Laid-Back Camp Season 3

Episode 9

This is as good as this show gets. While I love the whole cast, Rin and Nadeshiko are the real heart of the series—so a double feature of their separate camping escapades is a strong start. But that's not all. Between the good eats, gorgeous locales, salient lessons, great gags, and John Wick, we've got a Laid-Back Camp episode for the ages.

This episode ends up funnier than either of the previous two farces—not that those were bad experiments but the show's humor shines more when it's not the center of attention. Rin's acknowledgment of her impending crime against Italians hit me out of left field and that element of surprise had me laughing even more. I like that the garlic “joke” dumbfounded even the narrator. I love the scene where Nadeshiko eyes that orphaned sandwich like a lion sizing up a wounded gazelle. And I can't believe Keanu Reeves' visage is now an official facet of the Laid-Back Camp universe. All of these bits are great. The anime's main appeal is coziness, naturally, but the comedy can be just as flavorful.

Circling back to the John Wick part, I always like to see the natural integration of the series' edutainment. As our most experienced and serious camper, Rin's the perfect character to see some trash and want to do something about it. She rarely gets genuinely upset so that drives the point home. Before it gets too fire and brimstone, the writing acknowledges the more systemic issues that lead to such carelessness: no site management, increased interest in camping but not increased education, etc. This is a chill series, after all. And that's what makes the hitman analogy so jarring and effective. When I was in the Scouts, they told us to leave the campground exactly as we left it. They didn't inspire us with the threat of assassination. I don't know if Afro came up with that himself, or if it's a piece of old camping wisdom but that's a tip I know I'll be passing along in the future.

The trash also serves the narrative function of linking Rin up with the other couple enjoying the cherry blossoms. Rin may be more introverted than the rest of the cast but she still tends to hit it off when meeting fellow campers. Something about the outdoors makes socializing less intimidating; the vibe is more relaxed. Rin carries the show perfectly well on her own, too. She reminds me of myself at that age, including her persistent fascination with esoteric astronomy texts (this week, she's reading about ʻOumuamua). We're both big fans of spaghetti too—and that single-pot recipe looks mighty tasty. I don't know if the Italians will forgive Laid-Back Camp for the pizza and pasta crimes from these past two episodes, but I hope we can open a dialogue at the very least.

More seriously, Rin has a very sweet character beat while alone with her thoughts in the onsen. Her thoughts drift to Nadeshiko (no surprise there) and she remembers her unfulfilled promise to invite her camping next time. As someone who has always been terrible about initiating social interactions, even with good friends, I felt seen in that moment. I know that sense of guilt and awkwardness, even if everything else is fine. It's always nice to see this emotionally intelligent side of Laid-Back Camp, and these are the moments that make Rin and Nadeshiko the heart that I described earlier.

While Nadeshiko's adventures aren't quite as introspective or diplomatically fraught, she nonetheless finds time to enjoy some hanami in her backyard (relatively speaking). Her segment affected me a great deal as well. I have fond childhood memories of my parents taking me and my brothers on annual drives to look at the changing foliage in the autumn. There is a hilly area packed with backroads that give you plenty to look at without stopping or exiting your car. Those memories flooded back into my brain during Nadeshiko's drive with her sister, especially when Sakura said they'd be able to see plenty of blossoms from the car. Even though they got turned away from their intended site, they still found a way to enjoy nature together. That is the quintessence of Laid-Back Camp. It's about finding those places and experiences away from the crowds where you can take in the quiet and beauty around you.

I even thought the compositing was better than usual this week. Some shots still stick out like a sore thumb (and you can really tell when they slap a practically unedited photo of a sakura branch on the screen), but overall, the anime captures the attractive aesthetics of the changing season. As I said in my intro, this is exactly what I want from Laid-Back Camp. The iyashikei magic blooms like the cherry blossoms.

Rating:

Laid-Back Camp Season 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Steve is on Twitter while it lasts. Reviewing this show is going to guilt him into going on more hikes. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.