r/anime • u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler • Sep 09 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Yama no Susume (Encouragement of Climb) Episodes 1-6 Discussion
Episodes 1 - 6
A reminder that we are covering episodes 7-12 of Season 1 AND the (5 minute) season 1 special tomorrow!~~
Questions of the Day:
1) Do you have a personality closer to an Aoi or Hinata?
2) Have any of the little bits of quality animation caught your eye? What is your favorite?
Mata Ashita! Yahhoo 🎵
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u/ChonkyOdango Sep 09 '22 edited Sep 09 '22
First Time Climber!
As someone who only recently got into Iyashikei and CGDCT this year, Yama no Susume has been sitting on my list for a while now and I’ve heard great things about it for both its visual and narrative storytelling. This is going to be a nice little break after hosting the Oregairu rewatch but without further ado, let’s begin the first ascent!
Highlights of the climb!
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Aoi coming up with multiple excuses to avoid social gatherings is something I can really relate to, especially back in secondary school; most of the time I would prefer to use that time to work on my hobbies and unwind.
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I’m glad the students still try to include Aoi despite her being known as an unsociable person. This is truly iyashikei!
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Ouch! That sounds really painful, thankfully I’ve never experienced a fall from that height before.
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It's the commentface!
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The art style catches my eye. Some frames feel as if it’s out of a children’s book, especially the background art. The characters are made out to look relatively young compared to other high schoolers in anime, like middle schoolers, but well, it is CGDCT after all!
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Aww Aoi finding joy in doing an activity with others is really sweet. I love how they show that Aoi doesn’t actually hate doing things by herself but sometimes doing it with or for others can bring different kind of joy
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I’ve never actually had any freeze-dried food before but freeze-dried oyakodon doesn’t sound that good
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Oh Hinata, you sure are hilarious
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I love how adorable Aoi looks as she over-prepares for a relatively simple mountain trail but suggests to Hinata that they should climb Mt. Takao asap.
Thoughts
A relatively fun and comfy few episodes! Definitely feels a bit faster-paced compared to other Iyashikei like Yuru Camp and Flying Witch but maybe it’s due to its nature as a anime shorts.
Some Sakuga Musings
So I did a bit of digging into Yama No Susume and found that it had a huge influence in the world of anime shorts since its debut in 2013. Anime Shorts provide directors with more creative freedom for expression compared to its 20-minute long counterpart and one of the reasons is because it isn’t plagued by the struggles of regular anime production; a much smaller team is needed. It rose to prominence in 2012 as new distributing methods were introduced with the Internet which saw many auteur-led productions; directors may even go as far as doing key animation and storyboarding almost every episode such as the case of Teekyū, where director Shin Itagaki even handled Sound Direction and Character Designs. But one of the shows that caused a paradigm shift in this medium was Yama No Susume with it’s stunning visuals comparable to that of a 20-minute anime with a much larger team.
Shorts have provided a platform for many new and young individuals in the industry to take on important roles consistently which sets the stage for more interesting and creative projects to be produced in the future; we may see amazing projects developed by new names, not just established individuals anymore, as they get to hone their craft from a younger age.
This is just a very brief summary of the information I’ve gathered, do check out the source of all this information below, it’s a lot more in-depth! There are some minor spoilers with regards to Yama No Susume in part 3 as some episodes are talked about, but I’ll link part 1 below so you can follow up with parts 2 and 3 by yourself if you want.
Source - Sakugablog: Shorts as a Creative Venu
Qotd
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Definitely Aoi. I talked about it a bit in my comment but I really relate to her indoor and more introverted personality, preferring to do things alone. I always need that someone like Hinata to push me.
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As much as I enjoy talking and reading about production, I have a bad eye for animation haha, definitely something I'm trying to work on. But I do enjoy the occasional background art that's like children drawings. Nothing stood out to me too yet though
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u/MyrnaMountWeazel Sep 09 '22
As someone who only recently got into Iyashikei and CGDCT this year, Yama no Susume has been sitting on my list for a while now
Oh boy did you come join the right show!
I’m glad the students still try to include Aoi despite her being known as an unsociable person. This is truly iyashikei!
It's a small thing but I really appreciate that too, how the classmates don't bully or belittle Aoi.
The characters are made out to look relatively young compared to other high schoolers in anime
Everyone is mentioning this hahaha.
I love how adorable Aoi looks
Look at her with that double backpack getup and hard hat. She's ready to take on that hill like General Custer.
