Yuru Camp△ (2020)

As expected, a very light, relaxing, soothing dorama

Very often, as (re)viewers, we may end up being taken aback by this or that dorama: some surprise us positively (and we'll reward them with extra points), some really let us down (and then we accordingly put them down). But sometimes it also happens that what we get is *exactly* what we expected, and that's very pleasant and comforting in its own way.
Now, I expected this little dorama to be a very light, relaxing, soothing one...and that's exactly what it is! Although the basically non-existent plot makes it a bit hard to call this a masterpiece, nonetheless the characters are endearing, the acting good (I particularly appreciated Fukuhara Haruka's portrayal of that quirky, lone wolf camping fanatic, Ohara Yuno's rendition of that energetic airhead with the contagious laugh, and Tanabe Momoko's crazy-but-funny outdoor club president), the music is nice (I really liked the ending credits song BTW) and last but not least, the scenery is wonderful. Oh, and it's also a perfect watch for these scorching summer nights, as seeing those girls camping out in winter is enough to send some shivers down your spine, LOL.
p.s.
In case - by some mysterious and unforeseeable circumstance - this review ends up being read by someone working for a Japanese car producer: why don't you guys export here in the West such lovely "Kei SUVs" like the one shown in this dorama? I think many Westerners like me would really love to get one of those and go "yurucamping" with it! ^__^;

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I've seen a few reviews that compare this drama to the anime, but, I can't help but feel that as I watched each version of the girls' story told different stories. From the manga to the anime to this live-action, the story/plotline is exactly the same, however, each one came to life with a completely different type of feeling. From calming story's to comedic dramatics to growing differences in each person's lifestyle.

Each version of this story is, essentially, the same; however, they all have their own differences too! No wonder it sparked a movement of camping enthusiasm! This story, from the manga artist(s) and author(s) to the directors and voice actors and actresses/actors in each television adaptation, shown with such adoration and a strong respect for each series before it. It's rare to see a series such as this one carried out so well from book to television, I think.

You can tell with this live-action that each person on the show studied hard to learn "how to camp" and to fulfill their character's original story from the manga and anime. Each story made me laugh and it was so charming to watch each person's relation with the next fall into place as the story grew and the girls continued to grow within their friendship and as themselves. This story is a quick watch, just like the anime was, and maybe that's just for me, but the story itself is so calming and really beautiful to watch! It was such a treat to watch the story unfold, even though I knew (to a certain extent) what would happen next between each episode and each person... It was spectacular to watch as they traveled to different campsites to have adventures and see the beauty that is Japan.

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