Laid-Back Camp Season 2

Episode 6

Aki sowing: Heck yeah, winter camping! We've got hot pot and the perfect lake spot. I'm a genius!!

Aki reaping: Oh no we're all gonna freeze to death.

Honest-to-god capital-D Drama snakes its way into this week's Laid-Back Camp antics, which is something I never thought I'd have to say about what is otherwise the anime equivalent of a soft blanket layered on top of an even softer blanket. The bleak winter serenity of Cape Ohmama belies a terrible secret lying in wait for our intrepid campers, and it tests the limits of their resolve and resourcefulness. Meanwhile, as the audience, we're left with nothing to do but reflect on how absolutely nothing could have prepared these girls for this disaster. Besides, y'know, taking five seconds to check the weather forecast. Or charging their phones. Or bringing sturdier winter gear. Or consulting a more experienced camper. Or literally doing anything at all to plan ahead.

Laid-Back Camp is anything but shy about extolling the virtues of winter camping. Fewer crowds, stunning snowy vistas, and piping hot food have all decorated the many club and solo activities between this cozy circle of friends. However, the series is also pretty frank about the monetary costs and amount of gear needed to enjoy one of these outdoor outings. Sometimes it even slips into tutorial mode and describes the nitty-gritty details of how to assemble a tent, or what works as kindling, and so on. The girls' enthusiasm about camping makes the anime fun to watch, but the author's enthusiasm adds authentic and instructional layers that further enrich the experience. Therefore, I think this week's seemingly uncharacteristic drama is actually totally in line with Laid-Back Camp's history of pseudo-edutainment. To properly appreciate the fun of winter camping, we also need to appreciate its dangers.

Aki is the sacrificial lamb through which we learn this lesson. And to be fair, if I had to pick which cast member would be most likely to turn themselves into a popsicle due to sheer braggadocio, it would be Aki. Her serendipitous streak from last week slams into the wall that is reality, and all of the chair hammocks in the world can't stop the temperature from dropping well below freezing. It's a good opportunity to stress that nature is neither intuitive nor predictable, but even in its most dire moments, Laid-Back Camp remains relatively calm. Everyone immediately recognizes the problem, communicates with each other clearly, and works together on a solution. While our campers are quick-witted when presented with the issue, however, they realize the issue too late to scrounge together anything useful. This is, I suppose, one reason why the Scouts' motto is “be prepared” and not “just wing it and hope everything works out lol.”

Mercifully, Aki, Aoi, and Ena are saved by the kindness of others. A chance encounter with yet another adorable dog provides them an invitation into a wood-stove-toasty tent owned by some kindly liquor store proprietors. Rin, however, is the real MVP here. As the most experienced winter camper of the bunch, she quickly intuits the thorniness of the circumstances and sends help their way in the form of their teacher (and best girl) Toba. It's just really heartwarming to see how serious she is about protecting her buddies, and their heartfelt gratitude in turn was enough to lodge a lump in my throat. Toba's lecture drives home how close the girls were to a life-threatening situation, and what preparations and precautions need to be embraced to make their future trips safer. It's a little Saturday-morning-cartoon-preachy, sure, but I think it's completely warranted. With its beautiful scenery and cozy atmosphere, Laid-Back Camp can inspire even the staunchest of city-slickers to consider that Cabela's catalogue a bit more intently. However, there's a lot of stuff beginner campers need to know, consider, and plan for, so explicitly calling this out in the text of the show is a responsible thing to do. I don't expect (or want) Laid-Back Camp to turn into Captain Planet now, but at least this short departure proves that the series cares about its impact.

Despite its flirtation with tragedy, this episode also contains plenty of that classic laid-back wood-smoked flavor we all know and love. The backgrounds look especially gorgeous this week. Everything is painted brown and white in the most drab and lovely way. I'm not a huge fan of winter, but the meticulous and weathered realism of these evocations stirs big emotions in me about the natural world. The food also looks and sounds as delicious as ever—especially those dueling hot pots. I've never heard of “hot buttered rum cow” before, and I'm definitely going to have to try the alcoholic version of that. I'm a bit sad we don't get to see Toba enjoy one of those herself, but seeing her with a corgi on her lap and a huge bottle of sake in her hands is a good alternative. I will continue to clamor for more happy drunk sensei content.

From the audience to Aki, we all leave this week's episode a little wiser and a lot more appreciative of Rin. As we saw in the season premiere, she too started as a novice who needed help (and parental guidance) to navigate the foibles of camping, and now she's experienced enough to provide the same for her friends. And it looks like her next project will be teaching Nadeshiko the sacred ways of solo-camping. I'm tickled by the contrast between Aki and the others winging a lake trip, while Nadeshiko sheepishly calls Rin for guidance before deciding anything else. I also think she and Rin have some of the best chemistry together out of the whole group, so I'm looking forward to another episode focused on the two of them. Winter isn't going anywhere; piles of plowed snow still obscure the view from my front door. So keep this comfy engine running.

Rating:

Laid-Back Camp is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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