The part I love most about Girls' Last Tour is its emotional strength.
Combining wonderful art, music, and voicing, it is able to conjure emotion in ways that don't need to take advantage of the usual feelings-cheap-shots. And it doesn't just hit the usual emotional targets of sadness and happiness. What stuck out to me is the profound sense of wonder, tragedy, and simple bliss that I got over and over again. These are things that are usually quite hard and unusual to aim for. It's difficult to describe, but this show yanks on my heartstrings like nothing else while not taking advantage of emotional low-blows, if that makes any sense. However, this is not to say that this is just a serious or depressing anime. In such a dead world, Chi and Yuu are bright lights of joy and happiness. There's plenty of comedy as well, usually due to the antics of one character in particular.
Story, other than the fantastic world-building, is non-existent (and not the point). There are really only mini-plots, but no real major plot other than the tale of the past. (I've rated Story as 9 anyways because I'm a real sucker for mysterious world-building, even if it's only in the background)
Using moe chibis juxtaposed on a brutalist landscape is such an amazing contrast. Art in the show is wonderful. Though everything is usually grey and rectangular and sharp and mute, it actually never gets old. The background shapes and environments are always changing. In a way, the dullness of the world is so much more interesting than the usual fantasy/sci-fi worlds that are wild and brimming with vibrant color. And when there is color in the world, it is used spectacularly. Animation is also on point. The chibi faces are put to good comedic effect. Animated movement is simple but effective.
Music and sound design are, simply put, incredible. It's hard to describe without a spoiler-ish example, but there are great combinations of songs, sound effects, and art that just put you in awe. Voicing fits perfectly for each character, and some characters are really just enjoyable to listen to.
Overall, this is a show that I cannot stop loving. It is not action-packed. It does not have romance. It does not have an incredible rise of a hero against all odds. It is a wonderful piece of slice-of-life, atmospheric, and emotional art that reminds us that anime doesn't need intense action or distressing conflict to be great. I cannot express just how wonderful and amazing this experience is.
By the way, even if you don't end up watching this, I implore you to at least listen to the OST. Though some songs will not have the same impact without knowing the context, the score is amazing on its own.
