Yuru Camp△

“¡ One for all, hole in one!” —Nadeshiko Kagamihara

Yuru Camp is one of the gems from the season. Who could have guessed a camping series would be fun, refreshing, and very entertaining? Also, no matter how you are feeling, after each episode you will end with a big smile on your face. Yuru Camp isn’t about cute girls doing cute things. It is about how to enjoy simpler situations and how to maintain the proper mood and be happy under any circumstance. More important, the series irradiates that sensation to all the spectators. These girls give us a funny and delightful gem and will stay ... in our memories for a long time.

The story is straightforward and easy to follow, it is fun, fresh and entertaining to watch. It focuses on camping. Yes, I envision the same thing you’re thinking: camping, are you kidding me? How can you have a plotline about camping? It must be a fiasco. However, Yuri Camp is not dull, from a common event like camping, the authors create an amusing narration where all the characters take pleasure in camping. Keep in mind that maybe you want to go camping with your friends after the series because the characters’ commitment is plausible, delightful and absorbing. The message given to the audience through the story’s simplicity is enjoying the moments of life.

As a starting point, the pacing is perfect, and the way how all the characters are involved is pretty clever. It is remarkable seeing the correlation and the chemistry between them, no matter if they appear in the scene for few seconds, their actions complement the setting, and you don’t feel them wasted. Every character has a different personality that boosts the dynamic through the storyline and embodies the meaning of friendship. Another notable aspect, the trust. Would you camp with someone you do not trust? The series enrich the plot with those values and propels them in each episode. For example, Rin likes camping alone, but she starts enjoying her time with Nadeshiko and considers her as a friend. Since they are a group of “buddies,” they share their tastes (food, hobbies, fun). Also, the story maintains the realism and gives tips about camping. This small world is full of comical events and funny jokes executed at the perfect moment ingeniously. Look Nadeshiko, she may seem to be childish, yet she is very energetic, and she uses that side of her personality to be humorous. Just with her behavior, the characters seem flashy and feel happy. All this is possible because the authors care about the pacing and the story.

On the other hand, some spectators believe the series doesn’t have a plot, so they consider the show boring. The simplicity of the narrative can be measured in the course of action and the mood while camping. How many of us have at least camping once in our lives? If it was a gratifying experience then this show will bring memories and forgotten desires, perhaps you could end remembering some of your old friends. This series demonstrates that every action, no matter how insignificant is, it would make our existence happier and enjoyable. For me, seeing how these characters admire a landscape, it is very remarkable. Maybe it is a cliché, but that easiness is what we call having a good time. Lastly, I have not found any negative aspect of the show. Nothing is perfect, yet the anime covers some basic ideas such as friendship, trust, passion, joy, and boosts them in a very entertaining way. Yuri Camp’s beauty lies in its simplicity.

We have five characters in the story. The most noticeable Is Nadeshiko because she is the one that which gathers the rest of the cast together, and she is the central point for most of the jokes. Nadeshiko is very energetic and blissful. She loves eating, and we can consider her a thrilled girl. The other main character, Rin. In the beginning, she enjoys camping alone, but Nadeshiko’s influence may change her. Rin has more camping experience than the others.
The remaining characters add fluency to the story. Aoi and Chiaki, they are the members of the Outdoor Activities Club. Thanks to Nadeshiko the club continues with the activities and start to plan camping meetings. Lastly Ena, she always mocks Rin. Something I notice is the lack of a detailed background, but the plot works very well without it. You only need to know they like camping and the rest will come from their personalities.

The art and sound are good. One exciting part is how they care about the landscapes. It is a plus because most of the scenes are outside. The camera angles and the camera movement focus on the main characters. Also, the color palette is very vivid and catch the attention of your eyes. However, the character’s design is standard compared with other series; it goes well with the simplicity of the plot. Regarding the sound, the score fills the moments and the jokes. It isn’t bad. Although, sometimes you don’t notice it because it is standard.

The OP and ED are great. I love those two songs. The lyrics and the rhythm work very well and are very catchy. Honestly, I hummed the OP for a whole day. I am getting crazy. =(

Finally, the combination between a simple and a fluid narrative, good characters, attractive art design, right sound, creates a delightful story called Yuru Camp. I like the show, I want a second season but maybe isn’t going to happen, yet it was a hilarious ride. You must give this anime an opportunity.

The sun is setting. The cold breezes that brushed through the yellow-green grass just a few minutes earlier have left the plains. In front of a small camping tent, Rin is comfortably seated in a folding chair, reading a book. A while has passed and she decides to put down her warm cup of cocoa, close her book and stretch; a puff of breath turns into a small cloud and slowly fades away. She looks at her surroundings: a huge, empty field of grass, a small forest and a clear view of a Mt. Fuji tinted in a friendly pink. Rin is on another of ... her lonesome weekendly winter camping trips. During the coldest season, she fancies spending some time alone in the quiet areas of Japan—on camping sites usually uncrowded during the winter.

During her trips, she spends a lot of time exploring the camping grounds; in midst of beautifully drawn, colorful sceneries, she follows intricately painted pathways in search for the stunning sights of an everyday beauty of nature perfectly evoked by the show’s wonderful visuals. Whether she ends up exploring the campsites, the colorful forests of early winter, taking pictures of funny-looking statues or just sitting in her chair relaxing, it doesn’t really matter; she just wants to spend some time on her own enjoying nature. Apart from camping, she doesn’t have any predominant interests or hobbies, and while she does truly love her friends and enjoys spending time with them, this pastime is something she truly needs: a breather, so to speak.

It comes as no surprise when she turns down an invitation to join her school’s camping club; it’d go against the purpose of her camping trips. And really, that’s completely okay. Her friends understand. While they may not truly grasp her feelings, they respect her desire to camp on her own without pressing further. This comes as kind of a surprise initially: in general, the members of the camping club are very energetic and gung-ho; seeing these characters which one might initially pass off as everyday anime idiots act like sensitive, genuine human beings and friends is truly, truly refreshing. Rin and them couldn’t be more different: Chiaki and Aoi often indulge in weird jokes or pranks, and while their love for camping is definitely genuine, so is their aversion to spending even a single penny on actually acquiring necessary utensils. Nadeshiko on the other hand is very much a simpleton—a hyperactive, hyperhappy and hyperhungry simpleton. It’s not only the members of the camping club who differ from Rin (whose camping trips aren’t as quiet and calming as Rin’s); the three horse around and have fun. Instead of appreciating the quiet and nature, they just want to spend time and camp together as a group of friends.

Due to the cast and the camping trips covering such a wide spectrum, the otherwise rather monotonous-sounding activity of winter camping can offer a variety of different, but always pleasant and comfy experiences. And while Rin and her friends may be apart when camping (well, most of the time), they are never out of touch: during their camping trips they regularly message or call each other and send the others photos of the camping sites they visit. They indulge in mindless but fun chats about food or the weather and it feels completely genuine. But not only do these small chats serve to make the character’s relationships feel real, they also help the otherwise standalone camping trip segments connect to the rest of the show to form a cohesive whole; while the general moods of Rin’s camping trips and the camping club horsing around are completely different, they still feel like parts of the same show, not fragments of a greater whole.

It isn’t just these small conversations between the group and Rin that creates the feeling of unity between every single scene. Yuru Camp’s soundtrack consists of very few songs which, while usually a negative, works well for what the show is trying to accomplish. The tracks are all very simple, but they sell their respective scenes perfectly through equally simple means: a short, repeated trill in the lead guitar is enough to sell the relaxing camping atmosphere; a change from a dominant guitar to flutes can be mystifying and create a sense of exploration; and a calm vocal song is enough to sell the most intimate of togetherness. It won’t earn any medals or prizes, but the soundtrack does just what it’s supposed to, and that’s just what you want for an equally simple and relaxing show such as Yuru Camp.

Be it Rin’s appreciation for the quiet and nature, the lively and fun friendship of the camping club or their genuine and heartwarming relationships—there is much to love in this soothing show. Yuru Camp may seldom stray off the beaten path, but it doesn’t need to, for it is a comfy and lighthearted experience through and through.

However, if you decide to join in on the fun please keep in mind that while camping…

- Always mind the campsite and facility rules
- Don’t forget to clean up fires and take your trash!
- It gets cold during the winter. Stay warm and be well-prepared!!
- Have fun :)

Score: 75

Yuru Camp was a strange phenomenon to witness. An anime produced by a newish studio and an inexperienced staff, with a premise that looked about as basic and niche as it could, adapting a fairly unknown manga. Very few people looked forward to this show, and I was certainly not one of them as it didn't look particularly appealing at first.

And yet, it remains as the third highest-rated non-sequel show of its season, only behind two series that rely on more visceral and spectacular storytelling (Sora yori mo tooi basho and Violet Evergarden), with heavier themes and mood shifts. It is one of the best-selling ... shows of the season as well, increasing manga sales, selling a lot of merchandise and, as of today, tripling the amount of visitors to the campsites located at the Yamanashi Prefecture the series focuses on.

The thing is, Yuru Camp is a show about camping. And not even about camping as a side element or room for more potentially exciting character quirks. About camping in itself as an experience, with a cast of characters that develop an interest and are always looking forward to, and grow, and set their focus on the activity. For twelve episodes. With no tension, no character drama, no external elements getting in the way and certainly not a sense of danger or heavy uncertainty. It is strict in what it covers and straightforward in what it wants to evoke.

In a way, that was an advantage to the show. Week after week, this was a safe choice with a clear attached mood that people could get into knowing what they'd expect and the exact kind of reaction they'd get from it. Some people probably didn't like it, but they weren't vocal: it's not the kind of show that can lead to visceral hate. Not having any element that could generate controversy, it was only natural that the series grew through the season with very little negativity around it. The scenario for this backfiring was also clear: after all, what kind of appeal does this harmless fun provide compared with the more spectacular and memorable narratives of emotional struggle in its season?

It is hard to answer, and yet, it becomes so clear when you are watching it. Selling Yuru Camp is difficult, as one would need to rely on vague statements about its mood. It's quiet, it's soothing, watch it whenever you need to chill. That's it. I could end my review here and it would be the most straightforward recommendation because that is what this show is about: pure and unadulterated calmness and peace of mind. No more no less.

