Laid-Back Camp – Season 3 Episode 8 Recap & Review

The Food Porn Begins

Episode 8 of Laid-Back Camp Season 3 starts with Aoi updating the audience on her, Ena, and Chiaki’s camping endeavors. Then, Chiaki, Ena, and Aoi camp out somewhere and discuss one of the mountains in the area. Eventually, Chiaki receives a text from Minami, telling her she’ll arrive at the campsite in ten minutes. Aoi convinces Chiaki and Ena to help her prepare a meal. 

The three stumble upon a pizza oven but learn it’s out of order. Chiaki recalls a moment during their outing when she chose curry over pizza and reflects on how this upset her. Ena pulls out her pizza crust, much to Chiaki’s delight. Then, Minami arrives with the cooking equipment and Chiaki shows the girls her cardboard box oven. Then, Aoi and Ena prepare a yakisoba dish and everyone eats the meal at night. 

After that, the girls prepare the pizza, but not in the way Chiaki was hoping for. Nonetheless, Ena tells Chiaki they have more pizza crusts left. However, Ena and Aoi joke with Chiaki, and have plans to make meals other than pizza with the crust. Nonetheless, the girls make the pizza using a neat cooking trick and serve a slice to everyone. Chiaki’s happy to indulge in its glorious taste. 

Then, Chiaki completes her sausage dish and offers everyone a piece to try. However, based on past experiences with Chiaki’s sausages, Ena and Aoi would rather not have one. Nonetheless, Chiaki forces Ena and Aoi to eat a sausage and they like the taste this time. After trying out a Minestrone dish, the girls notice Chikuwa is absent from the campsite. They search the area and spot Chikuwa resting in a screenwipe. 

Chiaki frees Chikuwa from the screen wipe, enticing Minami, Aoi, and Ena to lend her a hand. The four get sucked into the screenwipe and disappear, leaving Hanpen with all their belongings. Hanpen signs out, asking the audience to like and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

In the present timeline, Chiaki, Nadeshiko, and Aoi head to their firewood stash and learn there are still more logs to chop. Nadeshiko suggests they make this log-chopping fiasco a yearly activity. Moreover, Aoi wishes they could recruit new members to their club.  Then, Rin sends Nadeshiko a text, informing her that she found a campsite where they can see the cherry blossoms. Chiaki insists they plan before they head to that location.

Some time passes. Nadeshiko takes photos of the cherry blossom trees and the episode closes with her and Rin chatting about their photos. 

The Episode Review

While this episode’s title will certainly take folks for a loop, this episode was better than the previous one as it captures Laid-Back Camp’s easy-going aroma. This chapter has its share of surreal elements involving the screen wipe fiasco and Hanpen’s YouTube closing segment though. Yet, the way this episode implements those moments feels more genuine and in line with Laid-Back Camp’s tone. 

Therefore, many folks will appreciate how 8-Bit Studios executed those scenarios here. Those elements aside, this episode focused heavily on food, as the title suggests. It was amusing getting to see everyone’s diverse reactions to the food presented in this chapter. While the explanatory components for the meals were fun to learn about, some folks may not adore how the food looked in this chapter. 

Another series that’s known for being laid-back and comfy is Campfire Cooking In Another World with My Absurd Skill. While that anime fails to deliver a complex and meaningful narrative, Mappa Studios succeeded in making Mukoda’s meals in that anime look delectable and gorgeous. In Laid-Back Camp, the meals look like something you’d pick up from a dollar store and heat up in your microwave. 

Nevertheless, this episode will at least get folks interested in whipping up diverse meals during their camping endeavors. Overall, this was an enjoyable episode of Laid-Back Camp. I’m curious to see what’ll happen during Nadeshiko, Rin, and the others’ cherry blossom extravaganza.