Everybody loves to watch the murderous adventures of the main character, who is either overpowered or achieves the same with sheer will, hard work, and the cliche power of love. However, deep down, what we yearn for is not this. It is the sweet feeling of mundane experiences that are more common and relatable to us.
Of course, shonen and combat animes have their own fan base, and as they should, because even a little bit of everything is what spices life, and in this case, shonen brings out the chili and sourness; meanwhile, a slice of life balances it out with sweet and salt.
Slice of life is the portrayal of commonplace events in entertainment and the arts. Slice of life is a literary term for a third-person narrator in which a seemingly random series of happenings in a person’s life are conveyed. These stories frequently lack plotline, conflict, and exposition and frequently have an open ending.
In theatre, a slice of life is referred to as naturalism. It also provides viewers with a feeling of being at home where everything that matters is you and not what other people demand from you because of the open endings, which are constantly open to the lovely interpretations of the viewers.
Also Read: 21 Best Disney Cartoons – Ranked
20 Best Slice of Life Anime: From BL(s) to Classics:
Following are the 20 best slice-of-life anime series that is definitely worth the viewer’s time and money. So grab the essentials and start streaming them right ‘flowering’ now!
20. Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku
Yes, the high school setting is nice for a slice-of-life or romance anime, but when every other anime starts to imitate that, it kind off loses touch and originality. Wotakoi: Love is Hard For Otaku broke this trend and changed the setting to an office life setting.
Although the base idea of this anime is to showcase ‘romance,’ it is famous for its comedic experiences. Narumi is struggling hard to keep her obsession with anime hidden from others; however, to her surprise, Hirotaka doesn’t judge her for it.
He doesn’t even understand why it is necessary for her to keep it a secret if it is what she really likes because, at the end of the day, what matters is what she feels, not what others think or say about her. The main focus of this anime series is how the older cast of this show balances their life, juggling between work and personal.
19. Nichijou
Why is it always showcased as ‘cute girls doing kawaii-er things’ and not as ‘cute girls doing things which are not stereotypically cute’? Well, this is what this anime series is doing, showing the audience that not only outrageous things but anything someone does are cute when you see it that way.
This anime series is set in a high school where almost every character has a different and lousy hobby. Yuuko, who is maybe the only one who is ‘normal’ when referring to the other people in the school, however, is also very clumsy and silly.
The young professor obsessed with sharks and snacks is a fan-favorite. There is also a girl who loves to draw BL (Boys Love) mangas but keeps it a secret and to top all this off, there is also a cranky robot girl. Follow their bizarre journey in a not-so-bizarre world.
18. Your Lie in April
If a slice of life is being discussed and a story full of heartbreaks is not discussed, then it would be a matter of jail time because both of these are like the two sides of a coin which means if you are talking about one of the possibilities you have to talk about the other one too.
A music prodigy that brought the whole world to kneel before his skills and music can no longer hear his music; however, as it is said, everyone gets a second chance, and so does he. Does he make good use of it, or does it destroys him even further?
An anime series full of drama, love, and heartbreaks, ‘Your Lie In April is something every anime fan should witness once in their whole life at least once because the upper limit is not set as one cannot resist wanting to rewatch this masterpiece and cry the heart out every time.
17. Given
Beware, please keep a tissue nearby whenever planning to binge-watch this one. This anime series tried a very sensitive trope and made the fans weep through it. The thought of being broken into a million pieces by someone, losing all romantic connections and feelings one could have but still having the courage to start again and fresh.
This anime has one of the best representations of the LGBTQIA+ community when it comes to the anime and manga industry, and it deals with the harsh reality and what comes with it when someone falls the hardest into the deep and dark but full of pleasure abyss of love.
16. Komi Can’t Communicate
Just because someone has a problem with opening up very fast or doesn’t talk much doesn’t mean that person is trying to be rude, doesn’t like you, or doesn’t want to make friends with others. Sometimes it is just about giving someone the space, time, and attention they need and yearn for.
This is what this anime showcases in a very mannered and beautiful way. Komi, the main lead of the show ideas with the same problem, and her friend Tadano is helping her to deal with it and has taken it as a resolution that he will help her make 100 friends. Does she succeed?
15. Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie
This is a new spring 2022 comedic romance anime available on Crunchyroll. The main character Shikimori is a popular girl who is dating a clumsy and often making mistakes kind of guy. She wants people to think of her as someone cute. However, others take her as someone who is badass.
This happens because she is the one who is always saving her boyfriend from dying from his own Klutziness one day because how he does things might not be very far and bizarre to take into account. Shikimori is strong, kind, and independent and also looks adorable with her boyfriend.
14. Horimiya
This anime depicts what happens between the timeline of confession and the answer of yes or no. This really makes the viewer roll their gut and still have no idea if it will be a yes or no. The dynamics of this anime are what make it famous.
It even focuses on how the side characters are coping with heartbreaks and are moving on. The demographics of this anime is very wide and covers very nuanced topics that are often overlooked but happen to people in their day-to-day life.
13. Only Yesterday
Nostalgia is a drug you don’t think about what it might bring out of you. As Taeko Okajima goes on the nostalgic trip, she changes into a whole new and better person. She wants to take a break from the chaotic city life, so she decides to take a train ride back home which brings back memories of school.
The frames and flashes of the past with the story continuing in the present look as if it is the story of different people playing on in parallel and is made to link in the end. She finally experiences a quiet eureka moment and decides to relocate to the country. Only Yesterday is a stunning, contemplative movie that is filled with a notion of longing and heart-wrenching, beautifully written nostalgia.
