Yama no Susume: Next Summit

Attachment 1992

"* Based on a slice-of-life manga series written and illustrated by Shiro.

Joined by fellow mountaineering enthusiasts, including the spirited Kuraue Hinata and the other climbers they've met on their journey to great heights, Aoi and friends tackle tough challenges and conquer new summits while they embark on adventures throughout the mountain ranges of Japan.

Source: HIDIVE"

Genre(s): Slice of Life, Sports, Cute girls doing __

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1-2

Refreshing... as intended. The first episode alone felt like a mini-move with a conclusive happily-ever-after style resolution, and is completely satisfying on its own, if you want to dip your toes in.

Surprisingly, they were content to end on a downer after their first 'major' expedition with altitude sickness preventing Aoi from reaching the summit and, stewing in sickness, pain, and disappointment, contemplating why she puts up with the hardship of hiking as they leave. Funny that she went from 'afraid of heights' last episode to 'disappointed I couldn't finish climbing Mt. Fuji on my first try in a single day' now. Time is kind of fluid here. They have a sports festival as the buffer for the second episode's OP.

Good animation, motion, and some sweet vista shots don't hurt.

I especially appreciate how this show handles the core group dynamics. They are not hierarchical; usually these shows will lean heavily into archetypes like the 'hungry one', the 'useless one', or the 'antisocial' one or the 'one who takes this hobby too seriously', and so on. Summit instead takes time to build much more fleshed out characters and lets them interact without corny schticks or repeating gags in place of meaningful interactions. By the end of the first episode, they act like close friends, because they are; not comedians and straight-men. That makes them much more fun to watch and root for.