Yama no Susume Second Season

Continuing their treks through the high peaks of Japan, the mountaineering girls are back for more! First-year high school student Aoi Yukimura, a shy girl with a fear of heights, and her wildly energetic friend Hinata Kuraue set out once again to conquer the perils of backyard camping trips, summer homework, and even a climb on the mountain of their dreams. Joined by middle school student Kokona Aoba and their knowledgeable upperclassman Kaede Saitou, the squad members are ready to take on whatever slopes and challenges they might face, no matter how steep.

Through their shared hobby of mountain climbing, they bond closer than ever and even make new friends on trails all over the country. Whether it is just a local hill or the tallest mountain around, nothing is too much for Aoi and the crew to handle. They will climb, stumble, and rise to even greater heights together!

[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

Babin-Coy, Nelson Japanese

Onozuka, Hikari Supporting

Gibu, Yuuko Japanese

Jennifer Supporting

Kaida, Yuki Japanese

Yukimura, Megumi Supporting

Hisakawa, Aya Japanese

Aoba, Mai Supporting

Hayamizu, Risa Japanese

Nakajima, Yasuhiro Producer

Tooyama, Daisuke Producer

Mukaitouge, Kazuki Producer

Kitada, Shuuichi Producer

Reviews

Dec 25, 2014

SkyNoHoshi

Recommended

"(Mountain-climbing) may have been hard, but it was a lot of fun. I want to experience more of these feelings. Lots more."

I was eager to watch the second season after seeing the first season which consist of three-minute episodes. It was great that in this second season the episodes are longer, which leaves for more story and definitely development in the characters. If you'd watched it already, you should know that Aoi at first didn't like mountain climbing. But with the help of Hinata, and along with two more girls, Kaede and Kokona, she got to learn more about it and she had a lot ... of fun with them.

In the second season, it continues in with almost the same idea, but also some episodes do offer some surprises. There are some more mountain-climbing adventures in the story which not only entertain you with cute girls but you can also learn something, whether it's the mountain or Japanese culture. Education isn't the main focus in the story but it's great that at least there is something to know, from the characters' knowledge to us viewers. At times when they aren't climbing, there is a small story, whether it involves the four girls or individual. It's good as well for such smaller stories that we can get to know more about the girls well and perhaps seeing some development.

The story has a lot of cute and funny moments from the characters' interaction. My emphasis goes on cuteness because I swear, the pandering is real on this anime. Every episode, you will never miss your dose of cuteness. Although this does not have any effect to the story, they are there to brighten your watching experience, and maybe your day when you're feeling down. It also has a few dramatic moments which, luckily, doesn't go overboard and nothing tragic happened for a light-hearted anime.

You may have seen tons of slice of life anime, and whether they have a story or not does not really matter now. But whether it tries to make the audience feel satisfied or enjoy is a much important factor, and Yama no Susume does not fail in this. Indeed, the story may not be too perfect, but it is definitely special in many people's hearts, including mine. Also, you probably seen tons of them being school-themed. However, this anime focuses on nature instead, one of the less-used themes, and it was great that it did their utmost best to glorify this theme. All references said in the anime are real, including the attractions and legends. With some knowledge learnt, you will have a different experience that you never felt before in your anime watching.

It is nice to see a small cast, especially for a slice of life anime. This also leaves more story and development in most of each character. You already have met four girls, Aoi, Hinata, Kaede and Kokona. They have a special bond together like as if their friendships will last forever. Also, if you looked at the poster, you would see a new character, which is Honoka. She is introduced in the last few episodes and despite not having enough time to know more about her, she is a good addition to the group. Calm as always, smiles once a while too.

Aoi and Hinata has one of the best friendships I've seen. It's well-developed and despite their differences and small fights in-between, they still stick close together since young. Hinata is always out there to reach Aoi and help her along the way whenever she is stuck in a difficult situation. That also means Hinata has learnt about Aoi one step at a time and so she knows Aoi and herself more.

The girls have a nice dynamic character with different set of emotions once in a while. They are aware of their thoughts and know what to do to make themselves better. Overall, they all have developed throughout the whole story, and I'm impressed to see that. But not only just them, but also a few characters that are introduced later in the story which changed their mindset over thanks to the girls.

