Mono

60-SECOND REVIEWS

The sleeper hit of the season, and hopefully it will gain the attention and recognition it deserves as the season continues. The moe-blob, cute-girls-doing-cute-things genre has shifted over time and perhaps it's not as popular as it once was. But Mono is the first show in a long time that feels like a throwback to the late 2000s/early 2010s KyoAni moe blob takeover. If you still carry a torch for K-On and Nichijou, you should be watching Mono.

Animation: Bright, expressive. Punchlines are accentuated by characters going off-model in creative ways. Environments are vibrant in ways reminiscent of KyoAni shows. This is a lovely show ... to look at.

Characters: The cast we have been introduced to are cute, but full of personality and spirit--with moments of heart that leaves me with a lot of hope that this show will develop its cast in meaningful, emotional ways, though I seriously doubt the show has any plans for serious drama. There are plenty of boring casts in the SOL genre, but so far, I really like these characters, particularly Kiriyama (voiced by Aoi Koga, the VA for Kaguya-sama).

Sound: The OP/ED are lovely and standouts for the season.

Mono is funny, enhanced by expressive animation and voice acting. There's less focus on school and more on exploring this peaceful world while finding creative ways to take pictures. If you've been a fan of older Kyoto Animation works, Do It Yourself!!, or Yuru Camp, this is the perfect show to be watching this season.

If there were ever an anime this season that distilled the very essence of CGDCT, Mono would be it. Every scene, every frame, every awkward little joke oozes sweetness. It’s like a warm cup of tea on a rainy day or a cat nap under a sunny window. The characters? Absolute bundles of joy. Their looks, mannerisms, and quirky personalities make you want to gently pat their heads, hand them a cookie, and say, “Good day, and may all your test scores be above average.”

Mono is a textbook case of what happens when love, effort, and artistic ambition come together. The animation is incredibly expressive—arguably ... the most polished in the slice-of-life genre this season. And that's no coincidence. This is the debut work of Studio Soigne, and you can definitely tell they poured every drop of youthful enthusiasm and caffeine-fueled passion into it. There’s a kind of unfiltered sincerity in the way it's animated that only a new studio—still riding high on dreams and instant coffee—can offer.

Now,the soundtrack. Is it groundbreaking? Not at all. But it doesn’t need to be. Imagine music that plays when cute girls are laughing over lunch or when one of them trips over her own shoelaces in the most adorable way possible. That’s Mono’s OST—gentle, familiar, and comforting. It’s not trying to break records or redefine anything. It just wants you to feel good. And in that, it succeeds.

The voice acting is another standout. Every line is delivered like a soft breeze, with a sprinkle of charm. The VAs didn’t just voice these characters—they became them. The way they speak, giggle, pout, and mumble feels like divine whispers straight to your eardrums. Inner peace has never sounded this cute.

Story-wise? Don’t expect dramatic twists or tear-jerking monologues.Mono is a peaceful cloud drifting through a blue sky. There’s no real conflict, no life-changing decisions—just a group of girls cherishing their high school days. They take pictures, share snacks, going around, and enjoy the little moments of youth. It’s about making memories, not plot progress...for most part.

That said, the lack of a linear narrative might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It often feels like watching someone’s daily vlog: cozy, soft, but occasionally directionless. There's no traditional climax or arc—it simply is. And that can either be incredibly relaxing or make you nod off mid-episode, depending on your mood and attention span levels.

So yes, Mono is a sleeper hit. And I do mean that quite literally—watch it with a blanket nearby, just in case you accidentally drift off in a sea of serotonin.

But if you’re someone who enjoys peaceful vibes, charming characters, and the kind of show that makes your heart go “aww” every five minutes, Mono might be able to do that.

Well, i was sure this was going to be extremely good because the manga was made by afro, then i checked the staff for the adaptation and realized i was about to start watching something out of this world, and in fact it is the case. Mono not only is going to be my anime of the season but probably anime of the year as well, even if we are still in spring, the amount of love put in this project is outstanding. Characters are fantastic, funny, relatable and all different, the animation is very cute and super well done, every animation frame is done ... by hand one by one, the twitter page of studio soigne is sharing the process every week proudly. The ost is very good, the background art is stunning and since every location exist in real life just like yuru camp, you can find out for yourself the level of detail and care put in them. Oh yea did i mention the staff is full of professionals with big projects in their back? the director worked on yama no susume, the composer worked on the ost for k on, thats the type of people working on the project, its like a dream. I have been watching anime for almost 20 years and works like this are the reason i love this medium. I am mad no one on the west is noticing this anime. Luckily in japan its doing very well in popularity together with zatsutabi. In conclusion this is a masterful adaptation and i find myself looking forward for a new episode every week. I love it so much. my vote is a full 9.5/10

So, has enough time passed for me to be able to say I like Mono more than Yuru Camp? I know that’s sacrilegious to say with Yuru camp’s prestige among CGDCT series, but I really had such an awesome time with Mono and connected with its characters in a way I never did with Yuru camp. Part of that’s because this follows a photography/videography club which I can relate to way more as a photographer than camping trips, but I also just think the cast is simply better here. An, Sakurako, Sacchan, Haruno sensei and Kako just have an amazing dynamic. Every interaction is ... comedic gold and they truly feel like a group of best friends trying to see the best that Japan has to offer. This was such a cozy watch and I’ll miss my girls.

Obviously everyone’s opinion will vary on whether or not this is better than Yuru camp, probably depending on how much you enjoy camping, but it really doesn’t matter. The show’s amazing and they both have their strengths. This season we actually got two travel oriented shows in this and Zatsutabi, while this one didn’t lean into the preparation, planning and execution aspects of travel like ZatsuTabi, it did take us to some really cool places around Japan where the girls got to experience a lot of the local culture, food and of course take some awesome photos. I really could just watch 100 episodes of the girls going to a different place every week and just trying new foods or making a video of them skating down a mountain. It’s such seemingly mundane situations, but they feel so fun because of this cast.

