Laid-Back Camp – Season 3 Episode 12 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

 April 2nd: Cherry Blossom Camp Trip

Episode 12 of Laid-Back Camp Season 3 starts with Chiaki reflecting on things at her campsite. Chiaki wants to head outside to use the restroom. However, Chiaki refuses because she hears something spooky outside. After pondering it more, Chiaki peeks out of her tent, only to discover a few cats wandering around it. Chiaki exits her tent, uses the restroom, and returns to her tent. 

She notices Rin sent her a text containing a link to a live cam of Mount Hanatori. Rin happens to be on camera, much to Chiaki’s surprise. Chiaki and Rin discuss food, cherry blossoms, and Aoi. Next, Rin sends Chiaki another live cam link and heads home.

What happens after everyone arrives at the cherry blossom trip’s campsite?

Rin leads Minami, Aoi, Akari, Ena, and Nadeshiko to Chiaki’s cherry blossom campsite the next day. They all greet Chiaki and set up their respective gear at her campsite. After that, Minami lays out some of the goods she brought for the trip. Everyone’s looking forward to trying the Jingisukan dish the most. Minami presents frog meat to the girls and explains why and how she got it.

The girls eat the frog meat. Although it tastes great they’re unsettled by the fact they’re eating frogs. Eventually, the girls indulge in the Jingisukan dish. They find this one more appealing and delicious than the frog meat. Nadeshiko glances at Akari and Aoi and notices something off about them. Aoi calls her grandmother and tells her Minami’s Jingisukan dish tastes similar to the one her grandmother makes.

However, Aoi tells her grandmother Minami’s pork tastes the same too. Aoi’s grandmother reveals that their family’s Jingisukan has always been pork, much to Aoi and Akari’s shock. After that, the girls participate in fun activities. At night, the girls light up a few lanterns. They travel to and rest on a large blanket and observe the giant cherry blossom tree above them. Rin takes a selfie of herself, Nadeshiko, and the others to capture the moment. 

What does Nadeshiko reveal to her friends and what are Chiaki’s club goals?

After that, the girls share different cherry blossom pictures and discuss each photo in detail. Everyone adores Nadeshiko’s photos the most since she did a timelapse reel regarding a cherry blossom tree. Nadeshiko reveals she photographed this tree starting in March and did so before arriving at school. Nadeshiko says she wants to continue doing this until the tree spawns green leaves and loses those leaves again. 

Encouraged, Chiaki reminds the girls they’ll be second-years soon. Therefore, Chiaki wants her, Aoi, and Nadeshiko to make their club an official one. Then, the girls stare at the full moon through the cherry blossom tree’s leaves. After that, we cut away to Ayano at her home. She scrolls through several photos Rin sent her regarding her and Nadeshiko’s cherry blossom trip. 

What place does Nadeshiko suggest she and her friends visit next time?

Nadeshiko wakes up in the morning and joins Rin. While the two drink hot cocoa, Nadeshiko asks Rin where they should travel next. Rin’s unsure. Nadeshiko suggests they attend a railway museum in Gunma. Rin says she’d love to do that. Nadeshiko shares a few more locations she’d like to visit too. Then, Chiaki wakes up and Nadeshiko hands her some hot chocolate. 

Nadeshiko suggests they invite Ayano to this trip too. 

How does Laid-Back Camp Season 3 end?

Some time passes. Nadeshiko revisits the same tree she used in her timelapse photo project and photographs it. She and the others head to school.  We can assume the girls are in their second year. This is due to Chiaki and the others working on their plan to make their club a real one. Chiaki finishes creating a flier for their club and says she needs tools to color it.

Nadeshiko volunteers to visit the Illustration Club to borrow paint. During Nadeshiko’s venture, she bumps into Rin. Nadeshiko notices a cherry blossom petal on Rin’s hair and laughs. The season ends with Rin telling Nadeshiko she shouldn’t be having too much fun. 

The Episode Review

At long last, Laid-Back Camp’s cherry blossom event has arrived. While Nadeshiko and her friends’ cherry blossom trip wasn’t as eventful as one would like, seeing the girls participate in realistic, fun-loving activities will warm any anime fan’s heart. Additionally, the chapter contained great humor. Some notable examples include Chiaki’s nighttime worries and Aoi’s humorous Jingisukan dish chat with her grandmother. 

These capture the randomness one would encounter when embarking on a family-friendly get-together. Moreover, the tale offers a nice pay-off for an earlier plot point regarding Nadeshiko’s photographing affairs. At the same time, it makes you wonder what would’ve happened if the girls hadn’t embarked on this cherry blossom trip.

Would Nadeshiko be upset or would she continue her photography project regardless? That aside, it was a bummer that none of the newer characters didn’t appear in the season finale. Likewise, it would’ve been stellar seeing Chikuwa or Ayano join our girls there too. They could have added something interesting to this trip to help it stand out from past get-together season finales.

Fortunately, the episode’s closing moments seem to allude to our girls recruiting new members to their club. We predict Ema may join the club next season (if one happens). Her love of the arts would add a new dynamic to the group. All in all, this was an enjoyable way to wrap up Laid-Back Camp Season 3!