But that would be too easy and misleading. Because it's not the simplicity and straightforwardness what makes this series work, but an execution that depends on a careful combination of directorial, cast, music and writing choices that shouldn't be dismissed just because the aim of the show is humble and simplistic. It is masterfully crafted in each of these elements and almost nothing in it feels random or inappropriate for the overall mood.

Let's talk first about the visual aspects of the show. A lot of things have been said about the sheer beauty and detail of the backgrounds, the use of a subdued color palette that makes everything look more relaxed and soothing, the clever use of lighting and so on. Each episode provides a good amount of wallpaper material and they do a great work at enhancing the beauty of the landscapes. But I would like to focus on something this series really excels at and makes everything work even better from a visually evocative point of view: framing. Yuru Camp is a series about outdoor activities and one of the things it does better at representing their appeal is reflecting with its visual language how vast and surrounding its scenarios are, in comparison with, say, confined rooms. Even more difficult if you take into account that it has to convey these feelings through characters that are part, and are reacting to that environment at that same time. By placing the characters at the right spot of the frame and by showing an astonishing sense of space and depth of field, the series manages to effectively transmit to the viewer a feeling of belonging there, and observing the environment along with, and not separately from the characters. It doesn't feature any particularly elaborate or flashy cinematographic trick but it does everything well in a way that I think very few have. A zoom-out that reveals a wonderful night view, a panoramic shot with the character surrounded by the immense beauty of her environment, a character moving towards the camera to properly reflect the depth of field. It is consistently clever and efficient at this and increases exponentially the appeal of its scenarios.

The character designs leave more room for nitpicking. They have rather simple features, some kind of... questionable ones (what is up with those extra thin necks?) and overall they are designs that appeal to a fitting yet standard cutesy style. Past that level of simplicity, the thing is that they are actually very spot on in pretty much everything. They wear mundane and appropriate clothes, and the show has a surprising variety of outfits and styles for each of them. Particularly noteworthy is the big amount of aesthetic choices thrown around the character of Rin throughout the series, that make her quite visually dynamic and even leads to some running jokes with her hairstyles. Either way, I would not like to oversell the complexity of these character designs, since I think part of their appeal and also a very relevant fraction in the visual comedy of the show lie precisely in their simple and recognizable traits.

These general aspects aside, the show itself has a number of little issues in its visuals that depending on the person and the focus may look more or less serious. The animation in particular. It is clean, fluid and average or above average, always serviceable enough; but there's not much focus on movement and the series can look quite static at times. It has some surprisingly complex and detailed animation but it is not consistent with that and specially in its latter half it abuses montages of static and frozen panning shots instead. The CG animation of the vehicles feels kind of off-putting, even with the attempts of the series to make up for it by focusing on the depth of field of the shot; thankfully none of these moments last very long. However the biggest issue comes with episode 8. It is pretty much universally agreed that this episode is an aesthetic low in the series with clumsy animation and characters going off model way too often throughout.

Luckily, at least in my case, the flaws feel so irrelevant compared to all the great visual choices it makes that this aspect of the show remains impressive overall, with only a few occasional nitpicks here and there. What I'd like to emphasize the most here is that the visual language in this series is crucial and it is effectively conveyed with clever decisions and execution. The series manages to nail the cathartic and the mundane equally and is one of the most purely aesthetic anime experiences I've seen. And if you think that my views on the art are too positive, wait for the next section.

The sound. Oh, how do I even start with this. It's absolute brilliance from start to finish. The soundtrack is quiet and fluffy, even at its most playful it's just plain laid-back. Entirely instrumental except for the opening and ending, it constantly evokes the atmosphere of relax and uneventful fun that permeates through the entire series. However what truly makes this series stand out in this department is not in the tracks themselves, but in their use in context. It understands the music not as an accompaniment, but as an essential element of its aesthetics and narrative. And this is specially relevant in a season that, overall, did not stand out much in this aspect and took a lot of my nitpicks for otherwise great shows.

What Yuru Camp understands so well is that, yes, the music is fitting and sets a mood, but that shouldn't stop you from playing and being active and dynamic with it. You can't expect to play a beautiful song in the background, stop caring, and proceed to focus on the visual narrative and the dialogue, because no matter how good it sounds, it will end up creating an aesthetic dissonance. This series takes its effort to match the images, the frames and the timing of the narration with the soundtrack. It quite often makes use of sudden and accurately timed interruptions for comedic effect, it saves the most emphasized parts of the track for the single moments of catharsis and it perfectly captures the mundane. It knows when to stop and it knows when to start again, what track to use for each moment and how to make proper and emotionally (or comedically) effective transitions. If all of this sounds basic, imagine my frustration while watching other shows in its same season failing to understand this fundamental approach.

And damn if it's effective. The love and care put in this aspect of the show is astounding. Heck, if it even went through the trouble of creating a separate and fitting soundtrack for each of the campsite locations. That's some level of dedication out there. Seriously, the music in this show is something else. Even for its generally excellent delivery this is an easy standout.

The rest of the aspects of its sound design are also spot on. I love the effects, particularly those used to create atmosphere like the little ambient sounds, the wind breezing... that make the experience more immediate and relatable. As for the voice acting, the series has a very solid cast with a clear standout in Yumiri Hanamori's Nadeshiko. The way she nails the voice of her character, her sounds and her overall performance is essential to make Nadeshiko the cinnamon roll of unadulterated cuteness she is, and to do it with a character that was so easy to drive wrong has a lot of merit. Almost equal in merit and execution is Nao Touyama's Rin, a quiet type that is still perfectly empathic and entertaining to listen to, and knows how to add relatable nuances of emotion to a character that acts cold and restrained towards the rest. The rest of the cast all have fitting voices and add to the overall mood and the comedic effect of the characters, with another favorite of mine being Rie Takahashi's laid-back and playful role as Saitou. The energy of Chiaki and the soothing nature of Aoi are nailed as well and perfectly add to their style of humor. My only nitpick aside from some minor characters having more meh voices is with some little moments of Aki Toyosaki's Aoi. The character seems to have more creative freedom than the rest of the cast when it comes to the way she sounds, and at some points, episode 10 in special, that sort of rubbed me the wrong way.

With the visual and sound aspects covered, we can move on to the writing. And since this is just cute girls doing cute camping things for twelve episodes this should be fast, right?

Right?

You know it won't. I'm afraid you have to stay for a little while yet.

One of my biggest pet peeves with anime criticism is the, in my opinion, excessive reliance on themes. When it comes to a story focused on the mundane, that uses observational and incidental narrative and doesn't focus in a central point, prioritizing in your speech the talk about transcendence and depth of themes is artificial and uncalled for. And I have even seen it with this show. It's not like Yuru Camp doesn't offer valuable insight on certain topics, I'll get there a bit later, but to make it the main point of appeal of the series is, to me, missing the point and applying standards it doesn't aim for. And the solution is not to dismiss the efforts of this show based on the simple immediacy of its premise either, specially if such immediacy is carried through an observant perspective that has its inherent difficulty.

Why am I bringing this up? Because the writing of Yuru Camp is excellent. It is a definitive standout in its genre, and it is easily the most solid I could find in its season. The way it understands and applies character interactions through its entire run is nothing short of brilliant in its apparent simplicity and naturality.

The first element I'd like to tackle is the storyline. What I am about to say may sound surprising, but compared to other slice of life shows, I think the pure story aspect in this series is actually quite sophisticated, or perhaps I should say tightly structured. Contrarily to what one could think in a show that lives up to its premise of cute girls camping and having harmless fun, it has a clear narrative with perfect continuity throughout. All the characters undergo some sort of development regarding their interest on camping; some become more profficient, some start to contemplate other alternatives... The point I want to make with this is that in this show the narration is, above all, consequential. It constantly refers to previous events or circumstances, the attachment of the characters grows throughout and this development is kept as a basis for future interactions, both in the bigger picture and in slight and seemingly irrelevant details. This is true for all of them but particularly, as it's the main narrative focus, for the dynamics of Rin and Nadeshiko. Both learn from each other and we see how they gradually form an increasingly close relationship with some relevant transitions that have their emphasis in the narrative.

The main focus of the show is the experience of camping and the attachment to what it has to offer. Some people have said, not without reason, that the characters and the events are way too focused on camping, and that it is difficult to obtain a bigger picture of them when their lives and conversations are so conveniently reduced to their hobby. This never bothered me personally because I think the running theme of camping is more than enough to create a significant introspection to the characters, particularly because the very nature of this activity leads to a lot of quiet observation and naturalistic depiction, but I can understand this being an issue, particularly if you want to observe the characters in other situations or frames of mind, or if you get bored by the lack of variety of focus.

Speaking of its camping themes and focus, it also seems that a common issue among people who either disliked or don't share the enthusiasm for this show lies in the presence of a voiceover narrator who tells things to the viewer, serving as a tutorial for camping and giving advice. This is something I myself feel conflicted about, not because it bothers me personally, but because I honestly don't know how to draw the line and why do I find it acceptable and perfectly fine while other people feel completely unattached when it appears. To me I guess it has to do with how soothing the voice itself is, how it's strategically placed in the narration to avoid unnecessary interference with the natural interactions of the characters, or how at times it plays along with the characters and their mood.

Through its running theme of camping the show talks as well about friendship and opening up to new experiences. And where it excels at is not so much the inherent complexity of its themes, but the execution and particularly in the amount of right narrative decisions taken throughout to build a conclusion that is constructive and inspiring. One of the greatest merits of the writing in this series is how it never puts the characters in a situation where they are stated to be in the wrong or need to be fixed, despite the obvious contrast in their personalities and approaches. This is specially true for Rin, who is introduced as an introvert and loves camping alone at the beginning, and through the series she develops a liking for camping with people. But the loner Rin is still there for the entire series. And her introversion is not fixed either: it is an essential character trait of her and the other characters respect her boundaries. A good deal of the laid-back atmosphere in this show is achieved through the mutual respect the girls feel for each other. Nadeshiko, the initially hyperactive and potentially invasive personality that would force Rin to change, quickly understands that pressuring her is wrong, and lets her grow at her own pace. At the same time, she learns from Rin too, while not changing a bit of her outgoing and enthusiastic personality. It is very refreshing to see this sort of development, and it speaks volumes not only to the mutual understanding and empathy displayed by the characters, but to the narrative focus itself and the respect the writing shows for their agency and individuality.

