Pipe

“¡ One for all, hole in one!” —Nadeshiko Kagamihara Yuru Camp is one of the gems from the season. Who could have guessed a camping series would be fun, refreshing, and very entertaining? Also, no matter how you are feeling, after each episode you will end with a big smile on your face. Yuru Camp isn’t about cute girls doing cute things. It is about how to enjoy simpler situations and how to maintain the proper mood and be happy under any circumstance. More important, the series irradiates that sensation to all the spectators. These girls give us a funny and delightful gem and will stayin our memories for a long time. The story is straightforward and easy to follow, it is fun, fresh and entertaining to watch. It focuses on camping. Yes, I envision the same thing you’re thinking: camping, are you kidding me? How can you have a plotline about camping? It must be a fiasco. However, Yuri Camp is not dull, from a common event like camping, the authors create an amusing narration where all the characters take pleasure in camping. Keep in mind that maybe you want to go camping with your friends after the series because the characters’ commitment is plausible, delightful and absorbing. The message given to the audience through the story’s simplicity is enjoying the moments of life. As a starting point, the pacing is perfect, and the way how all the characters are involved is pretty clever. It is remarkable seeing the correlation and the chemistry between them, no matter if they appear in the scene for few seconds, their actions complement the setting, and you don’t feel them wasted. Every character has a different personality that boosts the dynamic through the storyline and embodies the meaning of friendship. Another notable aspect, the trust. Would you camp with someone you do not trust? The series enrich the plot with those values and propels them in each episode. For example, Rin likes camping alone, but she starts enjoying her time with Nadeshiko and considers her as a friend. Since they are a group of “buddies,” they share their tastes (food, hobbies, fun). Also, the story maintains the realism and gives tips about camping. This small world is full of comical events and funny jokes executed at the perfect moment ingeniously. Look Nadeshiko, she may seem to be childish, yet she is very energetic, and she uses that side of her personality to be humorous. Just with her behavior, the characters seem flashy and feel happy. All this is possible because the authors care about the pacing and the story. On the other hand, some spectators believe the series doesn’t have a plot, so they consider the show boring. The simplicity of the narrative can be measured in the course of action and the mood while camping. How many of us have at least camping once in our lives? If it was a gratifying experience then this show will bring memories and forgotten desires, perhaps you could end remembering some of your old friends. This series demonstrates that every action, no matter how insignificant is, it would make our existence happier and enjoyable. For me, seeing how these characters admire a landscape, it is very remarkable. Maybe it is a cliché, but that easiness is what we call having a good time. Lastly, I have not found any negative aspect of the show. Nothing is perfect, yet the anime covers some basic ideas such as friendship, trust, passion, joy, and boosts them in a very entertaining way. Yuri Camp’s beauty lies in its simplicity. We have five characters in the story. The most noticeable Is Nadeshiko because she is the one that which gathers the rest of the cast together, and she is the central point for most of the jokes. Nadeshiko is very energetic and blissful. She loves eating, and we can consider her a thrilled girl. The other main character, Rin. In the beginning, she enjoys camping alone, but Nadeshiko’s influence may change her. Rin has more camping experience than the others. The remaining characters add fluency to the story. Aoi and Chiaki, they are the members of the Outdoor Activities Club. Thanks to Nadeshiko the club continues with the activities and start to plan camping meetings. Lastly Ena, she always mocks Rin. Something I notice is the lack of a detailed background, but the plot works very well without it. You only need to know they like camping and the rest will come from their personalities. The art and sound are good. One exciting part is how they care about the landscapes. It is a plus because most of the scenes are outside. The camera angles and the camera movement focus on the main characters. Also, the color palette is very vivid and catch the attention of your eyes. However, the character’s design is standard compared with other series; it goes well with the simplicity of the plot. Regarding the sound, the score fills the moments and the jokes. It isn’t bad. Although, sometimes you don’t notice it because it is standard. The OP and ED are great. I love those two songs. The lyrics and the rhythm work very well and are very catchy. Honestly, I hummed the OP for a whole day. I am getting crazy. =( Finally, the combination between a simple and a fluid narrative, good characters, attractive art design, right sound, creates a delightful story called Yuru Camp. I like the show, I want a second season but maybe isn’t going to happen, yet it was a hilarious ride. You must give this anime an opportunity.