The supporting characters outside of the main trio were a riot too. Haruno sensei is basically a big sister figure to the girls, and her friends like the totally not Kuroneko ™️ influenced Kurokuma and the free spirited Kako, stole the show whenever they were on screen. I actually wouldn’t have minded a few more episodes focusing on just the side characters. Especially Kurokuma, whose recurring ghost gimmick was funny as hell. You have your obligatory Afro-sensei yuri teasing between Kako and Haruno which I enjoyed, they have a really sweet relationship and encouraged each other a lot. They’re both mentors to the girls as well and motivate them to pursue their dreams which I enjoyed.

My only complaint with this one is that for a series that’s supposed to be following a photography/videography club, there’s little focus on camera stuff! The first episode sets it up, the girls get an action camera and then it just sort of becomes an after thought. The girls will go to a place and explore and then at the end, if we’re lucky, they’ll remember to record it, but until the final episode of the season I feel like videography/photography wasn’t as big a part of the story as I’d have liked. Even with that though, I loved this show because of how good my girls were. They truly brightened my day every Saturday.

I have to give a special shoutout to studio soigné for the job they did here because this show had NO business having the levels of sakuga it had at times. I mean why the hell are some of the best animated scenes of the season, coming from MONO of all things! People often think of battle shonen when we talk sakuga, but don’t sleep on the wholesome slice of life stuff, there’s some great direction here that takes the show to the next level. The character designs look great and the voice acting is top notch with Koga Aoi’s An performance being my highlight.

We truly ate good this season with all the slice of life CGDCT series and Mono was a huge part of that. I’ll never be able to thank Afro sensei enough for this series, I think it connected with me on the level that most people connected with Yuru camp. I always felt kinda compelled to force myself to like that series as much as everyone else because of how loved it is. Not saying it’s bad or not good, but it didn’t hook me like Mono has. This was a special watch for me and I’ll definitely miss it.

Mono gets 9 cups of shaved ice, out of 10

Mono started with tremendous promise, captivating me with its distinctive premise centred around a “cinephoto club” (cinema and photography) and exploring intriguing photographic techniques such as 360-degree cameras and timelapse photography. This fresh concept, combined with occasional slice-of-life and comedic moments, initially set it apart and offered a unique and engaging anime.

However, as the show progressed, it gradually shifted its focus away from this promising concept and instead leaned heavily into generic slice-of-life territory, using photography merely as a backdrop rather than the main theme. While the slice-of-life content still had its charm, it lacked the spark the show originally promised. It felt like there ... was a significant missed opportunity, considering how strongly the anime had initially established itself in the opening episodes. I found myself wishing they’d returned to the creativity of the early episodes, which felt genuinely inspired.

This shift also impacted character development. The five main characters had distinct, lovable personalities with potential for depth, yet the show didn't fully utilise this. Conversely, the supporting characters were disappointingly two-dimensional and forgettable, significantly detracting from the overall appeal.

Comedy-wise, Mono generally offered average humour while occasionally providing genuinely funny moments. Many of the slice-of-life scenarios were enjoyable, although certain scenes, such as an overly drawn-out video call in episode 7, felt unnecessarily tedious.

Despite these shortcomings, the anime did excel in its music. The opening song was nice, and the ending song was great, complementing the overall mood of the series. The animation and art are also excellent, especially for such a new studio.

Overall, Mono is a decent watch if you're looking for a casual slice-of-life anime, but it falls short of its initial promise. Perhaps my expectations influenced this disappointment, but it remains hard to shake off the feeling that Mono could have been something truly special; it teased greatness but ultimately played it safe.

If you’re a fan of Yuru Camp, then Mono might be right up your alley. It shares a similar relaxed, slice-of-life vibe that leans heavily on atmosphere and subtle character interactions. That said, for me, Mono never quite reached the same level of charm or engagement as Yuru Camp. At times, it felt a bit bland or uneventful by comparison.

That’s not to say Mono is bad—far from it. When each episode finally gets to its main focus or message, it can be genuinely entertaining and even a little rewarding. The issue, however, is the pacing. A large chunk of each episode feels like filler—slow-moving scenes ... that don’t add much, and often make the experience feel like it’s dragging on forever.

Still, I recognize that part of this could just be me. Maybe it’s my modern attention span craving more plot or faster development. This anime is clearly made to be laid-back, even meditative, and if that’s what you’re looking for, it might hit the mark better for you than it did for me.

In the end, Mono feels like a show aimed at a specific audience—one that I’m probably not part of. But if you enjoy the relaxing, low-stakes nature of something like Yuru Camp or the more character-driven episodes of K-On! (the ones that don’t focus on the music), then there’s a good chance you’ll find something to enjoy here.

Ratings: 7/10 (Critically rated), 6.5/10 (Personally rated).

Thanks for reading!

mono is a slice of life series from the same author of Laid-Back Camp, Afro. If you love Yuru Camp, then mono is right up your alleyway - a CGDCT anime where the characters travel to various places, eat very delicious food, and soak in the atmosphere. However, instead of camping being the main focus and hook of this series, the main characters use their cameras to take snapshots of their adventures. I don’t have a lot to say about mono other than I really enjoyed this anime. As someone who is a Laid-Back Camp fan, I felt right at home with mono. There is ... even some nice Yuru Camp fan service thrown in at times, but I’m glad it’s all just background cameos and silly throwaway scenes that don’t detract from the main focus of this show. This series felt like the author was given more freedom to do whatever they wanted because the types of episodic adventures really varied in mono. Whether it be visiting a wide variety of restaurants across Yamanashi as part of a contest, taking pictures of spheres, characters taking videos of them skateboarding down a mountain, or filming a POV horror short film, there is way more diversity in what the characters do throughout this twelve episode endeavor. The beautiful animation and overall art direction makes both the character interactions and adventures a lot more enjoyable to watch. No joke, this anime probably has the second best animation quality I’ve seen from this season, only behind To Be Hero X. If Laid-Back Camp was very lo-fi in nature in order to let you be immersed in the atmosphere of the show, mono takes that to another level.

