Encouragement of Climb: From a Promise to a Covenant

The second season of Encouragement of Climb has finally come to an end, and with it, the end of the YamaHanaBara trio of shows that I have compared to stages in a Christian's walk of faith. While I haven't been blogging this show as much as I would like, these final episodes have been a real joy nonetheless as Aoi and Hinata climb the same mountain they climbed as kids, to finally fulfill the promise they made back then to see the sunrise atop that mountain again. All the while, the two of them wonder... just what will happen when their promise is fulfilled? Would their relationship change once the promise between them was no longer there?

One thing's for sure; that is one gorgeous sunset.

There will be spoilers after the jump, as usual.

Encouragement of Climb, S2 Ep. 15: Walking With You

This will be a relatively short post regarding episode 15 of the second season of Encouragement of Climb. There will be mild spoilers, so I'll add in the jump as usual.

Yama no Susume Season 2: Discouragement of Climb

Some great news came out earlier today when Crunchyroll announced that they have gotten the go-ahead to simulcast the rest of Yama no Susume Second Season, a.k.a. Encouragement of Climb Season 2, and have already added all of the previous episodes as well. For anyone who has been waiting for a legal stream of those episodes, this is your chance to catch up with one of the best shows from the summer, as well as the "second part" of the YamaHanaBara story for which Hanayamata was the first part and Barakamon was the third part.

In celebration of this, expect a number of posts on recent episodes of the show, as well as continuing regular coverage of the show on this blog from here on out. This post will cover material up to and including episode 12, and will naturally contain spoilers from those episodes. If you haven't watched this show up to that point yet, go ahead and do so. Don't worry, this post isn't going anywhere. Or just hit the jump if you really don't care about watching this show, and don't care that you're missing out on one of the best shows currently airing.

You'd also be missing out on these adorable Li'l Fuji dolls, and you wouldn't want that, would you?

Barakamon, Eps. 11-12: Going Home and Going Back

This post has been long overdue. Let's go straight into it.

Preferably before Seishuu's mom goes all JoJo on her son.

This post contains moderate spoilers after the jump.

Hanayamata, Eps. 11-12: The Grand Finale

It's time to cover the grand finale of Hanayamata, looking at themes found not just in those episodes, but also in the entire show overall. In the meantime, though, we can certainly enjoy how this show plays out its final episodes. The final dance might not be quite as nicely-animated as one might want (I'll blame that on people not giving the show enough of a budget), but story-wise, everything comes together in these last two episodes in such a nice way, including during the dance itself, that this finale is still a very strong one.

This is quite possibly the single best split-second in anime ever.

This final post will, of course, contain moderate spoilers.

Barakamon: Eps. 9-10: Inspired

Yeah, I'm late on this post, and the last two episodes have already aired; I'll get to those later (probably next week). For now, though, I'll be doing these two episodes. I actually don't have much to say on them; they're fantastic episodes as always, just being a bit more focused on the charms of Seishuu's island life than trying to push any real lessons. And that's fine, too.

Well, not sure I'd call impromptu Tarzan re-enactments as "charms".

This post will contain decent spoilers after the jump.

Hanayamata, Eps. 9-10: Losing My Yosakoi

After last week's cliffhanger, we find out in this episode that Naru was able to recover and continue dancing with the help of her friends. However, from there, the focus shifts to Machi, the student council president and younger sister of yosakoi club advisor Sally-sensei... at least, if the yosakoi club was actually official, which it unfortunately is still not as Sally is only a temporary teacher, and thus cannot be a club advisor.

Can we expect Hanayamata cameos in the upcoming Girls ind Panzer film? (Probably not, but still.)

With the focus on the Tokiwa sisters for these episodes, they will be the source of the lessons I will draw for this post. Expect minor spoilers after the jump.

Yama no Susume Second Season, Eps. 1-4: Mountain of Faith

Unfortunately, Crunchyroll has yet to put up anything past episode 1 still for the second season of this show, despite it already approaching its second cour. I can only hope that the holdup last no longer than the start of the Fall season, because this show has been amazing so far, right up there with its YamaHanaBara counterparts Hanayamata and Barakamon. At any rate, with what looks to be a wonderful second half coming up, I want to at least put up something for the first four episodes of the show (equivalent to two full-length episodes).

For those still waiting for official streams for this show, be warned that this post contains decent spoilers.