Speaking of the characters, they could be defined by basic personality archetypes. As said, Rin is the loner introvert and Nadeshiko the outgoing enthusiast. This is also true for the rest of the characters who all have a set personality and defined traits. While some people have mentioned this as a negative, I don't think Yuru Camp suffers from having characters that meet an archetype or *sigh* "can be defined in a single phrase". This is mostly because the writing stays refreshing and keeps finding new ways to explore the set traits of the characters throughout. And above all, it puts a lot of care in their interactions and chemistry together and with the surrounding environment.

The key word here is spontaneity. Everything in this series is built around this premise. The dialogues are filled with casual banter, they have some exposition here and there without feeling like infodumps, but the conversations feel perfectly down-to-earth and relatable, which is even more fascinating if one takes into account how quirky and differentiable their basic character types are. And as a result of this comes one of the greatest, and probably one of the most unsung, merits of this series.

Take the scene with Saitou drawing a "funny face" in Chikuwa's photo. Take the Outdoors Club girls' silly imitations of camping objects and activities. Take the Santa Clangers, the "intense" chats between Rin and Saitou, Chiaki the evil kidnapper, Nadeshiko the granny and so on and on and on. There is something relevant around all of these moments. They are funny, but they don't need to. You don't need to find these jokes amusing in order for them to make sense because the ones they need to make sense to are the characters themselves. This lack of pandering is one of the things that put this show above so many of its competitors, particularly in the portrayal of friendships that, like any relationship, have their own codes and only make perfect sense to those who share them. Understanding this and not trying to tell the viewer "hey, this is funny, that's why they are laughing" but ultimately transmitting that the characters laugh because they genuinely, and no matter what you think, find this funny, is something I can never praise enough in this show. This is true even for Rin alone and her solitary interactions with her environment, filled with genuine moments of silliness and fun that are presented in the most natural way possible.

A running theme with these girls and their relationships is the use of technology and this is another little aspect that I think deserves to be further emphasized. Where most other narratives either try to establish a contrast or never give enough importance to technology compared to "real", face-to-face interactions, Yuru Camp understands and applies both as a continuum of each other. They use their phones to communicate, to have fun together, to organize plans and etc. Rin and Saitou for instance understand each other extremely well, and yet, most of their interactions in the show happen through a phone chat. You don't need to see them together in a room to figure out how strong their friendship and mutual confidence is, and when it happens it only confirms what we already knew. Another example is in the relationship of Rin and Nadeshiko and how they connect deeply with each other even when they are hundreds of kilometers away, to the point that at one scene Nadeshiko literally wants to chat with Rin and serve as a remote travel guide to her solo camping adventure because that way she feels connected to Rin's journey.

Last but not least in this talk about characters and writing, going back to the importance of spontaneity, comes the comedy. Now, we all know the issue about comedy so it's not worth mentioning it again. What makes me laugh won't necessarily make you laugh and so on. But I can't deny that I laugh a lot with this series. Maybe even more than I could expect, considering how little it does to try to structure its jokes as, well, jokes. In fact, this may actually work in its advantage and it's absolutely worth mentioning the lack of a consistent straight man routine in this series. Whenever the characters do something silly, they seem to prefer playing along than reacting in disbelief or pointing out where the joke exactly is. As a result, a lot of these comedic moments feel spontaneous and lacking a separated structure, and above all, they don't overstay their welcome.

Ultimately however, what makes Yuru Camp work and what explains its appeal to me is the synergy of all the individual elements mentioned above. Visual emphasis, soundtrack, character writing and storytelling combine to form a single and inseparable entity, which could only be achieved by putting individual care on each of them but also factoring a clear overall vision. The perfect embodiment of this lies in its conclusion, one of the most solid and appropriate I have ever seen in the medium, and which I don't think could even be possible had the show not been as carefully planned and integrated as it was during its whole run.


Wow, this review went a long way. I had a lot of fun writing this, but think I owe you all an apology if you reached this point, specially considering that I haven't even used the word "comfy" yet in this review of Yuru Camp. Either way, thanks for taking your time to read this absurdly huge piece of enthusiastic rambling, if you have any feedback or commentary on what I wrote feel free to tell me.

Sit back, relax, and gaze upon the glory that is Yuru Camp.

Tbh I never expected to enjoy a series this much. With all the anime going on on a Thursday, this is definitely a great way to end it. The first episode already captivated me with its amazing soundtrack, character design, and background art.

Our main character Rin, is someone who enjoys camping alone, we see that in episode 1. She's someone who would rather enjoy camping at her own leisure. However, because there are more amazing characters, she soon starts to meet them as well as open up to them more and becomes more social. ... I appreciate these character interactions because it's so humanlike and it's super sweet and all of them have chemistry with each other.

And it ain't just the characters themselves, the background art and colours are super attractive and really compliments the anime very well. There's also the fact that the background art and amazing colours are accompanied by the AMAZING OST. Each soundtrack piece really sets the vibe for each episode and each event that happens within Yuru Camp. Not to mention that GODLIKE OP. I've never heard such a catchier op than this one this season.

Also, apparently the campsites the girls' go to camp at are actually based on actual locations. I saw a few pictures of it in its real life form and it really looks exactly as the anime shows. It's amazing that these beautiful sites are real places to camp.

So in short:

Story (8) - Very Simple, Rin who loves to camps meets a new girl who eventually befriends her and enjoys camping along with her in due time. Then more girls show up and then they'll all camp together. A simple yet very well executed story that hits every note right.

Art (9) - Each character looks unique and the colours are well used.

Sound (10) - Easily one of the best OST's I've heard and the appropriate timings used of these songs really makes the anime all the better.

Character (10) - Each girl carries a beautiful and amazing personality and shows as well as reminds us how cute the CGDCT genre can be. Each girl is lovable and will not disappoint in putting a smile on your face.

Enjoyment (10) - I've enjoyed each second that Yuru Camp has to offer. I've never got bored of this anime and it was beautiful.

Overall (9) - If the goal of this anime was to give you a big smile and show you how girls can camp extremely well, then it does that very well. What can I say, it does everything right in terms of enjoyment, character, soundtracks, and beautiful art.

Yuru Camp will always be the anime to end my Thursdays. Now if you'll excuse me, I need some Ramen.

If the only purpose of Yuru Camp was to create a very cute, shallow, flavor of the week moe show, then they’ve succeeded brilliantly. If it attempted to be something more than that, it failed brilliantly.

Story(3): Like most cute girls doing cute things shows, this show has little to offer in the way of story. This is a character driven show about a group of girls making friends and messing around in their club. There’s hardly any conflict at all, the girls simply go about their lives.

Art(6): The character designs do a great job of selling of cutsey part of the show, and do ... a good job clueing us on their personalities, as one dimensional as they may be. The pink hair girl has to be one of the most satisfying cute girl character designs I’ve seen in a while. I can’t say I remember the backgrounds being particularly notable, though, even in the parts where they are attempting to show off Mount Fuji. The animation isn’t anything special either.

Characters(2): A cute girls doing cute things show doesn’t always need to have a plot. They survive and die on the strength of their characters personalities and their relationships with each other. This is where the show really falls short. Each character could easily be summed up in one sentence. When they are put into situations, they interact in the most cliché and predictable ways possible. They’re not just laid back, they’re boring.

Enjoyment(3): Because of the lack of thought or effort put into these characters, I found myself getting bored half way through the first episode. I pushed through a couple more because the MAL score here was so far, hoping it got better. It didn’t, only adding more on dimensional characters that the show failed to make me care about.

“Riiiin-chaaaaaaaan~!” - Nadeshiko Kagamihara

🥇 9/10
After a long tiring week of school or work, maybe a getaway is something you need. How about camping? Traveling and exploring somewhere far from the city is actually not a bad idea. Yuru Camp△ is probably one of the most relaxing anime you can find, giving audiences traveling and camping experience, which takes place in Yamanashi and its nearby prefectures, where one of the most popular landmarks in Japan, Mount Fuji, is visible, and of course with cute high school girls. After a show completion, you might want to pack your bag and try going on camping at least once ... in a lifetime.

🎬 Story - 8/10
Rin Shima, nicknamed Shimarin, while on her usual camping, she met Nadeshiko Kagamihara who has just moved to Yamanashi, that is how the story starts. Yuru Camp△ offers audiences a unique theme, camping. The story is mainly about high school girls go traveling and camping around Yamanashi and its nearby prefectures.

Personally, I love the idea of storytelling that focuses on sightseeing and camping places, making Yuru Camp△ sometimes give off a vibe of a travel show with cute girls as the show hosts. Furthermore, with a camping-focused story, audiences are able to learn and experience things that campers do, like choosing a place to camp, traveling, or choosing and buying different types of camping gear.

The story itself has no actual weak points, but the potential to be better. It would be awesome if the story actually has a big goal and be a bit more character-focused. Overall, Yuru Camp△ offers a great, feel-good, and very relaxing experience. In addition, this show also includes comedic moments which will surely make you smile.

🎨 Animation - 8/10
The overall art quality is above standard, pretty much high quality. The art itself is considered to be eye-friendly, composed of low-saturated colors on both scenery and characters. The art of sceneries is excellent, very much detailed and realistic. Since the show is mainly about camping around Yamanashi and its nearby prefectures, by referencing real places, having it more realistic is a correct choice, matching the mood and tone of the anime. In addition, foods in Yuru Camp△ looks delicious.

🔈 Sound - 10/10
Yuru Camp△ is probably one of the anime having the most relaxing soundtracks ever. During my 12-episode watch, soundtracks never failed to amaze me, being able to make me noticed almost all of them. They are surely the main source of such a relaxing vibe of this show.

Soundtracks are mostly composed of the sound of an acoustic guitar, an ideal musical instrument to perform on the campfire site, and also a woodwind instrument, probably a flute. Overall wise choice of choosing music instruments in creating such relaxing soundtracks, matching the nature and camping theme.

Yuru Camp△ also has a nice opening song and a very relaxing ending song, it is recommended not to skip them, try listening to them at least once, you will surely love them.

🕶 Characters - 8/10
Yuru Camp△’s main characters consist of 5 high school girls, Rin, Nadeshiko, Aoi, Chiaki, and Ena. The characters are very well-created, surprisingly cute, they can be even better with more stories and details.

