There is so much incredible anime in the world spanning every genre, style, and vibe you can imagine. While here at IGN we often celebrate the more classic Shōnen anime like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and One Piece, there’s another incredibly popular genre of anime that often comes up when we talk about the best series of all time. Slice of life stories have always been incredibly popular in the anime space, the unusually chill stories focus on the day to day happenings of their characters’ lives rather than any grand hero’s journey. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t hilarious, entertaining, and often completely original. From sweet shop shenanigans to a cafe run by animals, a band anime with a decades long fandom, to a sweet little kid living alone, there’s an eclectic tradition of slice of life anime and we’re celebrating the best of it.
Shirokuma Cafe
This beloved and extremely cozy anime series is adapted from the manga of the same name by Aloha Higa. Its conceit is a simple one: what if there was a polar bear who ran a cafe? It’s as charming as it sounds and introduces viewers to a delightful array of interesting and funny animals who work at and patronize the establishment. Our in character is the laid back Panda, who stumbles across the cafe while looking for a job. While he doesn’t end up working at Polar Bear Cafe, he finds employment at the nearby zoo. Though the show is populated by animals, it’s filled with introspective, interesting writing and lovely characters you’ll grow to care about. Plus, if your idea of a relaxing watch includes cute critters and coffee, you’re in luck!
Maison Ikkoku
Created by Rumiko Takahashi, Maison Ikkoku stands as one of the most famous — and best — slice of life manga of all time. The anime adapts her classic in delightful fashion as we meet the new manager of a boarding house and all of her strange and eclectic tenants. The struggling student, Yusaku Godai is living in the building and planning to leave when he meets the new manager, a surprisingly young and beautiful young woman named Kyoko Otonashi. Their relationship and burgeoning romance is arguably at the center of what makes Maison Ikkoku great, but this is far from just a romance anime. Filled with outrageous humor, hilarious— and relatable to anyone who’s done shared-living before— escapades, and lots of beautiful art, this is a great example of just how entertaining and enjoyable slice of life anime can be.
Kotaro Lives Alone
One of the most heartbreaking entries into our list, Kotaro Lives Alone is a truly unique vision of slice of life anime. Not only does the story feature a relatively unlikely setup—a small child gets their own apartment—but it’s also far more sad than most slice of life stories. Despite all of that though, this is ultimately a hopeful tale of found family and friendship. It all begins when a young boy named Kotaro moves into an apartment building without any adults. His neighbors soon become suspicious and begin to look after the young boy as if he was their own. While it’s a fun and original take, we learn over the season that the reasons why Kotaro lives alone are devastating. While this is an emotional ride, it’s one that’s definitely worth taking.
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Whisper of the Heart
Whisper of the Heart list earns its place as not only one of Studio Ghibli’s best films, but it’s also a great example of just how powerful and entertaining slice of life storytelling can be. The story follows a young girl, Shizuku Tsukishima as she tries to follow her dreams of being a writer and spends her days attending school with her friends. This is the rare Ghibli movie to take place in a bustling cityscape, giving it a different feel as Shizuku balances her day to day life with her dreams. Just like many Ghibli films there are plenty of quiet moments, and one of the film’s most important plot lines simply centers around Shizuku trying to write new lyrics to John Denver’s classic song “Country Roads”. Even though it may not be as high concept as some of Ghibli’s most famous stories, it’s a contemplative, coming of age tale that feels totally ageless.
Dagashi Kashi
The last thing that Kokonotsu Shikada wants to do is continue the family business of running his father’s candy shop. Instead he spends his time dreaming of being a mangaka (a Manga artist). But his life is turned upside down with the arrival of Hotaru Shidare, a beautiful young woman from one of the most famous snack corporations in Japan. Soon the pair begin a journey through the delicious world of sweets as Hotaru tries to convince Kokonotsu that continuing the family tradition is his destiny. Filled with delectable food, gorgeous animation, and truly wild adventures, Dagashi Kashi is one of the silliest and most wonderful entries on our watch list. Though it has a lot of fun playing with expectations and pushing boundaries at its heart, Dagashi Kashi is a truly hilarious show about the not-so-simple realities of running a sweet shop.
