‘Slice of Life’ is not a genre, it’s a feeling, a heartwarming feeling you get after watching a show/anime, a feeling you long for in everything you watch, a feeling of relatability and comfort, a feeling of living your life through other people’s experiences. Animes do a particularly great job at showing moments with which you can relate, moments that are daily life but very special. We all are the protagonists of our own life but when we see it in the form of a show or an anime, it feels different, it feels good. There are different animes that touch upon different aspects of our life and slice of life animes are just about normal people living normal lives and overcoming their very human flaws, which we all have.
So, if you want to have an emotional roller coaster ride, where you laugh, cry, smile, be sad then add the following animes to your watchlist and watch them whenever you are feeling down or depressed, they are an easy escape and will definitely make you feel better than before.
22. I Don’t Have Many Friends
Ever wondered about how to deal with loneliness and not having friends. Well, this is what this anime explores. This anime is about a student Kodaka Hasegawa who is ostracized by his classmates because of his looks. He feels quite lonely but then he meets Yozora Mikazuki who is also a loner and has an imaginary friend. Then they both start a Neighbor’s club for people who are lonely and socially weird. This anime might seem on the surface initially but it also deals with some serious topics like bullying.
21. Sakura Quest
This seems like a very realistic anime, as it deals with adulting. The pressure of finding a job, settling, and the fear of not getting a job. This anime is about Yoshino Koharu, an adult looking for a job in Tokyo but instead gets one in a village, by accident. The anime beautifully presents that nothing is perfect in life, everything has its flaws and we have to accept it if we want to live happily. It also shows how nothing is impossible and with one’s perseverance and hardwork we can achieve anything. We should always learn from our mistakes and move forward is the message that this anime gives and does so wonderfully.
20. Orange
Orange is an interesting anime that follows the story of Naho Takamiya, a high school student, who receives a letter from 10 years in the future sent by herself. The letter describes what she should or should not do, in order to make her life in the future better. The letter also mentions keeping an eye on Kakeru Naruse, a transfer student. She slowly figures her way through high school following what the letter had mentioned. This anime discusses friendships and relationships in a very realistic manner. The characters are well written and have flaws. The main focus of this anime is regret, we all have regrets and this anime explores that quite well. It is one of the must-watch time travel anime.
19. K-On
Yui Hirasawa is a high school girl. She joins the Light Music club of her school despite the lack of musical experience and what follows is a bliss to watch. The members of the club share one thing in common, the passion for music and this inspires them to move ahead with the club. They do all sorts of stuff to keep their club alive, working to raise money for instruments, learning to play different instruments and creating a special bond with each other on the way. It’s a treat to watch anime and music mixed together in such a good manner.
18. Love, Chuunibyou and Other Delusions
We all have those embarrassing childhood moments and phases that we want to leave behind and everyone else to forget about it, but the weird thing is that no one ever forgets those moments. Same is the case with Yuuta Togashi, who thought of himself as some mystical being in middle school and is now embarrassed about it in his high school and is running from his own past. But his high school life will also get affected by this and thus begins a comic, slice of life and emotional journey of a once self-proclaimed mystical student.
17. Classroom of The Elite
School pressure, the cutthroat competition, the race for getting higher marks all this can be considered a slice of life, right? This anime is about Koudo Ikosei High School, seemingly a utopia, but also has its own problems. The story focuses on the students of section D, where the school dumps its worse and the students don’t get treated very well. The story is about the different students of the same class who seem to have the same fate. The anime shows the pressure on students and how they have to cope with it and the problem with meritocracy. This show tries to present the reality of schools in a fun and entertaining way.
16. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Harushi Suzumiya is a whimsical girl who is interested in everything supernatural from espers to aliens everything. This leads to her creating a club in her school in which she recruits some of her classmates- Kyon, Yuki and Mikuru and thus begins their supernatural adventure, unknown to all supernatural abilities of Haruhi. This might seem fantasy anime but it is not, this anime focuses on the bond every club member shares with each other, and the adventures they embark on. This anime has everything comedy, love, emotion everything and has high rewatch value.
15. ReLife
Ever hoped to return to your childhood self so that you can be top at everything from academics to sports. That’s what Arata Kaizaki thought would happen when he turned into his younger self after taking a mysterious pill. He flunked all his major tests on the very first day, is out of shape, and doesn’t know what in the world is going on. The anime is humorous as Arata deals with various situations which he never dealt with before. So, watch this amazing anime if looking for something fun and a slice of life.
14. Lovely Complex
Koizumi Risa and Ootani Atsushi both deal with body image issues. As Rise a taller than an average girl while Ootani is shorter than an average guy, due to which they are finding it difficult to fulfill their high school romance fantasy. On top of that their crushes get involved with each other, making matters worse. They usually fight with each other, but they are not different, they both enjoy talking about music and fashion and their chemistry is lovely to look at. So, if you want to see their love blossom or wither, then watch this worthwhile anime.
13. Clannad
Tomoya Okazaki lacks any sense of purpose in life and is moving forward to an aimless life, but this all changes on a fateful day when he meets Nagisa who revives his faith in life and in himself. She helps him develop more and better relationships with his classmates, he becomes more involved with people around him and now has a purpose to live, to revive the drama club of the school, which is Nagisa’s wish. The anime has 2 seasons, while the first season is an introduction to everything and an introduction to Nagisa and Tomoya, it is in the second season that the story evelves into something tragic, so deep and with a heavy emotional baggage.
12. Hyouka
This is not a typical slice of life anime, with romance in the forefront, it is rather quite refreshing and entertaining. It is about a seemingly boring guy Houtarou Oreki who joins the classic literary club at his sister’s behest and is the involved with solving a 45-year-old mystery that surrounds the club room. It is very exciting and more like a spy anime, but very realistic and with real emotions. The pace is slow which might put-off some people but overall the anime is very entertaining and will catch your attention.
