If you haven’t kept up with my Anime Invasion column, you probably don’t know of my appreciation for the series Encouragement of Climb (Yama no Susume). There is something very endearing about the series that was able to grab my attention since the start, and able to carry a great consistency in its level of storytelling. It goes to show that a great story doesn’t necessarily need magical girls or fighting mechs, but only to have endearing and relatable characters.
Encouragement of Climb centers around a young girl named Aoi, who is beginning her first year of high school. During her first day, she meets up with an old primary-school friend named Hinata, who reminds her of a promise that they had made when they were kids. The promise they to each other was that when they were older, they would climb to the peak a mountain just to see a sunrise. However, since their time apart, Aoi has become afraid of heights as well as becoming a recluse.
The animation in the show is pretty consistent for the most part, but it does not look like anything else that is coming out this season. The character designs are very basic, but at least have very distinct designs for each character. Instead, everything looks very pastel and vibrant. There’s no need for a big budget for a show like this, since it’s not really the effects that drive the story. It must also be noted that a lot of the backgrounds, especially the mountain landscapes, are beautiful and finely detailed.
The run time for each episode of Encouragement of Climb usually lasts around three minutes, so they only have limited amount of time to tell the story they need to that week. Thankfully, they use that small time frame to its advantage. They don’t have time to waste not focusing on the story or the characters. Granted, they did have a few episodes where it felt a lot like filler, but even those showcased how Aoi was growing as a character.
This is a very good example of a story that centers on the development of the main character. Aoi’s journey is to basically get over her fear of heights, which in turn will release her from her reclusive personality. Then we have Hinata, who is drastically different than Aoi by being a free spirit and always acting without thinking. Both of these young girls can easily learn from each other, and they do.
Encouragement of Climb reminded me a lot of Usagi Drop, meaning that both of them are very innocent but very enjoyable anime. There is nothing cynical going on during the show, nor does it fall into the tropes that many shows fall in these days. It’s amazing how they are able to tell a deep and emotional story each week with its limited run time while other anime seem to struggle with that when they have nearly a half-hour. It doesn’t try to manipulate your emotions in any way; it is genuine in the emotion of what is going on.
While it would have been nice to have the ending it seemed to promise since the very beginning, Encouragement of Climb was something that was worth watching. It was able to tell a simple story that felt very genuine, and it was easy to fall in love with the characters, especially Aoi and Hinata. This is definitely a show that is worth looking into, especially because it’s something that can quickly be sat through because of its short run time. For newcomers to anime, this is also a good piece that showcases how the medium can have great storytelling mixed in with interesting animation.
Encouragement of Climb gets nine stars out of ten.
