, also known in Japan as ''Yuru Camp'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Afro. Set in and around

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the ...

, Japan, the series chronicles the adventures of Rin Shima, Nadeshiko Kagamihara, and their friends as they travel to various campsites across the country. The manga was first serialized in

Houbunsha is a Japanese publishing company founded on July 10, 1950. It is based in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. Magazines published by Houbunsha *''Weekly Manga Times'' *''Hana Oto'' *'' Comic Fuz'' Manga Time magazines *'' Manga Time'' *'' Manga Time Original'' ...

's ''

Manga Time Kirara Forward is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Houbunsha. The magazine is sold on the twenty-fourth of each month. ''Forward'' was the fourth magazine in the ''Manga Time Kirara'' line to be published, the first three being ''Manga Time Kirar ...

'' magazine from July 2015 to February 2019 until it was transferred to the publisher website and app for manga called Comic Fuz. It has been collected in fourteen ''

tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...

'' volumes. The manga is licensed in North America by

Yen Press Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published '' Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...

. An

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

television series adaptation by

C-Station is a Japanese animation studio established in 2009 as an extension of Bee Train Production and chaired by Ryoji Maru, a former producer and production manager for Bee Train. In 2012, C-Station split from Bee Train and in 2013, it was announced t ...

aired in Japan on AT-X from January to March 2018; the anime was co-financed and licensed by Crunchyroll. A short anime spin-off, titled ''

Room Camp , also known as ''Heya Camp'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Afro and a short spin-off of '' Laid-Back Camp''. It has been serialized by Houbunsha on Kirara Base since April 9, 2016, and on their manga service Comic Fu ...

'', aired from January to March 2020. A

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

drama series aired in Japan from January to March 2020, and a second drama season aired from April to June 2021. A second anime season aired from January to April 2021, and an anime film premiered on July 1, 2022. A

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

video game based on the series was released in March 2021, and a

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

developed by

MAGES Mage most commonly refers to: * Mage (paranormal) or magician, a practitioner of magic derived from supernatural or occult sources * Mage (fantasy) or magician, a type of character in mythology, folklore, and fiction *Mage, a character class in s ...

was released in November 2021. A third season has been announced.

Premise

Rin Shima, a high school-aged girl, enjoys camping on her own. One day, she meets Nadeshiko Kagamihara, who encourages her to join their school's camping club. Together, Rin, Nadeshiko, and their classmates Chiaki Ōgaki and Aoi Inuyama travel around Japan, camping together and enjoying their daily lives.

Characters

; : :Portrayed by: Yuno Ōhara :An energetic girl who befriends Rin and joins the Outdoor Activities Circle. Her surname comes from a traditional alternative form of the name of Kakamigahara, Gifu. ; : :Portrayed by:

Haruka Fukuhara is a Japanese actress, singer and model from Saitama Prefecture. From 2009 to 2012, she starred in ''Cooking Idol! I! My! Main'' as Main Hiiragi, portraying the character in both animated and live-action segments. Following the series' end, she h ...

:A generally quiet girl who enjoys camping by herself. Often rides her Yamaha Vino moped. Her surname comes from Shima, Mie. ; : :Portrayed by: Momoko Tanabe :President of the Outdoor Activities Circle. Her surname comes from

Ōgaki Ōgaki Castle is a city located in Gifu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 161,539, and a population density of 782 persons per km2 in 65,931 households. The total area of the city was . Ōgaki was the final destination for the h ...

, Gifu. ; : :Portrayed by: Yumena Yanai :Chiaki's friend and member of the Outdoor Activities Circle. Her surname comes from

Inuyama, Aichi is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 73,420 in 31,276 households, and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . The name of the city literally transliterates to "Dog ...

. ; : :Portrayed by: Sara Shida :Rin's cheerful classmate. Her name comes from

Ena, Gifu 300px, Ena City Hall is a city located in Gifu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 48,777, and a population density of 96.7 persons per km², in 19,820 households. The total area of the city was . Geography Ena is located in the ...

. ; : :Portrayed by: Yurina Yanagi :Nadeshiko's older sister. She loves driving. Often drives her

Nissan Rasheen The is a compact crossover SUV with four-wheel drive capabilities produced from November 1994 to August 2000 by Nissan. A prototype was first shown at the October 1993 Tokyo Auto show. It was offered with three different inline-four engines: from ...

