There's one thing I've been wondering about while watching Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou: not only are there almost no living humans in this city, there are no dead ones. Even though the last war apparently wasn't that long ago. Where are all the corpses? I'm used to post-apocalyptic landscapes being littered with remnants of human life and this makes the setting really eerie.

There's another theory I have about this show ever since I found out about the kinds of works this author does (also, they like Haibane Renmei, tho I'm not sure how much influence that show has on this one). The girls might be wandering around in limbo all along (either symbolic or literal). That explains all the afterlife talks. & them going up is them reaching closer to heaven. Because of this, there are no corpses seen. That or we'll get a proper explanation down the line.

i don't see any nihilism, they clearly doing their best to survive.

It's in the way the show has been portraying the characters' struggles. The attitude is less "WE NEED TO SURVIVE NO MATTER WHAT IN ORDER TO SAVE HUMANITY FROM EXTINCTION" & more just "whatever comes comes, if we live, we live, if we die, we die." This ep with Ishii kinda highlights that. She was trying to escape the city in order to find life outside of it, but it was futile in the end & she came to accept that. Also, we have Yuuri whose mentality is: "Life doesn't have a big meaning. God is fake. Embrace the hopelessness of your situation." Not saying this show is 100% nihilism tho. It has a lot of positive messages to counter some of the underlying nihilistic ideas.

last edited at Nov 11, 2017 4:56PM

It's amazing how Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou manages to be so melancholy and so comforting at the same time

I think it's because of the fact that on the surface, it's rather cheerful & laid-back for post-apocalyptic show & yet, once you stop & think about the meanings & implications behind everything the characters do, it's rather depressing. For example, when Chi & Yuu take the photo of themselves. They are creating a memory with one another & that's incredibly heartwarming, & yet, based on the conversation that leads up to it, they're doing this since they want to immortalize themselves on the photo as their real existence is just as fleeting & bleak as the rest of their world. Even the entire idea of recording down these last moments into history also reinforces the idea of human's bleak existence. The resolution to both the side characters have a rather sad implication as well. While they are able to come to term with the hopelessness of their situation and cope with the loss of their respective meaning of life to at least not commit suicide, they are both starting from zero & at the mercy of their desolate world & both are accepting of the possibility that they may die along their new journey. "How far can I make on foot?" & "Guess I'm gonna fall all the way to the lowest level at this rate"

There're a lot of existential horror & nihilism going on in this show, but the fact that its overall message is about coming to term with these ideas & finding beauty in them that it somewhat lightens these underlying implications. It's this weird mixture of accepting the fact that their situation is desperate & their existence fleeting, but still keep on living for every little thing that may come to their lives that makes this show so comforting & depressing all at the same time. Very much in the lane of the idea that life is about the journey & the present moments rather than the end result. I honestly expect a very bittersweet ending.

last edited at Nov 11, 2017 2:26PM

This latest chapter made the characters feel like puppets acting according to an author's script. They go along with a ridiculous plan more because it's a nice dramatic device than because of any sort of internal motivation. I guess my problem isn't with the play-within-a-play, it's that the author has done a bad job dressing it up.

Care to elaborate how this particular chapter makes the characters feel like puppets? Since this chapter is mostly just the characters rehearsing their lines & Touko has been taking the play personally since forever, so what is it about this particular chapter that makes it contrived? Akari's subplot has literally nothing to do with the play. Touko ignoring Yuu is not part of the play. Like, if you think the whole idea of the play itself is contrived because the author is solving the characters' problems through just the play, then I can get your argument, although I don't agree with it (the play sure has been a catalyst that gets the characters to be more self-aware of their situations, but most of the conflicts that are addressing the characters' problems happen outside of it & through proper communication instead), but I don't see why this particular chap makes you think it's contrived. Not attacking, just very curious. Because if you're talking about internal motivations, we know that Touko is heavily obsessed with the play and takes it on a personal level (Sayaka noted this lt last chapter) & all attempts at reasoning with her have gone nowhere since she's so fixated on it (ch 10, 22, & 23), so it makes sense that Yuu & Sayaka are using the play to meet Touko at her level so they can knock some sense into that thick skull of hers and it's not that they are hoping the play will magically change her, more like they hope she can take something away from it and then the change can slowly happen afterwards. But your complaint is towards the delivery and execution & I'm interested to hear your reasoning behind it.

last edited at Nov 5, 2017 5:35AM

I've a bad feeling about the next chapter...
Touko, just don't make Yuu cry ok?

I think Touko causing Yuu to break down is inevitable at this point.

