To quote ANN's Christopher Farris (full credits to him, some parts paraphrased):
"Obviously there are anime with more grand storytelling ambitions and meaningful idea communication than C-Station's calculatedly comfy cute-girl camping compilation. But in a season, as with any other, that included projects walking a razor's edge of their own success or outright collapsing under their own efforts, Yuru Camp sticks out for the wonderfully consistent entertainment value it spins out of its humble content week after week. Actually...maybe ‘consistent’ isn't quite the right word: "RELIABLE" – that's what Yuru Camp is worth representing. It's the kind of show I'd purposefully let myself get to later in the day: An atmospheric exercise in unwinding, and one that I could count on to be coherent in terms of presentation, production, or just those all-important vibes. Even in cases like the unexpected swerve into more serious storytelling (where I could charitably rechristen the series to ‘Stressed-Out Camp’), they never turn away from the natural course of its always-present edutainment elements to a literally heartwarming conclusion, using the situation to also demonstrate the bonds that followed these friends around even on their individual camping excursions.
It's something Yuru Camp has always excelled at: Embracing the communicative culture of our modern world by letting the girls share their special times via sending texts and photos to each other. It's appreciably distinct from the anti-technology bend that you might expect from a series that's otherwise all about the great outdoors. And isn't that the perfect mash-up of exactly the kind of comfort food we need right now? A beautiful anime acting as a virtual travelogue for all the scenic spots we'll be able to make it to ourselves in the not-too-distant future (darn you COVID), and a reassurance that friendships necessarily maintained over digitized distances for the time being are still the valid connections we need them to be. Yuru Camp is a cuddly Iyashikei series that seems totally humble in its ambitions at first pass, but it humbly handles those ambitions perfectly. For example, Rin sending Toba-sensei to look after her friends in the freezing mountains, this show brought us some warming comfort at the exact time we needed it."
And I have to say that I totally agree with his final commentary. In such a stacked season where we're all coming out from the depths of managing COVID better, and with every studio and production team trying to cash in on whatever projects (new or sequel) they can operate on to earn back some income (at the expense of health, I'm looking at you CloverWorks with Wonder Egg Priority), it's the consistency of smaller studios like C-Station to just work effectively on just 1 show (or 2 at max) and keep the same production quality as their previous works. And going into Yuru Camp for its 2nd outing, it's entirely the same as about what you'd expect of the series if you've watched Season 1 all those years ago: the same Outdoor Adventure Club cast with central leads Rin and Nadeshiko; the absolute perfection of C-Station's production quality to mimic the real-life shots of Japan's geospots from mangaka Afro's rough but delicate work; and every feeling and emotion that is worth the joyride of experiencing camping with friends for life, whether connected physically or technically.
If I have to add what makes Season 2 pop out more of what Season 1 has already been established, it's more character development that adds the charm into what is already an endearing and relaxing slice-of-life show. In regards to both Rin and Nadeshiko, Season 1 is abscondly absent of their families' POV (though there were some instances, but not a lot), and this sequel went in full with their involvement, which helps make the relations more heartfelt and heartwarming, not to mention the added experience of going through more learning lessons. Adding to that is the fact that the Outdoor Adventure Club has always been just Nadeshiko, Aoi and Chiaki for the most of Season 1. So to see that the camping journey team has expanded to the entire cast (Rin, Ena, even teacher-cum-advisor Minami Toba, even Aoi bringing in her younger sister Akari for double Inuko gag jokes) with their camping skills and know-how upgraded with age and maturity, it has been a dream come true for fans of both the manga and anime, and Season 2 exceptionally delivers that experience to a T. As with a new season that brings forth a new OST, while it isn't on the levels of memorability of Season 1, I'd still think that both Asaka and Eri Sasaki did pretty consistently well with the peppy and Iyashikei-like comforting sentiments respectively.
All in all, as everyone have shared in the same heartbeat: Yuru Camp is enjoyable and relaxing Slice-of-Life wholesomeness at its peak. If all the recommendations aren't doing you a great service already, then hop right into Yuru Camp, where the Great Outdoors are waiting for you: Ready to shine forth its glory, nourishing the very heart and soul of what it means to be a camper: being friends with strangers (that become life-long ones), whether camping in groups or going solo, and not forgetting to share and communicate the feels-good wonders that beckons the heart of hearts.
"Just always smile and Seize The Day!
Sunrise is waiting for us~
(So life is wonder, It's precious time for us) Piece by piece~
(Yes I'm so happy, Shiny...) Yeah-heh~~~"
