If you’re looking for a fun, comfy, and laid-back slice-of-life anime series to cheer you up, you should definitely watch Yuru Camp online.

As of right now, this anime series (also known as Laid-Back Camp) has two seasons. In addition, the Yuru Camp movie premiered in Japan in July 2022. Clearly, now is a great time to watch this series (or rewatch it).

If you can’t find where to watch Yuru Camp online, this article can help.  But first, what exactly makes Yuru Camp worth watching?

The Basics

Yuru Camp - Afro / Houbunsha / Outdoor Activity Committee

Yuru Camp’s Japanese title comes from yurui, meaning “loose” or “laid back.” That’s a very good description of this series.

Based on a story by manga artist and writer Afro, the anime series Yuru Camp tells about a group of teenage girls who like to go camping.

At the start of the series, solo camper Rin Shima meets Nadeshiko, who has just moved from coastal Shizuoka Prefecture to inland Yamanashi. Nadeshiko is energetic, perpetually cheerful, and enthusiastic about learning to camp. Quiet and experienced Rin is her opposite in many ways.

Nadeshiko joins her school’s Outdoors Activities Club, which features:

  • Chiaki, the dorky, troublemaking leader of the group
  • Ena Saito, owner of the cute chihuahua Chikuwa
  • Aoi Inuyama, best known for telling tall tales and other whoppers
  • Minami Toba, the hard-drinking teacher-advisor for the group

In addition, the series wouldn’t be complete without its gravelly-voiced narrator, who provides all sorts of handy camping tips. (These tips are typically accompanied by the girls either demonstrating, or failing at whatever it is.)

Yuru Camp doesn’t really have much of a plot, except that the girls gain more camping experience. Still, it’s a fun series — good enough for me to include in my Best Comedy Anime article here.

Where to Watch Yuru Camp (Laid-Back Camp) Online

  1. Crunchyroll
  2. Netflix Japan
  3. VRV
  4. YouTube
  5. ZenPlus

1. Crunchyroll

Laid-Back Camp on Crunchyroll - Afro / Houbunsha / Outdoor Activity Committee

Crunchyroll has both seasons of Yuru Camp. You can also watch Spanish and Portuguese dubs of season 1. (So far, an English-language dub doesn’t seem to exist.)

The streaming service also includes a cute live-action side story, Hanamori Yumiri’s Beginner Solo Camping. In this documentary, Nadeshiko’s voice actor does some camping of her own.

You should also check out the Laid-Back Camp spin-off series Room Camp (a.k.a. Heya Camp). Crunchyroll lists it as a separate series. Each three-minute episode gives a short, humorous look at life in the Outdoors Activities Club.

In addition to licensing Yuru Camp, Crunchyroll also helped finance it as a co-producer.

Pros:

  • Huge anime library
  • Several free viewing options for Laid-Back Camp
  • English, Arabic, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Russian subtitles

Cons:

  • May not be available in your area (without a VPN)
  • Free viewing may not be available for some series

Price: Free option with blockable ads; no sign-in needed. Free, basic account (with blockable ads). Free 14-day trial premium subscription also available.

Subscriptions are $7.99/ month for “fan” level; $9.99/ month for “mega fan”; and $14.99/ month for “ultimate fan.”

Watch Laid-Back Camp at Crunchyroll

 

2. Netflix Japan

Laid-Back Camp at Netflix Japan - Afro / Houbunsha / Outdoor Activity Committee

If you are in the United States, you can’t watch Laid-Back Camp on Netflix (without a VPN). Netflix also doesn’t have it in Canada and the United Kingdom. However, Netflix does offer the series in some parts of the world.

For example, Netflix Japan has both seasons of Laid-Back Camp. However, Netflix Japan typically doesn’t provide English subtitles for anime (even if the webpage is translated into English). In addition, some people have reported that their region’s Netflix only seems to have season 2.

I didn’t do an exhaustive search for Laid-Back Camp on Netflix in every possible country. If your country doesn’t have Laid-Back Camp, your best bet would be to get a VPN.

Note: Until May 19, 2022, Netflix Japan also had the 2020 live-action version of Yuru Camp. They may bring it back.

