Slice of Life Anime Recommendations

Many people when they hear the word β€œanime,” they think of shows like Naruto and Dragon Ball Z, and believe that’s all the genre has to offer, when in reality, there’s so much more to it than that. Anime is defined as a β€œstyle of Japanese television and animation,” so there is much more to the genre than just the standard action anime that everyone knows of.

There’s music, sport, romance, and even β€œslice of life” anime. β€œSlice of life” animes are essentially animes that follow the daily life of a (usually) ordinary person, therefore you’re literally getting a slice of their life. Often, they’re very easy to watch and perfect for beginner anime fans. If slice of life anime sounds interesting to you, here are some recommendations to start you off:

Haikyuu!!

Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu

4 Seasons, 85 Episodes

Haikyuu!! is centered around Hinata Shoyo at Karasuno High School where he strives to become the next Tiny Giant, a figure he looked up to in his childhood for his success in volleyball, despite his short stature. Even if you know nothing about volleyball, Haikyuu!! is still a great anime to get into. The matches are riveting yet easy to follow, and they keep you on the edge of your seat. Even when the characters are not playing, the show is just as interesting. However, Haikyuu!! is more than a show about high school volleyball- it’s about passion, friendship, pushing yourself past your limits, self-sacrifice for the good of a team, learning from your defeats, and so much more. Many people may be wary of it due to not being a huge fan of sports, but take it from someone who literally does not know the first thing about any sport ever- it’s worth it. 

Horimiya

Funimation, Hulu

1 Season, 13 Episodes

Hori-san to Miyamura-Kun, or Horimiya, for short, follows Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura, two third-year high school students. The two begin as classmates who don’t speak, but after a run-in outside of school, Hori and Miyamura find themselves growing closer together. Despite following around regular high school students, doing regular high school things, Horimiya manages to make the average high school experience look wildly entertaining. Horimiya is a really good starter anime, as the plot is easy to follow and it only has 13 episodes as of now, so you won’t be too overwhelmed trying to catch up.

Mob Psycho 100

Crunchyroll

2 Seasons, 26 Episodes

Mob Psycho 100 stars Kageyama Shigeo, or Mob, for short, a middle schooler with psychic powers. Despite his abilities, Mob tries to navigate through the world as normally as possible. Well, as normally as a powerful child psychic can be. Although the supernatural element is a big part of the story, a lot of Mob Psycho 100 is about Mob trying to be a regular kid and navigating through his emotions as a teenager, which is one of the most human, everyday things there is. Mob is quite a relatable main character, especially for those who have trouble with their emotions. Even with all the action, Mob Psycho 100 offers some of the best life lessons in the most interesting ways. For example, it teaches the audience that it’s more important to be a good person than to be powerful, and to not take advantage of that said power. Mob Psycho 100 is definitely one of my favorites as well, as it’s so fun to watch and easy to get into. The art style is so unique, the characters are all so well-written and loveable, it’s absolutely hilarious, and the opening themes are the best thing ever.

Your Lie in April

Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu

1 Season, 26 Episodes

Get your tissues ready, this one’s a tearjerker. Your Lie in April follows Kousei Arima, a reserved piano prodigy who’s lost his passion for the instrument, and Kaori Miyazono, a spirited violinist that lights up Kousei’s world with every note she plays. Your Lie in April is one of the most relatable anime you’ll see. It deals with loss, love, rejection, complicated family relationships, finding yourself again, everyday experiences that everyone can relate to. It’s just so powerful and touching, it truly has the ability to make you feel the full spectrum of human emotions in just 26 episodes. The music in the show is just otherworldly, it’ll definitely be nostalgic to those with a musical background.  Plus, it’s April, which means it’s the perfect time to watch!

A Silent Voice 

Netflix

2 Hours, 9 Minutes

A Silent Voice is one of the more well known anime, but when you watch it, you’ll understand why. It follows Shoya, a boy suffering from anxiety and depression, and Shouko, a girl who is impaired with deafness. The movie follows Shoya and Shouko’s journey to reconciliation, after Shoya had bullied Shouko as a child and it’s one hundred percent worth the watch. The film deals with topics such as forgiveness of others, as well as yourself, anxiety, depression, bullying, and so much more. It’ll make you smile, laugh, cry, angry, sad, emotional, it’s truly an emotional rollercoaster. A Silent Voice is beautiful in every aspect, and definitely worth the watch.

Hopefully one of these choices piques your interest and gets you interested in starting to watch anime. I mean if we’re still quarantined, might as well, right?