Despite having more popularity across anime series, the slice-of-life genre is a hit or miss for fans. The central focus on daily life may entertain some, but for many others, the slow pace and simplicity are just not enough. In fact, the slice-of-life genre is widely considered the most boring genre because of series that have failed to impress.
Anime like The Squid Girl, Minami-Ke, and the more recent The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague failed to make their mark and left viewers with a bad impression of the slice-of-life genre. Half-baked details like undeveloped characters, not following through with a surefire hit of a plot, and a lack of entertainment value from episode to episode is what led each of these series to come across as dreadfully boring to many. That said, there are several series that do live up to their full potential: Usagi Drop, Natsume's Book of Friends, and My Dress-Up Darling are examples of how to use this genre to tell an entertaining story of people and the unique lives they lead.
Slice of Life At Its Best
While there's no skirting around the core idea of "daily life" within this genre, slice-of-life series have great potential. In place of the drama, they offer lighthearted glimpses into a character's life and growth. Emotional burdens are a rarity and, more often than not, the challenges are rather small in scope and present little to no threat to the character's well-being. At its core, what slice-of-life does best is making something special out of mundane daily life. It's taking a character's life and highlighting the simple details that make it so significant. When a slice-of-life series has a strong and unique premise, it has to follow through with it and with its smaller details. Even in daily life, the main characters have to have some growth and development.
Another overlooked detail is incorporating other genres into the overarching plot. Stories that are purely about day-to-day life of a character are rarely engaging enough by themselves, so some of the best series take full advantage of other genres to liven things up. Light elements of fantasy, romance, action, among others, are a brilliant way to enhance a slice-of-life story -- provided it strikes the right balance.
Usagi Drop Is a Heartfelt Take on the Found Family Trope
After the sudden loss of his grandfather brings Daikichi back home, he discovers that his grandfather had an affair leading to the birth of an illegitimate child, Rin. While the family scorns the mere sight of the little girl, Daikichi, a 30-year-old bachelor, offers her kindness and support during the funeral. Seeing that no one else in the family is willing to take care of Rin, Daikichi takes her into his home despite his lack of childcare experience. While episode 1 leans hard into melodrama, every episode that follows is centered around the daily lives of Daikichi and Rin, making it one of the most wholesome slice-of-life anime around.
Given its focus on of the importance of a parental figure, Usagi Drop is compelling thanks to how it portrays Daikichi's growth as a father and Rin learning to accept that she has a loving home. The anime takes a tragic story of loss and family drama and weaves it into an uplifting tale. It may be focused on the boring and stressful everyday life of these characters, but in doing so, it drives home the point that it's through these small moments that the pair builds their life together.
Natsume’s Book of Friends Has Calming Vibes
Despite only being a high school student, Takashi Natsume's daily life is filled with one struggle after another. His parents passed away when he was young, but thankfully numerous friends of his parents have taken the time to look after him, keeping him out of the foster-care system. While Takashi has his everyday needs covered, there's no one who can help him with his biggest problem: he's one of the few humans who can see yokai. After moving into another family friends' home, Takashi is attacked by yokai who confuse him with his grandmother, Reiko. He learns that not only could she also see the yokai when she was alive, but she learned how to seal their names into a book known as "The Book of Friends." With Reiko long since passed, the yokai chase after Takashi, wanting their names to be released -- or to take the book for their own nefarious plans.
Though this series might come across as more of supernatural action, Natusme's Book of Friends is a slice-of-life anime through and through. Honing in on the theme of friendship, the anime is centered around the yokai's everyday struggles with loneliness and a lack of purpose. Their struggles mirror Takashi's own difficulty connecting with people and his lonely past. By taking one day at a time to cover every yokai, no matter how big or small the issue, Takashi is healing from his own emotional wounds. The story could easily veer into an action thriller or more of a tragic drama, but it speaks volumes that Takashi chooses a peaceful life that focuses on the power of friendship in the purest sense. Building off of its fantasy elements, Natsume's Book of Friends has a lot to offer to a wide audience.
My Dress Up Darling Takes Full Advantage of the Genre
With a passion for Japanese doll-making, Wakana Gojo is a master of creating clothes, but no one knows about his dream of following in his grandfather's footsteps and becoming a great doll-maker. It isn't until he befriends his popular classmate Marin Kitagawa that his talent becomes recognized. After coming face-to-face in their school's sewing room, Marin, an aspiring cosplayer, begs Gojo to create a one-of-a-kind costume for her. As the two novices enter the world of cosplay, they learn firsthand the rewarding work of a cosplayer and find first love in the small moments of their growing partnership.
This coming-of-age anime pays perfect homage to the art of cosplaying, showing the ins and outs of the art and community. While there's the promise of Gojo's dream as an artist -- and the budding romance between him and Marin -- the story plays out with a stronger focus on the little details of their cosplay work. With such attention to detail, the anime shows the full behind-the-scenes story of how cosplay works, how it brings people together, and how fulfilling the work can be. This series wouldn't be effective or as uplifting if too much drama was involved and takes full advantage of the slice-of-life genre. With the careful and detailed pacing, it shares a story about the daily life of cosplayers rather than just life in general.
The slice-of-life genre might have a bad reputation as being the most boring genre in anime, but series like Usagi Drop, Natsume's Book Of Friends, and My Dress Up Darling each prove that the genre has a lot to offer. Not only is it the most uplifting genre, but it certainly proves how impactful simplicity in storytelling can be when the narrative is strong, the characters are compelling, and there are enough little details to keep viewers entertained.