Alternative Title: いわかける！- Sport Climbing Girls -
↓ Spoilers Ahead ↓
「 A quote from this series 」
"If you have anything to apologize for, it's your failure to believe in yourself."
「 The Review 」
SynopsisA pro gamer has found a new calling after she tried wall climbing for the first time.
Story
For someone like me who hasn't really seen someone finished doing wall climbing, I found this anime really exciting and interesting. And I thought the pilot episode was a great introduction for newbies in this sport.
I was hooked on how the characters figured out how to climb all the way up and reached their main target. The way they taught the techniques was really helpful, in a way that I myself would like to try it (well, if only I have enough stamina, sadly I don't :|).
If you're curious about learning other sports that don't have anything to do with any kind of ball (basketball, tennis, baseball, etc.), then I totally recommend this. It's something different, and the tournaments can be really thrilling to watch.
Characters
Konomi Kasahara was a very relatable main character. She's the type who didn't know she had something beyond her own knowledge of herself. And a lot of us whether young or old, have discovered some time in our lives, things that we couldn't do at first, but once we had put our all into it, we realized we could do it all along.
Her teammates from Hanamiya Girls High School were also her pillars on building her skills and character.
Their captain Sayo Yotsuba was very composed and positive. She also tried her best not to show any sign of weakness, though, before the Combined Japan High School Cup, Nonoka noticed she's concealing the pain from her previous injury, which led them to conclude that she'll just let her members get the job done.
Nonoka Sugiura, the Vice-Captain, on the other hand, was responsible for lifting the spirits of the whole team. Even though, she knew she's the one who needed it the most.
Jun Uehara, another Junior member like Konomi, had the best character development in all four. From being close-minded on how people enjoy doing wall climbing, she became more accepting in the end.
The other supporting cast was also good at giving a helping hand. Even if they're rivals, they gave tips and even couraged each other.
I felt like they could have added more scenes at the finale, but I guess ending it on a climax scene, ain't that bad.
The game references were also a good addition:
Here were also some of the dialogues that I really liked:
"Top climbers conquer walls twice. Once on sight, and once with their bodies."
"Don't go chasing shadows and lose sight of yourself. Pick, choose, and learn only what works for you."
Artwork / Animation
Konomi looked like Sakura from the Fate series, while Anne Kurusu resembled Asuka Langley of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The color combination of Anne's costume design was similar to Asuka's plugsuit as well.
For the animation, they did great in getting the right angles while the climbers were competing. It made the scenes really exhilarating.
Music / SoundOnly the sound effects were on point, but it's just mediocre. Anything else regarding music was sadly, forgettable.
Episode Ratings- 1 - Rocky Puzzle - 4.5
- 2 - Believe in Yourself - 4
- 3 - The Anti-Monkey Rock - 4
- 4 - Powerhouse Climbers - 3.5
- 5 - Hard Work and Talent - 4.5
- 6 - Unbelievable Ability - 5
- 7 - Failure of a Climber - 4
- 8 - Tears of Disappointment - 4
- 9 - The Princess of Climbing - 4
- 10 - Restart! - 4.5
- 11 - The 15 Second Wall - 4
- 12 - The Road to Best in Japan - 5
「 Series Rating 」
About the Author
An otaku since the mid-90's. I consider Evangelion as the most influential anime. My favorite classic films are Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away.
anime review
