YURU CAMP△ SEASON 3

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ComedyYuru Camp△ SEASON 2
MANGA ComedyYuru Camp△
OVA ComedyYuru Camp△ SEASON 3 OVA
ANIME ComedyYuru Camp△ SEASON 4

REVIEWS

• 

  FormerlyExisting

  90/100
  If the word "Soothing" was an anime, this would be it. (It's amazing)

  Background:

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  I LOVE, LOVE LOVE LOVE, this series, and it honestly healed me from a lot of my troubles during my times in life, everything was just so stressful and Yuru Camp just feels like looking at a Student Album, a magically nostalgic experience that takes you back to the days where life is simpler.

  When this anime got a season 3, i was HOOKED and decided to watch it for myself.

  (Don't mind the edited screenshots you'll see later in the review, and there will be some spoilers, you have been warned.)

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  Animation:

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  New studio, means new direction.

  And EVERYTHING that the new studio, which is 8-bit, has brought to the table gives Yuru Camp the same vibe, but with even better quality to boot, and better sequenced, and thus, more memorable parts.
  It isn't necessarily all there, as some parts that were present in the 1st and 2nd seasons of the show is not in here (E.g the camping advice at the end) but it is compensated by just how, stellar everything looks.

  Every character looks a lot more different than they were 2 seasons ago, with noticeably smaller and darker irises, which is a welcome addition.

  Another thing i like is the opening and ending, they all have different vibes
  Just look at the animation in this part of the opening (0:43 - 1:14), they DIDN'T NEED to go this hard for an opening, but they did it anyway.

  The song that accompanies it, "Laid Back Journey" is much faster its predecessors, and it's probably the only opening songs i'm happy to listen over and over because of this reason.

  Next is the Ending.

  It even shows the song name at the start, which i really like.
  It's nothing too crazy like the opening, but it still invokes a nostalgic feel, a recap of events happening during the episode is shown in the ending, and it changes depending on which episode you're watching, it is kinda like a trip down memory lane for Nadeshiko specifically.

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  Characters:

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  Every single character here has something going for them that makes them unique and special.

  Let's start with the main cast:

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  Rin:

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  There are some very interesting backstory regarding her grandpa and how his way of camping influenced her, most notable in the First Episode.
  it kinda abruptly flip flops between young and teen Rin trying out camping but it's not all that jarring, as eventually Rin gets to light the fire, using her Grandpa's way.
  She still cares for Nadeshiko and asks her from time to time, and when she's with Nade, they are glued together (and in a good way), and she will always make sure the bond will never break at any moment.

  She is the main source of motivation for others to solo camp, much like what her grandpa did, and that influence makes her have an endearing soul.

  

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  Speaking of which, moving onto Nadeshiko (which i will call "Nade" from now on because it sounds cuter):

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  BY FAR my favorite character in this entire season, and it's not just I like energetic girls.

  She as a character i found to have the most significant change from season 2.
  As established before, she once tried solo camping, and she even eat food alone.

  Now, she has been experimenting and cooking different types of food, by her own, and that alone really makes her characterization unique.
  when she cooks the food for the others, and they think it's delicious, it's honestly really heartwarming, and it is not just one food, it's many others too, which is the biggest icing on the cake you can get of her.

  Very very charming and her energetic and always-at-the-move charisma just makes her so memorable.

  It's always delightful seeing her enjoying something, even more so than the other characters.

  

  Her Cherry Blossom camp part with Sakura is also wholesome too, seeing her being this vivid at everything when traveling with her sister is always entertaining to watch.

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  Next is Aoi, (Chi)aki, and Ena, I'm putting all of these together because they all have the same kind of story with each other, with minor differences.

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  Still as funny as ever.
  Their ENTIRE trip (which is called "Bus Camp") is full of comedic moments, and even if the camping trip had some fictional elements, it enhances the comedy even more, which is dandy.

  Chiaki is also making home made sausages, which, although made EVERYONE skeptical, she has convinced everyone to try it out, and to their surprise, they actually enjoyed it
  I also pretty like her pizza addiction.
  Her inclusion in episode 10 is also worth noting, much like with Nade in season 2, she wants to give solo camping a shot.

  Aoi decides on what to do after eating, and it's nerve-racking seeing all 3 trying to decide where to go, while not missing the bus for camping.
  it's a very long and grueling walking process, and i kinda feel bad for her, seeing everyone's sleeping right after that hot spring

  Ena, now it's a little bit of a different story for her, she still does get along with Rin, but not nearly as much in this season, as Rin is travelling with Aya.
  again, contributing to the whole Bus Camp story she is pretty chill, unlike the other 2 that are mostly very insane (in a funny way).

