Camp Camp is a show that I have loved since it first released in summer 2016 when I was in my late teens. With it's likeable characters, unique art style and fun humour, it was a constant source of entertainment for me through both good and bad times in my life. As you can imagine I was excited when I learned that there would be a fifth season of the show after a long hiatus and uncertainty over whether or not it would return but unfortunately after watching this first episode I was left disappointed.
First of all I should address the elephant in the room, the recasting of the main protagonist Max. Previously voiced by Michael Jones, Max is now voiced instead by Krishna Kumar. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself and to give credit where credit is due, Kumar clearly tried his best to replicate the voice Jones created for the character but this change of voice just does not work after four whole seasons with Jones as the voice of Max and is noticeable enough to be jarring. I would be more forgiving of this change if the original voice actor had passed away or was no longer able to voice the character but this is not the case here.
My other issue with the episode is the writing which feels bland and uninspired. Much of the charm and humour that made Camp Camp so great seems to be gone and most of the characters we have come to love come across as boring with little to do in this episode's plot. The new character CJ is a nice addition to the show and was probably one of the highlights of the episode with him delivering some of the few funny lines of dialogue.
It sadly seems that the show's animation quality has reduced with the animation in this episode feeling stiff. This combined with the fact this season will only have a meagre four episodes in total leads me to believe that the show is no longer receiving the same budget and care that it once had which is a great shame.
Overall a disappointing first episode for this new season of Camp Camp but I will continue to watch the other three in hopes of improvement and the show's continuation. No matter what happens though, I will always cherish the memories I have of this show's earlier seasons.