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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This review may contain spoilers
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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Okay, the good part is "The View of Mototsuko and Mount Fuji" if you have HDTV or Bluray Player, it's really worth it for you, you can feel the campsites there. Seriously, it's so relaxing for those of you who like to watch Slice of Life genre.
Last, i want to talk about the comedy, as typical of anime, the comedy here is not that bad (imitate the anime). Sometimes they just brought up the small punchline, and that really help the worst of acting before.
Hehe that's all, i try to summarize it up, honestly i'm not used to this type of review, 'cause usually i always breakdown every aspect of it. Thank you very much and hope this COVID19 can be finished in short of time.
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This review may contain spoilers
Up front, I have to admit that I struggled with the pacing of this drama. I respect stories that move at a slower pace as I don't think there is anything wrong with a story doing so, so I can acquiesce that the problem is probably me, but it was a challenge in the first half of the drama to keep going. I kept waiting for our female lead to actually go camping with the whole group, and it doesn't happen till the very end of the drama. I found that disappointing.But that being said, there is a lot about this drama that I loved. First and foremost, our really camping group of girls are incredibly fun. They're quirky and silly and just really humorous in how they interact with each other. I like the female lead as she's very thoughtful and quiet and clearly a little nervous about meeting new people, but my favorite scenes were of our little camping group as they planned their trips and drooled over expensive camping gear. Who would have thought a drama could make planning for camping look fun, lol?
The theme of the show is both relaxing and inspiring, and I'm honestly quite jealous of these girls getting go on all of these camping trips. I'm thinking I need to start planning some for myself. (Although I wouldn't be able to camp in winter as I have a chronic illness that makes me severely sensitive to cold weather. I would have to wait until spring/summer, lol.)
Of course, the food all looks delicious as well as simple to make. I'm definitely inspired to try and recreate some of the dishes, even though I'll probably have to get creative with some of the ingredients as I don't live in or anywhere near Japan.
Overall, I thought this drama was really good, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something wholesome and lighthearted and relaxing. Especially for any teens (or parents of teens) looking for shows that aren't glorifying things like teenage drinking or other reckless behavior but instead promote young people getting involved in fun and healthy activities. Let's make more stories for teens like this one.
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Enjoyable from start to finish
I thoroughly enjoyed myself watching this live action version of Yuru Camp. It brought great memories of the anime. It was a fun watch and the episodes flew by. If you're usually disappointed with live actions because they never seem to correctly bring to life your favorite character(s) from a manga or anime, I think you'll enjoy this one. It's well cast. You can easily guess who is who by a photo. The actresses embodied their characters well. The actress who plays Nadeshiko even has her laugh.They didn't really change the story much. It's about HS aged girls who camp (and eat). Pretty up front. The scenery, though. GORGEOUS! I thought the artwork was beautiful, but it's nothing compared to the real thing. The production is well done. The cast is great. Like I said they embody their characters and they each do it well. Will they win awards? Doubtful. Will they make you smile and/or laugh? I don't know, but they did me. Then there's always the food. THE FOOD! Don't watch this hungry. Just don't. I tend not to re-watch, but I can see myself re-watching this. The music was good.
The episodes come in at less than 24 minutes if you skip the ending and beginning titles sequences. They don't drag and are fun to watch. If you enjoyed the anime, I wouldn't skip the live action. I can't see any reason to dislike it.
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Cute but not as good as the anime
I approached this drama as a pleasant diversion when I had a few minutes to kill. That’s why it took me a month to finish, even though I watched it at 2x speed. It was easy to consume in that way because there was no plot to keep track of, and barely anything to remember for you to appreciate it. It was just a series of pleasant moments. I think all the actresses did a good job, especially Haruka, who really captured Rin’s reserved personality, even though that went against the grain of her usually bubbly roles.However, this failed to capture the magic and special mood of the anime. It partially compensated by offering lots of mouth-watering food porn, as well as a little extra hint of yuri romance between Rin and Nadeshiko than the anime provided.
If I were forced to watch this at normal speed and several episodes in a row like I normally do with TV shows, the lack of plot and sameness of everything, minus the special magic of the anime, would have been a problem.
One last thing - living in the US, it’s unthinkable to me that a high school girl would stay all by herself at a campsite late at night with no worries, except for ghosts. What a novelty.
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