Nana
Ai Yazawa’s seminal manga and its beloved anime adaptation continue to grow in popularity over the years. The story of two young women both named Nana are brought together by fate in this slow burn classic, with an abundance of yearning and a uniquely bittersweet atmosphere. Nana O. wants nothing more than to be a rockstar in her band Black Stones, while Nana K. longs to join her friends and boyfriend in the big city. Soon the pair are living together and traversing life, love, and friendship in their 20s. The super cool aesthetic, memorable characters, and refusal to shy away from the harder aspects of life make this one of our favorite and more impactful slice of life stories. But a warning: both the anime and the manga are unfinished and fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the continuation of the story!
Honey and Clover
When three young men, Yūta Takemoto, Takumi Mayama and Shinobu Morita, move into the same small apartment complex together, their lives seem to be simple; bickering over food, lending each other money, and spending long evenings reminiscing. But when a beautiful, talented young woman, Hagumi “Hagu” Hanamoto, enters the picture, their lives change. This nostalgic, slow burn story captures the plight of young love set against the backdrop of studying, friendship, and self-discovery. Somber yet romantic, Honey and Clover is a soft and often slightly sad tale that will likely be deeply relatable to anyone who has been young and in love.
Flying Witch
Looking for a chilled out watch? Then you probably can’t get a more relaxing slice of life experience than Flying Witch. The 12 episode series follows a young witch, Makoto Kowata, as she leaves the hustle and bustle of Yokohama to live with her cousins in a rural Japanese prefecture. Each episode follows their day-to-day life as she learns the ins and outs of being a witch. This is the kind of anime which gives you plenty of time to breathe and introduces a landscape and space that you’ll want to spend time in. If you’re a fan of cooking in anime, there’s some all-time delicious food sequences as Makoto and her family spend their time together. There’s magic here but it’s woven into the recognizable nature of our world.
Nichijou
This hilarious and childlike slice of life tale follows the eclectic inhabitants of a small town. While things appear normal at first when we meet high school trio Mio Naganohara, Yuuko Aioi and Mai Minakami, who live in Tokisadame; soon we learn that things aren’t always what they seem. Some of the neighbors include a talking cat, a robot, and a genius. This is a place where everyday is fun and filled with humor, and never a dull moment. Many anime lovers consider Nichijou one of the funniest anime of all time. Plus, at only 26 episodes this is a relatively easy anime to catch up with or binge over a slow weekend!
Laid-Back Camp
An outdoorsy delight, Laid-Back Camp is just what the title promises; a cute slice of life story about the joys of camping. Rin Shima loves nothing more than a solo camping trip; there’s a quiet serenity that comes from exploring the great outdoors and spending time alone. But when she meets Nadeshiko Kagamihara, Rin is swept into the school camping club and begins to spread her wings as the crew explores Japan. Camping and coming of age together, this series is sweet, warm, and nostalgic; making you want to sit by a roaring fire with your pals.
March Comes in Like a Lion
After losing his parents and sister as a young child, Rei Kiriyama has found himself adrift. After being raised by a family friend, he struggled to fit in and eventually took off on his own. This melancholic beginning leads to a heart-warming yet psychological character study about Rei finding his own friends and family as he pursues his career as a professional Shogi player. Uniquely melding sports, romance, and slice of life, this is a critically acclaimed anime that will grip you as you follow Rei attempting to grow from his trauma and find his place in life.
Clannad
Arguably one of the most well-thought of slice of life anime of all time, Clannad is based on a popular visual novel and has been adapted into four manga series, two popular anime series and an animated film over the years. The story follows Tomoya Okazaki, a delinquent young man who struggles with schooling and finding inspiration. That all changes when a quirky young woman, Nagisa Furukawa, befriends him as she walks to school. Soon he becomes entangled in her everyday life, including helping her revive the school drama club. Together with a group of young women, Tomoya begins to find meaning and friendship in this heartfelt and moving story. But viewers beware: if you watch the sequel Clannad: After Story, be ready to have your heart broken. It’s some of the saddest anime you’ll ever watch.
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of experience in entertainment journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more.
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