If next chap is full suffering, at least I have SSR to help lift up my spirit ٩( ᐛ )و

Potatoes singing in the rain

This show cleanses my soul & brings tears to my eyes.

last edited at Nov 4, 2017 12:43PM

I think this chapter would've been less underwhelming & seemingly pointless if the cliffhanger at the end was not another scene of Touko being angsty and self-reflecting on what we already know. Last chap ends on a similar note but with a "show don't tell" approach, which makes it way more interesting & ominous. Ending this chap on a much weaker version of that not only makes it redundant, but also underwhelming.

The first part of the chap showing Touko ignoring Yuu is good since it shows the immediate consequence of the event from last chap. The middle part with Akari, IMO, also has some relevance to the overall plot/development since as Scarlet pointed out, Doujima's words might serve as another catalyst to get Yuu to confess her feelings (the first catalyst being that of her confrontation with Sayaka from last chap, the whole "Do you love Touko? Cause I do" thing). Also, this whole thing with Akari getting heartbroken, feeling rejected, & having to cope with it by moving on from her crush might very well serve as a mental preparation for Yuu. We know that Yuu is willing to risk losing her relationship with Touko (ch 24) if it means she can help change her so the possibility of facing a heartbreak probably has been floating in the back of her mind this whole time, but it only really hits her this chap after seeing her own friend going through it. I might be reading into it too much as always, but Yuu's expression as she hugs Akari is not just her feeling bad for her friend, but her feeling anxious for herself. The reason I think Yuu's confession is coming is because this volume has been strongly hinting towards it. The date with Yuu asking how people usually feel when they confess. Last chap with that confrontation with Sayaka. & then this chap, especially, with this whole sequence with Akari and Doujima. If my reading of that scene is correct & if next chap is really gonna be another big confrontation that results in a confession, whether intentional or unintentional, ending on Yuu's self-reflection instead of Touko's would've been a lot stronger, IMO.

Then again, we don't know how next chap will turn out yet, so eh, I'll wait & see. Anyway, I will try to stop posting now. Need to study. Halp

Well, I'm busy like hell this month so I won't be posting much, but based on this chap, I think we'll get Yuu's confession soon. Hopefully, next chap.

Reminder that Kunihiko Ikuhara is making an anime with studio MAPPA.

HOLY SHIEEEETTT

Yaoi on Fire confirmed?

last edited at Oct 26, 2017 2:09AM

Then it suddenly get brought up again here with no prior lead-up.

There is in the first chapters and if you stop to think about it (her situation, etc.), so it's not completely out of her ass. That the delivery seems like she did pull it out of her ass is a more valid point.

Yes, the fiance drama fits the context of the story, which is why I think the development wouldn't have been perceived as "out of nowhere" if it had been better executed. A plot point that was adressed already suddenly getting addressed again after several volumes of no signs that it is still a relevant part of the story just doesn't come off as a natural development.

Even then, we're (mostly) following Yuzu's pov, so the fact that we didn't get any prior clue may have to do with the fact that Yuzu doesn't remember/don't care about that stuff and that Mei has been hiding it. I prefer to wait what it will be, to see why she didn't talk about it if she is really engaged again.

Whether we follow only Yuzu's POV or not, there are always opportunities to give hints to the story developments through visual cues and/or casual dialogues/interactions (even from BG characters). The characters don't have to be aware of their situations for the writer to forshadow them to the readers.

(1)Specifically, why is this chapter's writing objectively bad? The main complain I've seen is that it comes from nowhere but I can, and I did, write that this isn't the case. The context of Mei's family and country perfectly justifies the (strong) possibility of Mei getting engaged once again to a man if she chose to pursue her objective : becoming the new director of the school. We understand what is going on, we know the stakes and it holds within the context of the story : how can it be bad writing "objectively"?

Here're my 2 cents on why most of us think that the writing in this chap is bad, assuming that Mei actually has a new fiancé she's been hiding the entire time. The fiancé drama is brought up in vol.1 & seemingly has been dealt with in that same volume since the issue is left in the backburner for 8 fucking volumes. Then it suddenly get brought up again here with no prior lead-up. Of course people are going to complain that the development is pulled straight out of the author's ass. This same development could've been acceptable if there were some sort of foreshadowing, like what was pointed out here:

But things probably would have rolled a lot smoother if we had seen arranged marriages happen throughout the manga for this moment, whether through background characters or even dialogue like "oh did you hear xxxx is getting married". That way if it was going to be important we wouldn't have forgotten it was a thing.

The bad writing here is pretty much in the execution. Hey, it could be a red herring, tho that would render this entire chap pointless, but we'll see.

With this and MiA I feel that the lolis are blessed with good stories recently.

