After watching the first season which introduced Aoi, a girl who was initially very shy and was scared of climbing, until her very loud and energetic friend Hinata convinced her to start climbing. I was interested to see what they would do next along with their friends Kokona and Kaede in this season.
The character interactions between the four girls were fantastic. It was so much fun just watching them in their day to day life, whether they were shopping, or just having a sleepover. There interactions were very natural and funny too. Aoi’s and Hinata’s friendship was great to see as well. Even though they fought over small things they always remembered the importance of their friendship and helping each other. It was also really nice to see Kaede, the most experienced climber in the group give advice and encouragement to Aoi when she was struggling. These teach us an important lesson about the importance of friendship and being nice.
Aoi’s character development over time was shown really well. Aoi is scared of heights and is quite shy, yet she continually went outside her comfort zone with the encouragement of her friends, like climbing a steep mountain, or more simple things like going to a bath house for the first time. It was great seeing Aoi’s confidence grow over time, and this made her a far more relatable and likeable character.
Unfortunately there were some episodes which lacked any emotional depth or purpose. This made the episode feel a bit boring and dull. Sometimes the girls would face no challenging situations during an episode. For example in one episode the girls would have a sleepover and talk, but none of them would be put in a difficult situation which I think made some episodes feel a little meaningless.
The animation quality is pretty good. Especially the outdoor scenery and mountains, which look like paintings, the characters and indoor settings are reasonably detailed and smooth.
Yama no Susume is very fun to watch. The interactions between the four girls is very relatable, and humourous, whether they’re just doing their homework, or climbing a mountain. Yama no Susume doesn’t have as much emotional depth as some other anime like Your Lie in April. If you want to watch something lighthearted and fun, I would definitely recommend Yama no Susume. It might encourage you to climb the mountains in your life.
Constructive feedback for this review is appreciated :)
