The Outclub’s camp at Lake Yamanaka starts off pleasantly enough. The girls get their equipment set up, including the stuff they recently got from Caribou. They then meet a fellow camper (Mai Fuchigami) and her pet dog and tour the area before lounging back at their camp. A very wholesome moment occurs when Chiaki offers Ena one of her chairs. She bought two as a lighter (and possibly cheaper) alternative to a hammock but the sight of Ena sitting on a mat makes her feel bad so she decides to give one to her friend. I expected Ena lacking a chair of her own was going to be a visual gag and it is funny that the show put her in between the two girls with chairs though I do like the route the show went with.
Given some of the hiccups shown in the last episode and the fact that this is the Outclub we’re talking about here, I couldn’t help but expect camping at Lake Yamanaka to eventually go south. And boy, it most certainly does. By sunset, the area has a sudden drop in temperature and the girls finds themselves ill-equipped for it, even with the gear they currently have. Their phones also lose power, making it harder for them to contact for help. With hypothermia looking very likely, the gang scrambles to gather supplies that’ll help them survive the night. I guess we can check off death flags for this show.
Obviously, the gang doesn’t die here. They fortunately run into the camper from earlier who offers them shelter in a well-equipped tent held by her and her father, Iida-san (Tadahisa Fujimura). While certainly a good outcome, there’s denying that the Outclub could’ve easily avoided all of this. All they had to do is do a quick weather check in advance and gear up accordingly. Also helpful would be charging their phones or bringing a portable charger. Chiaki feels the most responsible for the group’s fiasco as she was the one planning the trip though the lesson she learns applies to everyone. The gang should’ve been more prepared for their trip.
Good on Rin for contacting Toba-sensei about the Outclub’s situation. It is a little funny how she immediately assumes her friends might’ve screwed things up but it’s also really nice seeing her look after them. It really shows how much the Outclub has grown on her, especially Chiaki and Aoi. The fact that she correctly deduces the situation also shows how experienced she is as a camper. I also have to hand it to Toba-sensei for actually driving all the way to Lake Yamanaka to check on the girls. And for once, you actually get to see her act like a proper advisor to the Outclub, telling the girls that they need to better plan their trips and even acknowledging that she could’ve helped them in this regard as well. She still sets a bad example by getting drunk but I think the girls are used to that by now.y
Before parting ways with Iida and his daughter, the father and daughter invite the Outclub and Toba-sensei to visit their shop in Itou. I have a feeling this is not going to be the last we see of these two. Considering Season 2’s trend of bringing back some of Laid-Back Camp‘s minor characters, it’s safe to say that it may very well apply here. I can see the gang paying their shop a visit in a future trip.
I really enjoy the ending where Ena heads out to see the sunrise, with Chiaki and Aoi soon joining her for the event. Once again, Laid-Back Camp has done a couple of scenes like this but it has yet to get old for me. It especially makes for a nice note to end on in this episode given the ordeal the girls just went through. That Ena heads out first is interesting. It reminds me of Nadeshiko waking up early in Season 1 Episode 3, a demonstration of how serious these new campers are about the new activity.
For the post-credit scene, we have Nadeshiko calling Rin, asking her for advice for a planned solo trip of hers. I guess I know what’s happening next in this season. I like that Nadeshiko is taking solo camping seriously, going as far as asking the one expert on it for advice, but it is a little funny to have this scene after a whole episode where the other characters screw up big time. Maybe Nadeshiko should plan for the Outclub.
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