  

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  Another character worth noting is the teacher, Toba(-sensei).

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  Despite her crippling addiction to sake, she still supports the entire camping club, and does make good decisions to help the camp running successfully.
  She's more or less just a comic relief, way more so than the other characters, but she's still charming regardless.

  

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  This season introduces new characters that we haven't seen before, those are:

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  Aya(no):

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  With a big shoe to fill, and being a quite late character into the series, Aya needs a lot to make her good, and to my surprise, the script did succeed in making me caring about this character.
  She initially goes with Rin with the same kind of scooter Rin uses.

  It's pretty funny seeing the two struggling on a lot of suspension bridges, and even have the willpower to even go to a dangerous one.
  It was later revealed that Aya is Nade's childhood friend, and seeing them meet each other after long time sent chills down my spine, watching them looking at the entire trip that Nade has to go through, it serves both character development for both Nade and Aya, even if it's short.

  

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  Mei and Ema (not to be confused with Ena):

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  Decent side characters that breathes more life in the Yuru Camp world, nothing else to note.
  They have quite intrinsic personalities though, and i want to see more screen time for these characters in the future.

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  Story:

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  Every element of the original 2 seasons (Aside from the aforementioned ending camping advice) are all present here.

  You will still have your hot spring scenes, and educational parts.
  the pacing is still quite slow, but it keeps that steady motion all the way to the end.
  Every single building and part of the series is very well-introduced, and it is always lively, even in the most silent moments.

  It still ends with the entire cast going into one campsite together, following the tradition of the other seasons, which is also a great quality.

  

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  Overall thoughts

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  If you enjoy Yuru Camp, especially when you're getting that far into the series, I highly recommend you checking this out, you don't even need to watch the movie, as this is a direct sequel to season 2 (following the manga).

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• 

  melamuna

  90/100
  a romanticized meditation with modern nature through camping that continues to do so 3 seasons later

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  __This Review Consists of 5 Parts: (1) All About Camping (2) Representation of Introverts (3) Part of the Journey (4) Season 3 (5) Conclusion.__ ***

  __Part 1 All About Camping__

  Camping is one of the most underrated yet satisfying outdoor activities. It can be done from your background, your neighborhood mountain, or by traveling miles away. There are a lot of activities that can be done by camping, although on paper it sounds awfully mundane and can be tiring in certain aspects, especially in a setting of an environment you're not familiar with, such as cooking over a sunny noon, building a tent on a windy afternoon, or having a campfire when there's lightbulbs available. To the people who are unfamiliar, camping may be seen as a redundancy as to how every activity has already been made better with newer and better tech and equipment, but these people are missing the point that camping makes you appreciate the simplicities of mundane activities while enjoying what nature has to offer.

  To be fair, there are kinds of inventions that make camping far easier and definitely deviate from the simplicity and pre-industrial way of doing things, such as astonishingly expensive small and portable cooking utensils just so you can cook pre-packaged noodles. But through all the happy mishaps you have while preparing where you want to sleep for the night and have a little rest by reading a book or casually scrolling through your phone, you will eventually be greeted with an unexpected view of nature that's in front of you. The wind blows in your face and the sun hits your entire body as the shadows of the complexions of nature shine through your eyes with awe.

  However, not everyone has the privilege to have these moments; most adults work at a 9-to-5 job with no space to have time for themselves, and teenagers who focus too much are chasing the highs without looking where they're stepping, which is an unhealthy habit people have to break out of, but due to the circumstances of their workloads or desires, it's just not possible. Which is why people go to social media sites such as TikTok or YouTube, where they seek escapism for the desired activities they want to do but can't. These escapisms are mostly expressed in different ways based on the interests of people, but the most common thing that pops up is the romanticism of the beauty of nature.

  There are 15-second clips of nature on TikTok that people usually put on loop just to relax. While it may sound weird, this obsession with what nature offers is one of the most addicting awe experiences a person sees in their lives. And this is where the Anime Yuru Camp comes in and uses this romanticism of nature and offers it to people who crave this type of content. Amazing visuals of nature that's hand-drawn alone are already good enough for these people, but the anime goes a step further by providing subtle storytelling and character dynamics that inevitably hook these audiences over more than they already did and most times influence them to change their lifestyle and go out on their own.

  Of all the things with people's cravings for nature, there is one anime that offers the exact thing people crave in nature while also offering warm characters and stories that make it engaging to watch, and that is Yuru Camp. A wonderful series where you walk through 12 episodes of just plain appreciation and full admiration for what nature has to offer, putting them on a beautiful light and fully experiencing the comforting feeling it emits through camping.

