(CR) Yama no Susume

[Akito Kinomoto]

If you ever thought a cour-long moéblob show at four minutes a piece could not accomplish anything, think again. Four minutes is all a simple story like this needs and it doesn't have to worry about thematically connecting segments that many of its kin are subject to. There's no wasted movement either as every episode develops the characters, their relationships, or both. The way it introduces its characters is a refreshing take on the four girls who do nothing cliché that also makes sense considering how one of the characters is.

Oh wait, these four girls are doing something: amusingly learning the dos and don'ts of mountain climbing and reaching a few summits themselves. But as surprisingly informative the show is because of its genre, true to the nature of a light story it never delves too heavily on its premise because it's only a means for developing charming character interaction. And their antics aren't charming for breaking new ground; they're charming for walking the beaten path in style. It's less churning out characters to meet a quota and more of a chance encounter that builds up for its own sake and for communicating the importance of friends.

Oh yeah, the environmental art is gorgeous.

Encouragement of Climb is proof that a show from any genre with any time allowance is capable of being good. It's surprisingly informative and a simply solid slice-of-life.

[Nerroth]

A preview of an unaired episode, set to be included in an upcoming Blu-Ray release, has been posted: