Girl Last Tour is a unique take on post-apocalyptic fiction and in my view one of the most beautiful shows to come out in a long time. The setting might seem bleak and depressing at first glance, and whilst those feelings are present, it’s mostly used as a backdrop for the talking points of the main characters. It might also seem like another Moe, slice-of-life show that has value in its cuteness and not much more, but it’s really much more than that. It’s an abstract journey through history and human culture through the eyes of people who never got to experience it themselves, with a perspective completely detached from our everyday lives and personal drama. It makes you think about how insignificant many of our stresses and quarrels really are in the grand scheme of things and often brings into question the meaning of why we live and do the things we do. Themes like war and human greed are brought up and criticised, just as is the importance of knowledge, keeping records and the preservation of life. In many ways this show is a harsh introspection of ourselves as a species and in many others it’s an optimistic exploration of the beauty of living and learning. More than anything, it's about finding hope for the future even when the world seems bleak and empty.
Both the setting and characters are vehicles for the social commentary of this show, and as such don’t end up being particularly interesting in themselves. There’s no grand, overarching plot or a great deal in the way of character development, because that’s not really the point of Girls’ Last Tour. It’s not a show about fictional characters, it’s a show about how we think about the world and ourselves, and it works exceptionally well.