  The series, however, wouldn't work as it wanted to without huge assistance from the animators and illustrators of the show. Similar to how we enjoy nature outdoors because of its soothing scenery, the animators and illustrators did their best to fully translate these visuals onto the anime, retaining the same kind of beauty, if not better, fully grasping viewers even closer and soothing the viewers well. ***

  __Part 2 Representation of Introverts__

  Introverts are the type of people who mostly spend time by themselves rather than with other people, and that mostly stretches to leisure activities as well. These characters with an introverted personality are mostly overlooked in the media, favoring the opposite criteria, like extroverts, who are opposites of introverts. In some cases, introversion is misrepresented or even used as a character development for a certain character to transition from being alone to being with a group of people. Introversion is often misunderstood as being a "loner," but in Laid-Back Camp, this trope has been used to its full advantage. Shima Rin (Nao Touyama) is a character that emits the introverted archetype, and the series holds her traits high and represents her as a vessel for introverts to be seen and appreciated by showing activities most introverts do and enjoy, especially in the context of camping.

  This show isn't mainly targeting introverts, as this anime is for all kinds of audiences and does have a representation for extroverts through Nadeshiko (Yumiri Hanamori), who exhibits the extrovert archetype. The series, however, does this unique thing that hadn't been executed as well in any form of medium, and that is the cohesiveness of both introverted and extroverted people. Shima and Nadeshiko are total opposites as characters, yet sharing a common liking, such as camping, really shows the differences in how these characters enjoy the activities of camping, ultimately connecting them together more than they otherwise wouldn't.

  Aside from the Extroversion-Introversion Dynamic, the show takes it a step further by creating subtle character developments through each person's way of enjoying camping as a reflection of their archetype. Shima likes to camp on her own but has slowly opened herself up to camp with other people, appreciating group camping, and Nadeshiko, who usually has company when she camps, learns to appreciate Shima's solo camping adventure, which she one day learns on her own as well. The wonderful animation and soothing theme, topped down with its heartwarming and subtle characters, ultimately make this show one of the great modern animes to have come out. ***

  __Part 3 Part of the Journey__

  What makes the series highly rated is the great use of the journey to the destination part of the story. We always admire what lies at the end of the road and mostly sleep over the journey through it. Laid Back Camp uses this fallacy and utilizes the journey as the adventure itself while using the destination as a reward after following different spots prior.

  The start of the adventure begins with gathering the materials. We see our characters overthink what to pack and the dilemma of whether they ever packed too much or not too much. Next is when they embark on their adventure, during which our characters enjoy the scenery before arriving at their multiple stops. Some moments were just plain commuting, but there's still something to appreciate about overlooking the views and paying attention to the little things that are otherwise often unappreciated. As we arrive at our stopovers, our characters enjoy what the location has to offer, whether it's hot springs, delicious food, amazing scenery, or the unique ambiance the place brings. The characters in the journey sometimes challenge themselves in many ways to make it more fun. After a couple of entertaining stops and the exhaustion our characters feel from the journey, we have finally arrived at our destination.

  This also applies to a different scenario when they plan activities and to-do’s at their destination, which creates a relaxing watch for viewers. As characters enjoy the views of the destined scenery, they also prepare materials such as wood, tents, food, and other camping-specific tools and utensils. These mini adventures around the main adventure really elevate our enjoyment of the series, making us connect with these characters even deeper and elevating the already relaxing show even warmer and calmer. ***

  __Part 4 Season 3__

  Season 3 is in this unique situation. After two seasons and a movie, the series achieved what it already wanted to achieve, which is to be a slice-of-life series that aims to be a relaxing adventure with its likable characters complimented by its amazing scenery. However, the movie started and ended the series with our characters being fully fledged adults. This sets out season 3 as a prequel to the movie, which can be a bit awkward coming back to it with them as teenagers once again. Not to mention the switch of studios (from C-Station to 8bit) that made some drastic changes, particularly with the character’s designs. If you're a manga reader for this series, you'd feel at home with the new designs since it's the closest adaptation to the manga. But if you're an anime exclusive, it can take quite a bit of adjustment.