I only have one minor complaint about mono, and it pertains to the overall premise of this series. As I mentioned before, the characters in this series use their cameras to take pictures and videos as a way to record their memories throughout their adventures. The main reason why the characters use cameras is because they are in the Cinephoto club, so obviously taking pictures and recording videos would be a part of their club activities. This is fine. However, it seems like there were some stretch of episodes where this aspect is *almost* non-existent, and the characters are just hanging out doing whatever. I don’t personally mind this, but I feel like the anime loses its main focus at times, however, it’s not an egregious amount.

Hopefully this anime gets another season. If Laid-Back Camp received multiple seasons, a spin-off, and a movie, then I think mono deserves a somewhat similar treatment. The laid-back nature of mono will make any fans of Afro’s other slice of life work feel right at home. Even if this isn’t your type of anime that you would watch, if you at least appreciate art and animation in general, please watch mono.

Man, I really wanted to like Mono so bad, especially since it was created by the person who made Laid-Back Camp, a show that I never expected to like as much as I do. Laid-Back Camp was the type of rare show that knew what it wanted to be, even if season 3 was a bit of a downgrade compared to previous seasons. Now, I knew that the creator Afro made another manga, Mono, before this, but seeing as I'm still reading a bunch of other manga right now, I don't want to take on too many ongoing series at once. But an anime for ... it came out this year, so I figured watching it might be a good way to gauge whether I want to read the manga or not. Surely, since Laid-Back Camp was so good already, Mono would be just as good, right? Unfortunately, I might have set my expectations too high, and that's entirely on me. But even beyond that, Mono as a show is...mediocre, and I found it to be so frustrating to sit through, not just because it feels like it's trying to piggyback off Laid-Back Camp's success rather than establish its own identity, but many other things as well.

Upon starting high school, Satsuki Amamiya joins the photography club for one reason: The club leader, Makinohara. She spends her days constantly taking pictures of her like a creepy stalker, but when Makinohara graduates, Satsuki finds herself without purpose, and if the club doesn't recruit new members soon, it'll shut down. Through mere coincidence after a camera that Satsuki won in an auction didn't arrive on time, both she and her best friend An encountered Haruno Akiyama, an aspiring manga artist who wants to write a manga with high school students acting as the protagonists. Then, the duo encounter Sakurako Shikishima, the president of Cinema Club. When both clubs are on the verge of closure, the girls made the decision to merge two clubs into one, birthing the Cinephoto Club. Together with Haruno and the motoblogger Kako Komada, Satsuki and her group have a new goal in mind: to take pictures across real-life tourist spots in Japan to help Haruno out for her manga.

Honestly, I think it's best if I just get all my grievances out of the way right now, and unfortunately, there will be a lot of comparisons to Laid-Back Camp, though not for the reasons you think. For one thing, for a series that promotes itself as being about photography and taking videos, the actual photography aspect is completely ignored after episode 2, and even when photography and recording videos come up, it only happens on a couple of occasions. 90% of the show consists of the characters just visiting places, and only because Haruno keeps dragging them or ordering them around. Because of this, Mono as a show feels aimless and directionless, like it has no idea what it wants to be. Had it leaned more into its photography angle like Tamayura, it might have been able to establish its own identity and step out from Laid-Back Camp's shadow. Or if it wanted to just be about the girls visiting restaurants and tourist spots, that's fine too! Oh wait, Zatsu Tabi already did that this season. Because Mono can't decide what show it wants to be, it lacks focus, a problem that Laid-Back Camp avoided by not just focusing on camping, but having all the girls' travels and shopping trips revolve around it, so nothing in that show felt wasted or thrown to the side. Not to mention that sometimes Mono shoehorns in a bunch of weird horror/supernatural elements that not only feel completely out of place, but just feel like filler to pad out the show's run time, further adding to its complete lack of focus.

Speaking of Laid-Back Camp, the characters make cameos here and there in the show. Actually, let's talk about the characters. Unlike Laid-Back Camp, the characters in Mono are basic stock archetypes who never change, evolve, or develop whatsoever. Satsuki is the level-headed one, Kiriyama is the genki girl, Sakurako is the quiet snarker, Haruno is the walking disaster fail-girl, and so on. Unfortunately, they all lack the charm, nuance, and tight writing that made the characters in Laid-Back Camp so good. LBC actually cared enough to flesh out its characters beyond their initial personality types across its many seasons and movie, whether it be showing what they're like outside of school or camping (Which Mono doesn't. Seriously, where are these girls' parents?!), or adding subtle touches that make them feel like people rather than just moeblobs, like how Nadeshiko, in spite of her airheadedness, actually gets good grades in school and in the movie somehow manages to be good at doing construction work. Granted, Mono only has one season, but it completely fails to make its characters interesting or fun to follow whatsoever. Satsuki has such little presence that she might as well be a side character, and Kiriyama's constant high pitched screaming made me want to put duct tape over her mouth.

