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Laid-Back Camp
Episode 12

by Paul Jensen,

How would you rate episode 12 of
Laid-Back Camp ?
Community score: 4.6

Laid-Back Camp comes into its season finale with an appropriately laid-back mood. Rin returns to the campsite in time for a final round of late-night shenanigans, and the girls wake up early the next day to watch the sunrise. It's back to life as usual once the trip wraps up, with all the main characters working at their part-time jobs into the new year (presumably with the goal of buying more new camping gear). Things wrap up with Rin and Nadeshiko returning to a familiar campsite, albeit in slightly warmer weather. In short, it's generally business as usual for the Outclub crew.

The comedy in Laid-Back Camp has ranged from good to mediocre over the course of the season, but the series brings some strong material to this final episode. The opening “flash-forward” scene is a good example; the writing gets more ambitious than usual and it pays off. The slow reveal that this scene is actually Nadeshiko's goofy fantasy is handled nicely as the dialogue starts off plausible and gradually becomes ridiculous, culminating in the wonderfully absurd image of the rocket-powered flying tent. The “Shimarin bun” sequence displays a similarly inspired silliness, blending the characters' established personalities with some creative visuals. If just feels like the series is pushing its limits harder than usual in these scenes, delivering comedy that feels fresh and entertaining.

The warm fuzzy slice-of-life stuff doesn't benefit from the same push as the humor, but it doesn't necessarily need it. Laid-Back Camp is quite good at this half of the genre equation, so it only needs to stick to its usual level of quality. This episode hits the peak of its relaxing atmosphere during the sunrise scene, which is also when the show's visual direction is at its strongest. There's just a little bit of magic in the way the light gradually builds as the characters emerge from their tents, and the view of the sun peeking over the mountainside is about as striking as background art gets. If you're here for the mood and the scenery, you won't be disappointed.

Appropriately enough, Laid-Back Camp ends where it began, with a final scene that reprises the opening episode with a few clever twists. Nadeshiko visits the same campsite and mirrors Rin's original motions of checking in and biking down to the lakeshore before setting up her tent. Not only is this a nice callback to the beginning of the series, it helps to drive home the growth she's gone through over the season. Instead of a charmingly incompetent rookie, she's now experienced enough to take on her own solo excursions. By the same token, Rin's playful arrival stands in stark contrast to the stubbornly independent streak that defined her character early on in the show. It's a nice way to close out the season, as it highlights how things have changed for the lead duo while giving the impression that the story will go on even after the final credits roll.

This finale is a good fit for Laid-Back Camp in both its tone and structure. It wraps up the current storyline and acknowledges the end of the season, but it doesn't make a big deal out of it. For better or worse, there's no dramatic peak or grand personal epiphany for any of the characters. Instead, we get an episode that's just above the show's usual standards across the board, with the usual easygoing vibe accompanied by a subtle acknowledgement of how the main characters have grown over the last dozen episodes. It doesn't rank among anime's most memorable endings, but it's an appropriate way to close out this particular series.

While Laid-Back Camp showed flashes of potential here and there, it tended to prioritize its easygoing atmosphere over any big narrative or thematic ambitions. Of course, I doubt many people went into this show expecting heartbreaking drama or mind-bending philosophy. In terms of delivering on what it promised, I'd call Laid-Back Camp a resounding success. It was a consistently enjoyable genre title, and it made its subject matter accessible and entertaining. As long as Rin, Nadeshiko, and friends can keep finding new places to visit, Laid-Back Camp should have no problem carrying on into a second season somewhere down the road.

Rating: B+

Laid-Back Camp is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.


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