Don't worry, this isn't a spoiler; it's from the first minute of the show.

Barakamon, Eps. 7-8: Share the Wisdom, Share the Love

So I talk about how Barakamon might be close to being a Christian anime, as the Gotou Islands it takes place on has a history with Japan's few Christians. I wrote that before episode 8 aired... and naturally, episode 8 was titled "Onde: Buddhist Chanting and Dancing."

This is why I shouldn't be allowed to make claims about anything being a Christian anime, right?

Well, to be fair, I probably should not be too surprised that Buddhist traditions exist in the Gotou islands culture. The islands are located right between Japan and China and likely had a significant Chinese (and thus Buddhist) population before the Japanese Christians took refuge there. What has likely happened is a mixture of different faith traditions and cultures to form the islands' current culture. And if the fact that Hiro was dragged into taking part in the onde because they were lacking people is of any indication, it's possible that the onde has become a cultural relic that is performed mainly for following tradition than out of any actual belief in the ritual itself (and hence, fewer people feel the desire to actually perform the ritual).

But that's enough hypothesizing about the show's anthropology. Let's talk about the actual content of the episodes themselves, and the Christian themes found within.

In which the show suddenly becomes tsuritama.

Spoiler warning: Nothing major this time; just the usual minor stuff.

Hanayamata, Eps. 7-8: When Things Fall Apart

Things are not exactly going well for our yosakoi girls. Yaya has just learned that her band has failed her audition, and that's just the beginning of her troubles. Meanwhile, the group's first performance at a department store event draws closer... and the girls are gaining weight. Thankfully, a surprisingly positive message comes out of that last one.

Not all weight gain is bad weight gain. (Especially if it's muscle weight.)

However, things are getting serious for these girls. Take a look at what we can learn from them after the jump, but beware of some fairly major spoilers.

Hanayamata, Eps. 5-6: Live Like A Main Character

With Tami now part of the Yosakoi club, all Hana and Naru need to do to make the club official is to get Yaya to join the club (even if only in name), and then get Sally-sensei to be their advisor. Of course, that is exactly what happens, and before they know it, the Yosakoi club is officially a thing, and suddenly everyone is seriously practicing and thinking of logos and going to public yosakoi performances for inspiration.

Also, confusing their fathers with their sudden cheerfulness.

First of all, I should mention that I love it when others blog about the shows I love, such as this show, especially when other Christian anibloggers talk about the Christian themes in these shows. After all, I do not intend these posts to be comprehensive looks at every Christian theme in these shows, and there are certainly themes that I've missed. Alternatively, they save me some of the work of writing these posts if they cover an episode I haven't covered already, which is a good thing, right? Anyway, if you haven't already, do check out Japesland's post on Hanayamata (specifically episode 5) over at Beneath the Tangles.

Before I talk more about these episodes myself, I guess I'll use this part where I make my normal spiel about being careful of spoilers after the jump, and mention that now I will be noting just how spoilerrific the post will be. Spoiler Warning: The very end of this post will have a fairly major spoiler, so stop at the second picture if you don't want to see it. Otherwise, just the usual minor spoilers are after the jump.

Barakamon, Eps. 5-6: Past Victory

As I continue my biweekly coverage of this show, I am glad to see other bloggers covering this excellent show. If you have not yet already, do check out D.M. Dutcher's post on how the people of the island can represent what the Christian Church should be like. I would also highly recommend checking out Takaii's continuing coverage of the show at Random Curiosity.

Special thanks to Random Curiosity for the Barakamon screencaps. Have a delicious oyster shell as thanks!

Of course, I am still covering this show as part of my YamaHanaBara series. In these episodes, our exiled calligrapher Seishuu Handa has had plenty of time to get accustomed to the ways of the island. Can he show some of his old friends and calligraphy acquaintances how he has grown when they visit? I probably don't need to say it at this point anymore, but expect minor spoilers after the jump.

Hanayamata, Episodes 3 & 4: No Regrets for Those Chosen

Hanayamata continues to impress me with how well it is working in character development into what would normally be just another cute-girls-doing-cute-things show. Though it is also plenty cute, for anyone who likes that (like me).

Cute even when in boy's clothes.

