Touring After the Apocalypse

Episode 10

If it wasn't for Airi's close attention to her scatty, reckless travelling companion, Yoko could probably have died in this episode, on at least a couple of occasions. It's nice to have a faithful android buddy between you and painful, accidental death when you appear to be the last human being on Earth. It seems Yoko's protected by other mysterious forces too – namely, whatever forces can summon bolts of lightning from Heaven at just the right time to shatter the massive falling rock that threatened to squash our intrepid duo. Now I very much doubt that said bolt was the will of Saitō Musashibō Benkei (as Yoko seems to believe here), rather more likely to be some kind of energy beam from whatever orbital satellite “Big Sis” is probably resident on. Yoko would no doubt accuse me, like Airi, of being unromantic, but as Airi retorts, it's also possible to be a “realistic romantic.”

In this context, Yoko's definition of “romance” is perhaps more akin to “whimsy.” She'd love to believe she's being watched over by the spirit of a giant spear-wielding warrior with the power to split entire mountains asunder, but I don't think she's always quite as childish as she makes out. Take the girls' visit to the very cold (four degrees Celsius) rock mine. In the darkness, Yoko spies some well-preserved human corpses (they're essentially being refrigerated, after all), and quickly retreats so Airi doesn't see them. She acted similarly in a previous episode, finding a corpse in a home's upstairs bedroom. She merely turned around and left, without reporting to Airi what she saw. Is this Yoko trying to assume the “Big Sis” role for Airi, who at least looks a lot younger than Yoko? I do wonder, considering her cyborg nature, whether she'd even be bothered by corpses at all?

Yoko's fully aware that she's traversing an empty, melancholy world now devoid of its previous human residents, yet she remains almost terminally upbeat, singing along with Airi to traditional songs as they ride their trusty electric Serow. Yet we never see her overcome with sadness or facing the existential horror of loneliness. Is this because she's built that way, or because in Airi, she has all the companionship she needs? Their visit to Kegon Falls, with its spellbinding rainbow, gives us a peek behind her plucky exterior – the sheer natural beauty she witnesses brings her to tears, and she can't seem to admit that to Airi.

Lightning-exploded rocks and refrigerated corpses aside, this is probably the most standard travelogue episode we've had in a while, and a little less interesting than usual. There aren't any distractions from sentient androids with souls, or breakneck-speed racing circuits. The girls travel all the way from sea level up to high altitude mountain regions, stopping at tourist sites of interest along the way. It's almost like watching an episode of post-apocalyptic Laid Back Camp. It's fun to see these places as the creators expect them to look after years of disuse, and I'm almost tempted to visit in person to see them now, before it's too late. I suppose that's entirely the point.

Also, did anyone else pick up during the ending credits what looks like the meteorite storm from hell? Could that be moon rock ejected from the explosion that left that enormous scar? That's certainly a choice visual to end a relatively chilled slice-of-life travelogue show on. It's that kind of juxtaposition between cozy and unsettling that keeps me coming back to the show, though. I wonder if we'll get any concrete answers before the season is done?

Rating:

Touring After the Apocalypse is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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