Here we are, over three years later - Yuru Camp's third season.
I've been a huge fan of the series ever since binging the first season over a cold winter break in late 2019, and have looked forward to every entry since; this one is no exception. Let's get into it!
"What is an action studio doing animating an iyashikei?" ... or something like that. ~~(Even though they have been the studio of choice for Yama no Susume's entire career.)~~
The studio change from C-Station to 8-Bit is... conflicting, honestly. In fact, I'll say it straight up - it's a downgrade. I much prefer C-Station's "sharper" character designs. C-Station put a lot more detail everywhere you looked. Not to mention the 3D work from 8-Bit leaves a lot to be desired, even if I've seen worse.
It's certainly not their worst work, and C-Station set a damn high bar for another studio (especially 8-Bit) to match; but I miss the passion, and I miss the real eye candy. Overall, it's between passable and "decent" this season, but the disappointment lurks deep down.
An aside about the character designs:
So, the character designs. Even if I much prefer the previous ones, I don't think these ones are too bad, honestly. They just really took a lot of getting used to, particularly before the show started airing. Once I was a couple episodes in, I honestly stopped thinking about it.
It's about on par with the previous seasons, which is to say - it's decent! You might not be bawling your eyes out, but the Outdoor Activities Club has no shortage of content to work with. Nadeshiko and Rin getting new interests (trains and suspension bridges) to bond over early on was pretty cute.
If there's something to complain about, I thought the whole "flashback arc" was kinda weird (particularly prevalent in episode 7). It's portrayed as storytelling while they're preparing firewood to dry, with a lot of "random" twists and turns sprinkled throughout to make it an absurd comedy of sorts. At one point, the world is falling apart, being under siege by Mount Fuji and other various things. And really, just... you don't need to go that far, right? There's a balance with brainrot.
In the end though, it corrects itself and we're left with a somewhat promising end to the season.
The star cast reprises its roles once again, and I couldn't be happier. Same great VAs (gotta love Toyama Nao as Rin), same great personality, it goes on.
The notable introduction this season was Ema near the end, which I'm really looking forward to. In fact, I wish they gave her more time as we didn't get to know much about her save for a couple encounters.
And an honorable mention - I did also really appreciate them taking the time to revisit Ayano early on.
Last but not least, the opening and ending usually complete the "comfy" experience. Asaka and Eri Sasaki seem to have had their tag teaming streak broken this time around. It's a little sad, but...
- Groovy little city pop-ish track from a newcomer in the scene.
- I honestly preferred this a little more over Asaka's "Seize the Day" from the second season.
- Slow paced anime ending.
- Eri Sasaki seems to have helped in the production process of the track, so the duo isn't entirely gone either!
... it's in good hands. Both are about what you'd expect from the show, and bringing some new voices into the industry is greatly appreciated. I'll be looking forward to Kiminone's next works.
While a little shaky on some parts, the third season of Yuru Camp continues to provide the enjoyable slice of life experience that the series is known for. I'm sure if C-Station was allowed to continue doing their thing, we would've gotten a hell of a meal for the season, though.
But in the end, for a show to just turn your brain off and relax to, my hunger is satisfied.
11 out of 12 users liked this review
