Laid-Back Camp is a Japanese manga series by Afro, which was serialized in Houbunsha's seinenmanga magazine Manga Time Kirara Forward 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 ten tankōbon volumes. The manga is licensed in North America by Yen Press. An animetelevision series adaptation by C-Station aired in Japan from January 4 to March 22, 2018; the anime was co-financed and licensed by Crunchyroll. A short anime, titled Heya Camp, aired from January 6, 2020 to March 23, 2020. A live-actiondrama series premiered in Japan on January 9, 2020. A second anime season will premiere in January 2021, and a film is in production.
The series began serialization in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara Forward magazine in July 2015 until 2019 when it was transferred to the new website and app Comic Fuz. Ten volumes have been released so far. Yen Press 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 anime television series adaptation, directed by Yoshiaki Kyōgoku and produced by C-Station, 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 "Fuyubiyori" 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 episode. Crunchyroll co-financed, licensed and streamed the series. A second season, new film, and short anime were announced to be in production. The short anime, titled Heya Camp, premiered 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 will be bundled with the series' Blu-ray Disc/DVD volume on May 27, 2020. A second season will premiere in January 2021.
''Yuru Camp''
''Heya Camp''
Drama
A live-action television drama adaptation of the manga was announced in November 2019. Actress Haruka Fukuhara 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 on January 9, 2020. The opening theme is "Mabataki mo Sezu ni" by H△G, while the ending theme is "Replay" by the band Longman.
Reception
The English release of the first three volumes of the manga were included on the American Library Association'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 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 also listed Laid-Back Camp among the bestanime series of the 2010s, stating that it is "a wonderful celebration of nature and friendship".