Pitzer

The sun is setting. The cold breezes that brushed through the yellow-green grass just a few minutes earlier have left the plains. In front of a small camping tent, Rin is comfortably seated in a folding chair, reading a book. A while has passed and she decides to put down her warm cup of cocoa, close her book and stretch; a puff of breath turns into a small cloud and slowly fades away. She looks at her surroundings: a huge, empty field of grass, a small forest and a clear view of a Mt. Fuji tinted in a friendly pink. Rin is on another ofher lonesome weekendly winter camping trips. During the coldest season, she fancies spending some time alone in the quiet areas of Japan—on camping sites usually uncrowded during the winter. During her trips, she spends a lot of time exploring the camping grounds; in midst of beautifully drawn, colorful sceneries, she follows intricately painted pathways in search for the stunning sights of an everyday beauty of nature perfectly evoked by the show’s wonderful visuals. Whether she ends up exploring the campsites, the colorful forests of early winter, taking pictures of funny-looking statues or just sitting in her chair relaxing, it doesn’t really matter; she just wants to spend some time on her own enjoying nature. Apart from camping, she doesn’t have any predominant interests or hobbies, and while she does truly love her friends and enjoys spending time with them, this pastime is something she truly needs: a breather, so to speak. It comes as no surprise when she turns down an invitation to join her school’s camping club; it’d go against the purpose of her camping trips. And really, that’s completely okay. Her friends understand. While they may not truly grasp her feelings, they respect her desire to camp on her own without pressing further. This comes as kind of a surprise initially: in general, the members of the camping club are very energetic and gung-ho; seeing these characters which one might initially pass off as everyday anime idiots act like sensitive, genuine human beings and friends is truly, truly refreshing. Rin and them couldn’t be more different: Chiaki and Aoi often indulge in weird jokes or pranks, and while their love for camping is definitely genuine, so is their aversion to spending even a single penny on actually acquiring necessary utensils. Nadeshiko on the other hand is very much a simpleton—a hyperactive, hyperhappy and hyperhungry simpleton. It’s not only the members of the camping club who differ from Rin (whose camping trips aren’t as quiet and calming as Rin’s); the three horse around and have fun. Instead of appreciating the quiet and nature, they just want to spend time and camp together as a group of friends. Due to the cast and the camping trips covering such a wide spectrum, the otherwise rather monotonous-sounding activity of winter camping can offer a variety of different, but always pleasant and comfy experiences. And while Rin and her friends may be apart when camping (well, most of the time), they are never out of touch: during their camping trips they regularly message or call each other and send the others photos of the camping sites they visit. They indulge in mindless but fun chats about food or the weather and it feels completely genuine. But not only do these small chats serve to make the character’s relationships feel real, they also help the otherwise standalone camping trip segments connect to the rest of the show to form a cohesive whole; while the general moods of Rin’s camping trips and the camping club horsing around are completely different, they still feel like parts of the same show, not fragments of a greater whole. It isn’t just these small conversations between the group and Rin that creates the feeling of unity between every single scene. Yuru Camp’s soundtrack consists of very few songs which, while usually a negative, works well for what the show is trying to accomplish. The tracks are all very simple, but they sell their respective scenes perfectly through equally simple means: a short, repeated trill in the lead guitar is enough to sell the relaxing camping atmosphere; a change from a dominant guitar to flutes can be mystifying and create a sense of exploration; and a calm vocal song is enough to sell the most intimate of togetherness. It won’t earn any medals or prizes, but the soundtrack does just what it’s supposed to, and that’s just what you want for an equally simple and relaxing show such as Yuru Camp. Be it Rin’s appreciation for the quiet and nature, the lively and fun friendship of the camping club or their genuine and heartwarming relationships—there is much to love in this soothing show. Yuru Camp may seldom stray off the beaten path, but it doesn’t need to, for it is a comfy and lighthearted experience through and through. However, if you decide to join in on the fun please keep in mind that while camping… - Always mind the campsite and facility rules - Don’t forget to clean up fires and take your trash! - It gets cold during the winter. Stay warm and be well-prepared!! - Have fun :) Score: 75