The climb gets off the beaten path!
What They Say:
The girls begin to climb Mt. Mitsutouge. It’s an easy walk at first, but as the path gets steep and rocky, Aoi grows tired and discouraged. Will the promise of a (secret?) gorgeous sight be enough to keep her going?
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As the girls started to make their trek up Mt. Mitsutouge the last time around, we had a lot of fun in seeing what they saw with the beautiful landscapes, the mountain itself and all the little touristy aspects that make it so enjoyable. The simple friendship nature of the girls is also a big plus with what they do and there’s a lot to like in seeing that unfolds with their personalities. It’s not a show with really strong personalities, but there’s a good kind of bonding that we get with these relatively mellow girls. Even the most outgoing of them would likely be considered an introvert by a lot of people, something that’s certainly amusing.
With the way the show acts as a travelogue/tourist guide, we get to see some of the sights along the way and the things the girls discover. Including fun things about how to take care of these national parks, which is always good to see. As the girls go on, Aoi starts to figure out what the surprise is that Hinata came up with when choosing this particular mountain, in that they can get a better look at Fuji, but she plays along with it so as to not spoil it. Their progress in general is fun as they start to face more hazardous routes along the way and the challenge level increases, but the views are spectacular and not the safe, traditional climbing routes that you’d get for the most part. There’s actual climbing going on in this mountain instead of just casual walking up safe, clean and clear pathways.
We also get some basics to good climbing in how to properly walk, especially as elevation increases, and the kinds of foods to bring along to sustain energy. There’s also the introduction of modern walking sticks, alpenstocks, which definitely helps Aoi to figure out the best way to progress here. As the journey goes on, everyone is obviously coming together more from their shared experience in this climb and what they go through, which isn’t really hard in a way but is the kind of bonding thing that works well. In the end, as they reach a higher level and experience what they see, it comes down to the more they do, the more encouraged they are to climb more, see more and experience more. It’s a wonderfully simple and enjoyable premise to work with.
In Summary:
The climb along Mitsutouge definitely goes well here with what we see as it focuses a bit more on Aoi while still being an ensemble show. Aoi’s views are accessible to the viewer as she learns the struggle of the climb, experiences what it means to get off the beaten path and to manage her body in order to handle the climb. Each new experience is helping the girls to grow and be more, together, and the views they take in are utterly beautiful to see. The visual quality of the show is a huge selling point and even if you view it as a massive tourism ad, it’s hard to be upset with it because it’s so wonderfully done while also being human and accessible.
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.