11. Hinamatsuri
Hinamatsuri is not a serious anime by any chance, Hinamatsuri just makes the situations crazier and crazier and it makes for a very fun and comic anime to watch. There are serious moments that make you care for the characters even more, this anime is the perfect blend of fun and emotion, the relationships of different characters make this even more interesting and heartwarming. The side characters play an important role in making this anime impressionable and likable in our hearts.
10. 5 Centimeters Per Second
You don’t always get what you long for and this becomes even more truthful when it’s about love, especially your first love. Such is the tragedy of Takaki and Akar’s life who once loved each other immensely and now distance have kept them apart. What they have now, of each other, are the memories they shared and a deep desire to once again meet with each other. This anime is about the melancholy of unrequited love. You will feel the pain of the characters and also love the chemistry they once shared.
9. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Makoto Konno is just a simple high school girl, who doesn’t know what to do with her future, like most of us. But her life is about to change when she realizes that she actually has the ability to leap through time. So, what she does? She goes back in past to correct her mistakes, but what she doesn’t know how terrible the consequences can be of altering timeline like that. This anime doesn’t have heightened emotions, everything feels very real and true to life. This anime is deep and have a message to deliver: Time Waits for None. If you are looking for a wholesome deep anime then this must be on your watchlist.
8. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Jinta Yadomi is a reclusive person, who just like to stay at home and play video games. But all this is about to change when the ghost of a close childhood friend who died in an accident years ago, appears infront of him to grant her last wish which she can’t remember. This leads him to reunite with his childhood friends with whom he had lost touch and now they have all grown apart. This anime really dwells deep on the importance of getting closure, this group of friends were close but now they don’t even talk to each other. They all have to overcome their own personal shortcomings and flaws to help fulfill their dead friend’s last wish.
7. March Comes in Like a Lion
Rei Kiriyama is one of the few elites in the competitive world of Shogi. But this has brought immense amount of pressure on him from his family and friends and thus for his sanity he moves into an apartment in Tokyo, far from the people who knew him. But all this has left him quite lonely and he doesn’t have any friends at his new place. But soon enough he meets Akari, Hinata and Momo Kawamoto, with whom he gets to experience real friendship and the familial bonds he longed for. It is a beautiful depiction of how someone’s life can seem to be perfect from outside when it really isn’t. You will love the dynamic bond of friendship, these four share and would root for all of them and form a bond with them by the end of anime.
6. Toradora
Sometimes you find love in a person you thought was your enemy, a polar opposite. The same happened with Taiga and Ryuji, they are not the best of friends and can’t seem to see each other eye to eye, but they have crushes on the other’s best friends and try to set them up but they become closer with each other and fall for each other instead. This anime is one of the best slice of life anime and you will definitely cry by the time it’s over. This anime will surely make you feel all sorts of emotions and you should definitely give it a watch.
5. Tatami Galaxy
The Tatami Galaxy is the story of Watashi, a third-year college student, who is living a life of regret. He spent most of his college life breaking up couples alongwith his friend Ozu. One day he shares his grievances to a stranger at a ramen shop and he is transported to his first-year when he just started college. Now he has decided to make amends to his behaviour and not regret any further. The story seems quite surreal and it is so much fun. The anime has good life lessons and morals alongwith all the fun and entertainment.
4. I want to Eat Your Pancreas
Haruki is a guy who loves solitude and is completely detached from the outer world and is a bookworm. In library he comes across a book ‘living with dying’ only to realize that it is a personal diary of one of his classmate Sakura, who has a pancreatic infection and doesn’t have much time to live. Her persistence makes him to spend next few months with her. And as their bond grows stronger and their love for each other has strengthened, it is then, Sakura has to say goodbye to this world. This anime might seem to be tragedy, but it is about living happily even when you know that you are going to die in few months. Sakura wants to spend last few months of her life happily and be content and if not for Sakura, Haruki would have missed out on the best few months of his life. Live life like it’s meant to be.
3. Your Lie In April
Your Lie in April is a musical masterpiece. It is about a prodigal pianist Kosei Arima, who now doesn’t even touch the keys of piano because it reminds him of his tragic past. For him music has become associated with tragedy, but all this changes when he meets Kaori Miyazono, a musician herself. He is enchanted by the passion and the freedom with which she plays her violin. From that day she goes on to teach Arima how to express through music, music is not burden but a way to express yourself, a medium to liberate yourself from your sorrows and tragedy. If you want beautiful and meaningful storyline with as amazing music then this is the anime for you.
2. Your Name
Your Name is about two people whose souls gets exchanged whenever they see a dream. Mitsuha is a girl from a small town, with a desire to live in Tokyo and her wish gets fulfilled when her soul is exchanged with a boy Taki, who is also a high school student in Tokyo. When their souls don’t get exchanged for a long time, Taki goes on to meet Mitsuha in her town, what follows will melt your heart for sure and will make you emotional. It is a beautiful story told in a very unique way, which is bound to touch the strings of your heart.
1. A Silent Voice
An adult Shouya Ishida is struggling with the guilt of bullying a deaf classmate in his childhood. He regrets his past behavior and sets out on a journey for redemption by meeting Shouko, the girl he bullied, just for fun. On his journey, he also tries to bring around old classmates who were part of bullying but singled out Shouya when the adults got to know him. This is a beautiful story of how your past deeds always haunt you and also how your present self is the making of your past. Shouya didn’t have any reason to bully Shouya, he and his friends did it just for fun which made Shouko’s life even more terrible, only when Shouya is ostracized by his friends, he understands the pain.
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