The biggest black mark on this show, I feel, is Haruno. The show really wants you to love this pathetic little girl failure of a mangaka, to the point of giving her so much undeserved screentime that she might as well be the main character. However, she often spends a lot of time causing problems for other characters and just being an annoying pest. Show, you promised high school girls partaking in photography. I did not come here to watch a grown-ass woman throw a temper tantrum, drag people across several cities, and wasting both their time and her own just to satisfy her curry craving, which results in her missing a deadline that day. This is especially bad when the episode ends with her getting it by going to the convenience store, which was close by, so she not only drove everyone to a bunch of far away restaurants for nothing, she basically screwed herself over and suffered no consequences. She could have just gone to the fucking convenience store the first time and she would have made her deadline! Not to mention the episodes that puts her or her mangaka friends into focus are all mediocre and don't really add anything to her character other than that she has friends. At least it's funny to hear Reina Ueda go full screechy gremlin mode sometimes.

With all that said, what does Mono actually have that's good? A few things. The animation is shockingly good, especially considering it's done by a new studio, Soigne. The backgrounds are stunning to look at, character motion is dynamic and kinetic, and it does a decent job capturing all the different locales the characters visit. Seriously, this is what Laid-Back Camp season three should have looked like. The music is also pretty good as well, almost as good as Laid-Back Camp's soundtrack. The voice acting is fine too, Kiriyama's constant high pitched screaming notwithstanding, and Sakurako's antics could be funny at times. Unfortunately, none of that comes close to saving Mono from being anything but just another generic moe show that's clearly trying to ride Laid-Back Camp's coattails rather than establish its own identity. If you want a moe girl show that actually goes into how photography works, has much more of a focused narrative, and stronger characters, just watch Tamayura! It may be more sugary and saccharine, but that actually bothers to explore photography in more depth than Mono ever tries to do!

Knowing that this manga is another CGDCT from Yuru Camp writer Afro-sensei, you'd probably expect it to be a similarly comfy, heartwarming SoL, perhaps somehow connected to his previous work. Well, Mono delivers on that last point. It's truly a Yuru Camp spin-off. Otherwise, the storytelling, pacing, and aesthetics of this manga are significantly different from Girls Who Love Camping.

Despite its somewhat melancholy title, Mono is actually a fairly emotionally diverse, quirkily funny comedy that isn't afraid to experiment. While the first two episodes are more or less reminiscent of "Yuru Camp with camera" theme, this element eventually fades into the background, becoming something of ... a connecting but not the main link in the show. The same thing happens with the seemingly light yuri teasing from the first episode, which is smoothed out and disappears so quickly that disconcerted shippers even have to desperately look for its remains in completely chaste other places of the show. Seriously, shipping goggles have long ceased to amaze me, but the search for "obligatory teasing" among any characters who get along with each other has long since become an end in itself.

Instead, the show could offer gastronomic tourist tours (seriously, this show is just full of ads for various places where you can eat deliciously or even drink), a whole series of comedy horror and even... well, I won't try to retell the show to you, watch it yourself and you'll see everything. I will only say that all of the characters are quite unique, funny and memorable, so you will often catch yourself specifically waiting for how this or that character will react to some funny or interesting situation, sometimes even revealing to you previously unknown sides of themselves. Mono may be a huge departure from the original Yuru Camp, but Afro-sensei still maintains a high level of quality in character writing. I've never been a huge fan of CGDCT, as all-female titles aren't my cup of tea, but this show was so good that for the first time I was excited to watch a new episode of all-female anime every week.

What ended up happening was something of a spin-off that was noticeably different from the main story, but at the same time naturally complemented it. Given Yuru Camp's immense popularity, it was clear that Mono's adaptation would be somewhat overshadowed by the expected comparisons. But while you might not get "Yuru Camp from a side view" or "Yuru Camp in a different region", you'll definitely get a lot of fun and cute pleasure from adapting a manga by someone who clearly knows how to draw quality CGDCT. Oh yeah, and as you'd expect from Afro-sensei, any technical or meta issues in this show are handled with 100% authenticity. You could practically use it as a tour guide to summer Yamanashi.

I hopped onto this series a little later in the season, not because I’m not a fan of SoL comedy series focused on high school girls (I’ve loved a number of them), but because it just didn’t seem to stand out all that well. It wasn’t even the only travel series this season, and while the camera shots looked pretty cool and the character designs were cute and eye-catching, nothing else really stuck out to me.

Sitting down and watching it proved I really was missing out.

Mono has a great sense of humor, with many of its most hilarious moments helmed by Haruno Akiyama, a manga ... artist who dominates nearly every scene she’s in and bounces off the other characters so well. She literally drives much of the plot as she drives around and experiences a great deal of beautiful locations in Japan, devours copious amounts of food, all in the name of research for her almost certainly cat-centric manga. The more the series leans into her and the others’ eccentricities, the better it gets, and bringing in other manga artists like Kurokuma to not only give us some background on locations, but dig into some of the more surprising supernatural happenings going on around them (and sometimes in their homes) really makes the series’ world pop in a way other SoL worlds don’t usually manage. We even get some interesting insights into traveling through the lens of Kako Komada on her motorcycle.

The central trio of girls stay pretty fun throughout, though some of their odder elements and, in particular, their aims with their newly formed Cinephoto Club largely take a backseat to travel adventures. It does come up early on and I kind of love the dilemma that got Amamiya into this in the first place - her senpai and the only subject she had graduated, so she literally just lies under a desk incapacitated by that absence. She and the others leave that behind and just enjoy the trip, finding opportunities to take new shots and learning to appreciate their surroundings with some pretty landscape sakuga, but I do wish the series hadn’t entirely left that behind them, as I think that does remove a substantial chunk of what made the series so funny to start. Shikishima ends up being a great travel companion throughout and that girl’s ability to eat is very impressive. And of course, there’s Taishou, who just keeps showing up at various places they go to for no particular reason other than to photobomb and take off. Love him.