  Despite these drastic changes in the series, the moment you watch it, you'll realize that these worries about the awkward situation of the season immediately fade away. This is because the heart of the series has stayed intact despite huge changes. The dynamics of the characters, their charm, the wonderful scenery, and the emanating calmness of the series remained firm. If you're a viewer who greatly enjoyed the first two seasons of Laid-back Camp, this new season perfectly fits in with the vibes that you crave in the series, like the main points I mentioned in the preview parts of this review. nothing more and nothing less. ***

  __Part 5 Conclusion__

  Laid Back Camp is one of those special anime. It doesn't try itself to stand out from the rest, but takes itself in a risky direction of trusting its audiences that all they have to do is to turn off their brains and enjoy what's on screen. A dangerous move especially in the slice of life genre where the entertainment comes from the mundanity. But with the series’s full commitment by offering great characters with natural chemistry mixed with addicting sceneries on top of the calming adventure, this series is one of the great slice of life anime and a timeless classic.

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• 

  Ionliosite2

  60/100
  Yuru Camp S3 is the sequel I have been the most thoroughly disappointed by this season

  Yuru Camp S3 is the sequel I have been the most thoroughly disappointed by this season. Like, sure there are shows like Hibike Euphonium that while still good don't live up the the first season but it definitely does to the second season or Tsukimichi that goes slower than the first season despite having more episodes, but Yuru Camp is suffering from the same thing as Date A Live which is both a combination of the source material getting weaker and changing to a shit studio. I mean, 8bit is doing another 2 anime this season besides Yuru Camp, and while those are shit so you don't expect anything from them, Yuru Camp is actually a very good series. I was extremely happy when I saw the announcement of a third season, it felt so weird to be so excited over an announcement, but then another announcement came and it was that the studio was changing to 8bit and that the director was also changing, that immediately was a punch towards my excitement, I mean, surely, there’s no way a studio can fuck up this series even if they aren’t working with the best material, right? Well, I’ll tell you that I was wrong and the first couple of trailers just confirmed my fear.

  When I think about Yuru Camp, what I remember are all those moments that melted my heart, the ending of the first season is something that watered my eyes the first time I saw it and I still smile every time I watch it or remember it, things like Nadeshiko using her money to buy a gift for her sister comes to mind too, but when I try to think about something similar this season I cannot imagine something because those moments basically don't exist here, it's not like it didn't have fun moments like Chiaki's schizo camp, but that isn't the kind of things I'm referring to when I say something memorable, I clearly mean something that you can actually see and feel, something more real if you will, and while previous seasons had their fair share of moments, this season didn't quite reach that area.

  The problem here clearly isn't even the change in character designs, because I could complain that Rin looks too different or that Aoi's tits basically disappeared, but that wouldn't cover the actual problem because other characters like Chiaki and Nadeshiko look almost the same despite the very clearly amateurish character design. I have always liked the backgrounds in Yuru Camp, because they take what the manga conveys and actually brings them to life, when you look at season 1 or even season 2 and then look at season 3 you will very clearly see the difference, in season 3 the backgrounds often almost look like pictures with a little filter and the terrible compositing makes the characters stand out so much that the background ends up looking even worse. I'm not saying that Yuru Camp didn't have photographic reference before, if my mind isn't failing, there was an episode where they used a Google Street View copyright notice, but there was a clear difference in what C-Station did and what 8bit is doing, because the backgrounds break the immersion so much this season that it hurts, just look at things like Nadeshiko walking into the store in episode 3 or Nadeshiko and her sister standing near the sakura tree in episode 10, and then I ask you to watch anything from season 1 and you will see the big difference.

  Aside from that, even the source material was weaker after the chapters that the season 2 adapted, because it was in some weird transition period where it was looking more and more to be a tourism commercial, and I'm not saying Yuru Camp wasn't that before, but you can see the difference between how it was done at the start and how it is done now, because the balancing between the preparation, the camping and the tourism has completely shifted to focus more on the tourism. I remember perfectly in the first couple of episodes asking myself "where is the camping?" because they were doing a tourism across hanging bridges or dams and I know this series wasn't as blatant before because they mostly stayed into place to camp. The simplicity of just going outside and camping while explaining some camping tips is basically gone, and I remember there was a review complaining exactly about this the previous season, and while I would disagree that the change completely happened last season, it definitely turned into a snowball and went with full force throughout the entire beginning of this season.

  Honestly speaking, I don't think this season is bad, but it is such a clear downgrade, if you were judging the manga and feel a part is weaker, you can just compliment it with what came before, but unlike the manga, I'm not taking what happened in season 1 and season 2 and making it part of this season at the same time here, I'm judging the third season, and the third season covers something much weaker than before. It is still good, I had many laughs, but I didn't get some of the most important things in this series to me, and those are memorable moments that you can really feel.

  Thank you for reading.

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