Starting with the character design, overall pretty great and cute, despite the characters are having fancy hair colors, having low-saturated colors creates a perfect balance of fanciness and plainness.

Each character has their own unique traits and personality. While Nadeshiko is cheerful and energetic-type, Rin is a quiet-type. Despite her quietness, she is also shown to show her cute side on several occasions. It is interesting to see characters with a personality opposite to each other become friends, I love it when Nadeshiko is yelling for Rin. Aoi is a calm-type, loves to trick her friends with a made-up story while making a cheeky face, not to mention that her Kansai dialect is surprisingly cute and charming. Chiaki and Ena also have their own unique traits and personality, I do not find them to be standing out, but they are surely important to the show.

The friendship between characters is shown to develop throughout the series, the most noticeable one would probably be one of Rin and Nadeshiko. From the first episode to the end of the series, most of the main characters and club itself show some minor developments. I love how character development can work out in an anime of this genre.

However, what characters lack is their individual story. Almost no background is told about them. The story covers only a brief of their personal life besides camping, including their time with family and a part-time job. They are needed more. As mentioned in the story section, having a more character-focused story would benefit not only the story but also the characters.

🎉 Enjoyment - 9/10
I am not really a fan of slice of life anime, but Yuru Camp△ is surprisingly good, a perfect combination of a slice of life and comedy. Since Yuru Camp△ is considered to be a show of “cute girls doing cute things”, a show this type needs well-created characters, and Yuru Camp△ did it well.

As a person who loves traveling in Japan, I enjoyed this anime even not being a fan of this genre. The theme is also unique, making it much far interesting from other slice of life anime. While Yuru Camp△ may seem incomplete, but from what Yuru Camp△ has to offer is already amazing. Most importantly, Yuru Camp△ has such magnificent and relaxing soundtracks, becoming the most relaxing anime I have ever watched. In the end, I am pretty impressed.

📌 Recommendations
If you are looking for a unique slice of life anime, a relaxing anime, or anime about the journey, then Yuru Camp△ is a show you should never miss. Enjoy!

[6.0/10]
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Ever spend the afternoon listening to those lo-fi hip-hop playlists on Youtube? The ones that play a long playlist of relaxing instrumentals over gifs of animated characters either studying, reading, or floating in outer space? If so, then you have probably experienced, through audio, the kind of feeling that Yuru Camp embodies and presents to you. The chirping birds and licking of river water as it wraps around the rocky shoreline. A group of students out at campsites, under no threat, in no danger, with no drama, cooking food for one another and conversing about what they value. The term here is “laid-back”, and the ... show translates that for its title.

The series here follows Shima Rin as she camps out in various locations around Mount Fuji, from lakes to open fields. Along the way, she meets Nadeshiko, a spunky, goofy pink-haired girl that has a similar, yet louder passion for camping. Later, we realize they go to the same school and lo-and-behold there is even a camping club, because of course there is, with a few other equally cute girls with a seemingly diehard passion for sleeping in linen huts outside. That’s our story. No less and no more.

From here we venture into their day-to-day lives. Without the burden of classes, social interaction, or growth for anyone but maybe Rin towards the end of the series. It really feels like a flatline in the best possible way, I suppose. As in, the line here is “comfort” and the series encapsulates that comfort as well as it can within the parameters it draws. These parameters being the set locations during the winter in the small vicinity around where these characters live in Japan. It isn’t for everyone but fortunately, it offers a lot to the crowd that really seems attached to the iyashikei presentation with a healthy dollop of feel-good humor.
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[Camping Under the Stars and Presentation]

Funny faces, chibi inspired designs, and crackling campfires, Yuru Camp isn’t going to blow you away visually. Much like the rest of the series, it often has an air of decentness that you can’t help but acquiesce to after a few episodes roll by without your notice. That’s kind of the charm of it. The character design is serviceable, without many standouts. Each girl has the expected wide pallet of hair-color and generally looks alright. Where the series, and the people making it, clearly put the most thought into was the honestly great variety of outfits worn. Now each one is a variation of winter-clothing, but they were never ridiculous or unbelievable and, throughout the runtime, each episode seemingly had a unique selection of designs to attach to these characters. Good stuff all around, here.

The music is also not anemic, thankfully. The opening is catchy, the closer is quite frankly the best track in the series, and there enough background tunes to keep you engaged and on occasion bob your head to. Similar to those lo-fi hip-hop beats, that kind of melodic, unobtrusive, and relaxing feeling is injected into the soundtrack.

There is also nothing licentious here. Everything doesn’t feel like it is there to sell sex. While this is something I hate to bring up in every anime I seem to review, it is a problem that just plagues this medium. While this series is easily pandering to a certain crowd, it’s not doing so through sexual means and is never obnoxious about it and I will gladly take a series that doesn’t drill sexual fanservice into your eyes every chance it gets. The entire thing feels wholesome, and a focus on sexualization would undermine that. The creatives seem to understand this and avoid it. Even the scenes in the hot springs are very neutral and don’t have anything sleazy under the hood. Thumbs up for that.

Overall, the presentation is solid. I might even call it above average. It is where I expect a show like this to be. The directing is generally unremarkable, but the music and the decent production more than make up for that. The voice acting didn’t blow my socks off but thankfully it avoids being shrill and loud.
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[Narrative, Characters, or Lack Thereof]

Deadpan high schoolers, eccentric glasses, and alcoholic teachers with seemingly no care for students, there really isn’t much to latch onto in this show. Of course, that’s my opinion and I’m sure for some just the serene experience of the whole thing can be enough. The atmosphere here is exceptional, but the characters that inhabit the atmosphere are about as normal as they come. Each one possesses a very minuscule amount of quirks or habits that didn’t do much to intrigue me. While you could argue that’s the point and the series wasn’t trying to intrigue me, I can’t help but feel like they could’ve done more with these characters.

Of course, a show without a shred of conflict is just that, though, a show without a shred of conflict. Conflict grows characters and the deepest conflict here is often running out of food to eat. Again, that’s the point, but there really should’ve been more to the characters that we got to learn about as they bonded together. These girls, the four specific ones that took up most of the show, don’t change or give us, the viewer, anything to chew on other than pretty scenery and delicious looking food. Which is a plus, the food looks great and watching cute girls eat food is something I will unabashedly indulge in (especially when it isn’t obnoxiously over the top). Even Rin, our protagonist, who goes through the biggest “arc” of the series doesn’t get much to think about or ponder.

The lack of conflict is a flaw in entertainment value, but a flaw that I think will easily be looked past by the people specifically looking for a series that doesn’t have conflict and is an iyashekei. That’s kind of the sharp-end of criticism, though, the flaws I see are often not what someone else sees. The nonchalant atmosphere is nice to sit back and enjoy, however, I doubt I’ll be thinking back to this series as something memorable or worth revisiting.

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[Conclusion]

Do you want an overtly wholesome parade of cute anime girls camping? The comedy here isn’t in abundance, but it’s there. It’s okay for anime comedy, too, occasionally making me breath air out of my nose. Yuru Camp relies on expectations more than anything. What do you want and ultimately, what engages you as a viewer? A lot of the flaws here, beyond some of the awkward CG vehicles and weaker animated segments are exceedingly subjective. It’s hard to argue that this series isn’t feel-good and it’s almost impossible for me to say I didn’t like a good portion of it. Even the slower moments were relaxing as all hell, and while the ideas presented here may feel myopic to some viewers, none of it felt tepid. Even the truly “laid-back” moments, which manifested in five-minute segments of almost no dialogue, relaxing music, and maybe some monologuing, are relatively easy on the eyes and will, on more than one occasion, make you feel what this show is trying to make you feel. Comfortable.

Oh, and camping. This series makes you camp. Regardless of interesting characterization, what Yuru Camp does most well at is the meticulous creation of the scenarios at hand, here. A lot of the series is based on easy-reveals and drama-less conflict-resolution that feels good. For example, your hands are cold because it is cold out. You take your hand warmers and place them in your hands and exhale happily. That is a drama-less resolution, especially when one of your good friends walks up behind you and passes the hand-warmers to you and you smile and greet them.

This continues simply with the fact that the original creators of the manga this series is based on smartly made it set during the winter. A cold time that can often feel lonely alone. So of course, Rin, our lone-warrior of cute camping girls, ends up coming around and finding friends to camp with. Of course, there will be multiple scenes of snuggling up with yourself in a sleeping bag and cosplaying caterpillars. Because that’s cute, and you can probably imagine just how warm that feeling is and in turn you are suddenly in a place of comfort and relaxation. I commend the series for these smart creative choices that made for a better watch.

Then it’s the minuscule details to continue this streak of excessively unrealistic but ultimately satisfying interactions. Such as texting your friend at night and getting a response immediately. It almost never happens in the real world but damn it if it doesn’t feel good when it does happen. Sharing a vista with a close one. Cooking food for someone and ultimately getting that favor returned by them later. Sharing a laugh. Admiring a sunset. Looking over the lake and not caring about tomorrow because hopefully today will last forever.

These are all great qualities and don’t let my above-average score fool you. If you are seeking something like this, this may be the best show of the season for you. It is very time-oriented. If I was going through an excessively difficult time in real life and I threw this show on, at night, by myself, I would have most likely enjoyed it even more. Note that. Value what you value and don’t let this wholesome series slip by you.

We all search for a place to escape the difficult parts in life, whether it be movies, games or anime, we all seek something that makes us relax and enjoy living rather than stress about how difficult life is, Yuru Camp I think is the best when it comes to avoiding all that stress.

Yuru Camp is the most relaxing experience you might ever have in your life, the anime is great and you notice that from how happy you feel watching the episodes, each episode is like a new adventure with all characters being so loveable and cute it makes it an even more ... amazing experience, you get to see how great camping is, why people love doing it and the amazing scenery that makes you want to get up and travel there just to see how wonderful it looks and that pretty much explains a lot of the charm in Yuru Camp.

There isn't much in the story other than the girls camping but you still enjoy it a lot watching how each character interacts with the others and how they move on and become better friends and their relationships get stronger which is very satisfying to see.

