Season One:
This series of twelve three minute episodes follows Aoi, a schoolgirl who is afraid of heights following a playground accident. This doesn't make it easy when she bumps into Hinita; a friend she once climbed a mountain with as Hinita remembers Aoi's promise that they will watch the sun rise from the top of a mountain again one day. They set about getting the equipment they will need and when they go up a mountain Aoi is relieved that it is just a large hill with scenic paths rather than one that will require mountaineering skills and challenge her acrophobia. With one mountain under her belt it is time for something a little more challenging; Aoi asks Kaeda; a girl she met in the mountaineering shop for advice and soon Aoi and Hinita are walking up Mt. Takao. On the way down they bump into Kokona, a younger girl and end up making another friend.
When I realised the episodes were so short I assumed there would be little in the way of story; just a series of amusing moments but thankfully there is more to it than that in fact it is best to look at it as a single half hour story. The characters were surprisingly developed for such a short series and while there was little real drama and it wasn't played for cheap laughs it was fun to watch because like all decent slice of life series the characters are fun to spend a little time with. The story is also believable; these school girls weren't trying to scale challenging peaks; they were just enjoying walking up gentle mountain trails. Overall I'd say this is worth watching if you want something short that will cause no offence.
Season Two:
I wouldn't normally bother updating a review after a second season but this adds so much more to the show; instead of twelve three minute episodes we get twenty four thirteen minute episodes. These show the characters developing as they climb more mountains; including some that present a real challenge. The series continues in the gentle way that is typical of slice of life shows; there may not be danger but one grows to care about the characters more and when it finished I was left yearning for more hopefully we'll get a third season one day. If you enjoyed the first season you'll certainly want to watch this.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
This series of twelve three minute episodes follows Aoi, a schoolgirl who is afraid of heights following a playground accident. This doesn't make it easy when she bumps into Hinita; a friend she once climbed a mountain with as Hinita remembers Aoi's promise that they will watch the sun rise from the top of a mountain again one day. They set about getting the equipment they will need and when they go up a mountain Aoi is relieved that it is just a large hill with scenic paths rather than one that will require mountaineering skills and challenge her acrophobia. With one mountain under her belt it is time for something a little more challenging; Aoi asks Kaeda; a girl she met in the mountaineering shop for advice and soon Aoi and Hinita are walking up Mt. Takao. On the way down they bump into Kokona, a younger girl and end up making another friend.
When I realised the episodes were so short I assumed there would be little in the way of story; just a series of amusing moments but thankfully there is more to it than that in fact it is best to look at it as a single half hour story. The characters were surprisingly developed for such a short series and while there was little real drama and it wasn't played for cheap laughs it was fun to watch because like all decent slice of life series the characters are fun to spend a little time with. The story is also believable; these school girls weren't trying to scale challenging peaks; they were just enjoying walking up gentle mountain trails. Overall I'd say this is worth watching if you want something short that will cause no offence.
Season Two:
I wouldn't normally bother updating a review after a second season but this adds so much more to the show; instead of twelve three minute episodes we get twenty four thirteen minute episodes. These show the characters developing as they climb more mountains; including some that present a real challenge. The series continues in the gentle way that is typical of slice of life shows; there may not be danger but one grows to care about the characters more and when it finished I was left yearning for more hopefully we'll get a third season one day. If you enjoyed the first season you'll certainly want to watch this.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