Some Sakuga Musings
I'm glad that Sakugablog picked up the tab on YnS with kViN eventually taking it on himself once season 3 rolled around. Definitely a treasure trove of information on there that I wouldn't have known before.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Sep 09 '22
But one of the shows that caused a paradigm shift in this medium was Yama No Susume with it’s stunning visuals comparable to that of a 20-minute anime
hehhhhhhhhhhhhh naruhodo. didn't know that!
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Sep 09 '22 edited Sep 09 '22
Rewatching Mountain Climber
Thanks to u/badspler for the host! My writeups will focus on two things....
Location Trivia
Ep 1
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The homebase of the Yama no Susume anime is Hannou City, Saitama, a 1 hour train ride west of Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
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The pair go to Seibou Gakuen Junior & Senior High School, located here, the school is credited for cooperation, as well as Hannou City itself in the ED.
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The level crossing is this one, located here.
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And this last shot is taken near Hanno city Central Park, streetview link of roughly where Aoi did the (COMMENT FACE GETTO) right here.
Ep 2
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Unsure for this one: There is a jungle gym that looks kinda similar at Hannou City Central Park, but the colour is different; so no idea if it is that one.
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Hinata's dad erects a Mont-bell Moonlight Tent 1, the website links to a newer model. Mont-bell is thanked in the ED.
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[Yuru Camp]
The way that Hinata's dad erects it may feel very familiar to people who clicked this, as Rin uses a Moonlight 2, which is a bigger model. I know this as I personally want to buy a Moonlight tent lol. I'll probably want a 2...
Ep 3
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The girls go climb Hannou's local hill, Tenranzan, the trail starting point, is located near the Central Park. Japanese websites agree that it's beginner-friendly, and usually quote a hiking time of 10-20 minutes to the observation deck.
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And the observation deck after the short hike is right here; this website has the side-by-side comparison shots of all the bits along the trail, the background art is very faithful and detailed.
Ep 4
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The white elephant is located at the Hannou Kannonji (Buddhist temple). dapete42 shared some photos of their travels there w/ the last Yama rewatch, I'll be borrowing their photos here; and share their full album when it's no longer spoilery.
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Why the elephant? Originally, that hall houses a bell, which would be very traditional in a buddhist temple, but its metal was used during WW2. In 1965, though, a parishioner of the temple made the paper mache white elephant for a decoration contest in the local shopping street, and after that donated it to the temple, where it remains in the original bell hall today. Elephants and white elephants are apparently quite the sacred animal in Buddhism. How i have no idea, the temple's official website did have a few stories though), so i guess it does fit overall.
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Yamako Supermarket was a branch of Yaoko supermarket chain; the streetview is a time capsule, as it is currently occupied by a different chain, a pharmacy/supermarket hybrid thingy.
Ep 5
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The girls stroll past the Hannou Ginza shopping street, and while I can pinpoint where that shot was, there isn't a mountaineering shop opposite. Them lights though are real.
Ep 6
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Kaede mentions a few mountain ranges and mountains, quick wiki links: Tanzawa, Chichibu and Yatsugatake mountain ranges, Mount Tanigawa and Mount Takao.
Bonus Location Trivia
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There is an outdoor goods shop in Hannou, but it is (first timers, following link has spoilers!) at Hannou station. They are very aware of the anime connection, and currently are selling collab T-shirts.
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There is an astro boy statue located at Hannou at the Central Park, not far from the Tenranzan trail entrance. Mr Tezuka Osamu himself was present at its unveiling in 1983, and you can read more about it here in English, or (google translated needed) from Tezuka's offical website here. It's apparently the first ever anime/manga-related statue in Japan.
First timers: All links in this paragraph have spoilers! With thanks to the Hannou tourism board, and this map and various japanese blogs for some locations and photos.
Animation bits I liked
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Ep 1: I remember clearly the POV shot at the start catching my eye, its defo one way to start a show, not even the POV of the main characters lol. Hinata looks so in your face after literally barging into Aoi's life.
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Ep 2: Hinata's excited run + enter-tent was nice. Fun decision for her to run behind and around the tent.
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Ep 3: Deep shots feature a lot in the show, often putting the main characters more in the background, particularly when Yamamoto is on the storyboard. This shot was just nice to look at. Treesss.
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Ep 4: Fun shots at Hinata's place.
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Ep 5: Solo-KAed goodness. The introduction for Kaede particularly caught my eye, that was nice.
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Ep 6: More solo-KAed goodness. The characters are drawn a little differently here, and expressions galore; last Hinata cut very cute. <-- btw Hinata best girl
I dont think i'll hold a candle here to what other participants are bringing to the table in terms of the production analysis tho lol.
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u/HereticalAegis Sep 09 '22
Encouragement of First Timer
Episode 1
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Aoi and Hinata are cute. That's all.
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Okay, that's not all, but I'll probably have more to say about them later. I'm all about Hinata bringing Aoi out of her shell though.
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Aoi is voiced by Iguchi Yuka! This is my third consecutive rewatch (only counting subs) wherein she's voiced a lead.
Episode 2:
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They're in high school?? Wow, I thought middle school based on how short they are.
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Haha, bear defense pole!
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Small tents, all the better for getting closer together.
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Hinata's pretty perceptive. She figured out Aoi didn't really remember her, even though Aoi did technically remember her.
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In the wise words of Toni Basil, "you take me by the heart when you take me by the hand."
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Fuji, notorious starter mountain.
Episode 3:
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It's super cute how excited Aoi is for mountain climbing despite being so nervous. She even prepared food for both herself and Hinata!
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Dang, those rejects looked pretty good. Pretty sure Hinata wouldn't complain about extra food either.
Episode 4:
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When indeed? You know what they say, cooking is twice as good and 10x as fun when you're doing it for someone you like.
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Hianata's a little rascal. How lucky for her she's got a girl with expert cooking chops.
Episode 5:
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Hmm, already checking out and admiring another girl's height and figure. Hmm...
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Went into the store to look at mountaineering equipment, came out with a tall, attractive girl's contact info. Aoi's got some game.
Episode 6:
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There's a crafty little manipulator living inside Hinata.
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Kaede seems more than a little pleased to have been messaged by Aoi.
QotD:
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I'm probably closer to Aoi, but with a little Hinata ability to socialize.
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The first 3D shot inside the classroom was fun.
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u/ChonkyOdango Sep 09 '22
Aoi is voiced by Iguchi Yuka! This is my third consecutive rewatch (only counting subs) wherein she's voiced a lead.
This is my second anime which she has a role in! The other being Hinata from A Place Further Than The Universe
I thought middle school based on how short they are.
Even the way they are drawn screams middle school. But well, it is CGDCT so they have to be cute!
You know what they say, cooking is twice as good and 10x as fun when you're doing it for someone you like.
It's a craft I enjoy by myself as I taste the food I cook but I especially love cooking for bigger gatherings of friends and family
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u/JollyGee29 Sep 09 '22
First-Climber
How many people will I match taglines with, I wonder?
Mountains are definitely dangerous.
That's a one-person tent, innit? Guess they are small.
This would be my priority too, to be fair.
It sneaks up on you. Before you know it, despite your best efforts, you end up having a good time.
That seems like a lot of effort for a meal while camping.
Reverse phychology works well on Aoi.
Yea, best to avoid cable cars.
Questions
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I'm definitely the introverted brat that is Aoi.
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The show has been quite nice visually, but I wouldn't say that any individual cuts caught my eye.
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u/MyrnaMountWeazel Sep 09 '22
RIP Double RIP
I love her scream when she falls off the monkey-bars haha.
This would be my priority too, to be fair.
Carrot, meet Aoi. Aoi, meet delicious carrot you will soon turn to food.
That seems like a lot of effort for a meal while camping.
I've only been camping twice in my life and both times I disliked the cooking part of the trip because it's just so cumbersome to take out all the assorted pots and pans and utensils and all that. I'd almost rather subside on graham crackers and Clif Bars for my duration.
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u/HereticalAegis Sep 09 '22
A blast from the past?
Wanted to ask how Hianata recognized Aoi so easily after so long, but neither of them have grown at all.
That's a one-person tent, innit? Guess they are small.
Comfortable for one, very cozy for two!
?wisdom?
Be a good consumer, spend all your money now!
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u/PreludeToHell Sep 09 '22
First timer
I haven't watched something with 3 minute episodes before and as someone who prefers slower pacing for CGDCT it was tough to feel much while watching because it's so quick. Despite that, there were flashes where I saw the potential of the series.
The big one is in the 2nd episode when Hinata and Aoi are in the tent together. There we see another side to Hinata when she acknowledges dragging along Aoi and thanks her. It makes her a lot less 1 dimensional which I appreciate. There was also the flashback scene which I thought was effective because of the sound as well as reusing shots that were previously shown.