This post will be focused more on episode 4 than 3, since episode 4 has more of the connections with Christianity than episode 3 does. Episode 3 was still a great episode, though, as it continues to look into Yaya's jealousy as this time, she gets to interact more with Hana and understand things from her end. Meanwhile, episode 4 explores the relationship Naru has with Tami, a childhood friend of hers whom she looks up to as a big sister and someone like a princess (given Tami's high-class upbringing). I probably don't need to say this anymore at this point, but expect some spoilers after the jump.

Barakamon: Episodes 3 & 4: A Failure of Pride

With Barakamon finally up on Funimation's site, now everyone can enjoy the goodness of this show legally! And just in time, too, because Naru has to show how she's grown up recently...

Naru's Bizarre Adventures of Mandom

And while the comedic moments of this show are definitely great, the show continues to have some good messages for Christians as Seishuu continues to learn good life lessons. As usual, expect minor spoilers after the jump.

Barakamon, Episodes 1-2: Traps for Old Christians

If I wrote more in my introductory YamaHanaBara post about Barakamon than the other two shows, it's because this show is a bit more complex in both its own premise and how that premise ties in with Christianity. Seishuu Handa, the lead character, is no youthful high schooler entering a new world. He is already an established calligrapher, having won an award for one of his works. As far as he was concerned, he had nothing more to learn, even when a high-ranking calligraphy director called his award-winning work "dull". In anger, he punches the director in the face--clearly not a good idea--which results in his being sent to live on an island to give him time to cool his head.

It's a premise that, as far as parallels to the Christian life goes, is less about a "new Christian learning what it means to follow Christ" and more about an "old Christian learning that what he thought he knew about following Christ might be wrong". In this post, I will be looking at what the first two episodes of this show have to say about some of the traps experienced Christians can fall into. (As usual, there are minor spoilers after the jump.)

Rambunctious young girls might or might not be one of those challenges. (Source: Pixiv)

Hanayamata, Episodes 1-2: New Beginnings

As I mentioned in my introductory YamaHanaBara post, Hanayamata, which is about a girl who steps into the world of yosakoi dance, has parallels to the earliest stages of a Christian's faith. In this post, I will look at the first two episodes in more detail. Naturally, there will be spoilers for said episodes after the jump.

(Source: Pixiv)

YamaHanaBara: Stages in the Walk of Faith

This Summer 2014 season, we are blessed with a trio of shows that not only should be an absolute joy for slice-of-life iyashikei fans, but also provide nice--and rather complementary--parallels on the Christian life. These three shows are Yama no Susume (Encouragement of Climb) Second Season, Hanayamata, and Barakamon. Taking the first two characters of each title and putting them together, I have come up with YamaHanaBara to refer to the three of them collectively. (The order isn't really significant, so I may randomly refer to it as BaraYamaHana or some other order sometimes.)

Yama no Susume, I already introduced in my last post as a story of a girl, Aoi, who, despite her fear of heights, starts getting into mountain climbing along with her friend Hinata. As the second season starts, she's already climbed a smaller mountain and is looking forward to challenging some taller peaks.

Hanayamata features a girl, Naru Sekiya, who's convinced that she's an average girl with no special talents. She spends a lot of time reading fairy tales and hoping that one day a fairy will come and whisk her away to a new world. She then encounters Hana, a transfer student from America who is passionate about Yosakoi dance, and through a series of events, ends up joining her Yosakoi dance club.

Barakamon is a bit of an odd duck in that, instead of being about a high school girl, it is actually about a 23-year-old man. Seishuu Handa is an aspiring calligrapher who, after an incident where he punches an important figure in the calligraphy world, is forced to live on an island for some time to cool his head, and perhaps learn to understand why his "textbook" calligraphy is considered dull. In the process, he gets acquainted with the locals, including the resident rascal, a young, rambunctious girl called Naru. (Try not to confuse her with the Naru from Hanayamata.)

Each of these three shows are great in and of themselves, but what makes them great together is that they can each represent a different part of a Christian's walk of faith.

Naru Sekiya of Hanayamata can represent the new Christian, who for one reason or another has just entered the faith and is unsure of how her life will change. Just like how Naru hesitantly enters the world of yosakoi, so a new Christian may be cautiously taking her first steps into her walk of faith. She may be dealing with insecurities and a tendency to not want to break out of her comfortable daily routine, but one way or another, she has started her walk, nervously anticipating what happens next.

