When assessing a successful anime, sales and profits are concrete metrics that prove popularity and marketability. Within the slice-of-life genre, many shows reach impressive numbers for their initial releases. Violet Evergarden sets a massive precedent of 28,000 DVD and Blu-ray sales. Without question, that show is a strong financial success. Sales above the 10,000 mark are already great, but not every show reaches those heights.

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What's unfortunate is that sales do not always represent great anime. There are many slice-of-life shows that fail to hit a 10,000-sale benchmark, but are hailed as cult classics. Regardless of how well they performed, there are works within the genre that have found their niches and are revered. Not every show has to be Violet Evergarden or Anohana to be considered a success.

10 Genshiken Directly Reached Out To Otaku Culture

Anime genshiken group picture Cropped

Genshiken is one of the few anime to focus on the people who actually consume the media. Highlighting otaku culture, especially Japanese otaku culture, gives the viewer a degree of representation. Not all the depictions in Genshiken are flattering, but the otaku way is also not shown as monolithic.

The characters ranged from cosplayers to gamers to crafters to general nerds. The show does a great job of showcasing the range of their personalities, both in and out of their interests. Genshiken's charm and sincerity have kept its reputation alive despite having lower than 6,000 initial sales.

9 Haibane Renmei's Quiet Demeanor Has Kept It Unseen

Haibane Renmei main cast

Haibane Renmei meditates on life, death, and memories from the perspective of the deceased. Its portrayal of the afterlife as an easy-going town is endearing. Born from the mind of Yoshitoshi Abe, the darling character designer of Serial Experiment Lain, Welcome to the NHK, and Texhnolyze, it explores its themes at a pensive pace that is reminiscent of his other collaborations.

Haibane Renmei's initial sales barely broke the 5,000 copy benchmark. While the series is universally praised by its viewers, a majority of anime fans have not been exposed to it. Regardless, it remains a classic in the minds of the audience it found.

8 Given Contains A Compelling Gay Romance Within Its Musical Premise

Image features a visual from Given: (From left to right) Mafuyu Sato (short, orange hair and white shirt) is sleeping on Ritsuka Uenoyama (short, black hair and white shirt)'s shoulder

Given succeeds by allowing its romance time to blossom organically. When Ritsuka approaches Mafuyu, it's for the music and the band. His feelings take time to develop, which is tied with the progression of the story and Mafuyu's arc. The more he improves and comes to terms with his trauma, the more Ritsuka's feelings deepen. It is a fantastic way to write a romance.

However, Given's initial release was a bit lackluster, as it only sold 3,000 copies. While streaming revenue might help its overall profits, other slice-of-life shows have great sales along with strong streaming numbers. The niche Given has found will immortalize its romance, regardless of its profit margins.

7 Silver Spoon Was Overshadowed By Its Predecessor

The main cast of Silver Spoon

Silver Spoon deserves to be respected on its own terms. It's a great slice-of-life show about farming and agriculture, complete with a charming cast. Anime does not give enough spotlight to rural work and farm life. Acclaimed manga creator Hiromu Arakawa handles the premise and setting perfectly, while also making a series that is engaging from start to end.

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With all of that considered, Silver Spoon only sold about 2,200 copies. In comparison, Arakawa's masterwork Fullmetal Alchemist's first adaptation sold 36,500 copies, while its reboot pushed out 12,000 sales. The drop-off is drastic, but it does not translate to quality. Slice-of-life fans still appreciate Silver Spoon for what it is.

6 Girl's Last Tour Is An Charming Picture Of Life After The Apocalypse

Chito and Yuuri from Girl's Last Tour

Girl's Last Tour might have one of the best depictions of what life would be like once most of civilization has died off. The landscape is full of towering concrete and metal structures that are crumbling under their weight. Wartime accessories litter the land. Yuuri and Chito are dressed in wartime clothing to allude to the state of the world before everything came to an end.

Yuuri and Chito's wanderings across the land are both earnestly adorable and subtly sad. While its manga is award-winning, the anime's sales amounted to 2,500. Perhaps the slice-of-life demographic does not overlap well with dystopian works, but Girl's Last Tour is loved by those who can handle the blend of cute and harrowing.

5 Beast Player Erin Is Painfully Underrated

Erin stands with her harp with Duke Damiya on her left

Few anime can balance slice-of-life elements with a coming-of-age story as well as Beast Player Erin. Viewers see Erin grow from a child to a teenager, dealing with loss, conviction, passion, and giant animals. The show is unafraid to show emotionally difficult situations weaved together with calmer episodes that focus on everyday struggles and humor, even if the gags don't always work.

In a way, Beast Player Erin is evocative of old slice-of-life anime like Anne of Green Gables, Candy Candy, and Romeo's Blue Skies. Fans recognize the show for its greatness even though its initial release sold only 578 copies.

4 The Humor & Characters In Princess Jellyfish Are Endlessly Amusing

Kuranosuke is pointing at the viewer while Tsukimi stands in the back.

Princess Jellyfish plays fast and loose with conventions. Kuranosuke cross-dresses to avoid the expectations of his family but is still viewed as the socially normal character within the main cast. This is because the charming occupants of Amamizukan are reclusive introverts who cannot handle trendy and social people.

Each member has a geeky or nerdy quirk that makes them memorable and distinct from conventional female characters. The anime is special in how it allows its characters have faults or deficiencies in the eyes of society. It finds humor and vibrancy in how unique a person can be. Despite only selling 952 copies, Princess Jellyfish is cherished amongst fans of female-lead anime.

3 Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad Stuns With Its Band Dynamics

beck mongolian chop squad anime performing

For an anime all about music and band life, the best parts of Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad are its slice-of-life moments. When the anime takes a step back to focus on its characters and their relationships, the show shines incredibly bright. Koyuki has great chemistry with Maho, Saku, and Ryusuke.

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The time spent developing the band's inner relationships is what gives the show power during its performances. The show's initial sales almost reached 1,400 copies, but it is still hailed as one of the greatest blends of music and slice-of-life within the medium. Its financial performance has long been forgotten when compared to its current legacy.

2 March Comes In Like A Lion Is An Emotional Superstar

Hinata and Akari from March Comes in like a Lion

March Comes in Like a Lion is the most emotionally resonant slice-of-life anime of the last decade. With great amounts of visual flourish, it shows the emotional maelstrom teenagers and competitors face. Rei isolates himself, Nikaidou pushes himself, Kyouko is self-destructive, and Hinata confronts challenges head-on. The show handles all of it superbly.

March Comes in Like a Lion perfectly combines aspects of sports anime, slice-of-life, comedies, and dramas. Its first season sold almost 2,500 copies, while its second season sold 1,600. While March Comes in Like a Lion might have been a financial liability for Shaft, it's remembered for its spectacular content.

1 Kino's Journey Is A Thoroughly Thought-Provoking Anime

Kino from Kino's Journey

Kino's Journey provided some of the greatest vignettes of the 2000s. Every episode was a new story set in different lands, each containing its own quirks and premises. Ultimately, they serve as meditations over questions on communication, trust, struggle, and other aspects of human living.

Kino's detached personality complements the flow of the show, giving the viewers space to process the narratives. The original 2003 adaptation of Kino's Journey is held as one of the best anime of its time, as well as a contender for the best episodic shows in the medium. Its 2,500 initial sales do not represent how well respected this anime is.

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