Laid-Back Camp Review

Laid-Back Camp is Moe at it’s finest. With a genre so broad with a tendency of being bland, there usually isn’t anything too unique or worth watching when it comes to the moe genre. Luckily, Laid-Back Camp ended up being unique and distinguished itself from the moe schoolgirl norm. Not only that but as I mentioned in a previous article, it has sparked my interest in wanting to go camping!

Let’s Talk About It!

The Story

Rin Shima is a quiet girl who instead of finding joy through group activities with friends, finds enjoyment from solo camping. The peaceful serenity she gets from setting up a campsite and sitting by the fire is a feeling like no other and a feeling that Rin loves.

During one of her camping trips to Mt. Fuji, Rin’s solo camping trip turns into a camping trip for two as she is forced to take in the lost Nadeshiko Kagamihara. Originally intending to see the view of Mt. Fuji, Nadeshiko’s plans are ruined when she ends up falling asleep partway to her destination. Lost and alone in the dead of night with no other options, she gets assistance from the only other person nearby, Rin. Though the introductions between the two girls are hasty, they end up enjoying the cold night together eating ramen and conversing with one another. After Nadeshiko finally gets in touch with her sister, she gets picked up and is taken back home. Even after splitting up, the two girls wonder if they will ever see each other again.

Following the “small world” cliche in anime, Rin and Nadeshiko end up going to the same school together and meet each other again. Due to the little camping experience she had with Rin, Nadeshiko ends up joining the outdoors club to continue her newfound hobby of camping. In this club, she meets the only other two club members, Aoi Inuyama, and Chiaki Oogaki. The three club members quickly become close friends and go off on club trips camping.

The rest of the story consists of Rin becoming more open to the idea of camping with friends. The anime overall is a slice of life moe anime about girls who enjoy camping.

The Characters

Rin Shima

Rin is a quiet girl who enjoys camping alone during the winter. Why camp in the winter? Because there are fewer people who camp during that time of year. You may think that Rin is a social outcast type character who is incapable of socializing with other people, but she isn’t. She is actually quite capable of interacting with others, but just enjoys the quiet alone time of camping alone.

Nadeshiko Kagamihara

Nadeshiko is the primary source of energy in the show. She is very hyperactive and gets excited about everything. Even though she is a very hyper and energetic girl, she never really gets to the point where you wish she would shut up. She is a fun and cute character. She pairs well with Rin since they’re basically polar opposites resulting in a good combo. Another notable thing is that Nadeshiko always has a huge appetite. She even tends to make any food she eats seem extremely delicious. Mentioning this isn’t important, but it’s apart of her character so I thought it was worth bringing up.

The other three characters worth mentioning, but not worth going into detail of are Aoi Inuyama, Chiaki Oogaki, and Ena Saitou. Aoi and Chiaki are members of the outdoors club and Ena is Rin’s best friend. Even though I’m not doing a big rundown of their character doesn’t mean they’re bad characters. It’s just they don’t have the same characterization as Rin and Nadeshiko do. They’re closer to supporting characters than they are to main characters.

Art, Animation, and Sound

The best way to put the art and animation of Laid-Back Camp is by saying “They’re good”. They aren’t special in any way really. At some points, the animation and art serves its purpose to create a nice relaxing atmosphere. I was not displeased with the art and animation in any way, but it isn’t special in any way either.

I personally didn’t really enjoy the OP to Laid-Back Camp. I’m a person who tends to skip through OPs if I don’t enjoy them a lot, and “Shiny Days” didn’t capture me like other opening themes do. So I say that, but it isn’t a particularly bad opening theme. It’s a solid theme, but I’d rather just get through it to the show. An example of an awesome opening this season is the theme for Kokkoku, “Flashback”.

Overall, the Art, Animation, and Sound is just average. It doesn’t have anything special going for it, but on the other hand, it isn’t bad in any way.

Overall Thoughts

I enjoyed Laid-Back Camp. It’s one of those animes you’d watch if you wanted to relax and destress. As a college student, I tend to undergo some good old fashion stress due to homework and tests. While watching this anime, it really lets you relax and feel cozy even though you know you have an exam the following day. I found the most enjoyment by watching this anime before bed due to how damn relaxing it can be. I also really loved Rin and Nadeshiko as characters. The two made the show quite enjoyable to watch. The cast was also well rounded and interacted well with one another.

Overall, I’d recommend giving Laid-Back Camp a watch if you want some good vibes in your life. I did mention this before In a previous article that I’ll plug here, but the anime does make you take an interest in camping. I’m not gonna go camping, but the thought will most likely run through your mind while watching this anime.