is a Japanese
manga
Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...
series written and illustrated by
Tsukumizu
is a pseudonymous Japanese manga artist. Their notable works include the post-apocalyptic iyashikei manga ''Girls' Last Tour'' and the four-panel surreal comedy manga ''Shimeji Simulation''.
Biography
Tsukumizu had been reading extensively s ...
. It was serialized monthly through
Shinchosha's ''Kurage Bunch'' manga website from February 2014 to January 2018 and collected in six ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or m ...
'' volumes. An English release of the manga is licensed in North America by
Yen Press.
A 12-episode
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
television adaptation produced by
White Fox, mainly covering the manga's first four volumes, aired in Japan from October to December 2017.
In 2019, ''Girls' Last Tour'' won the 50th
Seiun Award for Best Comic category.
Plot
The series follows two girls, Yuuri and Chito, as they navigate the ruins of civilization after an unknown apocalypse. As they travel in their
Kettenkrad, they seek food and supplies while surviving day-to-day, sometimes encountering other survivors during their journey.
Characters
;
:
:One of the two main protagonists, nicknamed "Chii-chan". She has a wide knowledge of machines and drives the Kettenkrad. She is literate and an avid reader. She is generally calm and composed, but can be riled by Yuuri on occasion.
;
:
:The other protagonist, nicknamed "Yuu". She is more easy-going than Chito, and cannot read, but is proficient with rifles and is a crack shot. She rides in the back of the Kettenkrad. Yuuri has little fear of the unknown and is quite adventurous. She is driven by her personal desires such as often wanting to eat more food than they have.
;
:
:A traveler Chito and Yuuri meet while trying to find a path to the upper stratum of the city. He is a cartographer who wants to map the entire city. He gifts his camera to Yuuri and Chito when he leaves them to continue his mapping project.
;
:
:A scientist who lives in an abandoned airbase who is building an airplane based on old records so that she can fly to another city. She helps fix Chito and Yuuri's Kettenkrad and enlists their help to finish the airplane. She gives Yuuri and Chito potatoes and tells them where to find more.
;
:
:Named Ket in the English manga translation. A mysterious small creature that is long and white, resembling a cat which Chito and Yuuri pick up on their journey. It communicates with the girls via radio signals. Nuko can shape-shift to activate mechanisms and likes eating bullets. It is later revealed to be part of a species which consumes weapons and power sources to stabilize them. After being discovered by more of its own kind, it leaves with them.
Media
Manga
''Girls' Last Tour'' was written and illustrated by Tsukumizu and serialized in
Shinchosha's ''Kurage Bunch'' online magazine between February 21, 2014, and January 12, 2018, and collected in six volumes.
Yen Press released the series in North America. A manga anthology illustrated by various artists was released on October 13, 2017.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation by
White Fox was announced by
Kadokawa at
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first ...
2017, with Takaharu Ozaki as director,
Kazuyuki Fudeyasu in charge of series composition, and Mai Toda adapting the character designs for animation. The series aired in Japan between October 6 and December 22, 2017, on
AT-X and other stations. The voice actresses of the protagonists,
Inori Minase and
Yurika Kubo, perform the opening and ending themes, and "More One Night".
Sentai Filmworks have licensed the series and streamed the series on
Anime Strike.
MVM Films has licensed the series in the UK.
Muse Communication has licensed the series in Asia-Pacific.
Each episode consists of two to three short interconnecting stories.
Reception
Manga
''Girls' Last Tour'' won the 50th
Seiun Award for Best Comic category in 2019. The English release of the first two volumes were included on the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...
's list of 2018 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.
Anime
The anime series won the "Best Slice of Life" category in the
2nd Crunchyroll Anime Awards
The 2nd Crunchyroll Anime Awards were held on February 24, 2018, honoring excellence in anime from 2017. The nominees were announced on January 18. Voting began on January 22, and was held in three separate rounds from January 22 to February 11. T ...
in 2018.
IGN also listed ''Girls' Last Tour'' as one of the best anime of the 2010s, describing it as a "morose anime" which is "made brighter through
hito and Yuuri'sperspective on a barren world".
Notes
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Manga series
2014 manga
2017 anime television series debuts
Anime series based on manga
Anime Strike
Crunchyroll Anime Awards winners
Iyashikei anime and manga
Manga adapted into television series
Muse Communication
Post-apocalyptic anime and manga
Science fiction anime and manga
Seinen manga
Sentai Filmworks
Shinchosha manga
White Fox
Yen Press titles