I think the series really thrives in its episodes where it gets to do two things: showcase some exceptional animation and give them a unique hook or twist. The travel adventures are fun and all, but only a few of their trips end up standing out. I particularly loved Akiyama’s short-term possession in episode 5, the downhill skateboarding in episode 8 which just popped off on the shots, and the ninja trick mansion in episode 10.

So yes, I absolutely enjoyed riding around with these girls on fun adventures. The quality of the animation wasn’t consistently amazing, but it also didn’t have to be. As long as the photos and videos look great and the series occasionally throws all of its budget into a single shot, those end up popping more as a result, and the backgrounds almost always look great. The humor didn’t always hit for me, but when it did, this was just a grand time to watch. It isn’t breaking the mold on SoL, but it works far better than I expected going in.

Alright, so the creator of Yuru Camp made a hobby Manga/Anime about Photography... Except that was kind of a lie, only the two first episodes is about photography and filming. You will start with following Satsuki starting in Highschool trying to figure out what to do, and discover her upper classmate that is in a photography club. She discover that she really likes to take photos of her and joins the club basically. Her classmate leaves Highschool and the club to Satsuki and that puts her into a panic and feel lost about everything in the club since she can't be gay and take pictures ... of her anymore.

After you will follow her getting new friends and the club is up and running again. The rest of the 8 episodes is you following Haruno basically that is getting introduced with her struggle of making Manga as a job, and go on journeys with her in focus with all the other characters feeling like side things stalking her journey pretty much. Obviously a very over reactive simplification of the whole, buy you get my point.

But why positive if it does so little of the hobby stuff. Well it's just that well written and good. It's super comfy, funny, interesting journeys, characters and so on. If you like Yuru Camp you will feel at home with the characters and humour. So best I can say is, don't go in and hoping for all about Cameras, filming and stuff, because you will get almost nothing about that after the two first episodes, but go in and just expect cute girls doing cute and silly things on a journey around Japan.

Only thing I didn't like was the very large emphasis on ghosts and paranormal stuff, idk why, but it's a lot of that stuff in the anime of being hunted and spooky things, maybe Afro just started to like Paranormal things when he/she wrote Mono, hard to say since all we know is that Afro is a Hsuky or something.

So personally think that the addition of Torayo character just so they can have a lot of Paranormal ghost stuff happening for no reason was pretty lame, but I can live with it. And people can get a new "Goth waifuu please step on my balls mommy" character.
╮(￣▽￣"")╭

Okay, I freaking love Yuru Camp. It's super relaxing, the characters feel real, and their interactions are just so natural and comforting. Watching them travel and hang out honestly reminds me of how I’d enjoy a trip with my own friends. So of course, when I found out about Mono, I had to check it out, and yeah, I liked it! Maybe not as much as Yuru Camp, though.

It’s hard to say exactly why Mono didn’t hit quite the same. Maybe it’s because the two shows feel so similar that Mono comes off as a bit like the author is milking the same formula. But ... honestly? I can’t even be mad about it. It still works, and it’s still really chill.

Both Yuru Camp and Mono blend travel and everyday life in a cozy way, but I do like how they each have their own focus. It’d get boring if they were just copy-paste road trips. That said, Mono is supposed to be about photography, and… I don’t know, the photography aspect feels kind of off. The way they frame it is a bit odd, and not super convincing. I appreciate that they switch perspectives between different characters and types of “adventures,” but that also makes the pacing feel a little jagged sometimes.

Still, overall it’s a relaxing and enjoyable show. If you like slow-paced, slice-of-life anime with beautiful scenery and a quiet vibe, Mono is worth checking out - even if it doesn’t quite capture the same magic as Yuru Camp.

mono - It's the weekend; it's the animation you've been waiting for; it's mono! That's not a monotonous pun, by the way...

Who doesn't love the true-to-honest goodness of the "Cute Girls Doing Cute Things" a la CGDCT theme? It's the mainstay for every slice-of-life series that features an all-female cast doing the things that they love to do, and for days and nights that spontaneously form memories as time progresses, while being simplistic in general with a touch of comedy. And in this Spring season, which I like to dub "Aniplex CGDCT Saturdays", the duality of shows that air alongside each other are true definitions ... when it comes to pure feelings and emotions of the theme itself: P.A. Works's Hibi wa Sugiredo Meshi Umashi a.k.a Food for the Soul, and the brand-new studio Soigne's mono, of which I'll cover the latter here, are created by mangaka afro, which is the author's 2nd work after the beloved Yuru Camp a.k.a Laid-Back Camp, which was serialized just 2 years after the former in Houbunsha's ever-popular Manga Time Kirara magazine.

As is with every afro work, you're going to get hints and splices of Yuru Camp that are splashed onto the series, and the author herself basically admitted that mono carries much of the same weight and relation to her other parent story, that both series can be constantly interchanged between each other since they take place in the Yamanashi Prefecture. For mono's case, compared to the more mature "high school to young adult" setting of Yuru Camp, the former takes on a purely high school approach, where, similar to Nadeshiko Kagamihara, Chikaki Oogaki, and Aoi Inuyama with their Outdoor Activities Club, it's the Cinephoto Club with the lead girls of Satsuki Amamiya, An Kiriyama, and Sakurako Shikishima, who are fated friends, each with their own goals and ambitions.

