Creative Staff
Story/Art: Sakae Saito
Translation/Adaptation: Amanda Haley
Lettering: Phil Christie
What They Say
All alone after the end of days, two girls ride through the desolate ruins of Japan–but they’re not about to let the collapse of civilization get in the way of sightseeing! From the hot springs of Hakone to the massive Tokyo Big Sight, they’ve got the run of the country’s most popular tourist spots all to themselves so why not make the most of it?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The apocalypse has happened and most of humanity has been wiped out. What would you do in this scenario? Two girls decide to make the most of it and travel to the wonderful sights of Japan. Each place is shining with light despite the apocalypse happening. You figure that there would be more devastation but nope Japan mostly looks as dazzling as ever. Maybe it could be because there is no human interference that nature gets to heal. Some sights bring some calm to the soul as you remember what once was. It’s best not to dwell too much on this aspect and move on the girls’ journey.
The girls’ journey isn’t everything they expect as the Japan they knew is gone. That is what makes this journey an incredible trek. It’s great to have some remembrance of what a place once was. Some parts remain as they were left but it’s the natural order of the world to change. What makes a person is what they do when they encounter this unknown element. We get a sense of what these girls are capable of once the tough gets going. They keep a positive attitude despite having an accurate understanding of the situation around them. People have to keep moving despite what happened and these girls are the best example of that.
This is an apocalypse and at least the series remembers this faintly at times. There was one panel that fully understands what an apocalypse meant. This series has painted a happy picture of these two girls traveling in the apocalypse. But there needed to be something that captured the gravity of their situation. It cant all be sunflowers and rainbows. There needs to be something that shows that the apocalypse happens. That one panel will send chills down your spine. There are other harsh reminders of what was lost in this apocalypse. It further cements the point that this isn’t going to be the world of what once was.
In Summary:
This apocalypse is usually the most thrilling thing to happen but this book makes the after the best thing to happen. It nails down the human element of what it means to be living afterward. The world must move on and these two girls are doing the best that they can to move two steps forward. There can be glamour in the devastation of destruction.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: November 22nd, 2022
MSRP: $13.00 US/ $17.00 CAN
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
