Final Impressions / Yuru Camp

「 ふじさんとゆるキャンガール」 (Fuji-san to Yuru Camp Girl)
“Mount Fuji and the Laid-Back Camp Girls “

For the season finale, we wrap up the Christmas camping trip with Netflix and chill, except the chill part is sadly cold enough to get Chikuwa a ride back home. In return, Ena was able to give everyone a hair make-over to be done in the same orb knot that Rin has on her head. The most interesting twist during the trip is more background on Toba-sensei. We learn that her partner during the Lake Shibire trip was her sister, and that she picked up on camping the same way as Rin with her family making it a tradition. Admittedly, it’d be nice to have more on Ena and Toba-sensei earlier, but it was the best chance for her to let the girls know how nice it was to see them on the trip and have some of their food with the jambalaya.

After Nadeshiko’s morning breakfast of grilled salmon, Yamato stew, and veggie and natto soup, the girls discuss their New Years plans. Whereas most of the girls are employed, Nadeshiko is able to partner up with Ena on a temp job. It does make me yearn for an episode or OVA with an Ena/Nadeshiko power duo, but it was nice to see everyone enjoy their New Year despite Chiaki still being unable to move the club out of the small closet. The ending was very heart-warming too in how Nadeshiko and Rin’s paths crossed on their own solo trips.

Epilogue:

Final Impression:

I’m not ready to bid Yuru Camp farewell. Every week this Winter has been such a fun, relaxing trip with everyone on the show, and it’ll be rough to find another with the same feel and charm to it. The anime embodied warmth as if it’s part of the Secret Blanket Society with its comforting soundtrack and lush artwork that soaked in the experience of going out to these camp sites. It was also engaging as it gave the viewer tidbits and pointers on what to know when you’re going camping whether it’s learning about certain types of campgrounds or varieties of equipment.

The cast made Yuru Camp a fun experience as well. Rin’s perspective as a shy solo camper whose friendship with Nadeshiko opens her mind to the idea of camping with others was endearing and handled with care. Nadeshiko was a big ball of warmth with her sparks of enthusiasm, and her openness to get familiarized with how Rin is. The Outclub was hilarious with Chiaki’s determination and goofiness brightening up many situations, and Aoi’s excitement when she’s able to take control as well as her reactions to her fellow campers’ ideas. The other side characters were nice to have around with Ena bringing Chikuwa with her for her camping debut and Toba-sensei’s back-and-forth between a shy teacher and an expressive drinker.

Again, Yuru Camp has been such a fun series to follow that it’ll be hard to adjust to a week where I wasn’t revisting Nadeshiko, Rin, and the Outclub. It might just be an instance where I look for the manga chapters to see all of the material they didn’t get to yet. Hopefully, it’s popular enough to warrant another season, and with all of the fanart of Aoi out there, its popularity is definitely on-par with some of this season’s heavy-hitters. But alas, the slice-of-life revolution of Winter 2018 wasn’t meant to last for too long. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for our campers.

43 Comments

  3. Shimarin dumplings:
    https://randomc.net/image/Yuru%20Camp/Yuru%20Camp%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2014.jpg

    This show is MOE, slice-of-life, “cute girls doing cute things”, food, scenery, comedy, and even a bit fanservice at its finest.

    I don’t like Yuru Camp for these aspects, rather, I like it for how it is able present it’s environments in a method that makes its audiences feel that they are actually there-at the places being presented, the camp grounds, and the journey being taken.

    Add on some specialty guitar soundtrack and what we have is an anime that is a joy to watch.