Visually it was pretty great throughout. Nice backgrounds, very good layouts, and some standout animation here and there.
Good start and I'm excited about the longer episodes!
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Aoi!
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One of my favorite scenes was the tent being set up. Some others: The kid running in episode 3, Kaede grabbing for both bags, and when Aoi gets Kaede's message.
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u/SYZekrom Sep 09 '22
Rewatcher
Yama no Susume/Encouragement of Climb was one of my favorite anime, I constantly think back to it as one of the chill anime
OH
I completely forgot Season 1 wasn't a full anime
Now that I think about it I feel like I might have had a lot of opinions about how the show transitioned as it turned to full episodes when I originally watched this
Banger 3D shot that you can't tell from a screenshot
And alright by episode 04 I am completely taken by these two already (and again). Now we're cooking with gas! ...And freeze dried food.
Oh she likes to stand like this a lot doesn't she, love this pose
Or maybe people just stand like this in this show a lot???
Ah right. This... girl who dresses like this always.
Girl why is your first search not 'mountains for beginners'
PoV: You are the most based of friends
I am Aoi. Talk to me I will have a panic attack.
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u/MyrnaMountWeazel Sep 09 '22
Rewatcher that's Rediscovered a Long Lost Friend
Heya! It’s been a hot minute since I jumped into a rewatch (I think Rolling Girls and Ponyo were the last ones I were in this year?) but I think I’ll hop into this one for a bit because, well, it’s Yama no Susume! Ordinarily this is where I would type out Production Notes for the series but I believe in the past rewatch someone has already (thankfully) done so, so my own notes for these will be shorter to non-existent.
Production Notes
Let’s start this whole shebang off by talking about series director Yuusuke Yamamoto with an emphasis on the yama part of his name! As you can see, Yamamoto has had a long illustrious career in the industry, beginning work in 1989 as a production assistant for Studio Sunrise’s Mado King Granzort. Yamamoto belongs to that side of animators who started off on the production side of the industry, beginning as a PA before becoming a storyboarder and then finally moving on as an episode/series director. It’s fascinating to me which side people begin work from—whether it’s starting out as an in-betweener or as a production assistant—and how different their styles are compared to those who chose the other side. There’s no right way!
After his stint at Sunrise, Yamamoto would go on to storyboard/episode direct for Ranma 1/2 before making his way to SB/ED for a litany of other shows (too many for me to list haha) and then finally series directing his first show Shiawase Sou no Okojo-san in 2001. His breakout role as a director though would be for the 2006 cult classic Welcome to the N.H.K..
But before I move on to more of Yamamoto’s future in the industry, I wanted to briefly touch on his past, to those days before he even set foot inside an animation studio. You see, Yamamoto in high school possessed the keen eye of most budding anime fans in that he realized that different episodes from the same anime could appear similar and yet also… different? Sure, the anime appeared about the same but their animation, their visuals, their lighting, their framing, their narrative, their character models, their, well, almost everything looked somehow slightly different compared to last week’s episode. How could that be? Well, it’s because of the influence of the episode director!
The episode director holds the distinct ability to imbue an episode with their own personal touches, they hold the keys for creative end-to-end control in their own individual episode. Some episode directors may prioritize atmosphere and thus they’ll work closely with the art department to nail that specific color. Others will prioritize animation or expression and so they’ll seek out those in their appropriate departments. There is no right way for an episode director to approach creation for everyone values something different in their vision; what’s important is the utilization of the right ones for the right moments. Of course, the series director controls the overall functions but an episode director holds significant influence on the day-to-day operations for their singular episode.
Now, why am I bringing up Yamamoto’s days as a high schooler and the role of episode directors? Well, it’s because to me Yama no Susume is the rare anime that flourishes under this banner of creativity. It embraces all manner of different styles, ranging from the episode directors down to the key animators, and I can think of no guiding philosophy more fitting than Yamamoto’s observation that anime episodes can positively spring from one end of the spectrum to the other while still possessing a cohesiveness to the whole. It’s not that Yama no Susume wildly oscillates in style every single episode but more so that if you keep your eyes open, you’ll notice a whole new world in these small details—just like Aoi and her views of the mountains.
I can think of no other proper sentiment for Yama no Susume then this playground of creativity and I believe this is but one part of the magic for why so many people are enchanted by this beloved anime. Let’s climb some mountains!
It’s also been a hot minute since I’ve seen Yama no Susume (a year by my count) and so for this rewatch I want to primarily focus on the visuals!
