Reviews for Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit

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. NextSummit 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!

Moreso than any other CGDCT series, Yama no Susume certainly has a unique history to it. From its (very) humble beginnings as a 2-minute short in S1, to a 15-minute short in S2 and S3, all the way to becoming a full-length season in its latest season, the series' growth from niche climbing series to Hanno city's unofficial mascot is certainly noteworthy, if anything. Almost 10 years since the series first started, with nearly a decade of experience, Yama no Susume still stands tall even amongst the changing landscape of the slice of life genre. Having full length episodes now essentially means each episode has enoughroom to express itself and to fully let the viewer immerse themselves within the show itself. Part of the reason why I regarded Omoide Present much highly than S1-S3 is because of this. And I'm happy to report that in general, the quality of each episode in S4 either matches or exceeds the OVA. Far from the angst-laden episodes of S3, what we have here is a more focused portrayal of Aoi as she grows and matures more as a person.

The first 4 episodes being recaps (apart from the 2/3 minute preludes) was a minor point of contention for me. Especially considering there was no shortage of manga material to adapt. I suppose it's a necessary evil given how long since the series started, but I would have preferred if we had more actually new content as opposed to a rethread.

The rest of the series, on the other hand, doesn't disappoint. The new characters introduced complement the cast really well, and I'm glad we finally got a proper Honoka x Kokona spotlight episode and got to see Hinata's mom at long last. The show is simultaneously relaxing and yet it captivates your attention just as often. The superb direction certainly does wonders in bringing these locations to life, and with a gentler color palette compared to previous seasons, I am fully immersed every week when I tune in to the show.

And let me tell you that the season finale is quite possibly my favorite ending to a slice of life show since Non Non Biyori S3. All that buildup since S2 (or even S1) led to a spectacular payoff, complete with a triumphant reprise of the main theme, several callbacks, and an immensely satisfying conclusion to Aoi's journey as a character. I was holding my tears back throughout, but when Staccato Days played at the tail end of the episode, I damn near broke down.

It has been a long journey to get here. I don't know if more anime projects will be made for the series in the future, but if this season was to serve as its finale, then, like Aoi, I'm glad to have made this journey. Times have changed a lot since the show first started, and with this juggernaut of a series now at its conclusion, perhaps, as told in the series, we should look forward to our future selves and move on. To even taller mountains to conquer.

8/10

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 orderto 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.

January 26, 2024. I finished watching the anime “Yama no Susume” (Encouragement of Climb). This anime is without a doubt the biggest milestone in the history of anime that I have watched and will continue to watch. The fact that this anime purely exists is actually amazing with all that it entails. When I started watching the series in August 2023, I couldn't have imagined what actually awaited me here. I would never have been prepared for this trip that Yama no Susume took me on. Yes, the anime definitely has its flaws, you shouldn't forget that. It's not perfect, but it exists. This anime really exists and you can't take thataway from it.

I definitely recommend watching this anime.

I'm speechless.

If you are reading this, you are very likely already a fan of CGDCT anime in general, and perhaps a fan of Yama no Susume in particular. Who will like this? Fans of the original series, seasons 1-3. Fans of CGDCT, especially outdoors CGDCT. If you like Yuru Camp, Slow Loop, or Super Cub, you will probably like this too. It is far from perfect. The first four episodes were just poorly edited scenes from the previous 3 seasons. It could have been done better. The narrative was choppy and just didn't make sense sometimes. Really, it would have been better to just giveus a mini-season of the 8 new episodes as a standalone series.

But it was better than Yuru Camp. There is more of a story to Yama no Susume, with much more drama, and a better focus on the relationships between the characters. So if you liked Yuru Camp, you will probably love Yama no Susume. Worth watching. Not at the top of my re-watch list, but I wouldn't complain about watching it again,.

"We've made it this far, so let's go." -- the following is a discussion on how time is discussed in the yama no susume series and a look at this season in particular. a spoiler or two lies within. reader discretion is advised. -- Time. Time passes whether we like it or not, a constant that consistently chugs away. Sometimes the clock seems to be moving in slow motion as we gaze at it longingly, and that gaze is repeated when we wish for more of it, a fun event draining it at a rapid pace. This change is only present in the eye of the beholder,one's perception.

Encouragement of Climb is all about the perception of time. Not only with how it moves, but with how we spend it and how it looks at different moments: past, present, and future.

The first season explored the idea of transitioning from alone time to group time. Aoi, now in high school, has been cooped up and spending every waking moment alone. She finds joy in solitude, happiness working on various crafts in the fortress of her own room. She gets pulled out of her comfort zone for the better, discovering newfound happiness through climbing and, more importantly, being in a group. The second season continued this transitional trend with focus on responsibilities and a growing social group: time to grow up. The third season took a look at the past, present, and future the most with the relationship between Aoi and Hinata being put to the magnifying glass. Those promises from the past, how much do they bound the present and without a longstanding promise, who's to say what lies in the future?

Season Four, Next Summit, is all about persistence, dedication, keeping it up, and acceptance. Who knows what comes next? Let's just keep walking, one foot after the other. Aoi has grown a lot. She spends time with a variety of people in varying situations, sharing her passion with others and learning about others'. She's able to speak up in a crowd, comfort her senior, be an upstanding employee, and, finally conquer Mount Fuji. Keep going, just keep going, and through pure will, good things will happen. It's all just a matter of patience, a matter of time.

Stellar animation, quality VAs, it's got all the works. I love shows like this that really dig deep into the activity - it puts you right there with the characters and it's motivating to get the viewer into the same mindset. In fact, the reason I didn't finish this day of was because I was out hiking this week on vacation!

It's very unfortunate that the first few episodes had to be purely recap with odd gaps (which made them completely obsolete and unhelpful), but given that every season prior had twelve minute episodes and this one doubled that length, I can't be too upset I guess. Another quality season overall!

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 reachedthe 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