12. Kiki’s Delivery Service
Ghibli is a must when talking about a slice of life because it is Ghibli’s world, and everyone just exists in it. This anime is based on Kiki, who is a trainee witch leaving the countryside and coming to the city to learn about the world in its harshest manner.
It showcases how her life is on cloud nine at some moments, and at some, it hits rock bottom. She makes new friends and learns how things work in the city while doing her daily job as a delivery person. It is one of the most beautiful anime one could also watch. When it is Ghibli, it is self-explanatory.
11. Voilet Evergarden
Violet Evergarden is a heartbreaking and such anime that will make you question almost everything about existence and survival. It is filled with exquisitely produced illustrations. The show centers on Violet Evergarden and a former child soldier turned Auto Memory Doll who is charged with composing messages on behalf of other people.
While Violet initially struggles to fit in because of her robotic stances, the story focuses on her emotional development as she learns to empathize with others and convey human feelings. She soon muses over the significance of Major Gilbert’s final words to her, “I love you.”
10. 5 Centimeters Per Second
The director of this show, Makoto, is praised worldwide for creating picture-perfect, pleasing-to-the-eyes visuals that make the heart go flutter and heartbreaks that leave an empty place in the hearts of many. 5 Centimeters Per Second is all about unrequited love.
He always makes sure to highlight the most mundane nuances that one may not be able to see anywhere else. This three-episode masterpiece focuses on Takaki, a young man who explores the concepts of unreciprocated and unattainable love as well as pervasive melancholy. Beware, this one can leave many weeping.
9. Anohana
Jinta Yadomi is almost like every other school student taking a leave to stay at home and play video games online. Out of the blue one day, his childhood friend’s ghost appears in front of him. His childhood friend, Menma, who died five years in a car accident, asks him to fulfill a wish of his.
After some time, Jinta reunites with all of his childhood friends to solve a mystery, and as this eleven-episode saga moves forward, dark secrets, ugly feelings, and love in its purest form come out and leave every character naked with nothing but their true self on show.
They address emotions they have long suppressed in doing so. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is hailed as a masterwork and portrays a moving tale.
8. Aria
Aria might be the best choice if you are looking for something that has a futuristic charm with a rustic feel. It is set in the 24th century on the planet Mars called Aqua. Akari is a teenager training to become a good travel guide in the city’s gondola service. This show has a sense of optimism at a slow pace. As the story builds up, it will be something you will be hooked on.
7. Toradora!
For those who enjoy romance, Toradora! is a fantastic slice-of-life anime with excellent writing and fully developed characters. The two main characters in the story, Ryuuji, and Taiga, appear to have distinct personalities. They both agreed to support one another through their crushes.
However, their efforts backfire and put them in embarrassing romantic circumstances. Toradora is a 25-episode limited series that is a humorous and intense roller coaster of emotion.
6. Whisper of the Heart
The Ghibli movie focuses on a total nerd bookworm Shizuku and a person who makes violins, Seiji, and attends the same school as Shizuku. There is a narrative depicted in the storyline, as well as many amusing and uplifting moments.
Shizuku, who aspires to become a writer, creates a fantasy tale in which she, a statuette of a cat nicknamed the “Baron,” and a cat she rode the train with all appear. The relationship is satisfactorily concluded at the end of the movie, but The Cat Returns provides a type of sequel for the cat story (2002).
5. Dagashi Kashi
Those searching for food-related items are in for a real treat. A “Dagashi” shop is the focal point of Dagashi Kashi. The store’s owner’s son, Kokonotsu, has no interest in managing the business because he wants to become a manga creator.
One day, the mysterious Hotaru Shidare shows up to entice Kokonotsu’s father to join the father’s well-known confectionery company, Shidare Corporation. Only if she could persuade Kokonotsu to start taking over his business would the father agree. Given the dearth of Dagashi stores, this warmhearted series introduces viewers to a facet of Japanese society they would have missed.
4. Clannad
Tomoya Okazaki, who frequently skipped school and had any sense of direction in life, was the focus of the episode. But everything began to shift when Okazaki met Nagisa and made the decision to work with her and her four friends to resurrect the theatre club at their school.
Soon Okazaki was motivated and infused with a new sense of purpose. The new season debuted to critical praise, whereas the first season only earned fair reviews.
3. A Silent Voice
The drama of A Silent Voice, which is based on the brief manga series that bears the same name, is powerful. This time, the center of the ideas on redemption and confession. Shoya Ishida, a bully in the sixth school, is nasty to his deaf friend Shoko. Shoya is committed to making amends with Shoko before it becomes too late now that she is a senior in high school. Will he also discover love? He might simply be.
2. Azumanga Daioh
Azumanga Daioh! Finds elegance and charm in typical high school life. The major protagonists are a group of oddball females who take up side jobs, get pets, torment each other during school trips, and much more.
Azumanga Daioh! is an approachable, enduring gateway television series for anyone wishing to enter Japanese animation, despite the lack of actual drama and stakes. A peculiar and amusing opening credits tune is also included.
1. Laid Back Camp
Some high school ladies prefer backpacking on the holidays or when they have the time instead of fast-food eateries and karaoke clubs.
Laid-Back Camp is endearing, soothing to behold, and serves as a tepidly instructive window into the process of camping. The setting is extremely breathtaking, and the individuals are basic but endearing and exciting in their own way.
Also Read: 20 Cartoons Like Solar Opposites That You Should Know About