Pros:

  • Best option in regions where Crunchyroll isn’t available. (Or where Crunchyroll is available, but Yuru Camp isn’t.)
  • Large streaming library in all genres (not just anime)

Cons:

  • Netflix tries to block VPNs whenever possible
  • No free trial period

Price: Basic, $9.99; Standard, $15.49; Premium, $19.99. Tier level affects video quality and resolution.

Watch Laid-Back Camp at Netflix Japan

 

How to Watch Laid-Back Camp on Netflix from Anywhere in The World:

Like all anime, sometimes Yuru Camp may be only available on Netflix in certain countries.

If you log on and can’t find it in your Netflix library, don’t worry! You can get around that problem by using a VPN. I have confirmed that as of the writing of this article Yuru Camp is available on Netflix Japan (with English subtitles).

So all you have to do is use a VPN to fake a Japan IP address and you’ll be good to go.

  1. Download a VPN (NordVPN works for this method)
  2. Clear your Netflix cache
  3. Choose Japan as your region in the VPN
  4. Log in to Netflix and search for Laid-Back Camp or Yuru Camp

Enjoy! Please note that if your Netflix library doesn’t update to reflect the country you selected in your VPN, you may have to clear the Netflix cache first and try again.

To to do this on mobile, go to settings -> apps -> Netflix -> clear cache. To do this on PC, you have to clear the cache in your web browser.

I’ve had no trouble using this method and I still use NordVPN to watch anime from various Netflix country libraries daily.

 

3. VRV

Laid-Back Camp on VRV - Afro / Houbunsha / Outdoor Activity Committee

VRV is owned by Crunchyroll, but it operates separately from its parent company. However, Laid-Back Camp at VRV is exactly the same as the Crunchyroll version.

VRV isn’t really a streaming service in and of itself. It’s described as a “hub,” which links together streaming services. At the moment, VRV’s hub has only three “channels” — Crunchyroll, Mondo, and VRV Select.

VRV isn’t available anywhere where Crunchyroll isn’t. It’s mostly useful if Crunchyroll goes down but VRV doesn’t. Or, you can use it if you don’t like Crunchyroll’s orange branding.

Pros:

  • Basically Crunchyroll
  • Mondo channel includes stuff that Crunchyroll doesn’t have
  • Free options
  • If you have Crunchyroll, you can link accounts

Cons:

  • Not available outside the United States

Price: Free account (with ads). Premium account 30-day free trial available. “Crunchyroll Only” account, $7.99. VRV Premium, $9.99.

Watch Laid-Back Camp at VRV

4. YouTube

Laid-Back Camp on YouTube - Afro / Houbunsha / Outdoor Activity Committee

You can watch the first episode of Laid-Back Camp at Crunchyroll Collection, Crunchyroll’s official YouTube channel. The video remained up when I switched my VPN over to Japan, although some videos were blocked.

Crunchyroll Channel has a whole collection of Laid-Back Camp clips, in case you want to watch the Motown-flavored season 1 theme song.

If you’re already a Yuru Camp fan, you might also enjoy the official Anime Channel by FuRyu at YouTube. While it’s completely untranslated, you can watch the Yuru Camp movie trailer, as well as some live-action promos.

Pros:

  • Watch the first episode free
  • Interesting clips and other stuff from Japan

Cons:

  • Can’t watch the whole series
  • Some videos may not be available in some areas

Price: Free account

Watch the first episode of Laid-Back Camp on YouTube

5. ZenPlus

Laid-Back Camp at ZenPlus - Afro / Houbunsha / Outdoor Activity Committee

If all else fails, you can always buy Yuru Camp DVDs and Blu-ray discs online. Of course, doing it this way will cost more. And the discs apparently don’t come with English subtitles.

Buying does have one advantage — you can get special bonus OVAs. These include: Heya Camp Episode 0, Tall-Tale Camp, Survival Camp, Mystery Camp, and Traveling Rin Shima.

The U.S. is in the same Blu-ray region as Japan, but they have different DVD regions.

ZenPlus deals directly with Japanese retailers. And its Laid-Back Camp Blu-ray disc price looks comparable to what I’ve seen elsewhere.

Pros:

  • Extras include special OVA episodes
  • The box itself is collectible

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • No subtitles (yet)
  • Some regions may require a special disc player

Price: Anywhere from $29.95 to $190

Buy Laid-Back Camp at ZenPlus

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