#Iwa Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the Day Olympic Sports Edition: Climbing

Iwa Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls

[doyouknowthisanime]

Do You Know This Anime?

[animemakeblog]

Female sports climbers are the main focus of the narrative. The Iwa Kakeru! genres include comedy, drama, school, and sports. Nonoka Sugiura, Jun Uehara, Sayo Yotsuba, and Konomi Kasahara are the main characters.

[outcast-thingz]

Two second of this show and I already miss rock climbing...

[pochqmqri]

It is now May and we still haven't heard anything about the adult Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! sequel that is supposed to air sometime this year. Nothing official or direct has been said about it since the initial announcement over a year ago, but despite that, there have been some bits of information we can piece together about it.

To start off, let's look at the initial announcement back in March 2023. To celebrate the Pretty Cure franchise's 20th anniversary, Toei Animation announced that they would be producing two sequel PreCure anime for adult audiences.

The first one was Kibou no Chikara ~Otona PreCure '23~/Power of Hope ~PreCure Full Bloom~, which was a sequel to the first five PreCure seasons, but primarily Yes! Pretty Cure 5 and Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo! It aired on NHK-E in Fall 2023 for 12 episodes, and was streamed internationally on Crunchyroll.

The second one was tentatively titled "Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! 2," obviously a sequel to the 13th season of the same name. It was said to air sometime in 2024 on the late night ANiMAZiNG!!!! block. And that's all we ever heard about it since.

ANiMAZiNG!!!!

Let's look at what ANiMAZiNG!!!! actually is. It's an anime programming block from 2:00-2:30AM on Sundays created by the Asahi Broadcasting Corporation with TV Asahi; these networks are the ones responsible for airing PreCure in Japan every Sunday at 8:30AM, so it's familiar territory. ANiMAZiNG!!!! started in October 2020.

Notable anime that aired on this block include: Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie, The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious, The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!, SK8 the Infinity, Iwa-Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls, I Shall Survive Using Potions!, and Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement.

A 2:00AM slot for PreCure is quite interesting, as even OtonaPre aired on NHK-E as late as Saturday 6:30PM. Despite this, the anime that airs on this block usually isn't too "adult," i.e violent or sexual, so I don't expect MahoPre2 to be anything of the sort. Similarly, the recent Tokyo Mew Mew New aired around midnight, and it wasn't out of the ordinary in terms of content.

With the exception of the Jahy anime, the anime that airs on this block usually does for just one cour, i.e. it has about 11-12 episodes and takes up one seasonal anime slot. We can assume that MahoPre will also have 12 episodes, not just because of this, but also because that was the same amount OtonaPre had. Relatedly, since MahoPre2 is airing on a different network than OtonaPre did, I also think that MahoPre2, when it gets an official title, is probably not going to be under the "Otona" label. OtonaPre aired on NHK-E, the "E" standing for education, and thus was heavily tied in to topics such as climate change and SDGs, of which I don't see MahoPre2 focusing on as much given it will air on a different network that doesn't have such an educational slant (see the other anime that usually airs on ANiMAZiNG!!!!).

At this point in time, the Winter 2024 anime season has long since concluded, and the Spring 2024 season is currently ongoing. So, we know what anime has aired/is airing on ANiMAZiNG!!!! this year so far, but we also have information on a few anime that will air later in the year too, so let's paint a schedule:

The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids — Jan 7 - Mar 24 (Winter 2024)

Tonari no Yokai-san — Apr 7 - TBA (Spring 2024)

??? (Summer 2024)

The Healer Who was Banished From His Party is Actually the Strongest — Starts Oct (Fall 2024)

All of the seasonal slots for ANiMAZiNG!!! this year, except for Summer, have been filled up, and none of them include MahoPre2. On the official site, the poster for the upcoming Summer season is just a blank "Coming Soon." I find it surprising in the case of the Fall slot, because I was expecting MahoPre2 to air there, as OtonaPre also aired in the Fall last year. Based on this information and lack thereof so far, one can assume that MahoPre2 will be airing in the Summer, but doesn't that seem a little strange?

