The slice-of-life genre is the second most popular sub-genre of Anime that has everything except for the fantastical elements of the shonen genre.
This slice-of-life category is pretty self-explanatory, this genre has stories that are related to real-world experiences like the relationships, friendships, and stereotypes a person goes through and how they cope with them.
Slice-of-life Anime is very diverse in tone, theme, and style. It explores the daily life of the characters by showing their flaws and weakness in a way that them seem more human and more relatable to the audience.
A slice-of-life Anime may or may not feature a story that deals with severe conflicts or moral issues. When compared to other types of Anime, the premise isn’t as “heavy” or psychological.
However, much slice-of-life Anime contains more than one theme, including romance, comedy, and the supernatural.
What is a slice-of-life Anime?
Slice-of-life Anime is a genre that explores the lives of characters in a subtle way. Such Anime have plots that include comedy, drama, and coming-of-age stories.
This genre does not have an intricate plot and characters and is very easy to slice-of-life Anime provides a narrow yet close peek into the lives of other human beings, without the mecha robots or witches with abilities that other more fanciful programs provide.
If you watch any of these shows, don’t expect to see laser beams or dramatic battles to the death.
You’d see them doing the everyday things that you do but the art of Anime makes all these things beautiful. Just like these Food ASMR scenes from the movie weathering with you:
The power of slice-of-life Anime derives from the drama and realism of the characters, and Anime will frequently have a love interest for the main character.
What makes a good slice-of-life Anime?
A good slice-of-life Anime is one that is easy to watch and doesn’t stresses you out about what’s going to happen next.
Anime that fall under this category have no specific plot and just focus on the lives of people, their personal issues, milestones, and routine.
Some of them may have a supernatural element in them like in Weathering With You the female lead had the power to control the weather, but this Anime does shed light on the financial and emotional struggles of teenage life.
Here are some key elements that make a Slice of life Anime a fan favorite:
The Beautiful Display Of A Mundane Life
Slice-of-life Anime encourages viewers to find happiness and beauty in the most ordinary things.
The alluring animation and the backgrounds make everyday activities seem beautiful like driving, taking the subway, cooking, or going for a walk.
Grounded In Reality
SOL Anime is more realistic since it usually takes place in modern, daily Japanese urban or rural settings for the majority (if not all) of its running period.
Rather than taking you inside spacecraft, mecha cockpits, fantasy mediaeval realms, swordfights, transformation sequences, or something similar.
This will only be partially true for many Slice-of-Life titles because many of them are hybrids of other genres.
Relatable Characters
If you are an office worker and you see something that is based on the struggles of office life you will find it more relatable than some high school rom-com.
This is what the slice-of-life genre is all about, ‘relatability’. The existential crisis in adult life, the surviving introvert in an extrovert world, or burnout after a hectic day at work are topics that are relatable to the audiences, and such themes can only be seen in slice-of-life Anime.
Non-Exhaustive
Although the most famous Animes are one of the longest-running Anime series, the thought of committing to these series with hundreds of episodes may be very overwhelming.
You will not find a slice of Anime longer than 24-25 episodes because this genre has very short yet meaningful stories.
There are certain slice-of-life Anime shows that have longer storylines, but for the most part, they are limited to one or two seasons and are quite doable projects.
This makes it much simpler to give slice-of-life Anime series a chance because they usually focus on the key elements of their stories rather than using a formulaic structure that drags on for many episodes.
What is the most wholesome Anime?
Laid-Back Camp
Camping has a serene quality to it that makes it such a rewarding and fascinating activity.
This soothing hobby allows you to disconnect from the everyday rush of city life for a bit and settle down in the middle of nature.
Therefore, it goes without saying that an Anime that focuses on camping is wholesome for obvious reasons.
Laid-Back Camp is an interesting watch, the setting of a camping trip allows the characters to develop into roomies who interact throughout the course of the Anime in a way that is genuinely wholesome in every sense. The show has its fair share of wholesome moments too.
The finest atmospheric slice-of-life TV Anime is Laid-Back Camp, bar none. There is definitely something fascinating about Anime and the way it captures the solitary beauty of nature.
Anohana
This Anime has a supernatural twist but all in all, it has some of the warmest and wholesome slice-of-life tropes.
The main characters of this drama are a group of friends who became distant from one another when Meiko, nicknamed Menma, passed away. The girl’s spirit returns for reasons you don’t understand at first.
