Laid-Back Camp

Episode 5

It may have taken an extra week, but the girls of Laid-Back Camp have finally arrived at their next round of campsites. Nadeshiko, Aoi, and Chiaki stop at a hot spring before heading to their final destination and end up napping straight through their check-in time. Rin wraps up her long road trip and gets ready for a hot spring visit of her own, only to find that the place has already closed for the winter. Both groups take in the scenery and settle down for the evening, and Nadeshiko and Rin exchange pictures of the nighttime scenery.

As it did last week, Laid-Back Camp makes good use of the decision to send the cast off on two separate trips. The contrast between the two experiences is amusing at times, especially when the episode jumps from the Outclub's relaxing afternoon to Rin's crushing disappointment at finding the hot spring closed and the scenery blocked by fog. In general, the two trips continue to feel nicely matched to the personalities of the characters involved, with opportunities for the trio to socialize while Rin is given plenty of room to make her witty observations. The chemistry within the Outclub continues to improve as the three members spend more screen time together, and I remain impressed by Rin's ability to carry half of the episode on her own. The series throws in some mild fanservice as Nadeshiko and company check out the outdoor bath, but the presentation is tasteful enough to make it feel more like a natural part of their trip than an attempt at giving the show some kind of sex appeal.

The pattern of mixing camping trivia into each episode continues with a couple of outdoor cooking sequences and a unique approach to building a campfire. While I'm still not convinced that the third-person narrator is necessary, Laid-Back Camp has been doing well in allocating just the right amount of screen time to these scenes. They're long enough to get the point across without hurting the overall pace of the episode, and they present just enough information to be interesting without getting too wordy. If one of your reasons for watching this show is a desire to learn more about camping, there should be enough in this episode to meet that demand. For viewers who are just here for the slice of life stuff, the trivia is integrated well enough into the surrounding scenes to make it feel like a part of the story. That's just about the ideal balance for this genre, and Laid-Back Camp seems to have gotten the hang of walking that line.

The late-night text message conversation between Rin and Nadeshiko is perhaps the episode's most important moment, as it lends this story arc a bit of thematic depth. As our two main characters exchange photos of the scenery, we're given the sense that they're connected through the shared activity of camping despite being in different locations. That moment of connection, which is helped out by a couple of cleverly framed shots, gives these two journeys personal meaning for Rin and Nadeshiko beyond the more tangible pleasures of the great outdoors. It reinforces the appeal of camping for Nadeshiko while bringing Rin one step closer to opening up to the rest of the cast. I've been hoping Laid-Back Camp would include a scene like this at some point, and it shows that this series can deliver those little moments of insight that tend to define the genre's most memorable titles.

Even without a big speech to articulate its themes, this is the first episode of Laid-Back Camp that felt like it had a purpose beyond simple relaxation. It's not a huge change, but there's just enough substance to leave me feeling optimistic about the rest of the season. If future episodes can bring the whole group together and eliminate the artificial barrier of text messages, those moments of personal connection might be even easier to come by. With its basic formula already working well, the series is free to find its voice and explore some more ambitious storylines.

Rating: B+

Laid-Back Camp is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.