Girls' Last Tour tells the story of Yuuri and Chito, two young companions traveling through a post-apocalyptic universe. Written by the pseudonymous author Tsukumizu, the story begins as the two girls find their way out of a sprawling factory, describing their day-to-day struggles to find food and fuel for their Kettenkrad motorcycle tractor and eventually moving on to explore their strange, foreboding landscape. Yuuri and Chito soon encounter other travelers, survivors, and a strange creature they adopt and name Neku, as the particular shape of the ambient catastrophe around them slowly comes into focus.

Receiving the 2018 Crunchyroll Award for "Best Slice of Life Anime," Girls' Last Tour represents a peculiar take on the popular genre. The ever-present sense of danger and foreboding created by the series' art direction -- in contrast to Yuuri and Chito's busy yet nonchalant mood -- puts an unusual but still-engrossing spin on the "healing" qualities attributed to more lighthearted slice-of-life anime. At the same time, its themes of perseverance, friendship and desolation offer real reflection and adventure.

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The Plot of Girls' Last Tour

Girls' Last Tour

While the series' plot is generally unstructured, leaving space for random encounters and time for silent reflection, the relationships and interactions featured in Girls' Last Tour take up a large share of the action. As they struggle to keep the Kettenkrad running and keep exploring, they become more involved in the strange settings revealed with each day. Chito is an avid reader and mechanically gifted while Yuuri is a crack shot, but somewhat overbearing and intermittently aggressive. Despite their companionship and mutual dependence in this uncertain world, Yuuri and Chito's contrasting personalities will create further conflicts.

Described alternatively as slice-of-life, science fiction, post-apocalyptic and seinen, Girls' Last Tour's dark settings and subject matter, stark and haunting art, meandering plot and light tone make it hard to classify. However, the story remains remarkably accessible in both its 2014 manga and 2017 animated adaptation. As of today, neither a continuation of the manga nor a second season has been announced, though the series has received positive reviews and enjoyed modest popularity since its release.

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Where to Read the Girls' Last Tour Manga

Chito And Yuuri Look At The Sky In Girls Last Tour

Released in February 2014, the Girls' Last Tour manga was first published in the online outlet Kurage Bunch of the publisher Shinchosa. From November 2014 to March 2018, the manga ran for 47 chapters in six volumes. The English-language version by Yen Press debuted in May 2017, although neither of the two anthologies are currently available in English.

Currently, standard volumes of the manga are available for purchase through Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Google Play. Physical copies are available on Amazon, as well as through local retailers.

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Where to Watch the Girls' Last Tour Anime

Girls Last Tour

Announced by Kadokawa in 2017 at the annual Anime Expo, the animated adaptation of Girls' Last Tour was directed by Takaharu Ozaki (known for the infamous Goblin Slayer) and created by animation studio White Fox (Steins;Gate, Re:Zero, and Jormungand).

In an unusual move, the voice actors for Chito and Yuuri -- Inori Minase and Yuriko Kubo -- perform the series' main musical themes. The anime's initial run began in October 2017 on the channel AT-X, with further licensing for re-airing and streaming acquired by Sentai Filmworks and Anime Strike. Girls' Last Tour is currently available for streaming on Prime Video and the HIDIVE streaming service. Physical copies of the Blu-ray are also available through RightStufAnime and Amazon.