Also, the show is still going so the review may well be subject to change, but I felt I had to do something about the ridiculous rating: the score as of now is 6.82, which is the average for EXTREMELY BAD anime. Not kidding: EXTREMELY. BAD. Yama no Susume, however, is frankly one of the shows I look forward each week, so I hope this review will encourage more people to watch it.
Enjoyment: 8
To hell with the MAL order. I watch anime to have a good time, so enjoyment is the most important point. Hence, the last will be first. (Translated for my grandma reading me from the North Pole: I'm apologizing for putting the last point first in order.)
Yama no Susume is WILDLY enjoyable. It actually changed how I look at mountains: once, they were big rocks without meaning. Then, a lovely sight and a good photographic subject.
Now, they are places I'd like to dwell in.
Still, I find that for 5 minutes of your life, they can be well spent while watching Yama no Susume. It takes as much time as a smoke, but it won't kill you.
Story: 8
Let's face it: Yama no Susume is not a thriller, nor a romance story. If you're looking for plot twists, keep looking as you'll find none. However, if we consider YnS a slice-of-life comedy I think the story is actually quite good. It's plausible, and yet funny. It's logical, and yet moving. Heck, this is a life any of us could well have lived: how do you call an anime about people with magical powers or mecha "slice of life" ? So, sticking to this definition of Slice, Yama no Susume is actually quite good in my opinion.
Bottom line: It's not an action anime, but I still found the story to be very enjoyable.
Art: 8
Fresh, light-hearted and colorful without ever great taste. Not quite as comedic as Kotoura-San, neither as artistic as Sakurasou na Pet no Kanojo, and I think that's a good side: an up-the-ante art would have really looked off against the story. Still, they could break the boundary a little in the comedy moments.
Bottom line: Botticelli didn't draw this, but I think it adds to the lightheartedness of the anime. Yes, you write lightheartedness without hyphens
