Laid-Back Camp, the most relaxing show I've ever watched
A comfort anime about a few girls camping in the Japanese countryside. I watched it during the early pandemic while learning Japanese, and it made me want to go camp out there myself someday.
Laid-Back Camp is genuinely one of the most wholesome, relaxing shows ever made. I watched it during the early pandemic, while I was learning Japanese, and there was a lot of stress in my life at the time. My routine was very specific. I’d lie in bed, move my pillow to a certain spot, turn the fan on, and just listen to the sounds of food cooking and a campsite settling in for the night.
Why it worked on me
I’m not really into bubbly, giggly anime girls, so it surprised me that the character I latched onto is Rin, the one with the purple hair who’s quiet and a little monotone. She isn’t bursting with energy, and honestly that reminds me of myself.
The bigger thing is that I hadn’t been to Japan yet, and this show made me want to see the parts of it that aren’t a city. Not the neon and the crowds, just nature. To this day I’d love to do a camping trip out there with the same feel. Someday I’ll go camp in Japan because of a cartoon, and I’m fine with that.
And the food. They’re always talking about traditional dishes, hot pot, little seasonal desserts they pack along, whatever it is, and the way they describe it is wonderful. Talk about good food, eat it outside, then rest and recover with nothing pressing on you. That’s the whole loop of the show, and it’s basically the life I want.
There’s a second season, and it’s more of the same in the best way. A touch less magical than that first run, only because the first one caught me off guard, but I’d still happily put it on and disappear into it. When a show’s whole job is to relax you, doing it again is exactly what I want.