Laid-Back Camp - season 3

 Laid-Back Camp (ゆるキャン△) returns for a third cour of its calming slice of life story.  This 12 episode season aired during the Spring of 2024 and is still based on the manga of the same name by Afro.

    Unlike the movie, season 3 returns the story back to the girls being in high school and picks up where season 2 left off.  This season is split into two multi episode camping trips and then wraps up with more episodic journeys.  The first trip follows Rin and Nadeshiko's childhood friend, Ayano, meeting up for a scooter trip to Hatanagi to camp and explore the myriad suspension bridges among the forests and mountains.  Rin joins them via train and they explore the majestic landscape as Spring approaches and there are minimal other visitors.  Not wanting to be left out, Chiaki, Ena and Aoi go on their own camping trip with the clubs advisor Minami.  

    Honestly there is not a lot to say about Laid-Back Camp, if you've watched season 3 you most likely have seen the show before and understand what the premise and delivery is.  Don't get me wrong, its a fantastic franchise, but there is little to no actual substance.  Instead the series is comfort food.  Once you watch a few episodes you know how the show is supposed to progress and you don't continue to watch it because you want to delve further into mysteries or plot.  You continue watching it because the characters are lovely and their adventures are banal and consistent.

    There was some concern going into season three and it being produced by a completely different animation studio than everything that's come before.  That concern feels unfounded as this season didn't stray from what we have grown to love and expect from this series.  It's hard to see any change in my opinion and I am grateful for that.  When the fantastic comedy series Minami-ke switched to a different studio in a later season the entire flow of the story was changed in a way that made it less enjoyable.  While this season spent more of its focus on 2 outings, that didn't detract from the feel like Minami-ke did.  The characters are just a lovable, the story just as calming and the locations just as mesmerizing and enchanting as before.  The movie teased me with a look at the characters lives as young adult and it would have been great to see season 3 follow suit.  But, given I have not read the original manga, I really have no idea how much exists of them in high school or them as 20 year olds.  All I can hope for is another return to this warm fluffy scarf of an anime in the future.

Laid-Back Camp was simulcast on Crunchyroll, where you can also watch the previous 2 seasons and the movie.