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The „cute girls doing cute things” genre has a lot of supporters, yet people who find it boring are also present. Their main accusation is that these anime are too similar and many of them lack originality. Yuru Camp, however, takes us off the beaten track … literally.

What really distinguishes Yuru Camp from other adorable slice of life anime is the fact that the main interest of the series is placed on, as you can figure from the title, camping. Instead of already explored concepts, this show takes us to a new outdoor scenery. Characters will be spending time ... in the mountains, near lakes or in the woods and performing activities like putting up the tent, collecting wood or cooking on a campfire. Besides actually doing something, we will also have enough time to easefully enjoy landscapes, which are truly gorgeous. Yuru Camp offers miscellaneous views, ranging from solitude mountainous regions to towns illuminating among the darkness of the night. All of them have high-quality graphics and vivid, lively colours. This harmonizes well with the cosy BGM, somewhat similar to the Scandinavian folk music. In fact, before I knew about this anime I had first come across its soundtrack on Youtube and honestly, this was the reason I started to watch it. Beautiful animation and well fitted music create a calming atmosphere of leisure. This kind of “feel good” vibe is reminding me of other show: “Non Non Biyori”, so if you liked one of these anime, it might be worth checking out the other.

During our journey into the wild outdoors, we will be accompanied by a bunch of likeable characters. Among them, Shima Rin can be considered the main one. She is a bit reserved girl and an introvert who prefers to camp alone. Her personality is being confronted with sociable and lively Nadeshiko. This duo works well, as these two act a bit like a counterweight to each other. Over the show, we will see how their chemistry evolves, as Rin starts to accept a vigorous nature of her friend, which is breaking her solitude and eventually making her more sociable. Nadeshiko herself is a cute and a bit clumsy girl with tones of positive energy that she constantly transfers to the viewer. This character works as the main drive force for the comedy in the show, which is on a decent level. From simple puns to situational gags, we are offered with an intelligent and original humour (free of sexual jokes); most of which is derived from character’s distinguished personalities and their mutual relations.

Even though I am speaking highly of this show, to be fully honest I need to mention some of its drawbacks. I have already described how well this anime does when it shows characters on camping. However, there are also some episodes in between “camping sessions”, in which Nadeshiko and her friends are at school or work, earning money to go on a next trip. While it does add some realism to the story, in my opinion, it could have been omitted, so that we would spend more time camping in the wild, which is, after all, the main theme of this show. Another flaw of “Yuru camp” is the marginalization of some characters. Rin and Nadeshiko are both well designed and we spend a lot of time with them, however other characters are a bit on a sideline. We do not have a chance to explore their personalities and mutual chemistry; they appear rather episodically, which is especially a waste in terms of Inuyama Aoi, a character voiced by Aki Toyosaki, an extremely talented seiyuu (she also voiced Yui Hirasawa from K-on!). Sadly, in this show, she is not able to show her full potential, as not much focus is placed on Aoi.

If you like slice of life, “feel good” anime, then Yuru Camp would probably suit your taste. It is a neatly crafted show, both in terms of audiovisuals and the characters. While having minor drawbacks, it is definitely able to distinguish itself among alike anime and will probably be a part and parcel of every annual top anime list in 2018.