. She is a big fan of "Moped Journey" by '' How Do You Like Wednesday?'' and owns all the

DVDs The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

of East Japan ( ja), West Japan, and Overseas ( ja). ; : :Portrayed by: Kaho Tsuchimura :A substitute teacher at Motosu High School. She became the Outdoor Activities Circle's advisor as she prefers clubs that are not busy most of the time. She drinks alcohol a lot. She is first met by Nadeshiko and Rin during their camping while she is camping with her little sister. She drives her

Suzuki Hustler The is a crossover SUV-styled kei car produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki since 2014. The car is also sold by Mazda as the through an OEM agreement. __TOC__ Name Suzuki's design department chose the name "Hustler" to promote the ca ...

. Her surname comes from

Toba, Mie is a Cities of Japan, city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 17,741 in 8328 households and a population density of 170 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Toba is located on the ...

. ; : :Portrayed by: Honoka Kitahara :Minami's younger sister, who commonly camps with her. The Outdoor Activities Circle girls originally assume her to be a boy. She lent her Nissan Lafesta to her sister in Izu camp. ; : :Portrayed by:

Anna Ishii is a Japanese dancer, actress and model. She is a former member of E-girls and represented by LDH. Early life Ishii was born on July 11, 1998, in Tokyo, Japan. She has an elder brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister named Chino Ishi ...

:Nadeshiko's childhood friend from middle school. Often rides her Honda Ape 100. Her surname comes from

Toki, Gifu is a city located in Gifu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 58,567 in 24485 households, and a population density of 500 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Toki is known as one of the largest producers of Japanese p ...

. ; : :Rin's maternal grandfather. He loves outdoor camping, and he is the one who inspired Rin to begin camping. Often rides his Triumph Thruxton 1200R and drives his Honda Acty Van in manga and anime /

Toyota HiAce The (pronounced "High Ace") is a light commercial vehicle produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. First launched in October 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of body configurations, including a minivan/M ...

in drama. He first appeared in anime as the old man who camps alone who Chiaki met when she was scouting for a campsite. His voice actor is also the narrator in the anime, which could mean he is the narrator himself. His surname comes from Shinshiro, Aichi. ; : :Rin's father. He goes to work with a moped. In the anime, he first appeared in a special OVA episode where he borrowed a three-wheeler motor scooter Yamaha Tricity as a substitute for Rin's moped which was being serviced at that time. Often drives his

Subaru Forester The is a compact crossover SUV that has been manufactured by Subaru since 1997. The first generation was built on the platform of the Impreza in the style of a taller station wagon, a style that continued to the second generation, while the thi ...

. ; : :Portrayed by: Ayumi Mikata :Rin's mother. She went camping together with her husband and father (Rin's grandfather) in the past. She used to ride a

Yamaha SR400 The Yamaha SR400 (1978–2021) and SR500 (1978–1999) are single-cylinder, air-cooled, two-passenger motorcycles manufactured in Japan by Yamaha Motor Company as a street version of the Yamaha XT500, with a standard riding posture and styling re ...

. ; : :Portrayed by: Yūsuke Noguchi :Nadeshiko's father. He loves eating. ; : :Portrayed by: Eiko Yamamoto :Nadeshiko's mother. ; : :Portrayed by: Aina Nishizawa :Aoi's mischievous younger sister. ; : :Aoi's grandmother. ; :Portrayed by: Jun Hashimoto :Ena's father. ; Narration : ; :Mei's friend. ; :A new member of the Outdoor Activities Circle.

Media

Manga

The series began serialization in

's ''

'' magazine in July 2015 until 2019 when it was transferred to the new website and app Comic Fuz. Fourteen volumes have been released so far.

has licensed the manga for a North American release, and released the first volume of the manga in English in March 2018.

Anime

A twelve-episode

television series adaptation, directed by Yoshiaki Kyōgoku and produced by

, aired from January 4 to March 22, 2018. Jin Tanaka supervised the series' scripts and Mutsumi Sasaki designed the characters. The opening theme is "Shiny Days" by Asaka, which was released as a single on January 24, 2018, while the ending theme is by Eri Sasaki. The series was released on three Blu-ray Disc/DVD volumes between March 28 and July 25, 2018, each containing an additional

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

episode. Crunchyroll co-financed, licensed and streamed the series. The season received an English dub, which was released on Crunchyroll on August 2, 2022. A second season, new film, and short anime were announced to be in production in October 2018. The short anime, titled ''Room Camp'', aired from January 6 to March 23, 2020. The series is directed by Masato Jinbo, with Mutsumi Ito handling series composition, and Mutsumi Sasaki as character designer. Yoshiaki Kyōgoku is credited as supervisor, while C-Station is returning to produce the short anime. The theme song for the short series is "The Sunshower" by Asaka. A special episode was bundled with the series' Blu-ray Disc/DVD volume on May 27, 2020. The second season aired from January 7 to April 1, 2021. The opening theme song for the second season is "Seize the Day" performed by Asaka, and the ending theme song is performed by Eri Sasaki. The film premiered in Japan on July 1, 2022, with the main staff and cast members of the television series returning. A third season was announced in October 2022.