What started as a spark for Satsuki "Sacchan" Amamiya is joining the Photography Club and admiring the things that the club has done, for someone who's initially not interested in the art skill itself. However, as great as the club is settling on the laurels of its Senpais, Sacchan is the club's only Kouhai, and when the Senpais reached their graduation phase, she's the only one left in the club, without a clear direction on what to do next. The thing is, besides her club, which is on the verge of shutdown due to a shortage of members, there lies yet another club with the same issue: the Cinema Club, led by Sakurako Shikishima, which has a member going by An Kiriyama, who is best friends with her and Sacchan. To help each other out, the two small clubs joined forces to create the Cinephoto Club to consolidate their efforts into one collective and start out their photographic and cinematic adventure...with a pseudo-Insta360 on hand. To put fate as coincidence even further, the Insta360 camera brought the 3 high school girls to meet the aspiring mangaka Haruno Akiyama (and her pet cat Taishou), as well as her friends, motovlogger Kako Komada and her fellow manga illustrator Torayo Kurokuma, who specializes in all things horror and supernatural. Together, the 3 Kouhais and 3 experienced Senpais embark on a journey and experience travelling within Yamanashi and beyond a la Yuru Camp style.

For one, I really don't think it's a bad idea that afro chose to expand Yuru Camp with her ways knowingly possible, but the fact that mono is interconnected to the former series will inevitably mean that ideas and concepts from there (which has now become quite the big franchise) will be recycled into this series. This, therein, lies the problem that people will see through the lens that mono is just the inferior version of Yuru Camp, with a different setting that still results in a Yuru Camp-esque experience that's one and the same. Sadly, even with the original source materials of concern, with both series simultaneously being serialized at the same time, the progress of Yuru Camp will mean that mono has to take a backseat, of which, as of this review, is only 5 volumes long compared to 17 volumes of the former. But I'm getting a little too ahead of myself.

While mono may have a smaller cast of characters as compared to Yuru Camp, they're still as enjoyable to watch, and the "plot" is more centralized as well, being of the fact that Satsuki, Kiriyama, and Sakurako have to keep their newly established Cinephoto Club alive by not just going on journeys but also documenting them as they go with their trusty Insta360 camera. It's pretty much the same feeling as Yuru Camp seeing Sacchan and the group go on their own adventures; the only difference is that this has a sense of purpose as compared to the real "laid-back" nature of the former. Undoubtedly, while I find that Satsuki and Kiriyama would be better served by standing out much more, it's the weight and collaboration of the others that help them find ideas and concepts and put them into execution that is what they wanted to do. Notably, it's the Senpais that do, due to Haruno being the lazy bum of a mangaka and Kurokuma adding to the flair with her horror-ific personality. Still, it's good characters written for good measure, like how afro always does in her works.

For a brand-new studio and its debut series, studio Soigne truly impresses with its level of production and animation that goes beyond what C-Station and 8bit have done with Yuru Camp since its introduction into the anime scene in Winter 2018. Of course, I could just chalk it down to the ever-so-elusive Aniplex-backed project that gives the show quite the budget to work with, and budgeted it works to a great degree. If this level of animation is to come for the studio's next adaptation of the Yuri comedy series Kamiina Botan, Yoeru Sugata wa Yuri no Hana, then Soigne is off to a great start. Props to director Ryota Aikei for his debut directorial role for the series too.

The OST by famed K-On! and GJ-bu composer Hajime Hyakkoku works alright in the series, considering that this is his first work after a drought of being left out of anime projects, with the last being Fall 2020's Senyoku no Sigrdrifa a.k.a Warlords of Sigrdrifa. Even the catchy OP by the VAs and Halca's ED also work, though they're good at best and not as memorable as that of Yuru Camp.

At the end of the day, you can draw your own comparisons between mono and Yuru Camp, but I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt that each work is wholly its own, even if they're interchangeable works of the same setting. Both series are good in their own right, but most importantly, try not to associate (or, in simple words, lump) the series with Yuru Camp being the originator for all things that are to love about mono.

An inferior Yuru Camp, but still very good, and that's what matters.

A Sommer Worth Capturing

Momo is an anime about taking beautiful pictures and enjoying Summers. it also a advertising of Yamanashi Prefecture, And really makes that place look amazingly beautiful with lots of delicious food.

It's slice of life but high effort. the animation looks great and the backgrounds are gorgeous. It's so well done that, I really want to go on vacation there now.

And the girls Dynamics are cute and have the right energy for it to both be engaging and relaxing at the same time. some really nice design, I love the think eyebrows, those we don't usually see often in anime.

The show is about ... a photos and filming club, they use that premise wall in the animation, there are so many weird camera angles and animated shots with GoPro. It didn't need to go as hard as it did when it's a slice of Life show, but I am really glad it did. it some of the best animation I've seen this year.

It feels like Yuri camp, but bit more is happening and cats are on skateboards, would recommend.

I initially went into this show with the idea that it would be a chill photography slice of life and while it does feature aspects of that it ultimately fails to utilize it well.

Its initial premise of reviving the photography and diving into the many aspects of photography is quickly pushed to the side once the manga artist Haru is introduced. After the main trio become Haru's manga assistants the episodes from then on focus on different places and foods across japan. This led to the episodes dragging on for me as I found these episodes to be much less interesting than the first few ... which focused on photography.

The characters also felt very shallow and forgettable with the only interesting plot point being Satsuki and her motivation to keep the club going and take more pictures in the absence of her graduating senior which she admires. Every other character has really nothing going for them: Haru is a lazy manga artist, Kiriyama just really likes Satsuki, Kako likes to ride motorcycles, and Sakurako is just there. With nothing really to attach to in these characters it struggles in keeping the topics and places interesting with it basically just being an advertisement for the places their visiting. The humor that is there isn't all that funny and feels as if they're just going through slice of life motions. The voice acting itself is just good though Haru's voice personally just got very annoying to me.

Without a doubt the highlight of this anime is its direction and animation. Each episode boasts a lot of great animation and backgrounds and some nice direction choices like with the time-lapses they record and camerawork in some scenes. The fluid character acting leads to a lot of cute and satisfying moments which make some of the more slow parts of this show more bearable.