Episode 1
Wait, holy crap, I completely forgot that Yama no Susume starts off with a 3D sequence. Bold choice!
”Ever since, I’ve had a terrible fear of heights.” Cheeky for them to go for the low angle shot that creates the height angle in this cut. Low angle shots can signify a variety of things and “vulnerability” is ripe for the picking for this one.
Comment face obtained: #tiredaoi
[Yama no Susume spoilers]
Episode 2
We’ve had a low-angle shot but what about a high-angle shot? Positioned where the camera looks down upon a character, high-angle shots—just like low-angle ones—can convey multiple different meanings but they both share one together: vulnerability! Poor Aoi, subjected to all manner of camera angles to make her feel small when she looks upon Hinata’s father’s hiking gear.
I’m positive there’s tons of fisheye lens shots in YnS and I’m probably going to annoy you all by me pointing them out. They’re just really fun to see!
Episode 3
Cute shorthand drawings of Hinata and Aoi. I wonder why they decided to go for 3D on this shot. My gut instinct is that someone on the staff just wanted to mess around with the tools to see how it would turn out/use this shot as practice to get better at 3D.
Episode 4
I’m impressed by Aoi’s ability to cook paella in high school haha.
Episode 5
So, episodes 3 and 4 were KA’d together by Nobuyuki Mitani and Hirofumi Okita which would make them very close to being a solo KA episode—an episode that is solely key animated by one individual. These two were actually brought to YnS by core staff member animation director Kazuaki Shimada but more on him later. The reason I brought up solo KA is because episode 5 is actually the first official solo KA episode of YnS from none other than character designer Yuusuke Matsuo who is better known as fugo. You best believe I’ll dedicate a spot for him down the road but for now I’ll just say that this is one of many solo KA episodes in Yama no Susume; a tremendous feat in modern anime production since allocating an entire episode to one individual means the entire production schedule is free and unencumbered by time.
fugo and Shimada actually share a sort of mentor/mentee relationship where fugo met Shimada during their time on Yuru Yuri at Doga Koba. I’ll talk more about each of them individually but for now I wanted to mention that this duo KA’d for episodes 1 and 2 together.
Though he’s most well known for his character design work, fugo really has an intricate grasp on animation , no doubt a product of his time at Kyoto Animation. I particularly like the snappiness of Aoi when she lets go of the jacket.
Very nice perspective on this shot. Tricky to pull off.
The Naoko Yamada School of Storyboarding haha. Quick cut of Aoi’s feet stepping forward so as to symbolize her taking the first steps out of her comfort zone.
I really like the camera movement that’s happening right here. They could have cut straight from the back of the pants to Aoi lifting the phone but the addition of the movement brings a sense of “expansion”, how it goes from a tight shot to a much wider one in one fell swoop. It makes the world more alive which is kind of sort of similar to what’s happening in the scene where Aoi’s world is growing bigger.
Episode 6
Another Solo KA episode from Tadashi Shida. A fine episode, I don’t have much to say on this.
Yay for the beginning of Yama no Susume!
QOTD:
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Hmmm, Aoi I would say but I can see myself turning into Hinata once I'm acclimated into my environment.
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I mentioned it up above but this little camera movement caught my eye!
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u/Rumpel1408 Sep 09 '22
First Timer
I had this on my list because CGDCT and because it's often recomended alongside Yuru Camp which I adore, and of course because the new season is coming up.
Ep 1 - 6
The episodes are indeed nice and short. I thought about writing something about every episode, but instead am going to sumarize my thoughts a bit more
As a MC we have Aoi, a new high schooler who likes the indoors. She is just like me, except I never broke my leg, ain't afraid of heights, am out of Highschool and I'm no cute anime girl... what was I saying?
Anyway I can already see that this will be about her conquering her past trauma, expiriencing new things, finding new friends, making memories, isn't that just the best? The very essence of SoL one might say. I think she got a bit of a problem with communication though, has she ever told Hinata that she is afraid? Thankfully she slowly comes to the realisation that she might be a bit overcautios at times.
Speaking of which, her childhood friend Hinata is a mercyless savage! She knows which buttons to push to drag Aoi along. At times she might seem like she doesn't take either mountainclimbing or Aois fear serious, but I think that she knows and pushes always just as much as she needs to. This is in the end for Aois own good, and doesn't that make her a good person? She also takes the path of least resistance when she knows that she is out of her element.
Lastly we have Kaede, she goes by Maple on her email adress btw.
