The slice of life genre can contain hilarious comedic moments, serious drama, and even a bit of romance — it all depends on what viewers are looking for. Still, fans and critics alike agree that certain shows are the cream of the crop and are more likely than most to be enjoyed by those that give them a try.
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Updated January 10, 2023 by Mark Sammut: Fall 2022 has ended, and while the season did not produce an all-time great slice of life anime, shows like Do It Yourself!! and Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit were decent additions to the genre. Will Winter 2023 follow suit?
22 YuruYuri: Happy Go Lucky
A prominent slice of life subgenre is known as “cute girls doing cute things,” and these anime generally deliver exactly what they advertise on the tin. Initially, YuruYuri comes across as a stereotypical example of this type of story; it brings together four girls with archetypal personalities and doesn’t do a lot with them. At least, that is the case for most of the anime’s opening season.
After that point, YuruYuri improves quickly and considerably. The show gets progressively weirder as it introduces more secondary characters who all seem to have a crush on each other. It is also consistently funny.
21 March Comes In Like A Lion
March Comes In Like a Lion is a fantastic series with gorgeous animation, realistic and relatable characters, and intelligent writing. While certainly worth recommending based purely on its quality, the show’s depiction of depression and the first season’s extensive focus on shogi means March Comes In Like a Lion might not be what everyone is searching for in a slice of life anime.
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The second season is particularly strong, but it is also emotionally draining. At times, March Comes In Like a Lion ismore of a drama with slice of life elements than the other way around.
20 Komi Can’t Communicate
Airing its second season during Spring 2022, Komi Can’t Communicate’s sophomore effort solidified the show’s position among the best slice of life anime of the modern era. Due to experiencing intense social anxiety, Shoko Komi has spent most of her life alone, her silence misunderstood for aloofness and snobbishness. Determined to change things in high school, Komi sets out to make a hundred friends, a journey that commences when she befriends the unpopular Hitohito Tadano.
Komi Can’t Communicate is an uplifting show that offers quite a realistic look into anxiety, particularly during its first couple of episodes. Komi and Tadano’s relationship is sweet, and their friendship paves the way for quirkier characters to be introduced.
19 Lucky Star
Released in 2007, Lucky Star’s influence on the slice of life genre can still be seen today. This show helped write the blueprint on how to put together a modern “cute girls doing cute things” anime; consequently, the series can feel a bit uninspired if revisited today.
Slow paced even for a slice of life anime, Lucky Star lives and dies by its characters. Konata Izumi is the anime’s resident otaku and most popular figure, but the rest of the cast should not be dismissed either. Kagami’s antagonistic personality is especially important for Lucky Star’s humor. Just be warned, the first episode is not the anime’s strongest.
18 K-On!
A classic of the slice of life genre, K-On! revolves around the daily lives of the Light Music Club’s members. Although the anime is not devoid of memorable songs, music takes a backseat in favor of comedy in K-On! All of the central girls are innately likable, and it is a pleasure to watch their friendships grow across the two seasons and movie.
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K-On!’s popularity led to many imitators, so much so that the series can feel a bit by the numbers in this day and age. However, it is still one of the best slice of life anime of the last two decades.
17 My Dress-Up Darling
A front-runner for one of Winter 2022’s best anime, My Dress-Up Darling is wholesomeness captured in animated form. Revolving around the friendship between Marin Kitagawa and Wakana Gojou, My Dress-Up Darling has cosplay, positive vibes, and hints of romance stemming from a dynamic that feels genuine.
Beautifully animated and irresistibly charming, this series knocks it out of the park, and the show’s focus on cosplay helps it stand out from other slice of life anime with romantic overtones. The central couple’s relationship develops quite a bit throughout the first season to coincide with their evolving relationship.
16 Natsume’s Book Of Friends
Capable of seeing Yokai, Natsume inherits a book from his grandmother containing the names of various spirits. This grants the book’s owner control over the Yokai, making it a highly desirable commodity in the spirit world.
On the surface, Natsume’s Book of Friends has all the trappings of an action series, just with one significant difference: Natsume decides to free the Yokai by returning their names. With the exception of an occasional dramatic burst courtesy of a flashback or an especially violent Yokai, Natsume’s Book of Friends moves at a slow and calm pace. This anime is tranquil, touching, and elegant.
15 Bunny Drop
After his grandfather passes away, Daikichi learns that his relative had an illegitimate child named Rin. This news comes as a shock to the entire family, who react by rejecting Rin at her father’s funeral, prompting Daikichi to adopt the young girl.
Putting aside a heavy opening episode, Bunny Drop quickly slips into a heartwarming rhythm as it earnestly explores the blossoming relationship between Daikichi and Rin. A ground tale about two people finding solace in each other, this anime is beautiful.
14 Wagnaria!!
Most people have worked a service industry job like in a restaurant in their lifetime. However, few have had such a wacky arrangement of coworkers wrapping them up in increasingly silly antics. How many kitchens have a floor chief that swings a katana around?
