Slice-of-life anime deal with the daily occurrences in life, following characters as they go about their usual routines. They lack a central, unifying plot and are often episodic in format. Despite not having an overarching narrative, slice-of-life anime are anything but boring.
They deal with various topics and feature characters from all walks of life, from high school students and older adults, to groups of friends and lone travelers. While many are based strictly on reality, others cross over into other genres such as supernatural, fantasy, romance, and comedy.
10 Welcome To The NHK Explores Societal Issues
A common complaint against slice-of-life anime is that they lack substance or meaning. However, Welcome to the NHK is a series that explores deeper societal issues and mental illness. Therefore, it might appeal to those who aren't usually a fan of slice-of-life anime.
The series follows the daily adventures of Tatsuhiro Satou, a 22-year-old hikikomori, or shut-in. Having fallen into believing conspiracy theories, he has become convinced that an evil organization called the NHK is the cause of his hikikomori status, and he seeks to free himself from its grasp.
9 Violet Evergarden Is An Exploration Of Self-Discovery
Violet Evergarden follows its titular protagonist as she attempts to integrate into society after living her whole life in service as a human weapon. Now that the war is over, Violet finds a new purpose working as an Auto Memory Doll.
In her new position, Violet transcribes others' ideas and feelings into written letters. Having been treated as less than human her entire life, she struggles to understand the feelings of others and often comes across as emotionless. Violet Evergarden is a touching slice-of-life about self-discovery.
8 Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day Is A Tearjerker
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day centers around a group of friends who drifted apart over the years after one of them, Menma, passed away in an accident. The group is reunited years later after Menma begins appearing to Jinta, one of her former friends, as a ghost, pestering him to help her fulfill a wish for her to pass on.
Anohana certainly packs an emotional punch. It's a slice-of-life, a coming-of-age story, and an exploration of grief all in one, and anime fans should watch it at least once.
7 Kino's Journey Poses Philosophical Questions
Kino's Journey (2003) is a unique slice-of-life series that follows the wanderings of the 15-year-old Kino and Hermes, a talking motorcycle. Together, they journey from country to country, firmly following the rule that three days is sufficient to learn everything important about each place they visit.
On a usually episodic basis, the series explores the different customs and values of each country, often thrusting its traveling duo into philosophical and ethically questionable situations. Kino's Journey is a calming, thought-provoking series that doesn't shy away from showing the darker sides of humanity.
6 Princess Jellyfish Is A Unique Josei Series
Princess Jellyfish's main protagonist is a jelly fish-loving otaku named Tsukimi Kurashita. Having moved to Tokyo to pursue her dreams of becoming an illustrator, she lives with other unemployed otaku women. Tsukimi lacks self-confidence and social skills, and is deeply afraid of talking to men and attractive people.
The series details the daily lives of Tsukimi, her roommates, and the cross-dressing Kuranosuke Koibuchi. Praised for its positive representation of cross-dressing and gender fluidity, Princess Jellyfish is a josei slice-of-life series that every anime fan should watch.
5 Nichijou Has A Fun & Wacky Cast
With Nichijou, the genre is literally in the title, as "nichijou" means "everyday" or "daily" in Japanese. The series focuses on the daily lives of three childhood friends, Mio, Mai, and Yuuko, and their interactions with the young genius Hakase, her robot attendant Nano, and their talking cat.
With its wacky and endearing cast, Nichijou is a comedic series that keeps viewers coming back for more. It's full of running gags that are both witty and hilarious, proving that slice-of-life anime can be just as entertaining as other genres.
4 Mushishi Explores Matters Of Nature & Legend
Mushishi is a series that takes influence from classic Japanese legends, presenting a world in which beings called Mushi exist, unseen to most humans. Mushi can take many different forms and are the most basic types of life. The select few humans who can see them, called Mushishi, dedicate their lives to researching them.
One Mushishi, Ginko, travels and investigates Mushi-related incidents, hoping to learn more about the mysterious entities. Mushishi explores the connection between humans and nature and ponders the very definition of existence.
3 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K. Blends Multiple Genres
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. blends slice-of-life with comedy and supernatural elements. It follows the daily misadventures of Saiki Kusuo, a high schooler with powerful psychic abilities. Despite having these abilities, which basically make him a god in his world, Saiki only wishes to live a normal, chaos-free life.
Of course, chaos seems to follow Saiki wherever he goes, and he must use his powers on a daily basis to fix all sorts of problems that arise. The series is a must-watch for fans of deadpan comedy.
2 Natsume's Book of Friends Is A Supernatural Treat
Natsume's Book of Friends is a shojo slice-of-life series that focuses on Natsume, a high school student who can see youkai. This ability has been a curse for him, as other humans consider his behavior strange. However, his isolation ends when he meets Madara, a youkai who acts as his bodyguard.
Together, Natsume and Madara, also called Nyanko-sensei, work to free the spirits that his grandmother forced into binding contracts long ago. The series is a heartwarming collection of stories about the interactions between youkai and humans.
1 Haibane Renmei Is A Beautifully Mysterious Series
Haibane Renmei is a beautifully dark, yet emotional series about beings called Haibane who are born from cocoons and have feathered wings and halos. The main protagonist, Rakka, awakens as a Haibane with no memories of her past. She grows accustomed to her new home in the town of Old Home, bonding with the other Haibane, who also lack memories of their pasts.
Haibane Renmei follows the daily ins and outs of the Haibane's lives, quietly exploring their mysterious circumstances and the complex philosophical themes at the heart of the series.