The only person who can truly see her is the group’s leader, Jintan, who has now become a bit of a loner and appears to have given up on many aspects of life as a result of Menma’s passing.
The plot then continues with the friends attempting to find Menma’s wish so that she could make it to heaven.
You will undoubtedly weep while watching this show since it is an emotional roller coaster with feelings flying all over you. Although it is somewhat depressing, it simultaneously makes you feel pleased and nostalgic.
Kotaro Lives Alone
Kotaro Sato is a four-year-old neglected boy who lives alone and manages his everyday life as a boarder in the Shimizu Apartment.
While the enigmatic child has shocked his neighbors, they are also naturally worried about Kotaro’s interactions, especially with Karino, who lives next door.
They form a close friendship with Tamaru and Mizuki, Kotaro’s other neighbors, acting as though they are a regular family.
This heartwarming slice-of-life Anime covers the values of familial ties, friendship, and empathy for one another.
My Roommate Is A Cat
Subaru Mikazuki is a mystery novelist who lost both parents in an accident. Interacting with others irritates him since they encroach on his imagination, and the cacophony of the outside world makes it difficult to focus.
When a fortuitous meeting with a stray cat inspires him to write a new novel, he carries it home with him to serve as his muse.
Subaru gradually broadens his world by caring for the cat, as more people enter his life and the cat reminds him of what family is.
Because he appears to be a good source of food, the stray cat decides to follow a human home. In trying to care for him, she discovers what it’s like to have a family.
This Anime is for you if you have a cat. My Roommate Is A Cat is a pleasant Anime with a family-friendly atmosphere and a sweet narrative about a cat and its owner.
While the concept isn’t very original, it’s a fun Anime with funny and relatable moments.
A Silent Voice
With its great combination of drama and comedy, A Silent Voice, based on the short Manga series of the same name, delivers a punch. A Silent Voice is packed with important lessons about forgiveness and redemption.
Shoya Ishida was a vicious middle-school bully. His deaf classmate, Shoko, became the object of his torment.
In one instance, he pulled her hearing aid out in front of the entire school. Shoya regrets his behavior after starting high school and wishes to make amends with Shoko before time runs out.
Is Nana an Anime slice of life?
| Title | Nana |
| Created by | Yazawa Ai |
| No. of episodes | 47 |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode |
| Studio | Madhouse Studio/ Fuji TV |
Nana is the quintessential Anime and Manga of adult romance drama. There is no other Anime and Manga as beautifully written, with as well-developed characters, or as realistic and lifelike as Nana.
It’s a little on the long side at 47 episodes, but it’s well worth the wait. Some of the characters are eerily similar to yourself. Not to add the excellent music by the creators.
The story of Nana takes place In Tokyo, two outwardly opposing women, both called Nana (the bubbly one is named Nana Komatsu and the rockstar one is named, Nana Osaki).
They become housemates and gradually inseparable roomies. Their bond, however, is imperiled when the harsh realities of adulthood take form.
Despite their disparate personalities, histories, and circumstances, their lives begin to intersect.
Komatsu wanted to settle down with her boyfriend and live a regular lifestyle, whereas Osaki’s primary goal was to build a name for herself as a rock musician.
The Anime follows them along, switching between the two ladies but focusing on the formation of a rock band Black Stones.
The pressures of performance, being under the influence of music executives, and the constraints of public life begin to choreograph their lives.
Komatsu finds the thrill she seeks in the rock world of Osaki, and her interests are divided among several musicians.
Osaki has a rough, confident, and edgy demeanor. Nonetheless, she relies heavily on Komatsu for stability and a sense of family that she has never had.
Thus, Nana is so far the best slice of Anime for mature viewers since it tackles the problems of adult life with some drama, romance, and sadness.
It has actually raised Japanese Anime from otaku fanboy enjoyment to mature, adult drama with its profound, emotional, sometimes amusing but always bittersweet storyline.
Conclusion
- Slice-of-life genre in Anime is a very rich category in Anime in terms of stories and themes.
- Aside from the classy animation and music SOL Anime has some amazing tropes that make it a worthwhile watch.
- Nana is one of the best SOL Anime up to this date since it covers the story from a pure humane perspective. This Anime is so realistically created that making a live-action version would be a total waste since the Anime had already portrayed the characters in the best way possible.
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