My Top 5 Slice Of Life Animes
Slice-of-life, an unpolished gem in the plethora of anime genres. While it may not have plots as deep as their counterparts and action scenes similar to most action animes, the simple and refreshing aspect of not having to invest too much thought into the series makes the genre really easy to enjoy anytime. Instead of focusing on the bigger picture, slice-of-life animes tend to focus on their characters and how they mature as they move on in the anime. As such, you can normally perceive a touch of modern-day issues that you, as an audience, can relate to. This makes the audience have a sentimental attachment to the anime.
I’ll be ranking them in my own personal view, therefore if you do not find your favourite slice-of-life anime in this list, it’s probably because I have not watched it so please don’t feel offended. Instead, you can always write your opinions in a comment below and I’ll be sure to read them. Who knows, maybe I’ll even pick your recommendation up and watch it! I’ll also focus on animes with none to minimal extra tags to keep the review centred on slice-of-life. This means no supernatural, actions and such in this review. With that, let’s get right to the rankings. The rankings are in no particular order.
5) Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
Sorata, the main protagonist has to search for a new home after finding a stray as the high school dorm forbids any pets. With nowhere else to go, he turns to Sakurasou, a dorm for the trouble students in his school. Over there, he meets new and interesting dormmates and adopts a few strays on the way. With life as boring as it can be, everything changed when a new foreign student moves in.
The anime has its comedy sometimes, but what sets it apart from other slice-of-life animes is the well-brought drama around hard work and talent. It revolves around working hard towards your goal, regardless of talent. In the series, Sorata is shown failing multiple times, feeling disheartened and depressed. However, he stands up time and time again, while putting in more effort. Meanwhile, others around him can be seen having success as easy as waking up. As such, the audience gets to experience both views which really showcased the difference between hard work and talent. With how competitive the real world is in this day and age, everyone would be able to relate to this drama-filled anime.
Rating: 7/10
4) Seitokai Yakuindomo
On the first day of high school, Takatoshi Tsuda gets caught for his unruly appearance just outside the main gates of the formerly all-girls academy, Ousai Private Academy. To his dismay, it was the president of the student council, Shino Amakusa. Shino then offers him the position of Vice-President, seemingly due to the lack of male opinions in the newly co-ed high school. Faced with no choice, Tsuda attempts to cope with the daily life of being vice-president as well as the antics of the unconventional bunch.
Before I start, this anime has a lot of sexual innuendos, however minor it is. Hence, watch it when you’re alone or where no one is around to avoid misunderstandings. This anime is...special. In a good way. It shows the daily life of being a leader in society and the responsibilities it carries. However, the main attraction of this show, in my opinion, are the interactions Tsuada has with other members of the student council. Before meeting any of them, Tsuda had certain images of how the members of the student council would be and over time, as he interacted with them, he realises that all was not how it seemed to be. A short but smart girl, a beautiful goddess that’s really horny and a leader that’s socially inept was not close to what he expected the student council to be. The hilarious and sometimes embarrassing interactions Tsuda has with them cracks me up all the time. If you’re looking for a good comedy slice-of-life anime, look no further.
Rating: 8.5/10
3) Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru
Hachiman Hikigaya is an apathetic high school youth with a negative outlook towards life itself. When faced with a punishment handed towards him for ridiculing modern-day relationships, he finds himself in front of the doors of the Volunteer Service Club. There he meets the cold ice queen, Yukino Yukinoshita. With the odd duo as the only members of the club, they sought to help students’ problems with their wit and differing personalities.
At first, I didn’t have many expectations for this show. After all, it’s your usual high school setting and young protagonist in the book. This cliché can be found anywhere and I reckoned it would be the same. Boy, was I wrong. Not only was it different, but they also took an unexpected route on high school drama. Instead of having a harem, massive fanservice like other animes in the same genre, they narrowed their sights down on the relationships, interactions and thought process between the protagonist and other students. The interactions, the setting and relationship were so intricately connected that you would hit yourself for not figuring it out earlier. What I really liked about this anime is the ‘Bromance’ Hachiman has between himself and Hayama Hayato, his polar opposite. The stark difference between their personalities and their interactions with others was what hooked me on even further. Be prepared to read the manga though, while there has been a Season 3 trailer, I highly doubt there would be one anytime soon as there are not enough manga material to cover at least another season.
Rating: 7/10
2) Violet Evergarden
Having been raised as a soldier since young, Violet finds herself in the hospital after The Great War with words from her dearest. Though faced with no understanding of the words given to her, she keeps them close in her heart.
Determined to uncover the meaning, Violet ventures to be an “Auto Memory Doll” that she found by chance when taken in by her new guardian. As an “Auto Memory Doll”, an amanuensis that transcribes an individual’s thoughts and feelings into words on paper. By trying to understand the feelings of others, she hopes to discover her own.
This is a masterpiece. I was hesitant to watch it at first because of its setting in the past, but once I got past it, it was amazing. The animation, the graphics, the characters; all were superbly done in my honest opinion. The anime focuses on the main character struggling to learn human emotions as well as their thought process. I also adore the relationships Violet has with others and how they grow. If you’re in it for a tear-jerking story as well as mind-blowing graphics, be prepared to burn through some boxes of tissue.
Rating: 8.5/10
1) ReLIFE
From manga to an anime adaptation, this series blew my mind away. It somehow addresses the insecurities one might face as a student as well as a working adult while adding a spice of comedy on the way. As a student, relationships are mandatory to go through high school with excitement. They emphasise it in this series greatly through scenes where you could see the group having tons of fun together. What I love too about this series was the way they shattered the stereotype found in most time travel series. Instead of the MC retaining their knowledge such as textbook answers, the MC can be seen struggling to even pass his exam after going back to his 17-year-old self. There's also a cherry on top for this anime, the romance.
The romance between the low EQ Arata as well as the cold ice queen Hishiro Chizuru was beautifully done. Their interactions between each other are extremely cute and sometimes comedic. Due to them having no experience at all, the situation becomes unpredictable, which is part of the fun in this series. It's amusing to see how their relationship progresses over time with some ups and downs on the way. With a simple and refreshing concept over other slice-of-life animes, it is a great way to sit back and relax.
Rating: 9/10
Honorary Mentions
While these may not have made the list, they're still some of the best slice-of-life animes out there. Do try them and let me know in the comments!
Kyoukai no Kanata
Hyouka
Fruits Basket
Kokoro Connect
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
Written by Yeon Hee
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