It's the power of potatoes.

Why isn't Yuu blond? Still a bit sad... I don't know if it's intentional, but it's "funny" to see that they would commit suicide in a more contemporary setting and would just keep on living in a post-apocalyptic dead land.

The artwork with the 2 girls who committed suicide is not a drawing of Yuuri and Chito, but it is by the same artist. Suicide is a common theme in her works and SSR also has quite a few suicide/death imageries in it, like that last shot in the OP where they are driving away from what looks like their own grave, so some just decide to juxtapose the 2 images.

^

Potatoes' Suicide Tour

B-but potatoes can't lewd potatoes.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou is the iyashikei show I never thought I needed. Absolutely amazing BG shots & comfy OST. The OP & ED are fantastic & the fact that the author animated the ending herself makes it extra special. Already an AOTS contender with 3gatsu & Gintama.

Gintama with usagi drop ending.....

Gintoki ended up with Kagura? Really? That seems like it's a parody on it or something.

Lol no. Assuming that Koneko's post is refering to the lastest Gintama anime, it's kinda out of context. So in the recent arc, Kagura got a bf (who is a giant alien) & her dad & Gintoki got rlly overprotective of her. Good old Gintama stuffs happened & they beat up the alien w/ Kagura choosing her moronic "fathers" over settling w/ a bf.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou's first ep was comfy af with some unsettling undertones Holy shit, I was having the stupidest grin on my face the entire time & was genuinely taken back by the scene where Yuu points the gun at Chi, even though it was a joke (kinda) The OST & the visuals really work to help build the atmosphere & the world. Very intrigued to see where it's going. & since Chi & Yuu are the only humans left. I think it's safe to say we can ship them together for humanity's sake. Also, since it's super atmospheric, highly character-driven, & with this post-apocalyptic world setting, I feel like this show might make me cry.

Well, after finding out the author's works through her Twitter & Tumblr, I now understand that the unsettling tone is intentional & that this anime is possibly an allegory of the author's severe depression. This might turn out to be the most interesting ride this season.

Also, good news (?), the author is into yuri.

last edited at Oct 8, 2017 2:35AM

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou's first ep was comfy af with some unsettling undertones Holy shit, I was having the stupidest grin on my face the entire time & was genuinely taken back by the scene where Yuu points the gun at Chi, even though it was a joke (kinda) The OST & the visuals really work to help build the atmosphere & the world. Very intrigued to see where it's going. & since Chi & Yuu are the only humans left. I think it's safe to say we can ship them together for humanity's sake. Also, since it's super atmospheric, highly character-driven, & with this post-apocalyptic world setting, I feel like this show might make me cry.

@riverFlower Regarding that line at the end of vol 1, I share the same reading as Scarlet, that it refers to the twist in ch 10 where Yuu has to promise to give up on falling in love in order to continue being by Touko's side. Although I think it's interesting that you brought up the possibility of it having a bigger implication, I didn't think about that before.

Are you implying that Teekyu, the 5 minute comedy short that may or may not be funded by its staff's loose change, is not at the pinnacle of animation quality? For shame.

It's 2 minutes & 30 seconds. 2 MINUTES & 30 SECONDS OF 2-FRAME ANIMATIONS. Work of pure genius & crack.

Season 10 when?

Season's over. Just gonna point out the best & worst highlights.

-The most intelligent & thought-provoking show of the season goes to Aho Girl
-The best produced show with amazing high-quality animation & direction goes to Teekyuu 9
-The comedic masterpiece that combines both quality writing & quality production is NTR
-Other highlights of the season: Made in Abyss (looks good), New Game S2 (is cute & better than S1), & Sakura Quest (is
comfy)
-Mistakes of the season: Bahamut Virgin Soul, Jigoku Shoujo S4

People have been referring to Touko's self-hatred and questioning why she hates herself. Maybe I'm wrong, but I've been assuming all along that the root of her self hatred is that she blames herself for her sisters death. She didn't want to go out to run an errand, so her sister did it in her place and had her fatal accident. Obviously, her sister wouldn't have died if she just ran the errand herself, so (in her own mind anyway) it's the same as if she had killed her sister herself. In fact, she should have died instead. Spiraling around thoughts like this will inevitably produce self-loathing and self-hatred.

Logic cannot change this kind of thinking, and breaking out of such thought patterns and their results can be the work of years or even a lifetime.

As I said, perhaps I'm wrong.

Edit: I think other factors that have been cited here would certainly play into it and make her more vulnerable to this trap, but this is what I see as the root of it.

