After splitting ways with their friend in Volume 1, Chito and Yuuri continue to explore the ruins in search of food, supplies — whatever they can find. And whether they’re on the road or waiting out a sudden storm, their musing conversations help them figure out the world that surrounds them.
SHOUJO SHUUMATSU RYOKOU © Tsukumizu 2014 / SHINCHOSHA
While Girls’ Last Tour isn’t precisely the sort of manga I expected it to be, Volume 1 was an unexpectedly touching story that affected me, um, a bit strongly. Set in the aftermath of an apocalyptic event, Chito and Yuuri are simply living the best life they can, despite what’s going on around them: the land they explore is for the most part environmentally devastated.
In my review of Volume 1, I discussed the dismal reality of the post-apocalyptic world Chito and Yuuri live in. The series’ pacing is slow and reflective, and Volume 2 is just as contemplative as Volume 1. Where the first volume read as almost insistently anti-war, the second reads as more focused on the relationship that Chito and Yuuri share.
[blocktext align=”center”]But I got more peace of mind when I found you in the dark.[/blocktext]
In one of my favorite scenes, the girls stumble on a block of residences and spend the night in one of the rooms, where they dream about the kind of home they would want to create. Chito wants a shelf full of books, Yuuri wants a shelf full of food — but neither of them seem able to imagine a home without the other.
Despite the focus on the girls’ relationship, it’s still not fully clear what kind of relationship they share, except that they’re extremely devoted to one another. Several more volumes are in the pipeline, so I hope future volumes will explore their relationship in greater depth.
The Girls’ Last Tour series is highly episodic, and the chapters feel more as if they’re strung together into smaller arcs than a larger singular story. Many of the chapters feel as if they could be read in any order, which is great for readers who don’t want to read the entire volume in a single sitting.
This is definitely a series I would recommend checking out, and since Kadokawa announced an anime adaptation in the works, it’s a great time to pick up the series before it’s available in the US. The first two volumes are available now from Yen Press, with the third volume due in November. Girls’ Last Tour is a contemplative series for manga readers looking for something apocalyptically different.
Story: 4 out of 5 stars
Art: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
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