“Cape Ohmama in Winter”
What They Say:
Nadeshiko, a high school student who had moved from Shizuoka to Yamanashi, decides to see the famous, 1000 yen-bill-featured Mount Fuji. Even though she manages to bike all the way to Motosu, she’s forced to turn back because of worsening weather. Unable to set her eyes on her goal, she faints partway to her destination. When she wakes up, it’s night, in a place she’s never been before, with no way of knowing how to get home. Nadeshiko is saved when she encounters Rin, a girl who is out camping by herself. This outdoorsy girls story begins with this first encounter between Nadeshiko and Rin.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
It sure is a nice day for winter camping! Aoi busts out her new compact chair. It cost a pretty penny but it was worth it. So that’s what she bought at Caribou! What did Chiaki buy? She bought two compact chairs so that she can turn them into a makeshift hammock. Nice thinking! The girls decide to check out the cape but are distracted by a cute doggy that randomly sits on Aoi’s chair. It sure is adorable! The dog’s owner shows up a few moments later. She tells them that his name is Choko. It comes from Ochoko since her family runs a sake shop. Eventually, she bids the girls farewell and they can finally go to the cape.
The girls chill at the cape and watch a nearby group fly miniature seaplanes. That sounds like fun! Chiaki notices that Ena didn’t bring a chair and lets her use one of hers. Aww, such a nice person! The praise is shortlived though as she takes a picture of the fun they’re having just to rub it in the faces of the poor girls who’re stuck at work. Okay, she’s a demon! At this point, the girls realize that their phone batteries are almost dead. The cold seems to drain them fast. They turn off their phones for the time being. Probably a good idea. Chiaki starts making a cocktail called “hot buttered rum cow.” Interesting name. Wait, aren’t these girls underage!? Don’t worry! It’s a non-alcoholic drink. That’s good. We don’t need them to become like Drunk-sensei.
The girls simply relax for the next few hours. Everything is going great except for the fact that it has gotten much, much colder. Heck, even Ena’s drink has turned into ice! It must be pretty darn cold. To be precise, it’s -2 degrees Celsius. Too cold for my blood! What gives? The girls didn’t take into account the elevation of where they were camping. The higher you are, the colder it gets. They should have done their research! What do they do now? They don’t want to freeze! Chiaki decides to make a quick dash to the convenience store to get hand warmers and cardboard. Aoi and Ena are tasked with buying firewood and starting the hot pot. Chiaki has quite a run as the convenience store isn’t very close. I do not envy her. Things aren’t looking any better for the other two as the administration building is closed and they can’t buy any firewood. Bummer. They decide to look for twigs but don’t find a single one. This is horrible!
In a stroke of luck, Aoi and Ena run into the cute doggy’s owner from before and she invites them into her tent. It’s so warm! That’s because there’s a wooden stove in it. Nice! The girls are thankful to be saved. They also meet her husband who was one of the guys in the miniature seaplane group they spotted earlier. Chiaki eventually finds her way here as well and everyone decides to have a hot pot party together. Out of nowhere, Drunk-sensei shows up. Why is she here!? She got a text from Rin saying that she was worried about the girls. She knows that it can get really cold around Lake Yamanaka. Also, they wouldn’t pick up their phones. It’s hard to answer when your phones are dead! Regardless, it was nice of Rin to have Sensei check up on them. Sensei is just glad that they’re all okay. She joins everyone for the hot pot party. As you can imagine, she gets wasted. Drunk-sensei living up to her name! The next morning, the girls enjoy a sunrise view of Mount Fuji. They also send Rin texts of appreciation. They better bring her back some souvenirs! The episode ends with Nadeshiko calling Rin and telling her that she wants to try solo camping.
In Summary:
Remember to do your research if you decide to go camping! The girls were definitely not prepared for this extremely cold weather. They got lucky this time but things could have turned out badly. I can’t imagine having to sleep in below-freezing temperatures without the right gear. Heck, I can’t imagine sleeping when it’s that cold even if I did have the proper gear. I think the coldest weather I’ve ever experienced was 30 degrees Fahrenheit and I thought I was going to die. Yeah, go ahead and laugh! I’ve only ever lived in warm places. I haven’t even seen snow in person! Is snow even real!? All joking aside, I’m glad everything worked out. And even if they weren’t lucky enough to have a hot pot party with cute doggy owners, Rin and Sensei had their backs! They deserve major props. Although, Sensei did get wasted almost immediately. But that’s the Drunk-sensei we know and love!
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll, VRV
