Well friends, here we are. The end of Season 2. I can’t break out the champagne just yet as is there is plenty of more Laid-Back Camp to watch (or look forward to). But yeah, I’ve now seen all thirteen main episodes of Season 2. I’m embarrassed that it’s taken me about two years to get here but at the same time, I’m satisfied to finally reach the end. And thankfully, finishing the show has been worth it for the show itself.
So obviously, this episode concludes the group trip to Izu. It’s here that the Outclub finally gets around to paying the Iida family a visit and taking Akari to those long awaited capybaras. I’m kind of amused at how these two things are what inspired the trip and yet, they’re ultimately among the last things the gang crosses out from their to-do list.
At Iida Liquors, the Outclub once again thanks the Iida family for their help back at Lake Yamanaka, with Toba-sensei also gifting them some food from Yamanashi. Outclub also reunites with the Iidas’ pet dog Choko. I like how Choko runs past Nadeshiko and Rin when the two call for them; Chikuwa pulled that same exact joke back in Season 1. Even cheekier is that both dogs are corgis. The fact they’re both corgis is brought up in another bit where Ena accidentally refers to Choko as Chikuwa. As Nadeshiko puts it, this girl is clearly on withdrawal. Just a couple more years and she can get her driver’s license and take Chikuwa with her!
I expected the liquor store visit to be the last time we’ll see the Iidas for the time being though the younger Iida and Choko does accompany the Outclub for the remainder of the trip, including the zoo where Akari gets to see the capybaras. I kind of wish the Iidas were around for longer. Given that they’re locals and campers, they could have shown the Outclub around the area as tour guides. Then again, I suppose that’d be impractical since the family has a store to run.
As eager as I was to see those capybaras, there’s actually not a lot to say about the long awaited scene. They’re capybaras. Akari’s happy. Everyone’s happy. It’s as wholesome you’d expect. Oddly enough, the funniest joke in this scene doesn’t involve the capybaras themselves but rather the affiliated merch sold at the zoo’s gift shop. At long last, Akari now knows the financial pain her older sister and her friends deal with on a regular basis. It’s implied that Akari settled on a couple of things though I don’t think it’s confirmed or denied if Chiaki follows through on that IOU Akari keeps forcing on her. To be fair, that makes the joke even funnier.
Following the capybaras, the Izu trip finally comes to a close. The Outclub bids the Iidas farewell (but not before Toba-sensei gets the booze she wants) and head back to Yamanashi. Since Rin has her moped, she decides to part ways with everyone else and drive directly to her home. Nadeshiko has an interesting response here as she takes a picture of Rin before the latter leaves and grows anxious to hear back from her. At first, this seems strange. Rin travels on her own all the time and that’s never bothered Nadeshiko in any way before. As the plays out however, it starts to make sense. Nadeshiko just spent the past few days hanging out with Rin and even though she knows it’d come to a close, she can’t help but wish it could last for a bit longer. She wants to be with Rin more and she wants to hear back from her not just out of concern but to be reassured that they will get to spend more time together. Evidently, the feeling is mutual as Rin admits to herself that she does feel lonely after parting ways with everyone. Even before going home, Rin was already feeling grateful to have tagged along for the trip, as evidenced by an earlier scene at the beginning of the episode.
Ultimately, Nadeshiko decides that she can’t wait for a response so she decides to meet up with Rin on the latter’s way home. Props to Sakura for being willing to drive Nadeshiko once again. I’m not sure how Nadeshiko knew where Rin would be. Maybe Sakura installed that tracking app on Rin’s phone like she did with Nadeshiko’s. I’m willing to look the other way as this is good opportunity for Nadeshiko and Rin to talk about the Izu trip and their desire to camp together again, basically validating what they’ve been feeling after the trip ended. Having these two together one last time is also just the perfect way to end the season. One very cheeky detail is that Nadeshiko and Rin are overlooking Lake Motsou, the place where this whole show started. You even have Nadeshiko thinking about camping near the lake (which is what she did in the flash-forward at end of Season 1) and Rin talking about her first time camping there (which we saw at start of Season 2). Talking about coming full circle.
With that, Season 2 comes to a close. I’ll admit: I might still prefer Season 1 by a very small margin. I just think Season 1 had a tighter narrative. It was about Rin and her slowly growing attached to a new friend and becoming willing to experience her hobby in a way different than how she usually practices it. Season 2 follows a bunch of different threads and it feels less focused as a result. Conversely, I do think Season 2 makes better uses of the overall cast. Ena and Toba-sensei feel much more prevalent this season. Even the minor characters feel better utilized here. It also helps that Season 2 does a couple of fun shakeups such as Ena, Chiaki, and Aoi’s near-death experience and Nadeshiko’s solo trip. At the end of the day, it’s more Laid-Back Camp. I love this show to pieces and until it proves me otherwise, I am always down to watch more of it. And fortunately, there is indeed more Laid-Back Camp for me to experience…
Watch Laid-Back Camp on Crunchyroll and VRV (via Crunchyroll)
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