Overall this show has some good ideas but fails to fully deliver on them ultimately resulting in a very forgettable experience with some cute moments and good animation. For fans of the CGDCT genre I would say this is a decent time passer and can be an enjoyable watch with its higher than average production but otherwise I find it hard to recommend due to its slow pacing and lack of any depth.

Cute girls doing cute things, camera edition. This simple slice of life anime is brought to us by the same creator of Laid-Back Camp, who has no problem wearing that notation on its sleeve as you'll play an anime version of "Where's Waldo" as you watch the show to catch the side characters and their locations.

While a review should not compare itself to that of another show, and stand on the product as its own, I feel that this is one of those rare exceptions to break that traditional way of writing a review. That being said this almost feels like an unofficial ... season 3 to Laid-Back Camp, same vibes, good times, and even some repeat locations, where it feels like the author got to touch on more information from locations they couldn't do before.

There is no reason to go into detail, if you like Laid-Back Camp, you will like this show, but for those who haven't, a quick run down is that the characters feel real and are fun, the writing is casual and not overly cheesy, the art is beautiful and by the end you'll want to book a vacation to explore, the music, while not being as prominent as its predecessor, is still good, but blended so well that it never felt like there was one piece that stood out above the rest.

Now you may look at this review and think, "Well with such high praise, why did you only give it a seven?" This show at first glance felt like it was going to do much with what Laid-Back Camp did, being a slice of life, while also teaching you simple camping terms, methods, and ways to enjoy camping if you too wanted to do that, except for cameras and cinematography, while also dealing with the unique issue of carrying on a school club after it's main members graduate and now you're the one to lead. At the top of the season they give you the idea that you are going to learn more about cameras, how they work, which ones to get, price range ideas, shooting techniques, etc. However, the show severely lacks on doing that and quickly deludes to a simple slice of life show which acts more as a means of a tourism video for locations you may want to visit, much how Laid Back Camp did, but the difference is Laid Back Camp made sense for the purpose of getting you out there to camp, but this does not make you want to dip your toes into getting a camera and going out to take these beautiful shots.

Which brings me to the final note, Laid Back Camp just did everything this show did, but better, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, it shows that they have so much potential to make this show more about filming and photography, and with their past works they can show they can make that entertaining as well. Clearly they have the means, but they did not capitalize on it

If this shows gets another season, I hope they will lean into that aspect of it more and thru their work get more people into the medium of photography and filming, but even if they don't, it would still be a show I would recommend when you just want something plain and simple to put on and enjoy, and you can bet I'll be there to check it out as well.

The One Anime That Changed My View on Episodic Shows - 8.8/10
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'mono' is the series that introduced me to the world of 'Laid-Back Camp' and managed to get me more invested in the slice-of-life genre. I'm generally someone that doesn't enjoy episodic slice-of-life series, and honestly, if I had found out about this series later into its season, I might not have even given it a try. But having the chance to actually watch this series weekly made my experience so much more enjoyable. I find it hard to binge slice-of-life which is why this turned out to be a much more pleasant experience than ... I expected... being able to watch something like this weekly made me love a lot more the episodic structure of shows of this sort while also having the ability to appreciate the serene moments this series brings. Excuse the dragged introduction, but this series really changed my view on slice-of-life.

What makes this series so great are the really well directed slice-of-life elements. My experience with purely slice-of-life series is limited but, I haven't really seen series that are able to capture the essence of daily lives better... It doesn't shy away from keeping more silence when needed or allow the viewer to breathe with some of the more scenic cuts. Also the creative direction for comedy in this series is absolutely amazing... Most of the adventures, if not all of them, follow around the exploration of Japan's touristic locations as well as many mountainsides. And while these adventures are great on their own, what makes them be even more beautiful is the contrast with reality the series has. A lot of locations are real life locations, showcasing their culture, with various topics explored that reflect local traditions and interests as well as cuts talking about camera work, motorcycles and many more random topics that get genuinely interesting.
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One of the aspects of this series that felt a little disorienting for me at first was the fact that the series is described as a photography journey. While there are still moments that support that idea, I feel like there were also many episodes where this was really overshadowed, and I really enjoyed seeing those cuts when they take time-lapses or look for fun photographies. I do appreciate the camera work that this series has though, it is impressively stunning and adds a lot of value to the creative direction in this show. And I will say it does kind of balance out the fact that this series doesn't focus on the photography plot as much as it should. There aren’t many times I’ve watched an anime and genuinely compared its scenes to real cinematography. The camera angles are amazing, the use of perspective and camera lenses around the whole series is really well thought out, adding a level of cinematography to an anime which I haven't seen much before...
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This series has some of the most fitting voice acting there is honestly. All of the JP VAs for this series are amazing and add so much to the characters... I don't think they could've done a better job with the casting, all of the characters are flawless with my standouts being Haruno and An which have the best VAs compared to the personalities of those characters. And speaking of Haruno, I found her character to be a standout this spring season, being one of my favorites... her personality is just so well developed and has a lot of depth for how simple this series really is. She is chaotic, easily scared, a clumsy character that brings some of the best energy in this show. It is so beautiful how well she manages to fit in with the group of girls so seamlessly that you forget she is a whole adult. She is an amazing show of childish behavior that is still well grounded, she takes authority whenever they go, is the driver, drinks alcohol, and it all feels so well-balanced that it never feels like she is awkward in the group. Genuinely such a well written character with a perfect VA to elevate her to how great she is.

The main group of girls is also great, outside of the great voice acting, they all bring something different to the table and create a beautiful dynamic. An is the chaos of the group... loud, energetic, and constantly driving fun ideas, chaotic moments and stupid outcomes. Satsuki is honestly the most normal in this dynamic, she is the most fitting of an actual teen status, yet you can still find her amusing and fun to watch. Lastly, Sakurako who is less talkative one, she is insanely calm in every situation she is really smart and talented in everything she does... while she doesn't sound like a lot, she is so great in the group for contrast... there are a lot of subtle comedic moments built around her that are really funny and creative.