The characters in Yuru Camp are great from the 5 MCs to the side characters, they are all very cute and loveable with each of them having her own characteristics that makes her unique and different from the rest, My personal favorite is probably Inuyama or Nadeshiko, Inuyama is only above the others because of how good her character design is (even though the rest of the designs, hers is just my favorite) while Nadeshiko is also better than the rest because of how cute her character is but in terms of overall characteristics then all of them are pretty much on the same level which shows how much attention was put into the characters.

The art is phenomenal, The designs are great and the scenery and background is outstanding, if you somehow hate the characters you could just turn off the sound and subtitles and just enjoy how stunning it looks.

The OSTs are great, the Opening and Ending are amazing specially the ending since it really fits the atmosphere and all of that shows how great the sound directing is, well to be honest the directing of the whole anime was amazing.

Also I loved the Kino No Tabi reference at the end :D Both this and Kino are in my favorite anime list for a reason.

Overall I would give it a 10/10 and I'm extremely sad watching one of the very few things that made me completely relaxed in my life end and I'm really going to miss it :'(

I can't believe I almost didn't watch it at the start of the season.
I can only hope for a 2nd season.

I would recommend this to anyone that likes being happy tbh.

Camping 101
Starring: cute girls!

We’ve had cute girls sailing to Antarctica, (Further than the Universe) cute girls in the apocalypse (Girls’ Last Tour), cute girls singing, dancing, and playing instruments (anime like K-On!, Love-Live! And Hibike! Euphonium), and just cute girls doing nothing whatsoever (Lucky star and Yuyushiki). Now we have cute girls going camping.

It literally does what it says on the packet. It’s a very relaxed slice-of-life anime about camping, including all the aspects you would expect to see in a camping anime. It goes into great detail about the campsites they visit, the equipment they use (everything from how they buy it to ... how they set it up), the food they make (which by the way, looks amazing and will make you hungry if you watch it before eating), and the way they bond through camping together. I learnt enough about camping from this one anime that, assuming I ever wanted to go, I would know exactly how to prepare and what to do.

And it’s nice to watch. It’s very slow paced, each episode generally consists of planning and executing a different camping trip. The art and animation are fantastic; the scenery in particular is drawn absolutely beautifully. All the right colours and tones are used to convey the autumn-like feeling perfectly. The sound also fits the mood of the anime to a T.

There are five main characters, although the story mainly focusses on two of them. Rin is the silent one who enjoys the peace and quiet of camping alone. She doesn’t tend to socialise much, and this is what makes her friendship with the outgoing and talkative Nadeshiko endearing to watch. You get to know Rin through her actions – the way her face lights up when she sips a hot cocoa, the way she stares at a gorgeous view like she’s trying to devour it, the way she cares about her friends despite sometimes acting like they’re a nuisance to her. She’s very relatable as a character, and that’s part of why I liked the anime so much.

Nadeshiko, as mentioned before, is the talkative one. She’s also the clumsy, energetic and downright adorable one. She’s the type of girl who injects life into the anime, and helps speed up the pace when it becomes too snail-like. Her becoming friends with Rin is essentially the premise of the anime – they meet by chance on a camping site, and, in the way of anime, find out they go to the same school together. She and Rin are a lot like chalk and cheese; apart from their love of camping they couldn’t be more different. However their friendship blossoms nonetheless, and by the end of the anime they’ve formed a solid relationship.

The other main characters are relatively enjoyable to watch, although they aren’t as developed as Rin and Nadeshiko. Aki and Aoi are girls in the same camping club as Nadeshiko, and Ena is a friend of Rin’s who’s persuaded to come along for the ride. Apart from camping, the anime mainly shows them in school, going shopping, working and just hanging out together. Nothing exciting or even particularly interesting, but their interactions are mildly humorous, very light-hearted, and always cute. The series shows how they each react to the camping aspect, and what each of them actually enjoys about camping. For some it’s the peace, for some it’s the food, and for some it’s the companionship. Regardless, after watching this I felt I would probably enjoy camping too for one reason or the other.

Now, although I said this anime was nice to watch, I wouldn’t call it entertaining. It’s more like you feel contented with the world after watching it. I had to be in a certain frame of mind to see it – when I was in the mood for something fast-paced and thrilling, I watched another anime.

So, if you’re looking for something tranquil, something cute and relaxing, this is a good choice. If you’re not, then I’d give this one a miss until you are. XD

One of my favorite genres in anime is slice of life, I just really love how it makes me feel. Now there are different varieties of slice of life anime out there. There's romance, drama, school setting, and just in general every day life.

Yuru Camp is a typical every day life type of anime. What is it about? It's about a group of girls that go camping, and sometimes some of them go solo camping. And that's pretty much it.

Admittedly it doesn't have the most interesting of ideas, but it somehow makes it work. I fell in love with Rin and the rest of the ... girls, seeing them interact and their friendship become stronger was just really rewarding to see.

I'm an introvert in real life, so I'm always worried how anime will protray introverted characters, but in my opinion at least Rin is one of my favorite introverted characters out there. She wasn't made fun of, she wasn't hated on, no one thought she was strange for wanting time alone.

She's not socially awkward, she's not painfully shy. She's just more quiet than most, and that is how I personally am in real life.

So of course I was drawn to Rin immediately. Rin is the main character. As I said before she's a introvert, someone that likes being alone, but who doesn't mind the company occasionally, and I like that.

Nadeshiko is a hyper active girl that loves to eat. Normally hyperactive characters can be hit or miss for me, but I really enjoyed Nadeshiko's character a lot. She actually reminded me of a friend I had in high school, who like Nadeshiko was just very happy go lucky/hyperactive. Which was nice to see.

I also really enjoyed how Rin and Nadeshiko's interactions became more valuable as the series continued. While Rin was okay with Nadeshiko camping with her, it was almost as though she wasn't quite sure how to act around her, in the sense that she looked at Nadeshiko oddly.

But as the series continued you could tell that they were becoming close friends. For instance Rin smiling whenever Nadeshiko did something, or Nadeshiko being so happy to see Rin.

Next is Aoi, a quiet, soft spoken girl who likes to joke around occasionally.

And finally Chiaki: A very loud and out going girl who isn't afraid to go after things that she wants.

There are other characters of course, but those are the main four characters. I really wish that Aoi and Chiaki had gotten more screen time, especially involving Rin, but their interactions were a lot of fun as well.

I'm not an outdoor person, I personally hate the cold, but this series actually made me want to go camping.

I adored the characters, the characters interactions were a lot of fun to watch. I felt so comfy and had a big smile the majority of the time I watched it.

The series had a normal length time in episodes, but it felt like just 5-10 minutes had passed instead of the 22+ minutes. Not saying that's how you'll feel of course , that's just how I personally felt with the series.

If you are a slice of life fan, than you will likely enjoy this series, if you aren't a slice of life fan and are wanting to try slice of life series, maybe try something else first? And then work your way here? If you're just starting out in the slice of life genre this might be too slice of life for you, but maybe not, the only one who will really know is you.

The entire show can be summed up in four words: "No plot, just vibes."

The entire show really is just about good vibes, wholesome friends camping together, and beautiful night views.
Not that it's a bad thing, you just need to know what you're getting yourself into.
It's definitely not a binge-watchy anime. Even if you like slice of life, as I do, it's probably a bit too slow.
I actually quite enjoyed the show and watched an episode before bed each night - there are no cliff hangers and you go to bed with warm feelings. It's really helped me de-stress from exams season

Aoi is precious tho!

Please note this review is intended for those that have finished watching Yuru camp and while care has been taken to minimise story related spoilers there may still be spoilers present within character analysis. You have been warned.

Relaxing with Nadeshiko and friends as they show us how enjoyable camping can be

Based off a popular manga of the same name Yuru camp which is also known by its English title of laid back camp is a comedy and slice of life anime that makes use of as its main premise a simple but easily relatable question that most travellers and explorers would ask themselves. ... Would camping in beautiful areas be more fun if you were camping with friends that share your passion for it? What will happen if one day you encounter people that share the same passion as you do in camping but even though they lack experience they more than make up for it by being keen to try it for the first time. What if you learned the joy and warmth that will come from doing something with friends that you all enjoy passionately. While simple this premise and intro, I felt resonated with me because as humans we all wish to explore new areas we haven’t been to before, eat new food we haven’t tasted before and learn to do things we couldn’t do before. What will be better than that you ask? Of course, it will be doing these things with friends that share the same passion as you do.

The first episode of the series I felt made a strong impression on me because the main characters contrasted a great deal with each other both in terms of skills at camping and because they had personalities and attitudes that were opposites from each other. The desire to see how Nadeshiko’s desire to learn how to camp after seeing Rin’s skill was one of the reasons why I decided to stick with this anime and I'm glad that I did.

The overall story for the series follows a rather interesting group of high school girls that have a shared interest in a subject that not many girls their age would be interested in which is camping outdoors. These girls while not knowing each other at first gradually met as the series went on finding a topic that they are all passionate about and in the process forging a friendship between them that grows as they learn to both appreciate how fun camping is and how fun it is to enjoy it with friends that share your passion for it. This group includes the energetic and bright new student Nadeshiko, the cool and independent camper Rin, the positive and kind Aoi and the kind and playful Satou. Settings wise the series takes place in the areas around Mount Fuji while at the same time showcasing various campsites that are within the area that the main cast visits over the course of the series.

Rin

Rin Shima voiced by veteran seiyuu singer Nao Touyama of Asterisk Wars and Gate fame is one of the main characters of the series and one of the two protagonists of the series. A high school girl that lives in the same area as Nadeshiko and the others Rin is someone that on first glance can come off as someone that’s unsociable and cool by nature which comes from the fact that like most high school girls her age Rin is someone that prefers to not get involved with anything that may prove troublesome. As a result of this personality in the beginning of the series, Rin was somewhat of a loner that while getting along with her classmates and teachers at her school was otherwise distant from them. The sole exception to this rule, in the beginning, was her friendship with her classmate Satou as both seemed to understand each other well enough. Beneath this cool exterior of hers, it can be seen that Rin is also someone that is kind and considerate of others and is a hardworking and determined person by nature. As a result of her independent nature, Rin is someone that is calm and composed by nature and is relatively mature for someone of her age. The most prominent trait of Rin which also serves as the series main theme is naturally her love of camping outdoors. In line with this trait is what can be said to be Rin’s core motivation and desire in life which is her willingness to use her hobby to further challenge herself and improve herself by learning to be independent by finding new places to camp at and prepare the campsite herself something that I find most admirable about her.

