Laid-Back Camp – Season 3 Episode 7 Recap & Review

True or Embellished? Retrospective Camping

Episode 7 of Laid-Back Camp Season 3 starts with Nadeshiko marveling at Chiaki’s firewood collection with Chiaki and Aoi. Chiaki informs Nadeshiko how she, their teacher, and the vice principal helped her with her firewood-splitting problems. Moreover, Chiaki says they’ll have to wait a year until the wood’s all dried up to use it. Nonetheless, Chiaki tells the girls to help her split up some firewood. 

During this affair, Chiaki tells Nadeshiko, that she, Aoi, and Ena went camping when Nadeshiko, Rin, and Ayano were camping. Chiaki plans to tell Nadeshiko about the duo’s adventure while they chop firewood. Then, we cut away to Chiaki cutting a promo about her, Ena, and Aoi’s camping trip. Then, our trio arrives at Nirasaki Station. Nadeshiko appears and Chiaki tells her to exit her memory of the camping trip as many bizarre things occur. 

Chiaki tells Nadeshiko to enter the “screen wipe” to prevent the strange things from happening in her memory. Next, Chiaki tells Ena to dispose of Chikuwa because he didn’t tag along with them during their trip. Ena and Aoi beg Chiaki to let Chikuwa stay. Chiaki tells Ena Chikuwa can stay but she must get his camping gear. Then, Ena turns to Hanpen, a dog Chiaki’s never met. 

Nadeshiko explains Hanpen is from one of her favorite WeTube channels. Chiaki accepts Hanpen in their tale. She, Aoi, Ena, and the dogs board a bus that’ll take them to a Yamanashi campsite. Eventually, our girls arrive at Akeno and visit the Hokutoshi Agricultural Shop to purchase tomatoes and other ingredients. Then, the girls visit the building’s cafeteria area to get breakfast. 

The three discuss the meal and wonder when their teacher will arrive to join them. During this discussion, Nadeshiko keeps gurgling via her screenwipe window. Chiaki tells Nadeshiko to knock it off. The girls discuss Nadeshiko’s dilemma briefly. Then, they arrive at Mizugaki Lake and Aoi suggests they visit and eat at a shop nearby.

Before they arrive there, the girls stop at a specific location and glare at the amazing lake in front of them. Ena tells Aoi and Chiaki about Yosha Waters, enticing our girls to visit it. The girls visit the location and ramble about a little water area there. Then, they head and arrive at a sign regarding a spot called Godo. Next, we return to the present, and Chiaki’s surprised that they’re almost done with their firewood duties. 

Chiaki suggests they take a break today since school’s closing. She promises to share what happened after the Godo incident with Nadeshiko tomorrow. The next day, Rin arrives and notices the girls have a lot of wood to split through. Rin says she’d help but she has work. Before Rin goes, Aoi tells Rin she and the others are planning a camping trip during spring break and suggests she attend. 

Rin says she’ll think about it and departs. Next, Nadeshiko, Aoi, and Chiaki continue splitting more logs. During this endeavor, Chiaki continues sharing her camping trip story with Aoi, Ena, and the dogs. In Godo, the girls arrive at the shop Aoi insisted they attend. There, the girls eat yakitori and marvel at its succulent taste. Unfortunately, Chiaki tells them they missed their bus and explains how this creates numerous dilemmas for them to solve. 

Aoi offers a solution but Ena and Chiaki shoot it down because it’d mean abandoning their hot spring outing. Therefore, the girls leave Godo and choose an alternate path that gives them unfavorable, tiring results. Nonetheless, the girls trudge through the climb, arrive and bathe at the hot spring, and leave ten minutes later for the bus. 

Then, the girls nap, despite Aoi trying to entice Ena and Chiaki not to do that. In the present, Aoi tells Nadeshiko that she, Ena, Chiaki, and the dogs barely made it on their final bus. Then, we continue examining Chiaki’s camping trip experience. The bus takes them to a fancy villa called Hokutoshi Villa. There, the girls enter an establishment called Montagne to get ice cream. 

Next, our girls arrive at their final destination, the Mizugaki Mountain Campsite. The girls enter the campsite’s management building and stock up on supplies. Then, Chiaki and Aoi spot a canister of “syoy sauce” and argue over its name. Chiaki shows the canister to a worker and he says it’s called “syoy sauce.” In the present, Chiaki tells Nadeshiko she’s certain it was called “syoy sauce” and not soy sauce. 

Moreover, Chiaki plans to continue sharing what happened during her and her friends’ camping trip. The episode closes with the girls discussing more things while eating ice cream at the Mizugaki Mountain Campsite. 

The Episode Review

“Bizarre” is the best term to describe this episode of Laid-Back Camp Season 3. Besides having beautiful imagery and hysterical moments, this episode was trippy from beginning to end. Although taking shortcuts during one’s trip isn’t an otherworldly notion, this episode’s tone contrasts heavily with prior episodes, making Laid-Back Camp fans feel like they’re watching a different, more unhinged comedy like Nichijou: My Ordinary Life. 

Having said that, this episode’s events were difficult to follow and it was a bummer seeing the girls hop around numerous areas. While there are moments where they stop to take in the beautiful scenery around them, this episode should’ve focused more on that and less on the trippy, over-the-top scenarios. Nevertheless, those who aren’t bothered by this episode’s wacky material will find most of the weird shenanigans in here satisfying. 

Despite bouncing from place to place, some folks may argue this chapter captures the randomness that often occurs during one’s planned outing with family and friends. Overall, this episode of Laid-Back Camp delivered mixed results. Hopefully, the next episode will tame things down a tad.