For a light-hearted anime, expect everything cute. Back to the point, the art for this anime is almost similar to any kind of slice of life anime, but it stands out the most for its spectacular sceneries depicting mountains, skies and buildings. The details look refined and almost real. I love the nature drawn such as the sun-rise and the flowing river. The atmosphere is lively with background people around interacting one another. The character designs are absolutely cute and nicely-detailed and a bit real. The facial expressions are well-done, that show how does the character feel.

There are two opening and three ending songs in total. One of the ending song is reused from the first season, but it's a nice touch to relive the memories of the first season as well. Overall, all of them are sweet and lovely to hear. They may not stand out with the rest in the two seasons, but honestly, I love all of them so much. I must give special mention of the animation that went along with these songs, because they have this unique art style that reminded me of the first opening in Bakemonogatari. The background music isn't really memorable but I think it's done well. The voice acting is great too.

I never had this time when I dislike an episode, and I was always power-hungry for more. This anime never failed to disappoint me, so this had to be one of the best anime I have watched since the start. I'm glad to find this anime from the first season, and I really hope to see more of cute girls climbing mountains in the future. It's regrettable to see that this anime does not pick up enough hype. So I consider a miracle if I met a random stranger and he said he had watched this anime. I really hoped a lot more people can watch this.

Hence, please watch the two seasons. They will never disappoint you, trust me.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Aug 2, 2015

Ryuujou

Recommended

Honestly, I happened to come by this anime purely by chance. An anime about girls climbing mountains? As soon as I read the summary, I gave it a try. What the summary anticipated was a journey, and a long one at that.

The four main characters go through many hardships and turns, and it made me want to cheer them on. Aspects of their experiences are often relatable in some way, too, like being unsure if you're able to do something, or simply an argument with your closest friend.

With art comparable to the easygoing nature scenes of Non Non Biyori's, Yama no Susume manages to ... fascinate me greatly. The detail and effort put into every scene is incredible and inspiring, and the accuracy with each feature of mountain climbing as a whole is amazing. It definitely feels like the studio behind it actually went and climbed a mountain themselves, giving the animation a very genuine 'mountain aura'.

Overall, I enjoyed both seasons of Yama no Susume, although it's unfortunate that the episodes in both seasons weren't full length, but the second season made a big difference to the three-minute (?) shorts of the first season. It's an enjoyable ride, for sure.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Aug 23, 2017

AnimeObasan

Mixed Feelings

This review is from someone who tackled Mt. Fuji all the way to the summit :)

I watched the first season (each episode is 3 minutes long, the second season episodes are 12 minutes a piece) and was impressed by the art, but that was about all. The characters are all typical fare and easily forgettable. The sound is completely average. The story has a strange pace. But the artwork is great.

This anime is a very realistic look at the climb, to the point that you can tell much of it was taken straight from photos. That was exciting for me, because it ... looks so similar that it was like being there again. The animation even gets the authentic cane brands and the bells. It even takes a look at the restroom options on the mountain (you have to pay 200 yen per use, and, realistically, it shows the girls depositing the money after they've used the restroom).

This anime is like a guide to climbing Mt. Fuji. It even tackles issues like altitude sickness and annoying tourists (represented, of course, by loud Americans who do everything wrong, including running down the mountain and talking all night at the hut). All the joy is represented here well, too: the sunrise, the wind, the stars, and the sun beating down on you. I found it to be a great story and very realistic, a good representation of the actual climb. However, when I first started watching, I assumed it would be all about the girls tackling Mt. Fuji. Instead, they climb several mountains. It's also quite a bit about preparation, which is great! But it was a bit like tuning into an action anime that spends 20 of the 25 minutes watching the characters talk, then getting a few scant minutes of a fight scene. I felt that not nearly enough time was spent on the struggle of the actual climb. The girls zip between stations way too quickly. These climbs take HOURS, but they seem to fly through it. Granted, the episodes are short, but the Mt. Fuji climb should have been drawn out more.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	Poll: Yama no Susume: Second Season Episode 4 Discussion Stark700 - Jul 30, 2014	30 replies	by passing_through »» Jul 20, 9:52 PM
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