The character design of Girls' Last Tour (少女終末旅行) makes it look like a moe anime with two cute girls as the main protagonists. But nothing can be further from the truth. This anime adaption of the manga series is actually deeply profound at the philosophical level, delving into the meaning of life, what it means to be alive, and the definition of sentience.
In a world devastated by war, two girls plow forward hoping to reach the upper levels of this future world, believing it may hold hope beyond the conflict-ridden world they have left behind. Much of the anime centers on dialogue between them (most of the episodes only have two voice actors...) as they go about trying to find food and other necessities for them to continue their journey forward. Do they have an exact destination? Not really. They just believe that if they keep heading upward in their journey, they will find what they want. What is it that they want? They have no concrete idea too.
Along they way, they encounter other people (very very very few) and other forms of life. Like a fish. And robots with AI. Plus some other-worldly beings. It is through these interactions that we come to ponder over philosophical questions like the things we seek in life, what we live for, and what we fight for. Is shutting down a robot with advanced AI the same as killing a person? Will you kill your good friend, the other last surviving human, as food for your own survival?
Talk about gap moe... the gap between the characters' appearances and the theme of the story is so huge. And I guess it is this enormous gap which helps to leave such a strong impression.
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