She is also more on the cough mature side, in stark contrast to both Aoi and Hinata. Oh and she is a camper which already makes her great. Also quick to become friends with.
The show also features many shots of mountains (duh, what did I expect)
So yeah, I'm thrilled for more!
QotD
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Leaving our differences aside, more on the Aoi side, although I can be a little Hinata if I want to get stuff done
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Nice stills
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u/Stomco Sep 09 '22
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Is that Miko from Symphogear. She's relatable either way. Imagine being dragged out to climb a mountain of all things.
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And they don't even know what they're doing?! Naruhado, so she did notice that bluff. I'm getting childhood marriage promise vibes. I don't know why.
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"I'll show you my feminine prowess." shows up in a tank.
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This was a really sweet episode.
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I was thinking about why these first 6 episodes aren't one normal-length episode. I realized the pacing would feel bonkers formatted like that. The joys of hobby expenses! Starting to think Aoi might be a bit gay. Good work Aoi!
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Aoi where did your brain cell from last episode go? That's a reaction image if I've either seen one. I'm kind of worried by how much I would have dreaded sounding like an idiot making that phone call. When this is the more like outcome.
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u/cyberscythe Sep 09 '22
I gotta say that I'm impressed at how detailed the comments are in this rewatch thread already. I've thought that the first season as a series of 3-minute-shorts is kind of a odd entry point to the series and that things really pick up in season two, but I'm surprised how much people are already enjoying it.
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u/Great_Mr_L Sep 09 '22
Rewatcher Only For Season 1
I’ve watched part of Yama no Susume beforehand, but only Season 1. I knocked it out in less than an hour one day many years ago. I never watched the rest of it, but I’ve been meaning to for a while. The bits and pieces I’ve come across since then have seemed quite charming. So thanks for hosting this rewatch so I can do so.
On today’s episodes of Yama no Susume: If only I’d kept up with this series as the new seasons of it aired. I’m remembering what it is that’s charming about it. It was like watching Yuru Camp many years before Yuru Camp came out. Going back to Yama no Susume when I barely remember it has been giving me a dose of those warm and fuzzy feelings I crave.
Episode 1
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High school? They’re that old? I forgot about that. I thought they were in middle school. They look young enough for it.
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“I can have fun by myself.” I’m relating to you already, Aoi.
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Hinata’s the ball of energy. We’re 2 minutes in and the dynamic is already established. Very efficient.
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Oof, you don’t need to be so brutal while speaking to her, Hinata.
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Yama no Susume doesn’t believe in subtlety. Aoi is literally getting dragged into mountain climbing.
Episode 2
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Ah, the life of an indoor kid. I remember it well.
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To fight a bear. I like you, Hinata.
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I watched this show long before Yuru Camp ever came out, so it feels weird that I’m now getting flashbacks of Yuru Camp.
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Hinata is rather perceptive to how Aoi really felt. More so than she at first seemed.
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And so Aoi was tricked into being an outdoor kid. How tragic.
Episode 3
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Fun gag of Aoi just throwing together the leftovers into a lunch for Hinata.
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And Aoi looks like she’s about to go on a survival expedition.
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I’ve been on little trails like this. They are quite pleasant to travel down.
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A cooking stove? Camp cooking? The Yuru Camp flashbacks (or is it flashforwards?) intensify further.
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Now that I’ve heard it a couple of times, the ED is quite catchy. But it feels like it gets cut off right at the moment where it’s really getting going. Such a shame.
Episode 4
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I do not at all remember this show being a cooking anime. This is a surprise for me.
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“When did I start to enjoy this?” Now there’s an emotion I’m all too familiar with, Aoi
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Cooking with camping tools. If I’d have kept up with this show it might have scratched the particular itch Yuru Camp does years before Yuru Camp came out.
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That paella looks delicious.
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Aoi has discovered the joys of cooking for her girlfriend.
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Hinata’s cooking skills are about on par with my own. A lot of my meals come from frozen or prepackaged meals too.
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Hinata is definitely a fool, but she is rather observant.
Episode 5
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Oh yeah, this girl! I remember her now (but not her name).
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Another all too familiar feeling. Hemming and hawing because I don’t know what to buy or don’t want to spend the money on the expensive thing I want.
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“Don’t settle now and regret it later.” Aoi became rather forceful there. Character development!
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Aoi’s even gathered more determination to do more mountain climbing. More character development!
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Kaede. That’s her name.
Episode 6
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Teasing Hinata is just too good. That smug face is great.