Another great character is Kurokuma, which is like a random episodic appearance that just brings chaos, and a fun horror segment every time she shows up. I really liked a lot this creative segments, I’m not fully sure if it’s her character by itself, but for sure for the atmosphere change around her and the well directed horror comedy moments. She doesn't make many appearance, which makes for the times she does show up to be really engaging and rewarding.
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When it comes down to visuals, this series is completely stunning... The animation is top-notch all around, and that is without going back into the topic of camera work and perspective, and once you factor those in, the series absolutely skyrockets... The lighting, the smoothness of the animation, character design, and the series’ overall style, all of it feels close to perfect. This anime also follows an environmental style I’ve seen before in 'BOCCHI THE ROCK' and I assume it's probably in the previous installments of 'Laid-Back Camp', the combination of both real life shots and artistry that creates this somewhat realistic still hand drawn look, a look that I feel compliments well the storytelling aspect of this series, covering real locations, as well as the foundation of the photography theme, taking into account camera work and creative direction.
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Honestly, this is a must watch, a stunning series that captures the essence of small moments in life perfectly, as well as the sheer amount of fun and creativity this series brings. This really changed my perspective on episodic series, and I’ll definitely be checking out 'Laid-Back Camp' soon if it’s anything like this... Amazing show of creative direction, character design and expressions as well.
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Favorite Character - Haruno Akiyama
Favorite Episode - Episode 8 ‘Nagano/Toyama Trip That's on the Test (The First Night)’

Mono is very fuzzy and cute, feels like watching a video diary filled with food and pretty places that you'll dream of visiting someday! All the characters have adorable personalities, and the show manages to mix high school students with adults, which makes the anime appeal to a wider range of people.

However, you're going into this thinking it will focus on photography and a school club atmosphere, then you'll probably be a little surprised with how much they glance over these plot lines haha. But I definitely recommend Mono if you want something to pass time, look at pretty animation of food and scenery, ... and if you're a fan of Yuru Camp! Enjoy the subtle crossovers!!

Mono is a cute and heartwarming slice of life anime about a group of girls and their adventures as their school's photocinema club. There's no real overarching plot that's happening, so it's a true slice of life in that sense. They're usually joined by Haruno-sensei, their not-so-adult-like mangaka friend who uses the club as inspiration for her stories, on travels throughout Japan in pursuit of photographic scenery, manga research, you name it.

One of the show's greatest strengths is the main cast. All of the characters feel fresh and interesting. The humor from the banter between them is genuinely funny and enjoyable. Surprisingly, the animation is ... actually far better than you'd expect. The art style is cute though basic, but the animation fluidity is honestly next level. If you're a slice of life enjoyer, this show is certainly for you without even a moment's hesitation. I personally am more a fan of plot progression than these styles of shows, so I eventually put it on hold, but it wasn't out of any dislike of the show whatsoever. It's just a difference of preferences, and if you're like me and prefer some overarching development in your anime even if it's a slice of life, then this show may not be for you. But, even then, you're going to enjoy what you do watch.

I am not gonna lie, this anime was quite strange. But despite that it is one I very much enjoyed watching. Sometimes you do not need action, mystery or pure romance - you need that good slice of life moments to really enjoy life and this anime is offering a lot of it.

Animation and sound: very good. The artstyle is quite unique for this anime , if you show me a random shot 10 years from now I would say 'yeah, that's from Mono'. It is very enjoyable to the eyes and animation during some scenes is amazing (like when they were skateboarding during middle ... of the show). Music is also good, I actually did remember one track - the one that appear when there is some funny scene (like when they poked the cat with cucumber). It has some electric wibe and it was great, it stick to my mind and that praiseworthy enough.

Overall - animation and music are great.

Characters: quite varied. You have three highschool girls who are part of the same club and they go around taking photos and making movies. Then you have three manga artists and finally a motorbike driver. All characters are funny and enjoyable to watch despite all of them being kind of bland. Three highschool girls are your basic anime girls but without any notable trope like school idol, otaku or happy go around. You might argues that Sakurako is kuudere type but she has a lot of warm moments as well to fall just into that category. The others however fall into category of: lazy manga artist, gothic loli manga artist who is into supernatural and a lady who enjoys riding a bike a bit too much. All of them combined do not bring something new or something deep - but what they bring is cheerful interactions as they go from situation to situation over the 12 episodes.

Overall - characters are good and enjoyable. Not as interesting in other anime series but different enough to see what will happen next.

Story: Honestly I am confused here, if you ask me what is the main story of Mono I would struggle to answer giving how random everything is as episodes progress. Imagine Baccano but there is no grand plot that ties them all together in the end. Basically the anime starts with highschool girl Satsuki's sempai graduating and her losing her cool becasue of that (becasue she loves sempai a bit too much...) so in order for club not to be dissolved (since they are lacking members now) and in order to find something other to do in life she decides to merge the photo club with cinema club and make photocinema club. Then after buying a camera online and meeting it's previous owner, the manga artist Haruno, all of them go to various places in order to do random slice of life things. Be it for taking new images, getting inspiration for manga, going on a trip, competing in eating competition, encountering supernatural things etc... Did I mention this show has supernatural things? It is also full of references to other big media and anime/manga.

Overall - story may be all over the place but it is quite enjoyable watch as you never know what will happen from week to week.

Overall grade: 9. Very good slice of life anime.

I would recommend it to other people. Even if you are not slice of life enjoyer with animation and music this good, characters this different and plot this random you are bound to have enjoyable time regardless.