"Life is about courage and going into the unknown"

Contain spoiler for the ending

I love this manga so much to the point where i feel my soul became empty after i read that last chapter. If there is something that Girl's Last Tour has done perfectly, it's in creating the atmosphere. Of course this story about post-apocalyptic world where machines has taken over the era of humanity is nothing new to any media but the minimal world building verbally expressed compared with the extensive environment and atmosphere shown through Yuu and Chi’s experiences creates a strong bond between the reader and main character.

We as the readers experience this warm and loving bond against a massive, soulless environment: reading books together on top of a multi-story bookcases, snowball fights on top of an oppressive tower, baths in water tanks, taking a shelter while they listening to raindrops. The constant that they need for travelling upwards through these towering structures creates a really beautiful sense of scale that only amplifies the emotional impact that comes with being some of the last humans alive.

While watching Chi and Yuu, I always felt that they were like 2 characters "operating" with 1 real person. Because Chito is smart and wise, thinks a lot before acting, likes reading, so she is likened to a human brain, always trying to be rational. On the other hand, Yuuri is more instinctive, a kind of "just try it first", always curious and willing to try lots of things spontaneously without fear/worry about the effects. That is why Chito is the kettenkrad driver (apart from the fact that she can carry it) because Chito always thinks rationally and ethically. Logically, the rational and ethical side must always be in control in life. And Yuuri is the one who shoots because she has good instincts, although there are moments where her spontaneous and curious nature is quite dangerous, like when Yuuri presses a button and a place explodes. Can you imagine if Yuuri brought his kettenkrad? Chito makes their journey safer and always in a "straight line" while Yuuri makes their journey more fun and less awkward. And every human being must have those two sides. Those are 2 normal human traits as a whole.

So, how do humans live? Life. Breathe. Move. Wandering. Looking for food, shelter, warmth. Try to interact. Asking many questions and trying to find answers. Forgot what chapter/episode it's in, but there's a moment where Yuuri asks Chito "What is life?" and was answered with "Maybe life means something that has an end" and indeed in the end, even though it seems that Yuuri and Chito only move, eat, sleep, shower, and so on every day, their journey definitely has an end. Human life has an end. And don't forget that to achieve their highest goals, they have to leave behind many valuable things and overcome their biggest fears. Even though in the end what they get is nothing, but at least this is the best last journey for them until the end of their lives.

Talking about an end, the ending is truly perfect as a conclusion to their journey. Beautiful and bitter and ironic at the same time. They managed to conquer the impossible and reach the top layer, only to find nothing. They had used up the rest of their supplies in climbing the stairs to the top and now there was nothing left for them to do but look for something good in their bad situation. Playing snowball fights, eating their last meal, talking about the beauty of life, even though their conditions at that time were full of despair. They tell each other what they're going to do next, but I think they know, deep down, that this is the end for them. The Kettenkrad that accompanied them throughout the journey had been damaged, the weapons that Yuu had carried from the beginning of their journey had been thrown away, Chi's travel book written with all his heart had been burned so that they could warm themselves and be able to continue their journey. To reach the end, they both have to face their biggest fear, namely tall, dark stairs, where Chi is afraid of heights and Yuu is afraid of the dark. Even so, they still climb the stairs together and strengthen each other. They can also understand each other's feelings even without words. They sacrificed everything they had only to discover the fact that there was nothing at the end of their journey. But that didn't mean their journey was in vain, they had seen everything there was left to see on earth, and there was no reason to continue walking. Being 2 little girls who knew nothing but the cruel reality that the earth and humanity had to offer was very painful.

Girl's Last Tour is not just about the world that has became a horrible place to live. It's a story about perseverance of character and enjoying what life has left to offer in a place that hasn’t felt warmth in decades. From this story i can learn to stop being extremely curious. Because whatever your journey is, if you feel you have reached the end then rest, because the universe is very vast, with your small self you will only feel suffering. But be happy with the journey you have taken with your suffering, because regretting what you have done is a stupid act.

To the 2 little brave girls, good night and have a sweet dream.