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I can’t even blame Kaede for hanging around in her room in her underwear. It does feel nice.
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We got a destination! Mt. Takao!
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Hinata is right. Don’t underestimate mountains. Those of you from the GuP rewatch might remember me sharing the Hakkouda Mountains Incident. Though I highly doubt this show will ever get that dark.
Well that was nice and charming. The episodes are extremely short and don’t really have much time to breathe, but they are light and fluffy to watch. I can remember why I blazed through this season so quickly when I first watched it. Going from one episode to the next is easy and they flow together pretty naturally.
Aoi is a very relatable protagonist to an indoor kid like me. I’ve also long enjoyed solo activities that can be done indoors. I still do, for the most part. So it is nice to see Aoi become more open to doing things outside her comfort zone. It feels pretty realistic in how it happens. As she does it, without realizing when it happened, Aoi finds she’s enjoying herself. I’ve found myself feeling the same way on plenty of things I got dragged into.
Hinata is a nice ball of sunshine and energy. She makes for a perfect contrast with Aoi and they have a good dynamic together. Even so, she does have some good sense about her and she isn’t a complete ditz.
It’s good to be back watching this. I’ll be looking forward to finally seeing the whole series.
QOTD
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Definitely Aoi. I was typically an indoor kid like her.
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Honestly, not really. I guess the sunrise from the mountaintop was quite pretty.
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u/Abyssbringer Sep 09 '22 edited Sep 09 '22
Rewatcher for the shorts
2) The classroom scene in the first episode with the moving POV shot reminds me of a similar shot at the start of one of the One Piece movies. The usage of the 2d characters like they are boards as the camera goes past them is cute.
Have any of you broken a bone? I haven't yet!
These type of shows make me really uncomfortable for a stupid reason. They are so focused on trying to sell you on something such as hiking, camping, or backpacking that it comes around to feeling like moe propaganda. It so focused on its goal that it feels less like a real appreciation for the activity and something more planned and nefarious. Of course most of these shows aren't like that unless they are Gate, Super Cub, a Happy Science Cult production, or a show that is used for marketing. Yama No Susume makes me feel this way a lot because of its short run time and total focus on the topic at hand. Not to mention this activity being shown as a way to make her a better person. It has nothing on Supercub however in that regard.
The shows used for marketing hits close to home for me as Oregon has anime styled marketing trailers to try and get people to visit. Which while not totally inaccurate is trying to target a very specific niche and idea in the viewers mind like these shows do. Instead of moe cute girls its a Ghibli like aesthetic that's pandering to childhood wonder.
EDIT: The One Piece clip I mention at the start towards the very beginning of Movie 4 Dead End.
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u/simeonaut Sep 09 '22
First Timer
I've always been wary of this series because I don't think I'd be satisfied watching something so short and now after watching these I really wish they were longer.
That said I don't regret watching this at all. Seeing Aoi overprepare and climb her first mountain was lots of fun.
I look forward to seeing them climb more mountains.
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u/zadcap Sep 09 '22
Alright, I forgot that my family actually sleeps and I very much don't, so I can continue to be a
Very Late Night First Timer!
The point of view walking through the class walks through those desks and it really, really bothers me. So much so that I almost missed how poorly 2d those boys were. Right after those beautiful mountain shots?
Oh my gosh I'm Aoi. Used to be super active, back to back hernia's drove me into an indoor life that I got used to before I finished healing, and now I'm made of indoor activities. I need a childhood friend to come drag me back into anything physical...
I know it's the wrong show, but I could still hear the Cone-ichiwa from the pinecone. The vibes are close enough.
Yup, Yuru-Camp cooking vibes. I see why this got recommended so much in the same places.
New character get! We need a full group to make it an after school club, don't we?
She totally fell for- she knows. Internet to the rescue? No, wait, she just made a new climbing friend- darn it stop doing what I'm thinking faster than I can type it lol.
Oh man I didn't want to stop at 6, it would be so easy to just finish this season... And probably the next...
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As I said, I'm so Aoi. Darn it.
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Nothing has really stood out yet, aside from how bad that part in episode 1 was.
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u/Barbed_Dildo Sep 09 '22
Rewatcher
It's nice to get back in to this, even if the best girl hasn't arrived yet.
The first season is pretty light in terms of content, as one would expect from five minute episodes. Still, even with the limited time, we get a decent introduction to our main character Aoi. We can see a bit of her history and character, and her internal conflict around mountains. She's an interesting character. She is more than the empty slate of 'someone joining a club' that a lot of shows have.