At the beginning of the series Rin was somewhat of a loner and while maintaining her normal life as a schoolgirl maintained mostly cordial relations with her fellow classmates with her main focus being split between her desire to find good places to camp at and school. The sole exception to this rule is her close relationship with her fellow classmate Satou and the two can be seen to be the best of friends. Because of her desire to keep out of the affairs of others at the beginning of the series Rin was somewhat wary of strangers that she encounters whether in school or during her camping trips and tries hard to stay away from them when possible. Apart from causing her to be a loner this also made Rin somewhat determined to camp solo rather than camp with friends as she felt that doing so would cause trouble for her especially if the other party was a rookie. As the series progresses this also conflicts with the pride that she has developed as a solo camper as the number of camping trips that she has been on is many. As the series progresses however and Rin encounters like minded girls that share her hobbies notably Nadeshiko this attitude of Rin’s starts to change, and she starts to gradually open herself up to others becoming more cheerful and positive and be more willing to assist them by providing them with important camping tips as well as suggestions of camping locations for their use. The most significant change that came out of this development was without a doubt the bond that Rin managed to forge with Nadeshiko who despite their unusual first encounter soon become fast friends that shared the same hobbies. The little contests between the two as they compare camping locations as well as the exchange of photos between the two that show the night scenery I felt was pretty cute and heartwarming and was a great indication of Rin’s development as a character and proof of the friendship that she had managed to forge with Nadeshiko and the others. As a character, I felt that Rin was a well designed and developed character and I felt that her seiyuu Nao Toyama really did an excellent job of portraying her.

Nadeshiko

Nadeshiko Kagamihara voiced by veteran seiyuu Yumiri Hanamori is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the two protagonists of the series. A high school girl that recently moved into the area Nadeshiko is a positive and energetic girl that’s also innocent and somewhat clumsy while also being happy about it. In terms of personality, Nadeshiko can be said to be something of a free spirit as while somewhat clumsy Nadeshiko is also relaxed and ditsy and can get excited with the most trivial of things. In this, it’s perhaps fair to compare her with a puppy as both are similar in terms of temperament. A kind and caring girl by nature Nadeshiko is someone that does her best in all things and once she gets focused on an idea she will do her utmost to fulfil it no matter what that task entails. True to her nature Nadeshiko is someone that remembers the deeds that people have done for her and will always try to pay people back when possible.

At the beginning of the series, Nadeshiko had a rather fortunate encounter with Rin after they encountered each other during the latter’s camping trip to see Mount Fuji. Though in the beginning of the series Nadeshiko had no experience with camping at all her first encounter with Rin and seeing first hand what camping entailed ultimately made her interested in taking up camping and along the way growing to love it. In line with her desire to take up camping was her meeting with members of the outdoors club that did well to improve the prospects of that club as it allowed them to fulfil that club's main goal of being able to go camping. As the series goes on Nadeshiko’s personality gradually changes. While still somewhat clumsy and forgetful Nadeshiko by interacting with her fellow outdoor club members and with Rin gradually learns to be more responsible and learns to value the friendships and bonds that she forges with others more. Additionally, like Rin and the other members of the outdoor club, she also learns to appreciate the freedom and bonds that camping together with friends can help create. The character of Nadeshiko I felt was an interesting one and while she was a bit of a klutz at the beginning of the series I felt that her development from that and into someone that’s responsible and motivated was well done. In a way, I felt that her meeting with Rin and her introduction into camping was what created a new-found goal within Nadeshiko’s life. I felt that her seiyuu Yumiri Hanamori really did an excellent job in portraying the character of Nadeshiko.

Aoi

Aoi Inuyama voiced by veteran seiyuu Aki Toyosaki of Ange Vierge and Accel World fame is one of the main characters of the series and is a fellow member of the outdoors club. A high school girl that lives in the area Aoi is a kind, caring and intelligent person by nature that serves as a foil to her fellow outdoors club and club president Chiaki. In contrast to the hyperactive Nadeshiko and the overeager club president, Chiaki Aoi is, for the most part, a calm and relaxed person that brings logic and rational thoughts to the many discussions that the club partakes in. However, at times Aoi has the habit of endorsing ideas that sound somewhat unusable as well and often causing the said discussion to go into hilarity. While not as excitable as the other two members of the club Aoi is also someone that’s clear-headed and can come up with plenty of interesting ideas that are more normal and fitting for the club than the ones that Nadeshiko and Chiaki can come up with. As a result of this within the club, Aoi can be seen to be the calmer member that keeps the antics of her club mates under control while also trying to be understanding and helpful to others that may not know what camping entails. While calm and composed for the most part it can be seen that Aoi also has a playful side to her as she loves to tease and joke with others a fact that really added charm to her character. A prominent trait of Aoi’s is the speech mannerisms that she adds to her words which I felt was pretty unique and matched well with her personality. As a character, I felt that Aoi was an interesting character that served to balance out the members of the outdoors club a task that I felt she excelled in. I felt that her seiyuu Aki Toyosaki really did an excellent job in portraying her character.

Ena

Ena Saitou played by veteran seiyuu Rie Takahashi of Re Zero fame is one of the main characters of the series. A high school girl that lives in the area Ena is a cheerful, kind and positive girl by nature that approaches each day and situation with a smile and an easy-going attitude. A friend and a fellow classmate to Rin Ena is one of the few people that are close to Rin within the school and it can be seen they have a very deep bond with each other. Before meeting the members of the outdoors club and Nadeshiko, in particular, Ena was the closest friend that Rin had, and they often have long conversations with each other about the most random of topics. This aspect of their relationship I felt was interesting and I really enjoyed seeing the kind of conversations that the two had. While Kind and caring towards Rin Ena is also perceptive and through their long association is acutely aware of Rin’s love of camping as well as her pride as a solo camper. Outwardly while supportive of Rin’s solo activities and hobbies it can be seen that Ena is also somewhat worried about Rin’s determined efforts to maintain a distance from people and avoid making any friends in the process.

The character of Ena I felt was an interesting one as her main role within the series was to mainly act as a support pillar for Rin that acted to support her and guide her in the right direction as her personality gradually changed as she met Nadeshiko and the others. In addition to this role, she also acted as a sense of comic relief for the series with her actions of messing up Rin’s hair and her walking in on Rin doing something being especially funny. All in all, I felt that the character of Ena was a well-designed one and that her seiyuu Rie Takahashi really did an excellent job in voicing her.

AMV

In terms of animation, I felt that the series really had some beautiful animation with regards to the scenery that main cast visit as part of their camping trips. This scenery I felt did a great job at showcasing the various camp locations that the cast visit as well as showing the vast number of terrain types that campsites can feature. The character designs for the anime I felt were also pretty well done with each character being well designed and unique enough in terms of appearance as they are in character. The music for the series I felt was also a strong point as it reflected well with the main theme of the series being a slice of life anime that had camping as its main theme. The relaxing music that was used for the scenes of the series I felt added a sense of calmness and a relaxed feel to them that had the effect of making you want to enjoy each scene slowly. Kinda like reaching a new location and trying to enjoy the view of the new area. The voice acting for the series I felt was pretty good and I felt that the main voice cast did an excellent job in voicing their respective characters. In particular, I felt that Nao Touyama, Yumiri Hanamori, Aki Toyosaki and Rie Takahashi deserve special praise as I felt that they did an excellent job of portraying their respective characters. Aki Toyosaki’s voice, in particular, was very calming as well and her speech mannerisms really made her stand out. Along with the physical interactions between characters, I also felt that the text message exchanges between Rin, Nadeshiko, and Satou that were done via their assigned seiyuu’s was also something that was well done and matched well with the theme of camping as it mimics the long distances that can separate the main characters from each other. Along with the main cast, I felt that proper respect should also be paid to the narrator of the anime who narrates the helpful camping tips segments as the characters encounter them. These camping tips and insights I felt was really interesting and matched well with the theme.

Overall conclusion

In overall Laid-Back Camp was an anime that I really enjoyed watching with its main strengths being its unique theme, strong story, well designed and developed characters, excellent animation and music and excellent voice acting. The main theme and topic that Laid-back camp makes use of as its overall subject topic is camping outdoors with friends a common thing for sure but one that is seldom seen in animes. As a member of the indoors group I always wondered what it will be like if you were able to go about exploring new areas in the day and staying there in the night in a camp that you yourself had set. The thrill of finding a beautiful location that you can take the time to admire during both the day and night must have been something magical. While camping itself may sound like a simple thing when compared with other topics that we see in animes I felt that simplicity is what makes this anime’s theme that much powerful as countries around the world would have many places that have stayed untouched by humanity places that one can still admire the beauty off. Sometimes its worth it to take the time off and just take a load off your shoulders and just relax and take in the sights something this series is able to accomplish well thanks to its masterful use of great music that is paired with a relaxing atmosphere. Along with the theme of camping and learning what that entails another theme that was tied in was the act of forging bonds with like-minded people that share your passion for camping and in the process forging lasting friendships. This theme I felt matched perfectly with the theme of camping as like everything in this world camping is an activity that is best done when you are with friends. Seeing Rin, Nadeshiko, Chiaki, Aoi and Ena all enjoy themselves while camping together really reminds you that activities like camping while also fun can also serve to forge strong bonds of friendship by doing something that they all enjoy. One surprising theme within the series that I really enjoyed seeing that I never actually expected was the many tasty looking food that we got to see the cast partake in during their many camping trips. While these items were mostly simple ones this matched well with the theme of having fun and enjoying the act of camping outdoors as out there food that is considered simple are also often the ones that are the most fulfilling which is especially rewarding after a long trek to the campsite.

The overall story for the series I felt was pretty interesting and seeing Rin gradually break out of her shell while bonding with Nadeshiko and the members of the outdoors club over a topic that they are both passionate about was something that I really enjoyed seeing. While Laid back Camp was an excellent anime that had a great premise and story I also felt that the anime also served well as an educational tool as it featured plenty of helpful tips and info segments on various camping tools and items that are used when camping. These are not merely limited to the tools but also extend to the food that the cast eat when camping something as well that was appreciated greatly. In terms of final score, I can say with confidence that I feel that it definitely deserves a final score of 10/10.