The Summer anime season usually starts in July, and that's two months away now, so why have we gotten basically no official information on the anime yet, not even a proper title or a few visuals? Despite the fact that OtonaPre aired in October last year, we got a peek at the first visual about a week after the initial announcement in March, followed by a moderately paced reel of information throughout the year. Looking at the other non-PreCure anime on ANiMAZiNG!!!!, Strongest Tank was officially announced back in October 2023 (three months prior to airing), Yokai-san was officially announced back in November 2023 (five months prior to airing), [insert overtly long isekai title] was announced earlier this year in January (9 months prior to airing), so MahoPre2 definitely stands out in its lack of information at this late of a stage. Even so, I can't think of any other anime that would be taking the Summer slot at this point in time. There's also the possibility that Yokai-san runs for a second cour, but usually anime that airs on ANiMAZiNG!!! only run for one season, and Yokai-san's original manga concluded with 4 volumes and one side story, which is generally enough content to fit one cour.

So, what can we expect in the coming weeks/months? The first thing is, like most PreCure anime, a logo/title drop in the Japanese trademark office. Just a day before the initial announcement of OtonaPre, the logo was recorded in the office, so it's likely that whenever the MahoPre2 title drops, an official reveal will follow shortly.

What Rie Takahashi said

Another bit of information comes from Rie Takahashi, the voice actress for MahoPre's Mirai /Cure Miracle, on her radio show with fellow voice actress and friend, Reina Ueda (who coincidentally voices Mayu/Cure Lillian in the current Wonderful Pretty Cure!). For the episode uploaded on February 19 earlier this year, she talks a bit about MahoPre2, how it's airing sometime in 2024, and that they're excited for it, that this year is going to be a great one, no new information really, but it's probably the most recent information we've gotten from an official source, albeit a reconfirmation of what we already know.

Somewhat relatedly, the Kamikita twins, who draw the seasonal PreCure manga adaptations every year, posted a tweet earlier this year in January asking if there was anymore news on MahoPre2, which seems to indicate that, even to them at that point, they weren't briefed on anything behind the scenes.

Speculation: The "Wonderful PreCure!" movie

For the sections labeled speculation, I ask that you please do not take anything I write here as pure fact.

While browsing the Japanese side of Twitter, I came across a few opinions of PreCure fans on why Toei is being hush on MahoPre2. One idea is linked to the WonPre movie coming out later in September. In the film's initial trailer, there's a line said towards the end:

さらに素敵なお友達の出番です!っていいました？！ "Sara ni sutekina otomodachi no deban desu! tte iimashita?!" "Did you just say, 'It's time for even more wonderful friends'?!"

What's the significance of the Japanese characters I highlighted in bold? In the context of PreCure, they are the catchphrases of Sora from last year's HiroPre, and Mirai from MahoPre. The 出番, deban, comes from Sora's catchphrase, ヒーローの出番です!, Hero no deban desu!, or officially translated as "It's hero time!" The っていいました？！, tte iimashita?!, or "Did you just say [x]?!" is a quoting particle frequently used by Mirai. Tumblr only allows one video upload per post, so I'll have to link to a separate post I made with the video comparison.

With this in mind, a fair amount of fans believe that the WonPre film will be another crossover one, like the HealPre and TroPre ones were, only this time, that team will be crossing over with the HiroPre and MahoPre teams. It's likely that MahoPre is added in to promote the upcoming sequel, which could be airing around the time the film hits theaters. For that reason, it's probable that Toei wants to combine the marketing for both MahoPre2 and the WonPre film, neither of which has started yet.

Speculation: MahoPre2 Delayed?

The idea of MahoPre2 being delayed isn't really based on any evidence, but pure speculation. Some fans believe that internal politics at Toei have made them shelve the sequel for the time being. Sailor Moon fans are familiar with how Sailor Moon Eternal and Sailor Moon Cosmos were mishandled and delayed multiple times.