    The latter half of episode 2 and the whole episode 3 for me are the best moments of this anime. It perfectly presents what I like about it and nails it.

    https://randomc.net/image/Yuru%20Camp/Yuru%20Camp%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2031.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Yuru%20Camp/Yuru%20Camp%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2014.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Yuru%20Camp/Yuru%20Camp%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2021.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Yuru%20Camp/Yuru%20Camp%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2027.jpg

    I honestly think that Rin and Nadeshiko alone can carry this show-no need for Chiaki, Aoi or Ena, so I am glad to see both of them “coincidentally” meeting up at the end.
    https://randomc.net/image/Yuru%20Camp/Yuru%20Camp%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2047.jpg

    I applaud C-Station for adapting this anime, it was a pleasure to watch.

    McL
    Reply

  5. Will miss this anime… The relaxation, the food, the fun, the sights, surely it will take a while before another another iyashikei anime will show up so lets us savor this last episode… Cheers to the characters and their strong bond that developed because of camping. Here hoping for season 2 since I guess the source material is still ongoing (correct?) To me this anime wil be a strong contender for the best anime in the slice of life category.

    Jeffers
    Reply

  9. Yuru Camp is tied for my anime of the year with Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho. As far as I’m concerned they are both top-level shows, as close to perfect as any anime in recent years has ever gotten. It’s going to be a sad time trying to go on into next season without them.

    Wanderer
    Reply

  11. Wow, this Winter Anime season has so many winners: Violet Evergarden, Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho, and Yuru Camp. It’s hard to pick the AOTS. Obviously, personal Anime mileages will vary, but Yuru Camp has officially become one of my top favorite “cute girls doing cute things” Animes (right next to Non Non Biyori, Flying Witch and GochiUsa). Speaking of which, I recall GochiUsa S2 episode 11 was one of my favorite episodes because all the girls went on a fun camping trip. Yuru Camp has basically been that and much more.

    Beyond the SOL genre, Yuru camp was extremely well-balanced. The characters, trivia and humor kept each episode fresh (i.e. didn’t have to shut off my brain), while the scenery, pacing and atmosphere made for some of the most relaxing entertainment I’ve ever seen. Yuru Camp is Anime entertainment at its finest and this jewel will be missed.

    Cactuar FTW!

    Aoihoshikage
    Reply

  12. The scene with Chiaki, Aoi and Nadeshiko walking together was ok, but I thought, “Really? Is this how they’re going to end it?” Luckily, no and they nailed the ending. I did like the end credits with all the supporting characters since they really did fit well with the main cast.

    Nadeshiko was a big ball of warmth with her sparks of enthusiasm, and her openness to get familiarized with how Rin is.

    Normally, I don’t really like the overenthusiastic, airhead character and that’s what I thought Nadeshiko was going to be at the beginning of the series. Now, I’d make the argument that the “big ball of warmth” (perfect description and what makes her not annoying) was the gravitational center that pulled everyone together. She reached out to Chiaki and Aoi in the club and I think she even pulled Ena in after she saw that Nadeshiko had cracked Rin’s shell. Speaking of, I liked the Rin smiles. Our solo camper can play nice camp with others.

    I just can’t see this series not getting an OVA, movie, or even a second series. We need to see Ena and Rin officially join the club. Also, more info on the support characters would be good especially Rin’s grandfather. On top of that, with Rin’s scooter being sold out and Yuru Camp ita-tents popping up IRL, it just has to happen. Thanks to Choya for blogging this series.

    Keep Refrigerated
    Reply

    1. Looks like we’re getting an OVA at the end of the month? According to Random Curiosity‘s Spring 2018 Preview, Yuru Camp gets an OVA on March 28th bundled with the bluray.

      Hikarub
      Reply

  16. I never expected Yuru Camp to become my favourite series of this season, I started watching to pass the time while on the train as I had forgotten the book I was reading when communting. Then BGM started at the shores of the lake while Rin exclaimed that ”Off-season is the best” and I was hooked. (Off-season really is the best, some of my favourite parts of the Alps are a bit too crowded when the summer season is in full swing so I try to got there in the spring or fall.