This is my first review of an anime I've made for quite a long time, so please bear with me. Personally, I'm a big fan of slice-of-life shows like Yuru Yuri, Non Non Biyori, Sound! Euphonium, etc., and I've watched them ever since I've watched Azumanga Daioh, which was originally released back in 2002. But Yuru Camp, aka Laid-Back Camp, is easily one of the most relaxing, laid-back anime I've watched along with Non Non Biyori. Yuru Camp is perfect to make me forget about all my worries in the world momentarily.

Yuru Camp may be just a typical slice-of-life anime at first ... glance, but the characters are what separates this anime from other slice-of-life anime, and how cute they are. It's cute girls going camping, and who doesn't love them? Yuru Camp did not have much of the plotline, but it did have some character development. We get to see Rin, who's experienced in solo camping, has become more open to camp with her friends. Plus, the campers have recruited a young girl to the guild! Otherwise, the anime mainly just show a lot of mischievous camping fun between high school girls, and the narrator, voiced by Akio Otsuka, even teaches the viewers some helpful camping tips!

The characters are all unique, and they are all pretty likable. Rin is a confident, relatable girl who likes to be alone but doesn't mind being friends with other girls. Nadeshiko is a ditzy, energetic girl who likes to eat a lot, and she has made some of the cutest facial expressions I've ever seen. Her Tareme eyes has already made herself cute, and I really like her energetic personality. Aoi is a very nice girl who has a cute little fang, and Chiaki is the tomboy with glasses along with her fiesty personality. My favorite character of the show is Ena, who's Rin's best friend, and she's voiced by one of my top favorite seiyuus, Rie Takahashi. Her voice is so soothing, and I really wish she would get more screen time. The voice acting in general is well done, with Nao Touyama being the other standout by making Rin such a cool character.

Overall, Yuru Camp is an incredible anime that gives its maximum comfiness to viewers like me. Being a slice-of-life moe anime, it was odd that there was not really any downtime in the series, but maybe the "downtime" was all the cute scenes and I was so happy that I didn't really have to care about my viewing experience. I am very excited for Season 2 of Yuru Camp in 2021, and I really hope that this anime will be dubbed in English if possible. This anime is easily one of my favorite slice-of-life anime I've watched, and I highly recommend watching Yuru Camp to slice-of-life fans. You won't regret it, and it might even inspire you to go out camping like many people after watching the anime.

OH HELL YES, another AOTS contender (besides Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho) and with EVEN LESS marketing from a budding studio (C-Station of Starmyu fame and forget all the other crap they did), with a simple yet engaging premise that's all about camping and with that, a lesson on camping skills and whatnot along with the simple character designs and personalities, with the beautiful breath-taking art that makes this series a sleeper hit indefinitely! Smiliar to Yorimoi, another (presumed) 11/10 rating that sums up how much I enjoyed the Iyashikei (healing) effect from start to end, and will miss this series to say the least ... :(

Story:
Well, the starting point for this show is kinda intriguing as it shows Nadeshiko Kagamihara (WOW what a tongue-twister this name is) moving over from Shizuoka to Yamanishi to capture the view Mount Fuji right on Japan's 1000-yen bill. Problem is, after the whole journey and reaching her destination, only to fall asleep. Enter Rin Shima, the self-proclaimed girl who can camp out (and I guess her purpose is exploration) and is a skilled one that knows the way of camping (with her grandpa being the narrator if you haven't guessed so already), and with that, the journey of an after-encounter of the duo headstarts to find places of interest (of camping of course) whilst opening up to one another, and eventually with the Outdoor Camping Club duo (Aio Inuyama, Chiaki Oogaki), the (another quadruple) 4 girls attempt to learn all about camping, from finding the right places to the right equipment needed for a lasting experience, and ending off on a high note that's to expect with enjoying each other's company.

So, for comparison sake between Yorimoi and Yuru Camp:
Similarities - Group of CGDCT-esque girls doing their stuff, and enjoying to the best of their abilities, and just soaking in the atmosphere.
Differences - The course of their heading (plot pointers), the overall atmosphere (calm and composed vs. happening and progressing), and of course the source material (Yorimoi being an original work vs. Yuru Camp from the manga source of the same name)

No matter the similarities and the differences, both shows are definite must-watch-ers from the get-go from Winter 2018, and quarterback AOTSes.

Characters:
It is with NO doubt that Yuru Camp's strongest point is at its characters (see the similarity?), and how their engagement with each other piques their interest and bad-rubbing, though the latter (I believe) serves as a plot pointer in the friendships.

Rin Shima (CV: veteran Nao Touyama of Nisekoi's Chitoge) is a nice protagonist-esque character, seeing that her abilities (learnt from her grandfather) serves her well as a solo, lone camper, entrusting herself with all the hard work from start to finish. Of course, that is until Nadeshiko's enthusiasm rubs her the wrong way at first till acceptance, and in that essence, opens her cold heart towards others who have the same interest and ambitions. To that extent, IMO I can really emphatize with Rin because most of the time she's a loner, until that heart warms up to other people and being welcome of it, definitely appreciate the progression of Rin.

IMO the best girl (and waifu), Nadeshiko Kamigahara (CV: Yumiri Hanamori of Grimoire of Zero's Zero) IMMEDIATELY stands out above the rest for her enthusiasm that's so mesmerizing (and NO I'm NOT kidding) and encouraging others with her wwwiiiiddddeee brilliant smile across her face with her weird antics that make her one of the most covenanted characters in the series to no end. Everything of her feels like a joke, yet in a comical sense that delivers strong on the aspects of the show, knowing when to take a dump on jokes and whatnot that comes as a striking resemblance to how we enjoy our youth by doing stupid things that made no sense, but enjoy it for the fervor that gives us the presence of our younger times.

The Outdoor Camping Club gang of Aoi Inuyama, Chiaki Oogaki and Ena Saitou (voiced by supporting CVs Aki Toyosaki, Sayuri Hara, Rie Takahashi) also delivers on the plot points from their inclusion to the series (when Nadeshiko is introduced to the club) to the camping engagement with Rin, and it all makes up with none of the half-assed effort and goes full-on with their character personalities via the relationship towards Rin and Nadeshiko, and both of them serve their purpose as to be aspiring campers (again, like the other camping experienced duo), to make full use of their time to enjoy camping to the max.

Plus the other side-characters, another strong lineup of characters that are just willing to try and not get fazed even by (minor) challenges (such as Chiaki and Nadeshiko's shock towards the expensive equipment), so much so that it's exciting to watch these characters mingle with one another and enjoy a purposefully themed Yuru (Laid-Back) Camp.

Art/Animation:
C-Station (of Starmyu fame) did an impressive job on this manga adaptation, recapturing the sights and wonders of the simple yet artisitic manga drawings into the anime art that is chock full with the most beautiful and realistic of sites found in real life (e.g. 1000-yen billed Mt. Fuji in Episode 1).
To see sites replicated in real life into anime form, that is truly the blessing of those of us who have done camping as a hobby and it certainly brought tears of joy that the experience is undoubtedly the same as it was in real life. Thumbs up for keeping the art aesthetics consistent with animation that's not too glaring nor uneasy that spoils the visuals, and instead, basks in the natural state of the world as we see fit.

Sound:
Another OST to look out for in Winter 2018, and an awesome and comfy one at that!!!

Music composer Akiyuki Tateyama definitely has props when it comes to music (through Shimoneta and Kemono Friends), and it shows here to a T. Anybody who has listened to the OST will definitely agree on its surprising narration, starting with Asaka's energetic OP "Shiny Days" (which bears a striking similarity to Jackson 5's "I Want You Back", "ABC"), ending with Eri Sasaki's calm, relaxing acoustic ED "Fuyu Biyori" (still loving her bright, warm voice as evidently heard in Plastic Memories OP which STILL really brought tears of joy) to the BGM which fits so carefully and glides along with the present situation at hand. Overall, another strong OST in the books.

Overall:
Aside from being some people's AOTS, this hidden gem truly is a blast to watch and be immersed if just for the camping aspect alone. This series overall really blew my mind away at how simple yet enticing the show-and-tell ability that most shows try to do but fail outright, and this is the one exception of a few that did what it was supposed to do from the outset, with great fervor and confidence.

You know what? Maybe we should try to appreciate the outliers more (such as this, Yorimoi etc.) than just a show that we would skip from the beginning, and this show gave me hope that more of us can be exposed to these kinds of shows. A heartfelt recommended watch so we can all be exposed to the life and hobby of more than just the camping life.

...And now I feel tempted to travel to Japan to just experience the camping life :-(
IT'S THAT MESMERIZING AND GOOD!!!

After a long day of work, school, or whatever grind happened, nothing beats turning off your brain and relaxing. Maybe you took a hot bath or shower. After that you cooked a nice meal and are now about to sit down to enjoy the rest of the night. At this point your brain is mush. No more thinking wants to be done. You just want to be cozy and relaxed. Laid-Back Camp is the perfect show to go along with anyone who likes feeling this way.

If there were ever any days I had stress or anxiety after work ... or school. By the time I went to bed after watching this show, it had either gone away or been forgotten until the next day. The atmosphere this anime creates makes you feel calm and like the title says ‘laid-back’. When the characters are wrapped in blankets around the fire enjoying food, the feeling of stress relief it creates is unmatched to any other show I have ever watched. If you have ever gone camping before, these types of scenes make you feel the way you feel when you are camping. You know how unreal it is to be wrapped in a blanket by a fire under the stars, so when you are watching the characters in the show do that as well, you understand and get that feeling again on the couch or in bed. I do not know about you, however I cannot go camping whenever I want. Only very few times a year do I have the time and opportunity nowadays. This show allowed me to essentially create that feeling whenever I wanted and I could not have enjoyed it more.

This anime creates the same feeling you get if you have ever watched any of the content creators who go camping. They go out and film themselves pitching a tent or building a shelter before making a fire and food. These videos get millions of views. A lot of people have these videos playing in the background or to the side while they do another task. I compare these videos to Laid-back Camp because this anime does the same thing and you can treat it the same way. You know the premise of these types of videos before you watch them. Same as Laid-back camp. Both the content creators and characters in the anime talk and have interesting dialog, however it is not essential. While I recommend you listen to the dialog (I very much enjoyed it and laughed) you do not need to hear it and even if you look away, when you come back it is extremely easy to tell what they are doing and what you may have missed. It is very satisfying seeing the content creators or characters in the anime finish setting up their camp. I would say this “genre” if that is what you want to call it is so successful because viewers love imagining they are the ones going on these types of trips and experiences.