Live action

live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

television adaptation of the manga was announced in November 2019. Actress

portrays Rin Shima, with Yuno Ōhara, Momoko Tanabe, Yumena Yanai, and Sara Shida respectively playing supporting characters Nadeshiko Kagamihara, Chiaki Ōgaki, Aoi Inuyama, and Ena Saitō. The drama premiered on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...

on January 10, 2020, and its first season concluded on March 27, 2020. A special program is scheduled for broadcast on March 29, 2021, and a second season of the drama premiered on April 2, 2021.

Video games

video game based on the series, titled was developed by Gemdrops. The game is described as a "virtual camping adventure" and is available in two versions, one set at

Lake Motosu is the westernmost of the Fuji Five Lakes and located on the border of the towns of Fujikawaguchiko and Minobu in southern Yamanashi Prefecture near Mount Fuji, Japan. Lake Motosu is the third-largest of the Fuji Five Lakes in terms of surface ...

and another set at the Fumoto Campgrounds on

Asagiri Plateau The is located at the southwest base of Mount Fuji in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.The Asagiri Plateau is richly utilized for its pasture land and many dairy farms are situated along it. The elevation of the plateau is generally arou ...

. It is available for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4,

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

, and Android, and supports the Nintendo Labo VR Kit and

PlayStation VR The PlayStation VR (PS VR, known by its code name Project Morpheus during development) is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016. It is fully functional with the PlayStation 4 an ...

accessories. The ''Lake Motosu'' version was released on March 4, 2021, and the ''Fumoto Campgrounds'' version was released on April 7, 2021. Characters from the series appeared alongside other ''

Manga Time Kirara is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Houbunsha which mainly serializes four-panel manga. The magazine is sold on the ninth of each month and was first published as a special edition of ''Manga Time'', another Houbunsha magazine, on M ...

'' characters in the mobile RPG ''

Kirara Fantasia is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Houbunsha which mainly serializes four-panel manga. The magazine is sold on the ninth of each month and was first published as a special edition of ''Manga Time'', another Houbunsha magazine, on M ...

'' in 2018, as well as in collaboration with Akatsuki's mobile baseball game ''

Cinderella Nine is a free-to-play mobile video game for iOS and Android published by Akatsuki and Kadokawa. It was released in Japan on June 27, 2017. A four-panel comedy spin-off manga series by Bkub Okawa titled and a novelization titled are bein ...

'' in 2019, as well as in collaboration with Happy Elements's mobile role-playing game ''

Merc Storia is an online free-to-play fantasy role-playing game created by Happy Elements. It was released in Japan in 2014 for Android and iOS devices. An anime television series adaptation by Encourage Films titled aired from October 11 to December ...

'' in 2021. A

, titled , was developed and published by

, and released on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in Japan on November 11, 2021. There are no announced plans to release the game in other regions. In February 2022, Enish announced the first mobile game for the anime series, which is set to be released that year. In July 2022, pre-registration for the game was opened, with the title being revealed as . In November 2022, Enish delayed the game to 2023, stating that it was "for better game content and quality improvement".

Reception

The English release of the first three volumes of the manga were included on the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

's list of 2019 Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The manga was also nominated for an Eisner Award in the category " Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia" in 2019. In November 2019, ''

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...

'' named ''Laid-Back Camp'' as one of the best anime of the 2010s, describing it as "the ultimate comfy, slice-of-life anime", and Crunchyroll listed it in their "Top 100 best anime of the 2010s".

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

also listed ''Laid-Back Camp'' among the best anime series of the 2010s, stating that it is "a wonderful celebration of nature and friendship". Patrick Lum of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' listed ''Laid-Back Camp'' as one of his best ''

iyashikei is a genre specific to Japanese works, primarily manga and anime. It is a sub-genre of slice of life, portraying characters living out peaceful lives in calming environments, and is intended to have a healing effect on the audience. The word ''iy ...

'' anime series. The anime significantly increased local tourism for the places featured, with several campgrounds reporting their number of visitors tripling.

References

External links

List of ''Laid-Back Camp'' chapters
at Comic Fuz
List of ''Laid-Back Camp'' volumes
at

* {{C-Station 2015 manga 2018 anime television series debuts 2020 anime television series debuts 2021 anime television series debuts Anime series based on manga C-Station Camping in anime and manga Crunchyroll anime Houbunsha manga Iyashikei anime and manga Medialink Seinen manga Television shows set in Yamanashi Prefecture Yen Press titles