Slice-Of-Life: The Palate Cleanser of Anime
Perfect after a long, hard day.
Imagine that you’re a full-time student or worker. You had a very long day, and once you get home you want nothing more than to unwind for the rest of the night. One of the ways you do that is by watching some anime. The problem is that you’re in no mood for intense action scenes but you also don’t want to watch anything else. You want something more low-key, maybe even something light-hearted enough to give you cozy feelings the longer you watch it.
So, what do you do?
Well, why not watch a slice-of-life anime? They don’t have many action scenes and, outside of some exceptions, are generally twelve episodes long so you would be able to finish the whole series. (Or season, if the anime has more than one.) It’s a good way to help decompress after a long, hard day.
What is Slice-of-Life?
Slice-of-life is a genre of anime that focuses primarily on the “everyday aspect” of life. Unlike most anime, where the story is plot-driven, slice-of-life is more character-driven; that means that the relationship and interactions between the main cast are the central focus of the show.
At the end of the day, the appeal of this kind of anime is to be a window into the characters’ lives. It can be about something as routine as being in school or working at a job, all the while putting the focus on how the characters interact with others in their daily lives.
And the thing about slice-of-life anime is that they aren’t as heavily advertised like, for instance, a shonen anime. A lot of the time, you would discover a slice-of-life anime when you stumble across it on a streaming service, or you hear about it through social media. But that doesn’t make it a bad thing. After all, you might find something to your liking.
Fun in Comedy
If there’s one thing we can agree on that can lighten up the mood, it’s comedy. And slice-of-life anime is full of them. For some anime, the comedy is the draw of the show.
One of the best examples I can think of is The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Even ignoring the titular protagonist’s psychic abilities, the main focus of the show is him growing bored by all the “fortune” that his abilities bring. This is as he is trying to live life as if he’s a normal person while hiding the fact that he’s psychic from anyone that isn’t his parents. His deadpan commentary on the happenings around him takes the cake, especially when it comes to interacting with his kooky classmates who just can’t seem to leave him alone for some reason.
The type of comedy varies with the anime. Other forms of comedy might be more over the top, with exaggerated facial expressions or outlandish situations that the characters find themselves in. And because comedy is subjective, it’s going to be entirely dependent on what your preferred form of comedy is if you’re going to watch an anime.
But then again, you wouldn’t watch a slice-of-life anime if you’re not looking for some humor to lighten up your mood now, would you?
Simplicity Is Key
Slice-of-life is what I call the “palate cleanser” of anime. Not only are they not very information or action-heavy, they also lack the general conflict or the high stakes that you would expect from other anime. Here, viewers can watch with ease, or have it play in the background if there are still things that need to be done at home.
For example, let’s talk about Laid-Back Camp, which is essentially about a group of girls who go camping. On paper, that sounds like a boring concept. Who would watch a show about a bunch of people going camping? Especially if you don’t even care for camping?
Well, that would be true, if camping was all the anime was about. Laid-Back Camp doesn’t just focus on the aspect of camping, it focuses on the main cast’s interactions with one another, before or during the camping trip. And since camping involves being out in the wilderness, viewers are treated to visually-gorgeous scenes just as Mt. Fuji or the sunrise over a lake. When you watch Laid-Back Camp, it’s almost as if you’re right alongside the girls when they’re on their way to the campsite, exploring the environment around them or cooking and eating meals while camping.
I originally watched this anime with very few expectations, but I came out of it loving the cozy atmosphere of the show and also learning a couple of camping tips or two, even if it’s unlikely that I’ll go camping anytime soon.
What I’m trying to say is that the appeal of slice-of-life anime is just how simple it is compared to many other shows where action and the plot have a huge focus. It’s amazing how you can get so much out of so little.
Overall, slice-of-life anime isn’t the most exciting thing to watch. It isn’t action-oriented compared to shows like Naruto or Bleach, nor are they heavily advertised in general compared to more well-known kinds of anime. And for some people, younger fans especially, they’re super boring, and nothing really happens in the show.
But for others, especially older fans, it’s the perfect show to watch when you want to unwind. The simplistic and generally light-hearted atmosphere provides a sense of comfort to help alleviate a long day’s worth of stress.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice slice-of-life anime for the evening!