As someone who has been camping all their life, it is very exciting to see the characters in the show use actual camping gear that exists. Many times you see shows portray camping very differently using made up gear and equipment. Seeing some gear that I have either personally used (Rins’ chair is one of the best camping chairs of all time) or seen other people frequently use is not the biggest deal, however it is something I would have never thought an anime would incorporate. This nice little touch helps with immersion and makes you feel like you are camping which like I said earlier, is this anime's biggest goal and strength.

Is there any crazy plot or story? No. Are there super in depth characters with emotional backstories and intricate relationships? No. Is there an imaginary world with deep lore and worldbuilding? No. This anime is literally just about going camping and friendship. It is perfect.

Yuru Camp is undeniably one of the coziest and most atmospheric anime to ever exist. While it may not be the most complex or intricately written series, it shines as a masterpiece in its simplicity, offering a refreshing and unique experience that captivates anyone who watches it.

From the very beginning, Yuru Camp excels in creating an enthralling atmosphere. The lush, natural landscapes and meticulously detailed campsite settings are nothing short of breathtaking. Whether it's the warm hues of a campfire against the backdrop of a starry night or beside a serene lake, the visual aesthetics of Yuru Camp are absolutely sensational and contribute significantly to ... its coziness.

The show's soundtrack also plays a pivotal role in creating an inviting atmosphere. The soothing melodies and gentle acoustic tunes perfectly complement the easygoing outdoor settings, enhancing the overall sense of calm and relaxation. It's as if the music itself is an invitation to sit back, unwind, and immerse oneself in the tranquility of camping.

What truly sets Yuru Camp apart is its emphasis on the simple joys of life and the importance of taking time to appreciate them. The story revolves around a group of high school girls who bond over their shared love for camping. Rather than relying on complex plotlines or intense drama, the anime focuses on the everyday experiences of these characters as they embark on camping trips together. The character interactions are heartwarming and relatable, making it easy to connect with their camaraderie and shared passions.

Furthermore, the anime imparts valuable lessons about self-discovery, friendship, and the therapeutic power of nature. Through the characters' camping adventures, one can learn to embrace the art of solitude and introspection, as well as the importance of cherishing the simple moments in life. These themes have deeply resonating effects and contribute to the anime's enduring appeal.

In essence, Yuru Camp stands out as a testament to the beauty of simplicity, leaving a profound impact without the need of convoluted narratives and intricate storytelling. The show reminds us that some of the most fulfilling and heartwarming experiences can be found in the ordinary moments of life. By immersing viewers in a world of cozy campfires, starry skies, and genuine friendships, this anime captures the essence of tranquility and warmth like no other. It's a must-watch for anyone seeking comfort, relaxation, and a deep appreciation for the little things that make life beautiful △.

In a part of the medium of anime where school settings are common, Yuru Camp decides to take us to the outdoors, and provides us with a fresh, more rare setting to indulge ourselves in.

A large part of the appeal of Yuru Camp to me and many others is how the activities being shown can all be attempted in real life. This not only leads more people to try outdoor activities, but it allows people like me to relate to the time we spend outdoors. In my case, after many years of camping, hiking, backpacking, and hunting in Oregon, this show brings back memories of ... my childhood spent outdoors and the joys of friendship. With a setting in a show that connects you to an enjoyable part of real life, a whole new level of enjoyment is reached.

Accomponing the story of this show is a comfortable blend of incredible landscape scenes, music, and tremendously cute characters. Many of the landscapes present in Yuru Camp are based upon real life locations in Japan, even the art of this show can bring you to connect with real places! With the art comes the music, which is composed of a relaxing collection of guitars, flutes, and other noises that compliment the story and art perfectly.

Onto the characters, which make or break cute shows like this. There are 2 characters in which the most time is spent on, Rin and Nadeshiko, they are pretty much polar opposites. Rin is calm, independent, and loves to spend time alone, while Nadeshiko is full of energy and finds excitement from everything. When the two spend time together or communicate over texting, you can often see their personalities clash and cause moments that make you smile. The rest of the cast does not see too much time until later on, but still has their fair share of enjoyable moments.

There are 2 more minor parts of Yuru Camp that really stood out to me, this would be the traveling, and the food. The traveling by Rin on her moped shows just how independent she is, Rin is able to show us a variety of different dogs and different locations. Additionally, she often communicates with Nadeshiko and other friends by means of texting, these texts are often some of the most hilarious and enjoyable parts, every text is voiced and animated on the entire screen. This approach was unique and adds much enjoyment.

Secondly, there is the food. The food in Yuru Camp is yet another part that can be attempted in real life. Food is a major component of camping and Yuru Camp does not shy away from showing that. The entire process of cooking is usually displayed, from the preparation of ingredients all the way to the cute blobs of moe consuming these glorious, steaming Nippon delicacies. The cuteness of the food being eaten is absolutely outstanding.

With Yuru Camp, you can wash away the stresses of your life and dive into a world of comfort that is never eroded, and once the episodes are over, you can bring the activities to the real world, and you can see that sometimes outside isn’t too bad. If you need some happiness and comfort in your life, Yuru Camp will deliver that, 10 times over.

Story: 8/10
Art: 9/10
Sound: 9/10
Character: 8/10
Enjoyment: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

Cute series makes you forget your daily stress after watching it. Amazing voice acting specially for Nadeshiko. I love the Nadeshiko character due to her voice. The series is about camping. But it also reveals the enjoyment did you during the journey which is priceless.

It's make you feel to leave your busy life and enjoy the bliss of nature.
It's a comfy anime to enjoy. It's make you realise the fun involving spending nights under the stars. The background music is also very soothing. It's also provide little knowledge about camping. This is my first review so forgive me if I done any mistakes

Yuru Camp is based off of a manga by Afro. Which I'm fairly certain is a circle's name and not the name of the actual author. Afro is known for Anthology comics based off of works like Madoka, Sakura Trick, Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka & Sansha Sanyou. I'm detecting a pattern and it has to do with lots of cute girls and heavy shoujo-ai. This may be a circle after my own heart. It was adapted into an anime by C-Station. C-Station is one of those studios I've never heard of. They've got a list of nine anime they've worked on, according to MAL and ... this is the first one I've watched. 

Story:

We open with young Shima Rin going on a solo camping trip. She stumbles across a girl sleeping near the camp site and thinks nothing of it, until late at night when the girl approaches her, crying because she overslept. This is Kagamihara Nadeshiko, a young lady who just moved into the area. Rin shares some of her pre-packaged camp food and lets Nadeshiko warm up by her fire until her sister arrives to pick her up. In a completely unsurprising coincidence, Nadeshiko has enrolled in Rin's school. She quickly joins the outdoor club with Oogaki Chiaki & Inuyama Aoi. From there we basically get our cast of young ladies bonding over camping.

The only real issue I have with the story telling is that they kind of do the Tsuritama thing where they occasionally spend too much time on the mechanics of the outdoors activity. Although this series isn't nearly as bad about it and does a better job of giving you small snippets that integrate well into the story instead of the long diatribes that series had. They do go on too long about camping equipment on a few occasions though. You'd almost think they were sponsored by an outdoor goods store. 

With that relatively minor complaint out of the way, let's move on to the positives. First off, this series is really relaxing and charming. It's one of those anime that you just feel good watching. Rather like So Ra No Wo To. The snappy banter among the girls is superb. Saitou probably gets the best lines in the series in that regard. Maybe they figured they needed something to make her stand out since she doesn't go camping most of the time and just kind of chats with the others using text messaging. The humour is really well executed and this series has a lot of strong comedic moments. I also appreciate that they address the financial barrier that people have to face when taking up a hobby like camping. And this series loves dogs, which I can appreciate. Not only does Saitou have a dog, but virtually every episode has incidental dogs somewhere. It even gets little details right like how chihuahuas don't do well in the cold, like to burrow and wear bunny outfits for nefarious purposes. 

Characters: 

The characters have a decent degree of complexity to them, which you don't often see in cutesy slice of life works. They also mesh very strongly for comedic purposes. Which is part of the reason that the banter is so excellent. Even the incidental characters they encounter on their excursions tend to have a good degree of verisimilitude. 

Art: 

The artwork is really nice. The characters are done in a pretty typical moe style which may not be impressive but does look good, and the scenery scenes are absolutely amazing. The series is also really good at drawing dogs. Whether they're just being encountered randomly or they're being put in little outfits. The level of detail put into the camping gear is also pretty impressive but camping gear isn't dogs so it's not that important.

Sound:

 The main cast is voiced by Takahashi Rie, Touyama Nao, Hara Sayuri, Hanamori Yumiri & Toyosaki Aki. All of whom are really good in this. I'll also give Tateyama Akiyuki credit for doing a really good job on the soundtrack. You may recall that te did well with Kemono Friends too. The track in this might be a tad better.

Ho-yay:

There's quite a bit. Rin and Nadeshiko in particular get a lot of moments, including sneaking into one another's tents in order to sleep together, although in both situations there's an explanation given beyond just them wanting to sleep together. There's also some stuff with Aoi deliberately making Chiaki jealous. 

Final Thoughts:

So, the writer for this clearly has a strong fondness for shoujo-ai, dogs and camping. Two of those things are interests we share but you're not catching me out in the woods where some slasher film shit could go down and there are biting insects. All in all, though, I found this to be a highly endearing, enjoyable little series. If you hate the more cutesy slice of life style stories, it's not going to change your mind. If you like them, even if only occasionally or when a really strong one comes along, chances are pretty high that you'll enjoy this one. For myself, I give it a 9/10. 

Looking for cute girls? Looking for relaxing vibes and beautiful art work? Then look no further! This anime is for you! I can’t describe the amount of peace and relaxation this anime brought me. I suffer from anxiety and insomnia with racing thoughts at times and this anime seriously helped me calm down before bed. I can’t recommend this anime enough! The first season is amazing, the second season is even better. There isn’t much of a story or deep plot, but the friendship and interactions between the girls are perfect. Do you like cooking? Then this anime has a ton of it and from ... what I can tell it’s pretty accurate. Do yourself a favor and watch this anime!