    Rin and the way her character was treated quickly became one of the main attractions of Yuru Camp for me. Rin clearly a bit of an introvert as well as shy but neither was portrayed as something she had to be cured of nor as things which crippled her. More than that we got to see that she was a complete person with to strong points (hardy, independent and skilled) and weaknesses (ill tempered in some situations and given to a bit of depression when things went wrong) She also clearly changed and grew over the season, Ep1 Rin would not have sat down and chatted with the ”Yama-Girl Onee-san”, she would have made a polite greeting and then gone her separate way.

    Another very attractive part of Yuru Camp was the BGM which fit so well with characters and the scenery. I foudn myself rewatching some parts just to enjoy the music and how well it fit what was going on on the screen.

    Yuru camp will leave fond memories of comfy thursdays and it will be missed.

    Gars
    Reply

    1. I especially appreciate that as the introvert Rin slowly warms up to the idea of group camping, Nadeshiko also started to appreciate solo camping as post-credit ending shows.

      SMinstrel
      Reply

  17. Don’t know what to say, so I’ll just say that the breakfast scene made me cry. It was so perfect, I could feel all the love of the staff while working in this anime.
    For me it’s the Anime of the Season, and thus far Anime of the Year. It’s undoubtedly the more well made and consistent overall. And the fact that it so well meaning and positive is a huge plus for me.

    Panino Manino
    Reply

    1. You forgot to mention that your worst anime of the year is Violet Evergarden…

      To be fair though, this is anime way too idealistic, but it embraces it. It is a form of escapism where characters never experience anguish or disappointment.

      Waifu M.
      Reply

      1. When you see someone commenting critically about something you like, doesn’t necessary mean that they’re saying is the worst thing ever.
        But yes, it’s “escapism”, and I’ll choose the one that makes me laugh and be positive instead of the one that tries to convince me to cry and doesn’t offer much more beyond that.

        Panino Manino
        Reply

  18. Yuru Camp lost anime of the season in my views to Sora Yori to Mooi Basho, but only by a hair. This was the one anime I couldn’t let episodes pile up week to week, and couldn’t skip _any_ part of its runtime (the OP is pure joy, the ED is pure relaxation, the entire thing is pure happiness).
    My biggest praises for the show was how it handled its characters with respect, never doing anything for the sake of drama, allowing them to live their lives and exit the spotlight as needed, and letting them come together naturally – giving us the full cast going camping only in the end.
    Probably the strongest “arc” was when we followed 2 separate camping trips, connected only by what they share on their phones. These 2 episodes really let us see that the cast are all people in their own right, and not just dolls for the script.
    A+ show, will trade HeroAca S3 next season for more Yuru Camp of equal quality to what we already got.

    Anaxim
    Reply

    2. Yeah, but I think Yorimoi is the not same genre as Yuru Camp. This is traditional slice of life, “cute girls doing cute things”. Yorimoi is more coming of age, adventure, and inspirational even.

      McL
      Reply

  19. I’m usually very demanding with slice of life anime (kawaii for the sake of being kawaii, exaggerating moe… and this can turn me off instantly) but Yuru Camp stays true to the genre and i love it for that as well.
    If there’s nothing of the caliber of Made in Abyss the rest of this year, Yuru Camp may very well be anime of the year, C-Station did an incredible job adapting the manga and rendering these beautiful locations in anime to the point of making me want to go camping near Mt Fuji.

    Now I just hope a second season arise sometime in the future !

    Makoto
    Reply

    2. Yuru Camp has been blasting its way thru all of its competition this season with its lineup of merch, first that compact fire grill, then camping materials, now that Vino and the Nendo lineup (f*ck i WANT one!) and pretty damn sure their arrival as characters in the Kirara Fantasia mobage will make a huge windfall in sales. Not to mention achieving single digit rankings (along with Sora Yori) in BD preorders, making it the top contender among anime this season/ I don’t think there will be a more successful anime this year that’ll surpass Yuru Camp’s success business-wise, but ofc I’m ready for any anime that will.

      Audacity
      Reply

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