Note: I am watching Laid-Back Camp (Season 2) blind. Please refrain from posting spoilers in the comments.
I’ve been trying to avoid spoilers as best as I can but I can’t really avoid seeing the thumbnails and episode titles on Crunchyroll so I’m aware that the trip to Izu is the last one in Season 2. Then again, even if I was clueless, there’s only three more episodes left so really, what else is going to happen? This trip certainly gives the impression of “finality”. It’s the first trip since the end of Season 1 (or the third OVA if you want to be generous) where the gang is all here. Something about having the full lineup just feels right for the final stretch. It also seems like this is the trip that Season 2’s OP has been hinting at this whole time, right down to having Rin tail the club’s van on her moped. As we all know, anime OPs often spoil the whole story.
Much of this episode has the gang do their usual sightseeing. In particular, the gang tries to see some of the various geoparks in the region (and as is par for the course on this show, these vistas look really nice). The fact that Rin tours around on her own for a bit is neat. This is probably what she had in mind when she first planned to tour around Izu. It’s also amusing how, despite this being a group trip, we still get to see some last minute solo Rin antics. Also charming is Nadeshiko falling asleep during the first couple of hours of the trip, causing her to miss some of the tourist attractions the Outclub visits. Even though this is mean of me to say, it would be really funny if Nadeshiko actually sleeps through the entire trip. Evidently, the Inuyama sisters think so too as they later trick Nadeshiko into thinking that she missed everything.
Perhaps the most glaring thing that has yet to be checked off in the to-do list is the capybaras. Considering that they’re the reason Akari has tagged along in the first place, I thought seeing them would be the first thing the Outclub does. Assuming that no one is breaking that promise, I guess they’re being saved for later. Not that I expect Akari to be this bratty but I kind of was expecting her to bring up capybaras again and again. Evidently, she’s either patient or pre-occupied as she actually makes no mention of them in this episode.
Once Rin meets up with everyone, we get a little bit of insight into what she, Chiaki, and Ena have planned for Nadeshiko and Aoi’s birthday. Apparently, the girls divided dinner duty across the two nights they have planned for the trip. Nadeshiko and Aoi are in charge of the first night and they plan on using dried alfonsino fish as one of their ingredients. Rin, Chiaki, and Ena are in charge of the second night and the three of them decide to use spiny lobsters as this combined with alfonsino are said to bring good fortune, making it a nice treat for the birthday girls.
As one might expect, the three girls come face to face with their old archnemesis: their wallets. Therefore, Chiaki proposes that the team trick Toba-sensei into spending whatever money she has for booze for some spiny lobsters. I buy Ena being in on the plan; not so much with Rin but she’s outnumbered here so I guess she doesn’t have much of a choice. It would’ve been really funny to see these three say something ridiculous or elaborate in order to robe an unwitting Toba-sensei into buying the ingredient for them. That said, I approve the anticlimax where Ena simply makes the request and Toba-sensei agrees to help. The fact that it’s Ena doing the straightforward approach makes it even funnier. I am also amused that the girls think Toba-sensei can’t afford both their requested ingredient and booze for herself. I know she’s a teacher but come on, she’s probably not that poor. She definitely has more money than her students.
Towards the end of the episode, the gang learns that their planned campsite for the first night no longer allows camping during the winter. Fortunately, Ena gives the ingenious solution of calling Iida Liquors, seeing as how the family running the place are locals and experienced campers. Sure enough, the elder Iida hooks them up with a new location run by a friend of his. Even though it seems inevitable that the gang would visit Iida Liquors, it is nice to see Iida-san again ahead of time. How fitting that he once again saves them from another snag (though this one is admittedly less life threatening than the last one).
Before heading to the campsite, the Outclub walk around Mt. Misujiyama. After reaching the top, Aoi asks Rin if she’s interested in mountain climbing. Rin is doubtful given the hobby’s physicality though she does admit that she’d like to camp at a climbing site. I think this conservation sticks out to me because Rin has met mountain climbers before. Hell, she ran into one of them again earlier this season. This could be coincidence or me overthinking things but maybe this show is hinting at something Rin will do in the future. Assuming that’s the case, I don’t think the show is going to get to it this season.
Watch Laid-Back Camp on Crunchyroll and VRV (via Crunchyroll)
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