Minor spoilers ahead. Amature review writer. TL;DR is the last paragraph.
What makes us human? What defines life? What is the point of life? These are such questions siblings Yuuri and Chito face on their journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Girls’ Last Tour takes traditional Moe anime and blends it with the melancholy of treading through a wasteland.
Going into this anime, I don’t think anybody could have expected how deeply philosophical this anime is. I would’ve never thought two blobby moe girls could alter the way I see the world.
First, I’d like to get art and sound out of the way. The character design of the blobby moe girls is honestly genius. The cute adorable faces juxtapose with the grim backgrounds and inevitable hopelessness of their journey. The CGI backgrounds are some of the best in anime. The sound is the best I’ve ever experienced in anime. From the well-fitting background music to the detailed sounds of rain, clinking, driving, etc, Girls’ Last Tour drowns you in its melancholic world. The sounds are so good, that I’d describe it (episode 5 especially) as an ASMR experience. White Fox again serves another quality animation.
Sound and art aside, I’ve found many viewers having issues with the story - or rather, lack of story. Girls’ Last Tour lacks the traditional story-telling we might expect from an apocalyptic anime. After all, the conflict-resolution structure doesn’t seem to exist here. However, despite not having a clear structure, Girls’ Last Tour does have a plot, albeit not obvious. The story is built on dialogue and encounters rather than problems and resolutions. Every word, reaction, and encounter serves to present and (attempt) to answer questions of our humanity. Girls’ Last Tour mauls over the eternal philosophical questions of companionship, happiness, hopelessness, religion, loneliness, and desire. These themes are present in every episode and nearly every second of the anime. To really enjoy the story, I’d suggest looking deeper into the seemingly superficial-moe-cutesy dialogue. You might be surprised at what you find.
The characters of this anime consist of our two girls, two humans they later encounter, and a mysterious creature named Nuko (or Cut depending on subs). Despite having seemingly flat personalities based on stereotypical character traits, Yuu and Chi have many more layers of complexity than their superficial appearances. Although Chi is represented as the smarter, more serious girl, Yuu, who is often portrayed as dense and nonchalant, usually is the first to take action and answer the deeper questions the series mauls over (quote at the top is one example). And while Chi is depicted as logical and more emotionally stable, Chi loses herself and sobs when Yuu is taken away from her. Through tiny interactions and reactions, the characters are magnificently developed in ways no other moe girls develop.
Girls’ Last Tour is a surprisingly well-made anime. It offers so much more than you’d first expect. The world-building is incredible and although there are no cliff-hangers or action, I still found myself hooked. The anime really makes you step back and view everything in a different light, something most animes could only dream to achieve. The characters are easily lovable and enjoyable to watch. The art and sound are masterpieces of their own. Overall, Girls’ Last Tour is an amazing anime that I will probably find myself thinking about for the next few years. However, the slow-burner story and melancholic atmosphere might not appeal to everyone. But still, I urge you to give it a try. Maybe a story about cute blobby girls can teach us all a little more about life.
