It’s safe to say anime studios love H.P. Lovecraft, and to produce anything that’s truly based on are few and far between. Depending on what aspect of his lore gets explored, there’s Berserk and Paprika. To a lesser extent, there’s even the classic, Iczer 1 where the transliteration spelled out the villain as Cthulhu even though they are not related. But to have a story that is truly inspired requires Forest Limit and THINKR Col Ltd., to make a short titled Naked Peak, Climb the Mountains of Madness.
This pilot is now available on YouTube for all to view (also offered below). Although the details are lacking, I suspect it’s based on the IELLO + 6 More’s board game Mountains of Madness than the story. As much as I’d love to see this adaptation borrow from Go Tanabe’s manga (review link), it’s doubtful. This work earned the 2022 CAMPFIRE crowdfunding award after netting over 1 million dollars from 12,000 backers, and achieving 1400% funding overall.
The video shows two extremes, the plight of ascending one of the world’s tallest wonders when weather conditions get harsh and when the day is nice, the thrill of what this extreme sport is all about. It’s like those documentaries you see all the time on IMAX, like Mountain Quest. Alternatively, The Summit reveals the darker side where lives get lost. But here, when we see a juxtaposition of idyllic joy against an environment hiding something else. Just what these challengers encounter aren’t known until the very last frames.
This short doesn’t show the terrors that are still to come. Production on the full-length movie continues, and fans can follow along with behind-the-scenes footage on MadaraUsi’s YouTube channel.
According to the official synopsis:
A flight to Antarctica mysteriously disappears, and a frantic search for survivors leads to a never-before-seen mountain range–the largest on Earth. The newly dubbed “Mountains of Madness” attract the attention of professional climbers and thrill seekers worldwide, but the challenge of scaling the eighth wonder of the world is only surpassed by the horrors waiting at the top.
Naked Peak, Climb the Mountains of Madness
Pilot (Pitch) Trailer
