What They Say:
After hearing Hinata’s dad tell about his Sunrise Climb up Mt. Fuji, Aoi decides she wants to try it too! However, the trek will require some expensive equipment, not to mention permission from Mom…
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
While the show is about mountain climbing, it’s also about friends, which is what the previous episode focused on as we had some of the usual things that happen in any group where someone gets upset or embarrassed and trouble ensues. The girls came out of it in a good way though, a little closer than before, and eager to begin their next climb. Mt. Misutogue certainly got them interested in doing more serious climbs, all while under the watchful eye of Mt. Fuji as their big goal. With a few climbs behind them of different types now, they’re looking to make the Mt. Fuji climb their big goal for the moment, and that means getting a lot of their ducks in a row.
The girls get even more excited as Hinata’s father tells her and Aoi about his high school climb on the mountain and what they saw, which is beautifully animated here to show you just how different the world is from that point of view. It’s certainly inspiring and easy to understand why the girls get so intent on making this their big move. With the determination in mind, we get a good bit of explanation and education about some of the quirks of the mountain and what they need for it, which isn’t a surprise that it’s more than what they need for some of the smaller mountains they’ve climbed. Naturally, the stores that focus on outdoor activities and mountain climbs have very specific items for those wanting to make this climb and it’s fun to return to the store to see Aoi and Hinata do their explorations.
With all the ideas in their mind and plans starting to form, Aoi has forgotten the most important item – asking her mother. So when she starts going on about it, her mother is pretty unhappy about it, especially with the way Aoi has been doing so many other things that’s impacting her grades and in the end flatly forbids it, which isn’t a surprise. That brings in a bit of tension between the two for a bit, which is pretty natural and nicely played out. What’s nice is that it turns into a good life lesson for Aoi as her father talks to her about how she has to approach her mother in order to get her to understand. It’s not a pleading thing, but just being up front and detailed about it, and to reinforce why it’s her passion. Aoi does it pretty well, though a little to close to whining at times, and manages to get through fairly well overall.
In Summary:
With the girls starting to decide what to do next, naturally things don’t go as smoothly as they think it will. With dreams and inspiration at their backs, they run into the reality of doing things like getting permission and all that entails. There’s a good feeling to this episode overall in that we have involved parents dealing with kids that don’t quite think through things and what needs to be done to connect the dots for themselves and their parents. It’s a welcome episode in that it’s not just another group of kids going off and doing anything they please without at least a little parental involvement. It may not be the most exciting of things, but it’s good character material.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
