Yama no Susume: Next Summit

While reminiscing about her journey so far, Aoi Yukimura finds herself eager to go mountaineering once more. A likely opportunity arises when Koharu Senjuin invites Aoi to check out the Mountaineering Club after school. As the head of the club, Koharu speaks enthusiastically of the activities she and the other members partake in, especially as they strive to reach the top in various competitions.

Although impressed by the club's dedication to its goals, Aoi feels reluctant to join, preferring to learn and enjoy mountaineering at her own pace. Her experience during this brief visit, however, leaves her wondering why she climbs mountains in the first place. With the support of her friends, Aoi searches for the true motivation behind her hobby, all while continuing to train for the highly anticipated second trip to the summit of Mt. Fuji.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yukimura, Aoi Main

Iguchi, Yuka Japanese

Aoba, Kokona Main

Ogura, Yui Japanese

Kuraue, Hinata Main

Asumi, Kana Japanese

Saitou, Kaede Main

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Kurosaki, Honoka Supporting

Touyama, Nao Japanese

Michael Supporting

Onozuka, Hikari Supporting

Gibu, Yuuko Japanese

Jennifer Supporting

Yuri Supporting

Takao, Kanon Japanese

Yukimura, Megumi Supporting

Hisakawa, Aya Japanese

Hirano, Takahiro Producer

Awaji, Tooru Producer

Nakajima, Yasuhiro Producer

Yamamoto, Yuusuke Director, Script, Series Composition

Reviews

Dec 20, 2022

halfaspider

Recommended

There are lots of "hidden gem" anime that everyone knows about and are often... unpolished, but Yama no Susume is a real one. It seems nothing short of miraculous how many incredibly talented animators, artists, and directors were pulled from across the industry to make this series and it shows as just about every other frame looks like something you'd hang above your living room fireplace (if you have one of those for some reason). Between this and an entirely loveable cast who you can't help but root for as they interact and grow, Yama no Susume stands among the best in the Iyashikei/CGDCT genre.

Next ... Summit seems likely to be the final entry to the series and starts off with 4 recap episodes. Aside from a scene at the start of each one, they don't contain new content if you have recently seen the previous 3 seasons. If it has been a while, they are very well-done and worth a watch.

As a show about cute girls climbing mountains, you'd be correct to assume you'll see some metaphors relating the mountains to life and slopes to character growth, etc. Presented mostly from the perspective of a reluctant and grounded protagonist, Yukimura Aoi, Yama no Susume strikes a perfect balance for the people who eat that shit up and the people worried its going to get too cheesy. Aoi herself, initially only begrudgingly admits the appeal of mountain climbing and starts making such connections as she is coerced into the activity by her long-time (temporarily forgotten) friend Hinata. However, the handful of moments where Aoi does realize her own growth as a person (often in the form of a mountain climbing metaphor) are surprisingly emotional and even hard-hitting at times.

While the pretty art/animation and nice life metaphors are great, the strongest suit of the series is likely the characters and their dynamics. To put it simply, they are just a ton of fun. As the main characters, Aoi and Hinata in particular show a range of interactions from genuine fights to encouragements and exchanges which feel borderline romantic. Each facet of their relationship presented to the viewer, though, is believable, entertaining, and consistent with their respective characters. Over 4 seasons of new members being carefully added and providing their own unique flavor to the group and creating new dynamics, the end result is a solid cast of well-developed characters with plenty of novel interactions to keep the viewer entertained for the course of the show.

It is impossible not to make a mountain pun here so I'll just say it: Next Summit is the peak of the whole series. With emotional climaxes to our characters' growth, the most stunning cinematography yet, and a real big mountain, it is hard to think of this season as anything else and there isn't much better than seeing a series come together like this in the (probable?) last stretch. Beyond happy that this show exists, and I highly recommend you check it out!

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Dec 21, 2022

i-like-this

Recommended

EnK-Onragement of Climb

Encouragement of Climb is back and this time with full length 24 minute episodes for it’s final(?) season. Although I actually preferred the previous seasons 12 minute length episodes, there was an appropriate amount of story and content this time around (expect for the first 4 episodes which were recaps of the previous seasons with some added scenes) so I suppose it was justifiable.

If you’ve never watched Encouragement of Climb before, it’s another cute moé blobs doing cute things ala mountain climbing edition. Aoi has climbed mountains literally and metaphorically in order to overcome her introverted ways and social anxiety in order ... to become a functioning human able to make friends at school and… talk to people normally. This season sees that all her collective efforts has given her more confidence in her daily life, and the drive to train with the help of her friends for her ultimate goal, climbing to the submit of Mt. Fuji.

There’s not really a lot to say about this one. It’s just good, wholesome, moé blob fun. 8-bit’s animation is still excellent - especially the background and scenery art, the main and supporting cast are still as fun and dorky as ever, the music is still on point and there’s no weirdly forced conflict this time around like there was in season 3. It’s unfortunate that this anime has been overshadowed by another moé blob show about a pink haired, sometimes melting moé blob with extreme, introverted, social anxiety problems learning how to become a functional human able to make friends and… talk to people normally, but Encourage of Climb has you covered if you’re looking for something with more chill. It might even make you want to start mountain climbing. The trivia it offers about gear and the various mountains the girls climb is genuinely interesting. I want to climb a mountain now… a small one though… maybe just a hill… god I’m so out of shape…

7/10 Good.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jan 16, 2023

JanJohansen

Mixed Feelings

Spoiler

I've set my rating to 7, but it would have been an 8, if it weren't for the first four episodes.

Reason is, I binged all four seasons and OVA's, so having the first four episodes of this season basically being mostly reruns/highlights from the previous seasons, this felt like they had either run out of money or story.

The rest is pretty good, though. If there's a fifth season, I hope to see the relationship between Konoka and Honoka develop further. There was a small hint about closer friendship in one of the episodes.

Then again, maybe this show has (literally) peaked now, as Aoi has reached ... the summit of Mt. Fuji. Where does a show about girls climbing go from here? Do the girls start bouldering? Do they go abroad? Does Kaede go to Himalaya?

Note: I haven't read the Manga, so I don't know if there is a continuation to the story after Mt. Fuji

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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	Is this season worth watching? AoiroBlueColor - Oct 7	5 replies	by imjayhime »» Oct 13, 6:40 AM
	Poll: Yama no Susume: Next Summit Episode 11 Discussion Stark700 - Dec 13, 2022	26 replies	by GenesisAria »» Jul 12, 5:13 PM
	Poll: Yama no Susume: Next Summit Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Dec 20, 2022	61 replies	by Ryoketsu »» May 24, 2:01 PM
	Poll: Yama no Susume: Next Summit Episode 2 Discussion Stark700 - Oct 11, 2022	32 replies	by ProofByColor »» May 23, 7:38 PM
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