It’s Golden Week! Rin is out on her motorcycle, and Nadeshiko is making plans for the trip to Gunma. And it looks like their inexperienced new member—the one who likes to draw and has a part-time job is at an outdoors shop—might be doing something too...?
Yuru Camp volume 16 starts directly with the continuation of the shocking reveal at the end of the previous book. Rin wants to cut her hair... It's funny that the author themselves know how iconic her bun is so their are some exaggerated jokes about that which could be straight from a room camp chapter. And still the bun is gone so it's up to Nadeshiko to carry the legacy for now at least.. In addition Rin is planning her next camping trip with Ayano which I desperately want to see, because they had an outstanding character dynamic at the bridge camp some volumes earlier.
Yet the heart of this volume is the camping trip in Gunma with Ena, Nadeshiko and the new character Ema. Here shows once more the strength of Afros writing. They can create some comfortable and funny characters dynamics and interaction. This time Nadeshikos playfulness and Enas laid-back attitude collabs with Emas calm and for her age somehow mature and reliable personality. For example in comparison to her senpais Ema is fully awake when their trip started in the morning and she helped them to get to their early destinations. In addition her big imagination, which was already shown in the previous book, leads to some funny moments with her goofball senpais.
Moreover I like how she grows interests in trying out camping. First she talked with her coworkers at her job in the camping store about her disinterests. Yet after their conversation Ema shows some curiosity to visit a lake in Gunma where she wants to draw. Thanks to Rins words in the previous book Ema is willing to try. Meanwhile Nadeshiko is actually planning a solo trip to Gunma and after a planning conversation with Ena and Ema the three of them decided to go together. In addition it's also nice to see Nadeshiko pursuing her new interests in trains more and more. That's why this trip is all about trains and I really adore this.
I'm really looking forward to the second half of this train camp in the next volume and how Ema is bonding more with her upper classmate and camping in general.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I read this after reading Mono, another manga by Afro and one that I didn't care for. This may have led me to like this volume a bit more than recent ones, which I found a little simple and boring. This series is so chill, but sometimes it takes perspective to remember how to read them.
These are always so interesting and peaceful. Women and girls figuring out camping, looking at beautiful vistas and cultural edification by checking out the local sights and food. Their trying out new recipes one can make while camping is always cute, too. Low stakes, and just what I needed today.