Ojamajo Doremi, PreCure's older sister franchise, is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary with a potential animation plan adapting the sequel light novels with the girls grown up. Funnily enough, that's similar to the concept of MahoPre2, so maybe Toei somewhere down the line turned MahoPre2 into Doremi1620? Hahaha...

Another common theory is that MahoPre2 will actually air in early 2025. That sounds a bit weird, doesn't it? They explicitly said 2024, even Rie Takahashi said so, right? Technically, that wouldn't be a lie, if Toei was looking at Fiscal Year 2024, which in Japan, lasts from April 2024 to March 2025 for governments and corporations. That would give MahoPre2 time to air in the Winter 2025 season, and thus the promotion hasn't started yet because it's still too early.

So, with that all said, there are at least two time periods I believe MahoPre2 could air in, the Summer 2024 season, or the Winter 2025 season. As of now, we can only wait for more information, but I do not have reason to believe that Toei cancelled this project.

[waifubuki]

[shanks]

[inputanimeoutput]

Thoughts On: Iwakakeru! Sport Climbing Girls

Let’s not speak of this again || Awful || Bad || Okay || Entertaining || Good || Better than Expected || Really Good || Amazeballs || What is this vision of glory I’ve witnessed?!

There are very few sports anime with female characters out there, and of the ones that do have female characters, there’s so much fanservice that it’s almost impossible to watch.  Sports anime surrounding female characters also tend to be sports anime in every aspect except the fact that the sport doesn’t actually exist (AoKana or Girls and Panzer).  Some sports anime with female characters have a fair bit of both (Keijo!!!).

Iwakakeru, thankfully, does take after a real sport and has little overt fanservice compared to most, which meant that I enjoyed it far more than I initially expected to.

Competitive bouldering is a thing that I’ve been exposed to before due to a student I had, and it’s definitely a very interesting sport!  This is half of the battle with making a good sports anime.  If the sport is boring or there’s no way to accurately represent the sport so it’s both interesting and understandable to the lay-person, then that anime typically has very little success.  It also happens that an anime has to rely on inputting a lot of drama into the narrative, making the sport take second stage--and at that point it’s not really a “sports” anime.  The best sports anime have a good mix of narrative and sport, with the sport and love of the sport being the primary drive of the narrative while some focus on the narrative and the sport is there for dramatic affect (i.e. the difference between Haikyu!! and 2.43: Seiin High School Volleyball Club). 

Iwakakeru does a decent job of demystifying the sport of competitive bouldering, and while there’s a fair amount of drama, all of the dramatics center around competition.  It’s definitely very sport-forward, which is something that allows it to exist aside other true sports anime.

However, while the series is enjoyable, it lacks a bit of depth, and the balance between characterization and sport is a bit off.  Yes, there’s the typical genius newbie, the one who works harder than anyone, the encouraging and amazing senpai, and a wealth of eccentric competitors.  This is pretty standard in sports anime; however, the best sports anime give depth and dynamic to those tropes and archetypes in a way that Iwakakeru just didn’t.  It’s possible that the series could have, but so much of the series was rushed through that the characters often took a backseat to the action.  This isn’t abnormal for sports anime, especially those who only get a cour or two, but it’s a shame because it could have made Iwakakeru even better if it was allowed the time to give more depth to the characters and to the sport itself.

Ultimately, most sports anime with female characters go this way.  Hanebado and Harukana Recieve come to mind immediately.  It makes me wish that sports anime with female characters were given the same treatment by authors and studios as the sports anime with male characters.  But having played sports while female...I can’t say I’m surprised.  One day, however, I hope we get a female-dominated sports epic, but sadly Iwakakeru was not that.

At any rate, if you love sports anime and like seeing female characters represented in sports as something other than the bishojo manager, then check out Iwakakeru.  It has some faults, but it’s entertaining, treats the sport well, and is very minimal on the fanservice.  If you’re not a sports anime fan, then probably skip this one.

