Note: The following review does not contain any major spoilers.
Still, be wary of reading this, as it may contain the synopsis if you do not wish to see it and jump anew and fresh into the story (as I did).
This is a completely honest review, after analyzing its many parts, and coming to a conclusion on my opinions about this anime once again.
This anime is one of those anime you either never knew about, or barely heard of, but is to many people a wonderful relish and a gem.
At first, the concept and story seemed simple to me after being exposed to it a bit from images, clips, etc.. After completing an episode or two, I felt as though it lacked a clear hook for the audience, but even as bland as some aspects may seem, it eventually hooks you and ends each episode gloriously. This is one of the things I noticed it does best, hooking you just by letting you know that the show has enormous merit after each surprisingly meaningful episode.
Another interesting aspect of this show is the impeccably crafted atmosphere and world created by both the art direction and sound. It has some of the most vast landscapes and scenery.
This is what I mean:
The vastness of the areas that are explored in the show is nothing but superlative, and complements both the story and relaxed, open feelings that are within each scene.
If I had to state a singular gripe, it would be the seemingly intentional dab in the opening song, but it's something I can easily ignore due to the time in came out. And even so, the catchy song makes up for it.
Personally, this has become one of my very favorite anime of all time, and that's saying something. Now, I'm not objectively correct and my taste isn't everyone's taste, but there is some level of a somewhat unanimous agreement that this anime isn't bad whatsoever. Unless, that is, that some people may find this anime to be boring and lacking in interest, as well as slow paced, and to them that may make it bad. This isn't the case at all for how I view this show, as it is both interesting and fun. I can say it isn't the most fast paced anime of all time, though.
Animation:
I can't say for sure that the animation is amazing, but the art style is pretty good, and it's a step up from most standard slice of life media. More on the artstyle side, this anime boasts great scenery and cute character design, which are both extremely important, considering there are very few main characters and there are very vast areas in the show.
Story/Plot:
It's hard to elaborate on this, considering it is one of those anime where telling you why it's good would conceivably spoil the anime, but have no fear, as I will not go into major spoiler territory. The story/plot in Girls' Last Tour isn't lacking, and just the concept itself may initially seem hard to elaborate on, but the show does a great job of executing what it has to execute in the story, so there's very little problem with this. Overall, great story.
Execution:
Easily one of the most ideal execution of the core idea. The episodic pacing and themes basically carry this anime, as it being a slice of life can be a turn off to many. Even so, it holds up well and overall was a great experience with such great execution.
Voice Acting:
Not much to say here, the voice acting was pretty great, it's hard to say much about the VAs, but all around, the voices are done quite well.
Characters:
Both the main characters have unique and vivid personalities and this adds a lot of interest and spice to the anime. Nothing but lovely characters with lovely personalities. Chito is an avid reader with a lot of values, while Yuuri is funny, airheaded, and friendly.
Entertainment:
Although it still holds up as a somewhat entertaining anime, and a good one at that, it's entertainment is probably one of its least shining aspect. Don't get me wrong, it's not totally boring, but it's a little slow paced and as a slice of life, can seem a bit bland for an anime. Sometimes a very entertaining anime due to it's lively and fun characters and a journey of a story, but not paced for just about anyone to enjoy.
Now onto a relatively accurate rating for this anime (Also, TL;DR):
- Animation: 7/10
- Story/Plot: 10/10
- Execution: 10/10
- Voice Acting: 8/10
- Characters: 8.5/10
- Entertainment: 8/10
Please note that other minor factors may influence the final overall score
To summarize, this anime is seriously worth a watch. It has a lot of merit and is a literal journey from episode 1, superbly executed and just wonderful!
Watch if you have the time, as this has easily become one of my favorite anime of all time.