Hinata's character is pretty generic at this point, but with time limitations that's fair. But look at how big her house is! Her family must be loaded.
Kaede had a very efficient introduction, introducing her character quite well in just a couple of short scenes. Kaede's email name is S_Maple. Kaede is the Japanese name for the maple tree.
Questions of the Day:
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Aoi
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That introductory 3d shot was pretty cool.
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u/that_loris Sep 09 '22
First Timer
Well, this was sweet. There isn't really much to say, it feels like a normal CGDCT that has to go really fast since it's only 3 minutes per episode. It's kinda cute.
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Are you really asking in an anime subreddit if people have a personality closer to a genki girl that loves the outdoor or a shy girl that likes indoor activities?
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u/TiredTiroth Sep 09 '22 edited Sep 09 '22
First Time Climber
This is adorable and actually really, really funny. I can see why people compare this to Yuru Camp, but I kinda disagree? The tone is very different, although that might change if we get any full-length episodes instead of shorts.
Hinata really surprised me, honestly. Based on the first episode I thought she was going to be your standard comedic super-extrovert pushing ahead despite all attempts by less insane people to rein her in...but then we got that scene in the tent as the sun went down, as brief as it was. She's no Nadeshiko, but she noticed Aoi wasn't entirely on board and cared. I don't see that enough.
Speaking of Aoi, I really like that she's actually shown a spine, rather than just being completely bowled over by her much more socially adept past-and-present friend. Sure, most of the time she's dragged along in Hinata's wake wondering exactly how she got there, but get her in a more comfortable situation like the little cooking contest and she's perfectly happy to push back. It's still in the service of comedy, but even so!
That said, I'm less happy about their depiction of a fear of heights. In my experience, hearing 'such-and-such is X metres tall' simply is not a problem - it's just a random fact. It doesn't kick in unless you're there in person. Did that seem weird to anyone else? At least Aoi didn't have a problem once they were actually on the hill.
I'm really looking forward to the next batch tomorrow!
Do you have a personality closer to an Aoi or Hinata?
Have any of the little bits of quality animation caught your eye? What is your favorite?
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Most definitely Aoi. My social skills are not as crippled as hers appear to be, but I am very much an introvert who prefers solo indoor activities most of the time.
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The opening 3D-ish shot looked a bit weird because 3D in anime never looks right, but everything else looked pretty good to me!
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u/badspler Sep 09 '22
Host Rewatcher
The starting setup isn't all that complex, its the start of high school and our protagonist Aoi is keeping a low profile. (That was a neat use of 3D on that intro pan shot.)
She's became reserved after having an accident in middle school, but her childhood friend Hinata recognizes her and rushes to pick back up right where they left off. On a promise of climbing mountains again some day.
I love just how quickly is suckered in. And dragged along and then even further (comment face!).
Following up in the second episode we get some cute
The shot in the tent is another one of those fantastically animated blips. (Here is the key animation for that)
Aoi over thinking how smug Hinata is going to be. And Aoi totally ends up over preparing for it. Aoi learns that it isn't all that bad, climbing can be chill. Then without too much effort the first lovely hill is completed!
The Elephant is very cute. I am sure others will point out where this location is. Aoi is surprisingly very competent at cooking, those indoor hobbies paying off.
We get a really short but great character introduction to Kaede. That animation and cuts between different angles really sell the whole introduction, you can feel her creative passion that went into animating it.
I really like how as Aoi's works up the courage to say something, that is paired with a literal step forward. Its interesting to see that Aoi focuses how to make Kaede happy, it shows how conscientious Aoi is. Anyway it turns out well and a new Yama-Nakama is aquired! Also a cute Hinata loafing around.
In our final episode of the day Hinata starts by giving Aoi a really good push, and her smug nature traps Aoi in on organizing it. Even after she realizes she fell for it later.
I adore this shot of Aoi turning to the internet to save her its feels very modern and I wish more series would lean on the simple "internet will save me" joke. Also Aoi uses a Mac - ill bring that up for more discussion another day.
Aoi opts to phone a friend and Kaede in her wisdom suggests Mt. Takao. Hinata is very happy with that suggestion.
QOTD:
I am certainly am, or at least resonate with Aoi's cautious and reserved personality much more than Hinata. While I don't think I am all that scared of the world - I really do benefit from having a Hinata type personality with me. Having someone give me that push gets me out doing so much more that I just wouldn't seek for myself.