The guilt she felt definitely plays a big part in it. I wouldn't say that it is the root of her self-hatred. Along with the words planted in her mind by her relatives, the guilt that she is the one who was partly responsible for the death of her sister kinda intensifies the negative image she already has of herself. Although this interpretation is based on the fact that the major conflict centers around Touko as well as the play is over the lack/erred perception of identity & self and not over someone trying to overcome/atone for their (perceived) past sin in their life. The root of the problem should be the thing that gets addressed as a major theme/plot point, but so far, there hasn't been a lot that deals with Touko's guilt. However, if we were to have more flashbacks to when Touko was a kid and her relationship with her sister gets fleshed out extensively, then I think you'd be right.

When was the second time Yuu confronted Touko? You mean chapter 22? Because that didn't seem like a confrontation to tell her she's fine being herself, it was more about Yuu trying to get her to rely on her and comfort her. Then when Yuu actually tried to say something related to Touko's problem the latter just gave her a shut up kiss, so did I miss something? I only remember chapter 10 as the only real time Yuu tried to reason with Touko, it didn't work so Yuu , just like Sayaka , kept the status quo to keep Touko with her until she realised how wrong that was and now she is actively doing something to change her.

The proto-GBS, yes. Yuu did try to reason with Touko, although more sensible and less aggressive about it (a lot more listening & small questioning than making statements and telling Touko this or that which were the characteristics of the confrontation in ch 10). The shut-up kiss is a much better response than "If you don't wanna help, then I don't need it," I think lol

Assuming the translation is accurate, I'm grasping onto the blurb on the last page, since it only says Touko's mind is clouded with "doubt" and not despair.

I went to check on raw again. So the text in Japanese is "Touko no kokoro ni kage ga..." which literally translates into "In Touko's heart/mind, a shadow is..." I'm no Japanese expert, so if someone can provide a better explanation, please do, but the word shadow is less as specific as either doubt or despair.

I think Yuu currently is the only person who could be a catalyst for Touko. She and anything related to Mio are the only people who have been shown to have any effect on her. But I worry about what something like Yuu breaking down would show. Touko's commandment to not fall in love with her still stands, not to mention it was made explicit Yuu came up with the revised play.

I see Touko's commandment in ch 22 as her own way of trying to hold onto the status quo or whatever is left of it. The question is whether what she says and what she truly wants/feels are even in line with one another anymore. That's the one thing about this manga though, it's been using unreliable narration since the very beginning. So we won't know for sure if Yuu breaking down will actually be met with the same attitude as back in ch 10 or not. & as you have pointed out, Yuu has been slightly more successful in her attempts to reason with Touko (God, the patience that this takes), so this supposed third confrontation shouldn't turn out as much of a hot mess or so we hope.

In my experience, people look to death when the path they see ahead of them seems unbearable and, more importantly, unchanging, even though that's often not true. If Touko blooming into Mio was her starting trajectory, then I believe enough has changed, enough has happened to her through the course of the "play" for her to make a new decision. Like I already said before, I cannot see a satisfying ending where Touko does not change, for the exact same reason Yuu gave for why Koyomi's original script didn't feel right. It could also be said stories don't have to be satisfying, but well, that's going to be a hard sell to turn out brilliant work for years just so it can crash at the very end.

Oh no, I totally agree that a suicide ending is not a good ending for this manga for the same reasons & I highly doubt that it will happen. I said before if there's anything the title of this series promises, it is that Touko will be able to find who she is. I was trying to explain my reasoning as to why I think Touko is becoming suicidal for real & that we might possibly even get explicit suicide attempt, rather than proving how this series is gonna end on Touko's death. Sorry if it wasn't clear.

I know right, they've already made a PV and the voice actors were pretty good. Citrus got an anime adaptation for goodness sake, and that has so much less complexity and so much more melodrama compared to Yagate Kimi ni Naru. Well on the other hand maybe that's what other people like. XD To each their own.

Citrus is a popular series & Yuri Hime needs something to promote the new magazine, so it's not surprising that it got an adaptation. But luckily, YagaKimi is the most popular yuri romance in Japan right now (how much I love the fact that quality translates into popularity for once) & Dengeki folks love promoting it, so we can dream.

Not to get anyone's hope up, but Dengeki's 25th anniversary campaign (where they have done several announcements for some of the series they own) is ending on Jan 27, 2018, which is when vol 5 is gonna be released. What better way to end this campaign than to announce a YagaKimi anime? :v

Edit:

(Touko's squee in reaction to the picture sent by Yuu's sister is right up there among my favorite scenes in the series.)

Saaame. When we will get these sorts of scenes again? ;_;

last edited at Oct 1, 2017 4:26PM