[animegadaisukiidesu]

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the day: Genre Yuri

I’ve been having some internalized stress about having to write 365 posts a year to post about one anime a day and up keep watching anime, my job, manga, and all the things I do to compensate for my lack of a life. So I’m trying out a genre spotlight, where I write about a specific genre of anime. I was also just asked to come up with a list of these anime based around someone's preferences in yuri so I’m just kinda being super lazy or something. Either way here is a list of yuri/shoujo ai or something that is in the adjacent category of those. I’ve left a few of the big epic yuri/shoujo ai off this list because the original person had already seen them.

Iwa Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls isn’t exactly, or in any way, a yuri but it does have muscly girls who are very close and rock climb.

Soul Eater Not isn’t called a yuri but people often consider it to be given the intimate relationships that happen between meister and weapon. It’s also between three girls.

Manaria Friends is about two girls who develop quite a “close” friendship. I would really like to see more from this anime in the future. 

Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid is 100% yuri, it can be a bit smutty at times and is quite odd.

Violet Evergarden does have that one special which gives some very blatant yuri vibes. I mean it’s so ship-bate.

Sakura Trick is a yuri. It can be a bit slow paced at first because it’s about a friendship becoming romantic.

Asagao to Kasa-san is a yuri and its focus is more on the relationship and less on confessing.

Candy Boy is a yuri, it’s between two twin sisters who live together in a dorm.

Adachi to Shimamura is fairly new but the focus is on discovering and developing feelings.

Aoi Hana is more serious and developed. The characters learn and develop a love between them and it is a bit softer.

Kämpfer is a bit more of a wild card yuri but also not yuri. It’s about a boy who can magically change into a girl and not only attracts a flock of babes but is also attracted himself to his female self. It’s a weird one, but can be funny.

The Yuri and Shoujo Ai category is a personal favorite of mine. I love how complex relationships between women can be. In the anime world they tend to be soft and light and fluffy which just feeds my inner self all the nom nom nom goodies.  

[bongaboi]

#iwakakeru

[kitsukyouno]

oH, THE FIRST TIME I SEE A reference of her, i meet her while search curiosities.

For first episode was a bit decent even with the convenience of the mc been surprise talent but it work well for the limited budged their had.

This girls sleep deep after streching so much their buddies

[outcast-thingz]

what’re the other shows i’m DESPERATE for new content

Mmm it's all anime (although if you really wanna recommendation seriously Saiyuki Reload.)

-Iwa Kakeru!: Sport Climbing Girls

-Naruto (a lot of the "classic" animes i have not watched)

-Blue Lock (i think that's the soccer one)

[pochqmqri]

It has now been a full year since Toei initially announced they were doing adult sequels to Yes! Pretty Cure 5 and Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure!

Now that Otona Pretty Cure has come and gone, I wonder when we are getting more news on "Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! 2" as it is tentatively titled. The home release for OtonaPre comes out in Japan on April 24, so maybe they're waiting until then to show any visuals. We should definitely have a logo pop up in the Japanese trademark office soon though.

Here's something interesting though. As mentioned in the initial announcement, "MahoPre2" is set to air on the late night programming block, "ANIMAZiNG!!!!" This block airs on Sundays from 2:00-2:30 AM.

Other notable anime that have aired on this block include: Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie, The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious, The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!, SK8 the Infinity, Iwa-Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls, I Shall Survive Using Potions!, and Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement.

As the block only lasts 30 minutes, usually only one anime airs on it per season. Since we already have confirmation that a completely different anime will be airing in the block during the upcoming Spring 2024 season, and if we assume that "MahoPre2" will still be airing this year (and on the block), this leaves either Summer or Fall 2024 for it to be slotted in. I personally think it's Fall 2024 to match what OtonaPre did last year.

[grupodinamo]

Nueva imagen de "Iwa Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls" que se estrena en otoño de 2020

[waifubuki]