Yuru Camp△ SEASON 2

This post is comprised of notes I took while watching episodes of Yuru Camp△ SEASON 2 for a contract with a friend of mine in June of 2023. Scores and comments may not reflect my present thoughts on the series, but generally reflect how I felt as I was watching each episode.

I also did something here which I normally don’t do, which is scoring each episode. I think it’s an interesting idea for this format of thoughts each episode, and I might play with it more in the future.

Episode 1

- The opening theme is not as good as the first season’s. Should've gotten the Jackson 5 again.

- Rin is really something special. Easily the best part of the whole series.

- I like seeing young Rin learning the ropes, good way to start the new season.

- Honestly kinda surprised by how much of Season 1 leads into Season 2 for a Slice-of-Life series. Pretty neat and feels like rewatching Season 1 pays off a tiny bit extra. Although that makes the flashbacks a bit more annoying.

8/10

Episode 2

- Nadeshiko is good too. I'm not as huge a fan of Nadeshiko alone or with the rest of the cast, but her chemistry with Rin works really well.

- Some weird fisheye lens shots which...why? In general more odd cinematography shots this season I feel like, which sometimes lend some neat perspectives on the environments, but in other instances feel really odd.

- Seeing Rin develop as a traveler is great. Good progression.

- I love the themes of connection and sharing different experiences in Yuru Camp, and this episode does that especially well.

8/10

Episode 3

- Food motif is a strong selling point for me, and makes the tourist ad aspect of the show easier to swallow.

- Nadeshiko fat shaming was not something I expected.

- Aya is a decent addition to the cast so far.

- Rin monologue about solo camping was a nice spelling out of some of the themes, if a bit heavy-handed.

- The post-credits “heya camp” segments aren't nearly as good as they were in Season 1. They feel more like the Heya Camp standalone series, which was more tourist ad-like.

7/10

Episode 4

- Sensei has been surprisingly bearable this season. Surprising after how awful she was last season.

- Pretty good setup for Nadeshiko solo-camp stuff.

- Nadeshiko job hunt woes are real

- Nadeshiko’s sister is pretty good. The relationship between her and Nadeshiko, especially in this episode, is quite sweet.

- Probably better than any of the non-Rin episodes in Season 1. Pretty promising.

7/10

Episode 5

- Show setting up that Rin and Nadeshiko are gonna be gone this episode...bad sign of things to come.

- Yeah that was pretty easily the worst episode of the show so far across both seasons. When Ena, Chiaki, and Aoi are separated from Nadeshiko, they lose a lot of their meaning in the show. They're not awful, but when the show focuses on them, it becomes just an average CGDCT show, while Rin and Nadeshiko tend to elevate it beyond that through the strength of their character writing.

5/10

Episode 6

- OH GOD NO THEY'RE NOT MAKING THIS A 2 PART ARE THEY?!?

- Good sensei moment this episode, but even that had to be undercut by her returning to being a drunk.

- Decidedly uncomfy episode

- Somehow Rin was still the highlight of this episode and she got maybe 2 minutes of screentime across the whole episode.

(5/10)

Episodes 7-13

Before I posted them, I deleted my Ep 7-13 thoughts :’(

Quick summary:

Ep 7: Good time, some good buildup for Nadeshiko trip 7/10

Ep 8: The kids in this episode were good for Nadeshiko character moments and further establishing her role in the show. Rin and Sakura have amazing moments as well this episode. 8/10

Ep 9: Rin family pog 7/10

Ep 10: Filler amongst fluff 5/10

Ep 11: Rin nerfed by losers, some good hot springs and food I guess 6/10

Ep 12: Birthday was ok, but low highlight 6.5/10

Ep 13: Pretty good finale. Captures the feeling of coming home after a good trip pretty well, although would have been way better had the trip been good for the viewer. Nadeshiko worrying for Rin was cute, but not as well executed as the reverse. 6.5/10

Overall S2 notes

- I actually really appreciate that there is no rich girl in the cast. Yes, their monetary woes prevent them from fully diving into luxury camping and going full comf, but I like that the series presents the hobby a bit more realistically as far as what the average person may expect.

- Having the dynamic of Nadashiko and Rin develop this season was good. Nadeshiko is set up to basically undergo the reverse development to Rin from S1. Works quite well since she's essentially Rin's foil. Pretty good material for the season to focus on overall.

- Nadeshiko solo camping arc was quite well constructed and executed. I do wish that they'd capitalized more on the themes set up in the lead-up to the arc about appreciating loneliness. Yes, Nadeshiko has a good time, but we never really get closure on the setup.

- I get why Aoi, Chiaki, and Ena exist for thematic reasons and to help establish Nadeshiko, but they pale in comparison to the rest of the cast to such a degree that time spent focused on them outside of Rin or Nadeshiko is pretty wasted. They don't ruin the show, I don't want them written out completely, but it's always a downgrade when they're the focus. Also, anyone who argued Camp had better cast chemistry than Non Non Biyori in the Slice of Life jury owes me an apology. That is a massive lie which I will never again allow.

- I'm genuinely shocked by how disappointing the Izu trip was. It's not actively bad, but it just feels more hollow than most of the rest of the series. Like, in a series made up of warm fluff, this somehow felt empty.