English Dub Review: Laid Back Camp “Chikuwa, Trains, Chiaki’s Solo Campin; Scenery from Way Back; April 2nd: Cherry Blossom Camp Trip”

Overview


“Chikuwa, Trains, Chiaki’s Solo Campin”

Ena takes Chikuwa for a springtime walk in the park, Nadeshiko manages to sneak some trains into her cherry blossom tour with her sister, and Chiaki tries her hand at solo camping with a savory twist.


“Scenery from Way Back”

Chiaki comes to find out that her surprise encounter with Aoi ahead of their cherry blossom camp trip is thanks to a sudden (and speedy) gift. Meanwhile, Rin joins up with Nadeshiko and her sister to take in some nostalgic scenery.


“April 2nd: Cherry Blossom Camp Trip”

The entire gang finally gets together for their much-awaited cherry blossom camp trip, and there’s plenty of good food and good memories to go around!


Our Take

The first of the three episodes focuses on Rin, who tours the outskirts of the Kofu Basin, visiting cherry blossom spots along the way. Meanwhile, Nadeshiko goes on a cherry blossom drive with her sister, and Chiaki spends her holiday securing a spot for a hanami with friends while enjoying her first solo camping trip. Ena, who has come to Fujikawa Park with her little dog Chikuwa, dozes off on a bench, lulled by the warm spring weather. As she sleeps, a girl named Ema on a walk approaches and begins drawing a picture of the sleeping Ena and Chikuwa. Later, Chiaki/Aki is also solo camping and randomly encounters a black cat.

In the second and third episodes, Chiaki’s solo camp continues, now joined by Aoi. Aoi explains that she received a road bike from her aunt, which is perfect for carrying camping gear and commuting to school. She decides to give it a try by riding to the nearby convenience store, but unlike her usual bike, this one is much faster, and she arrives in no time. Still eager to ride more, Aoi decides to head to Minobu Station, where she enjoys a manju and takes a break. As she relaxes, she starts thinking about her next destination while the rest of the gang plans out their cherry blossom camping trip. This continues in the season finale when the girls set up their camp and have a nice dinner. Near the end of the episode, the Outdoors Club now has a new goal to hopefully gain more popularity, as revealed in the post-credits epilogue.

Overall, this was quite a wholesome season. It got a bit chaotic with the randomness of each of them “solo” camping and followed a different structure. There wasn’t enough classroom group prep and the whole crew out together, but I wasn’t too bothered by it. So much happened on a consistent level. It felt well-timed for Season 3 to premiere within a day or so after Season Two, even if it was done by a different animation team that used a different approach with the backgrounds looking more photorealistic to Japanese scenery and towns contrasted with the colorful anime character designs. If Season 4 becomes a thing, I think I’d be okay with it…