasons of why someone in such a position would have a high value of everything around them. There really is no set value for anything, and that is what brings us to Tsukumizu's Girls' Last Tour. And the endless amount of questions that come along with the little things that people take an interest in for what they have done for us.


Narrative:
In a post-war torn world, travellers Chito and Yuuri travel around in what is left from the ancient people before them, and well, they don't do much but travel. Really that is all. This isn't anything deep or intricate, but that is it, it isn't trying to be the next philosophical thing, it simply understands the world it is set in and embraces the simplicity in what seems to be the last few humans left travelling the world finding and learning about the people of the past. The pacing is done well too, it takes one chapter for Chito and Yuuri stumble upon the different treasures they come across, then into the next chapter, the next treasure is found, and so on, so forth. The only time this really changes is when the two encounters some other life form on their journey, with this, however, it would make sense for such an elongated encounter relative to the events of the story to exist, it only allows for more character development in the different people. Which leads me onto my next point. People. In this story, there are a limited number of people which correlates well with the events prior to the start. Which such a limited amount of people, all scattered far and wide in what is left of a global catastrophe, whilst reading this, you begin to see how little we are when:
1. We are not in united
2. On a global basis
It is said that 10 humans can fit 1 sq m. 7.8 billion people would mean 780 sq km required space to fit humanity into one area as close together. That would only be about 0.0001529% of the earth's surface… Even if you took everyone who ever lived, 109 billion people would only take up about 0.002137% of the earth's surface. This kind of percentage (the latter) is the same as you having someone choose a random card of 52 you have in mind, guess it correctly AND predict a 6 sided dice roll correctly, no bias involved.

We truly are small.

And as small people, even though our existence is insignificant on a universal scale, we take an interest in things, and those interests push us to keep moving on. Whether it be drawing maps that only you may use, or building aeroplanes to venture to the next city. We keep going. Girls' Last Tour does an amazing job of telling such a fact, these little things that we use so much that we don't think about how they work anymore because it just does what we want it to do. The value of things we have created has been forgotten, naturally, from when they were first made. In the multiple displacements, they are from their previous location, Chito and Yuuri show the incredible things humans birth, no matter how big or small. The little things like books, statues and cameras, are just one of the few things that show the countless number of creations that had been amassed pre-war-torn world era. Why do we create such things even though we know that one day it will simply fade away? I will tell you now that, unfortunately, I don't know the answer to that question, in fact, there is no rational answer, and that is a good thing. Chito and Yuuri show that even though there is an end, the journey is worth the trek anyway, even when you feel like you are lost, with nowhere to go. Girls' Last Tour can seem disturbingly optimistic in this sense, but it is that optimism that gives the story its glory. It isn't just Chito and Yuuri, Kanazawa and Ishii are the same, with a dead civilisation, what is the point of flying around or making maps? It just goes to show that no matter which point in time humanity is at as a whole, people still keep moving. People still keep achieving. People still keep going higher.

The characters of the story are interesting. We have the knowledgeable but feeble Chito tagged with the glutton-minded that is Yuuri. The two do well together, their dialogue between one another is believable and makes for an interesting aura the two emit whenever they are talking to each other, something like two long time school friends on a voyage. Chito's character is also quite interesting in that she relates to the original question proposed earlier, she values whatever the people of the past have created, and it is done in a way that isn't too dramatic. It can be quite easy to make it dramatic, which wouldn't be a problem given the world at hand, but it offers space for the sense of learning to come across if it wasn't as dramatic, which it had done. Chito is learning along her journey and takes a great interest in doing so, you can make stuff seem greater than others would perceive it, and that runs well with her character and her surroundings. Yuuri is a funny one. As supposed to Chito's quench for knowledge. Yuuri is simply there for Chito. That's more or less her character. However, it works, because she is the reminder for her. Yuuri may not be as smart and have an inconvenient love for food, but she is there to remind Chito of the simple things she missed out on, like the need for protection, or how she isn't lonely. The character does feel believable to their atmosphere which really made for a great narrative in addition to the story altogether.


Art:
The art is amazing. It looks like the leftover of someone sketching something then giving up halfway through, and whilst that may sound like a negative description, it is fused in with a cute design for the characters, and great placements for landscapes. The idea of a war-torn world works well with the art design thinking about it since the world is dead anyway, a bit of what could be described as 'madness' in the drawing flows well with the world at hand. Not much else to go on about with the art side of things. Is it original? Honestly, I am not sure, I wouldn't be surprised if such a design existed beforehand, but it seems as if Tsukumizu has taken this style and made it their own. Great art nonetheless.


Enjoyment:
Very enjoyable here. The different encounters with different items not only lead to learning about the past, but the story also allows for the characters to physically do something with those items. "What weird and wonderful memories will come up with this?" you ask yourself.


Overall - 8.75 (9)



TLDR Review:
Story - 9: One grand, but simple, journey about moving towards what they want through the motivation of their aspirations.
Characters - 9: Interesting characters helping one another, learning of the past and also remembering the little gifts of life.
Art - 9: Sketched kinda art with cute design and great placement for landscape
Enjoyment - 8: Weird and wonderful memories to make out of what encounters come
Overall - 8.75 (9)


Hands down, I recommend Girls' Last Tour to anyone. I can't really say much to it because you can interpret this in different ways, another way would be to make everything close to you precious because it may be lost one day. But I think that it is a simple fast-to-read story to get into if you want good quick manga.