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Wagnaria!! has highly laughable moments spliced in over a backdrop that almost anyone can identify with making it incredibly satisfying to watch. It’s certain to put a smile on anyone’s face.
13 Maison Ikkoku
This classic ’70s anime has inspired many slice of life shows that have come after. Maison Ikkoku takes place at a boarding house, which is what the anime is named after, and follows Yuusaku Godai as he falls head over heels in love with the new manager there — Kyoko Otonashi.
The eccentric tenants of the boarding house offer many light-hearted moments as the romance between the two blossoms into something truly special.
12 Horimiya
Horimiya was the most-watched romantic comedy debut of all time. Its charming and relatable characters won over the hearts of fans and it was one of the most popular anime of the Winter 2021 season.
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It’s both down-to-earth and has surprisingly spicy moments for a slice of life show. This show tends to lack the forced drama of other romances as well making it surprisingly refreshing to watch.
11 Fruits Basket (2019)
Fruits Basket has its share of intense or heartbreaking moments that make it considerably more dramatic than the average slice of life anime. As such, if someone is looking for a completely carefree series, this is not it.
Fruits Basket is about Tooru Honda, an optimistic girl who ends up living with the Souma family.
While generally kind and welcoming, the family has been hiding quite a secret. Fruits Basket dedicates plenty of time to developing Tooru’s relationships with the Souma clan, particularly Yuki and Kyou, and the anime does a great job of exploring each main character.
10 Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
Who hasn’t suddenly woken up from a night of drinking after climbing a mountain and meeting a dragon only to find the dragon now wants to serve them as a maid? The premise for the show is quite silly but Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is more heartwarming than most other shows out there.
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The show has an isolated and lonely programmer in Kobayashi, who slowly opens up as her household expands alongside the other dragons that slowly start coming to the human world.
9 Daily Lives Of Highschool Boys
With “daily lives” right in the title, it’s easy to see how this is a slice of life anime. This show is basically the stories imagined up by its three main characters — Hidenori, Yoshitake, and Tadakuni.
The scenarios can range from an epic RPG fight to anything else high school boys might think up. It’s a lot of wacky fun and shows what life is like for those that let go now and then.
8 Clannad
Based on a 2004 visual novel and known to occasionally inspire waterfalls of tears, Clannad and especially its sequel, Clannad: After Story, are cornerstones of the slice of life genre. The anime revolves around Tomoya Okazaki, a high school student who just has a knack for getting involved with girls who might have an issue or two.
The first season is a passable slice of life drama that does a decent job of establishing the main characters. Clannad: After Story follows Tomoya and Nagisa in their post-high school lives. Most slice of life anime capture a specific period of life, typically childhood or adolescence, but Clannad goes beyond that. It shows the characters growing, changing, finding love, and experiencing loss.
7 Aria
Slice of life anime set in picturesque Japanese rural villages or Tokyo will never grow old, however, there is something to be said about the occasional trip to a more exotic location. Aria takes place in Neo-Venezia, a gorgeous city on the planet Aqua. Although there are a handful of fantastical touches, Neo-Venezia is not far removed from Italy’s Venice, so much so that “Aria” refers to a gondolier company.
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Aria massages the mind, body, and soul with tranquil trips through alien canals alongside lovable characters who frequently stop to take in the beauty of the surrounding scenery. Aria is magical; a slice of life anime that teleports the audience to a strange but familiar world and just lets them enjoy it without any tension or conflict.
6 Azumanga Daioh: The Animation
Azumanga Daioh is rightfully hailed as a classic, and the anime has aged incredibly well despite being nearly 20 years old. At its heart, this is another show that follows the everyday lives of a group of high school girls, but what separates Azumanga Daioh from other anime is its commitment to realism.
All the girls are three-dimensional people with strengths, flaws, insecurities, and quirks. The characters are genuine and unforgettable because of it. The humor might not be as outlandish as some other slice of life anime, but Azumanga Daioh is nevertheless hilarious.
5 Nichijou - My Ordinary Life
This anime is by far one of the most hilarious shows in all of existence. Seriously, even people who haven’t even watched the show will recognize its characters from various memes across the internet.
The show focuses on the daily lives of a trio of high school girls and lifelong friends. There are certainly traditional moments but its over-the-top nature is part of what gives this show incredible amounts of charm.
4 Laid-Back Camp
Rin has only ever camped all alone by herself at the foot of Mount Fuji but soon that’s all about to change. She’s forced out of her usual solidarity due to a mishap in plans for her trip and has to make friends with the only other person she can find to get through.
With season 2 ranking among the best slice of life comedy anime of 2021, there are plenty of camping adventures to watch for fans who fall in love with the show.
3 Silver Spoon
It’s hard to believe that both Silver Spoon and Full Metal Alchemist were created by Hiromu Arakawa but it’s true! This show is far less dramatic than the adventures of the Elric brothers and instead focuses on what farm life looks like.
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The show doesn’t shy away from things like butchering animals and where eggs actually come from but manages to keep even these topics pretty light. Watching Yuugo slowly find himself in this farming high school is incredibly rewarding for all that come along on the journey.