By virtue of her show's being a sequel, Aoi of Yama no Susume Second Season is further along in her walk than she was when the first season started. She hasn't climbed anything higher than 600 meters yet, but she is enthusiastic about challenging higher peaks. As such, she can represent a Christian who is still relatively new to the faith, but after having spent some time on her walk and taking in some spiritual "milk", she is ready to move on to some solid food. The trials that await her will be harder than what she faced before, but with the help of her friends, she is ready to take them on.

Seishuu of Barakamon, being the oldest and most experienced, can represent a Christian who has been a part of the faith for a long time, but has for one reason or another come to a standstill in his walk. Like how Seishuu finds himself stuck (physically) on an island and (mentally) with his "textbook" calligraphy, the experienced but stagnated Christian has gotten a bit too much into a certain religious routine, and does not know where he can go from there. In some cases, he may have even committed a major sin, like Seishuu did when he punched the calligraphy director--for Christians, this can include things like adultery, violence, or drug abuse. One way or another, though, he is stuck... but perhaps, where he is stuck, he can find the support to move onwards.

Christians can probably identify with at least one of these three stages in their current walk of faith, and even if you are not at one of those stages right now, it is still good to understand all the stages, as we could get to know people that are in other stages. (Also, Seishuu's stage is one we can and will run into in our walk... multiple times, even.)

In upcoming posts, I will look at the opening episodes of each of these shows and look at what they say about that show's particular stage of faith. Throughout the season, I will revisit these shows for anything else they have to say about the walk of faith. It will be quite the endeavor, but I believe these three shows are definitely worth the time--and your time, if you decide to watch them.

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Hanayamata and Yama no Susume (i.e. Encouragement of Climb) are available on Crunchyroll. Barakamon is licensed by Funimation and should be available on their streaming site sooner or later...

Encouragement of Faith: Yama no Susume and Conquering the Mountain of Fear

Yama no Susume, also known as Encouragement of Climb on Crunchyroll, is a show I mentioned in my best anime of 2013 series as my favorite anime short series ever. And in this newly-starting summer 2014 season, it starts up again, this time with the total length of a full TV series, albeit split into 24 fifteen-minute episodes. If you haven't watched the first season yet, I highly encourage you to do so; with 12 episodes at only three and a half minutes each, it won't take long, so why not?

One thing I especially liked about Yama no Susume was the growth that main character Aoi goes through as she challenges her fear of heights and her social awkwardness as she gets more into mountain climbing. At first, she just wants to live a normal high school life, but as her old childhood friend Hinata re-enters her life and gets her to make good on a promise to climb a mountain to see the mountain sunrise again, Aoi finds herself hesitantly trying to scale greater heights. She starts small with a local hill, moves on to a lesser mountain that's popular among casual tourists, and then... well, that's where the second season will start off.

Aoi's journey is much like that of a new Christian. She is pulled out of her comfort zone by a friend and finds that she has to now face the fears that will hold her back from fulfilling her promise. Likewise, if we, as Christians, are to fulfill our purpose in God, we are going to be put in uncomfortable, uncertain, and even downright scary situations.

Probably the modern age's default reaction to such situations.

In these situations, trying to climb the mountains in front of us alone is a daunting task. However, through faith, we can gain the courage to take those first steps up the mountain. For Aoi, she takes faith in Hinata and other mountaineering friends to guide her through the whole mountain-climbing experience. For Christians, we put our faith in God to guide us into His purpose while believing that He will take care of us regardless of the situation.

As for what the reward of such faith is, let's just say that the view on top of the mountain is quite a sight to behold... but we will never see that view until we reach the top. (Photographs and videos just don't quite do it justice.) We might not experience the full reward of our faith until we are with God in heaven, but until then, we can keep climbing and maybe get some glimpses along the way: encounters with God's love, worthwhile connections with His people, experiences with the beauty of the world He created, and our own personal growth.

Aside from the mountaintop views, it is the last one that Aoi is blessed with. As she goes into the second season, she is no longer the shy, insecure mountain-climbing newbie, but a novice who is genuinely interested in tackling taller mountains with her new friends. That's quite a lot of growth for a girl in the timespan of effectively 36 minutes of anime.

This post is a prelude to a series I will be doing this summer, which I call YamaHanaBara. What is YamaHanaBara? You'll find out soon--these next few days are going to be full of posts!