is a

slice-of-life Slice of life is a depiction of mundane experiences in art and entertainment. In theater, slice of life refers to naturalism, while in literary parlance it is a narrative technique in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence of events in a characte ...

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated by Shiro, which began serialization in

Earth Star Entertainment is a Japanese publisher based on Shibuya, Tokyo. Accounted by the equity method of Culture Convenience Club, it was founded on June 5, 2006. In addition to publishing magazines and photobooks, the company also produces and sells home videos a ...

's ''

Comic Earth Star was a monthly Japanese shōnen manga magazine published on the 12th each month by Earth Star Entertainment since 12 March 2011. The magazine announced in their November 2014 issue that the print version would cease publication, and instead be r ...

'' magazine in 2011. An

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series by Eight Bit aired in Japan between January and March 2013 and was simulcasted by

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

. A second season aired from July to December 2014. An

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

was released in October 2017, and a third season aired from July to September 2018. A new anime television series titled ''Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit'' aired from October to December 2022.

Plot

Aoi Yukimura is a quiet girl living in

Hannō is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 79,123 in 35,440 households and a population density of 410 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Hannō is located on the southern ...

who prefers staying indoors and is afraid of heights. When she reunites with her childhood friend Hinata Kuraue, who is outgoing and loves

mountaineering Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

they decide to climb a mountain together, in order to see sunrise, which they saw together when they were younger. Along the way, they meet several other girls who are also interested in the outdoors, and begin a series of adventures on various mountains across Japan.

Characters

; : :A high school girl who became afraid of heights after falling off a playground structure and breaking her leg. Thanks to Hinata's influence, she begins to take an interest in mountain climbing. ; : :A hyperactive girl who loves mountains. She was friends with Aoi in elementary school before reuniting with her in high school. She encourages Aoi to conquer her fear of heights and take up mountain climbing. ; : :A senior student in Aoi's high school who loves mountain climbing. She befriended Aoi when they met in an equipment store. ; : :A middle school student Aoi and Hinata met and befriended on a mountain trail. ; : :A young photographer who Aoi meets while climbing Mount Tanigawa. She is a middle school student who is one grade above Kokona, and goes to a local high school in

Takasaki is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as the hometown of th ...

. ; : :Kaede's classmate during both middle school and high school. She often worries about Kaede's safety whenever she goes climbing. ; : :The president of the Mountaineering Club in Aoi's high school. Kaede and Yuuka's classmate. ; : :Aoi's classmate, and sometimes talks to Aoi because she cares about her isolation. ; : :One of Aoi's classmates. ; : :Aoi's classmate and has been in the same class since middle school, but has never been able to talk to her. ; : :Aoi's father. ; : :Aoi's mother. ; : :Hinata's father, an experienced mountain climber who took Aoi and Hinata to climb

Mount Tanigawa is a mountain on the border of Gunma Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture in Japan. It is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan. Routes The mountain trail leading to the summit of Mount Tanigawa from four directions: north, south, east and w ...

when they were younger. ; : :Hinata's mother. ; : :Kokona's mother. ; : :Honoka's older brother. ; : :The manager of the cake shop "Susuki", where Aoi works part-time. ; : :An energetic college student who works part time at a cake shop alongside Aoi.

Media

Manga

''Yama no Susume'' began as a

series written and illustrated by Shiro and published in

's ''

'' magazine. The first chapter appeared in the September 2011 issue of the magazine, released on August 12, 2011. The series' chapters have been compiled in 22 volumes, published between June 12, 2012, and September 12, 2022.

Anime

television series, directed by Yusuke Yamamoto and produced by Eight Bit, aired in Japan on

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...

between January 3 and March 21, 2013, and was simulcasted by

. The ending theme is by

Yuka Iguchi is a Japanese voice actress and singer. Biography She auditioned for Broccoli Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large flowering ...

and

Kana Asumi is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and a former member of the girl group Lisp. Career She worked for Voice & Heart until 2007 and has worked for 81 Produce since 2008. She won the Best Lead Actress Award in the 7th Seiyu Awards. Perso ...

. The series consisted of twelve five-minute episodes, with an additional

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

episode bundled with the

Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...

release of the series on May 14, 2013. A second season, consisting of 24 fifteen-minute episodes, began airing from July 9, 2014. The opening theme is by Iguchi, Asumi,

Yōko Hikasa is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and singing, singer affiliated with I'm Enterprise. Biography Hikasa became interested in acting while watching ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''. She attended Nihon Narration Engi ...

and

Yui Ogura is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Gunma Prefecture. Career In 2009, Ogura performed the motion capture for Hatsune Miku in the game '' Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA''. Ogura was a member of the Japanese idol duo YuiKaori with Kaori ...

, by Iguchi, Asumi for episode sixteen onwards; whilst the ending themes are "Tinkling Smile" by Ogura for the first twelve episodes, "Staccato Days" for episodes thirteen to fifteen, and "Cocoiro Rainbow" by Kyoko Narumi for episode sixteen onwards. An

, titled '', was released on January 26, 2018, following a screening in theaters and a limited release on October 28, 2017. For the OVA, the ending theme is by Iguchi and Asumi. A third anime season premiered on July 2, 2018 and ran for 13 episodes, concluding on September 24, 2018. For the third season, the opening theme is by Iguchi, Asumi, Hikasa, and Ogura, while the ending theme is by Iguchi and Asumi. On September 16, 2019, a new project was announced during an Autumn Festival in Japan. On March 18, 2021, it was announced that the project would be a new anime television series, titled . It consisted of 12 full-length episodes, and the main staff and cast members reprised their roles from previous seasons. The series aired from October 5 to December 21, 2022. The opening theme is by Iguchi and Asumi, while the ending theme for the first 11 episodes is by Iguchi and Asumi, the ending theme for episodes 12 is "Staccato Days" by Iguchi and Asumi.

Notes

References

External links

Yama no Susume official manga website

Yama no Susume: First to Third Season official anime website
*
Yama no Susume: First Season official anime website
*
Yama no Susume: Second Season official anime story website
*
Yama no Susume: Omoide Present official anime story website
*
Yama no Susume: Third Season official anime story website

Yama no Susume: Next Summit Official anime website
* {{Eight Bit (studio) 2013 anime television series debuts 2014 anime television series debuts 2018 anime television series debuts 2022 anime television series debuts Anime series based on manga Crunchyroll anime Earth Star Entertainment manga Eight Bit (studio) Mountaineering in anime and manga Shōnen manga Slice of life anime and manga Tokyo MX original programming