Television series
Yama no Susume
- Action
- Light-hearted
Yama no Susume is a short-form anime about two girls—one reluctant, one enthusiastic—learning to climb mountains together. It's gentle, funny, and genuinely moving; the jokes land, the characters breathe, and it treats both climbing and friendship with real tenderness. Perfect for anyone who loves character-driven comedy or wants something that feels like hanging out with people you like.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like gentle, low-stakes slice-of-life comedy where the joke is a nervous character slowly getting dragged outdoors and the hobby details are treated with real affection.
Skip it if you want a story with real peril or a fast plot, since it moves in short, episodic outings and its stakes stay small and cheerful.
What it asks of you: Short fifteen-minute episodes, sixty-one of them across four seasons, meant to be taken in easy doses; patience with repetition and small wins rewards more than binge pacing.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica2018
Four girls chase an impossible dream together with infectious energy and genuine heart. Like Yama no Susume, it's about finding courage in friendship and discovering that the journey matters more than the destination.
But It's shoujo-coded and occasionally melodramatic in ways that won't appeal to everyone. The emotional peaks can feel engineered rather than earned.
Nichijou2011
A masterclass in comedy timing with a similar slice-of-life charm. The humor is absurdist and clever, and the characters feel like real people despite the madness happening around them.
But It moves frantically and doesn't always connect its sketches. Some viewers find the pacing exhausting rather than exhilarating.
K-ON!2009
Girls doing a hobby together, finding joy in small moments, building genuine friendships. It's cosy and funny without ever feeling condescending about its characters or their passions.
But The plot is deliberately minimal—if you need narrative momentum, this will feel like nothing happening for thirteen episodes.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Yama no Susume
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Vertical Limit2000
Both use mountain climbing as the spine of their story, but where Yama no Susume finds poetry in small slopes and friendship, Vertical Limit weaponizes climbing as the stage for survival drama. Seeing the same activity treated as intimate versus apocalyptic is genuinely illuminating.
A high-stakes mountain-climbing thriller that treats the sport and its dangers with absolute seriousness. It's absurdly entertaining disaster cinema, but the climbing sequences and equipment details feel researched and genuine.
But It's a trashy action film from 2000 with dated effects and occasionally laughable dialogue. You're not watching this for subtlety or realism—you're watching it for spectacle.
More like this (5)
Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story2020
Deceptively cute premise that deepens into something profound about choice, sacrifice, and what friendship can and cannot survive. Brilliantly constructed and genuinely affecting.
But The tonal shift is jarring and intentional. If you're expecting gentle comedy throughout, the dark turn will feel like betrayal.
Laid-Back Camp △2018
A girl discovers camping and finds peace in solitude and connection in unexpected friendships. Quieter than Yama no Susume but equally warm, with genuine expertise woven into every episode.
But The pacing is deliberately slow. Plot barely exists. Some find it meditative; others find it boring.
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!2020
Three girls making anime together with infectious creative energy. It captures the specific joy of collaborating with people you love and making something that matters to you.
But It's visually hyperkinetic and assumes familiarity with anime production. The experimental style won't connect with everyone.
New Game!2016
Girls working together at a game studio, supporting each other through challenges and small victories. Genuine affection for its characters and their professional growth feels earned.
But The workplace comedy can feel thin, and relationship dynamics occasionally veer into uncomfortable territory depending on your tolerance.
Tekkonkinkreet2006
Yama no Susume is about two friends climbing toward a shared memory; Tekkon Kinkreet is about two friends growing and diverging despite shared history. Both center intimacy between girls navigating their changing place in the world, but this one is far darker and stranger—what happens when one friend needs something the other can't give.
A visually stunning, wildly inventive anime film about two street kids navigating a city that's part dream and part dystopia. The animation is extraordinary and the emotional core—about loyalty and growing apart—is devastating.
But It's anarchic and surreal in ways that won't appeal to straightforward storytelling. The plot is deliberately oblique and the mood darkens as it goes. It requires patience and rewards it unevenly.
