Slice of life anime
Slice of life anime may seem rather aimless at times, and some don’t even have a proper narrative. However, such anime typically focus on the relationships between the characters, the characters’ personal growths, as well as the deeper philosophies of life.
From comedy to iyashikei, there is a wide variety of slice of life anime for you to choose from. We have sorted them into their respective themes for your convenience – but you can also choose to simply binge them all.
– Fantasy –
1. Violet Evergarden
Image credit: TVアニメ『ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン』
After the Great War was won, the continent of Telesis slowly began to recover and thrive once more. The story follows the titular character Violet Evergarden, a girl who was raised for the sole purpose of fighting in the war.
Many who knew Violet described her as a weapon disguised as a human, given her absolute obedience to her superiors and her proficiency at killing.
Violet starts working at a postal service and witnesses an Auto Memory Doll – writers who help those who are unable to write or express themselves – at work. Feeling inspired, Violet starts working as an Auto Memory Doll.
Violet Evergarden is a heartwarming anime about a young girl, wounded by the ills of war, whose goal is to eventually learn what her mentor Major Gilbert meant by his last words, “I love you”. By working as an Auto Memory Doll, Violet starts to understand her own emotions and how to express them.
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Slice-of-life
Length: 13 episodes
Release date: 11th January 2018
Video credit: KyoaniChannel
2. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
Image credit: TVアニメ「小林さんちのメイドラゴン」
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid follows Kobayashi, who comes face to face with a dragon when she leaves her apartment to go to work. The initial terror quickly dissipates as the dragon transforms into an adorable and lively young girl, Tooru, who is dressed in a maid outfit.
This bizarre situation was actually brought upon by Kobayashi herself. The night before, she got drunk and travelled to the mountains, where she met Tooru. As Tooru had nowhere to go, Kobayashi offered to let Tooru stay in her house.
Tooru accepts Kobayashi’s gracious offer, and out of her gratitude for Kobayashi, Tooru vows to help her out by becoming her own personal maid.
Despite Kobayashi’s initial reluctance, she eventually agreed to take Tooru in to honour her promise – even though it was made when she was drunk – and also because of Tooru’s amazing dragon abilities.
Watch as Kobayashi attempts to navigate her life amidst Tooru’s incompetence as a maid and the disruptions she causes due to her being a dragon. Can the two get along despite all their differences?
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Slice-of-life
Length: 2 seasons, 25 episodes
Release date: 12th January 2017
Video credit: KyoaniChannel
3. Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary)
Image credit: TVアニメ『境界の彼方』
Kuriyama Mirai is a Spirit Warrior and the last remaining survivor of her clan. With the special ability to use blood as her weapon, Mirai hunts monsters – also known as youmu (妖夢; dreamshade) – that are born from the culmination of negative human emotions.
Most youmu are not hostile and are able to coexist peacefully with humans, but there are some that are dangerous – hence the need for Spirit Warriors to deal with them.
One day, Mirai meets Kanbara Akihito, a half-youmu, half-human hybrid who is immortal. Mirai forms an unconventional friendship with Akihito, where she constantly attempts to kill him in order to hone her own abilities as a Spirit Warrior.
Akihito manages to convince Mirai to join the Literary Club in their school, where two other Spirit Warriors are also members. Together, the group has to fight off the ultimate youmu, Beyond the Boundary, and their triumph will count towards Mirai’s own progression in her Spirit Warrior combat abilities.
Genre: Fantasy, Slice-of-life, Supernatural
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 3rd October 2013
Video credit: KyoaniChannel
4. Mahoutsukai no Yome (The Ancient Magus’ Bride)
Image credit: TVアニメ『魔法使いの嫁』
Hatori Chise is a 15-year-old orphan who auctioned off herself as a desperate attempt to have a place to call home. She was eventually sold for five million pounds to Elias Ainsworth, a half-human, half-fae magus.
Elias tells Chise that she is a Sleigh Beggy – a special type of magus that can conjure magic from both their surroundings and from within themselves. However, their special abilities also serve to weaken them greatly, and most Sleigh Beggys die prematurely as a result.
Elias bought Chise with the aim of prolonging her life by giving her trinkets that can suppress her magic while training her to use her powers properly.
Mahoutsukai no Yome tells a story of two ostracised individuals finding a sense of belonging in each other in a world of fantasy and magic.
Genre: Fantasy, Slice-of-life
Length: 24 episodes
Release date: 8th October 2017
Video credit: SHOCHIKUch
– School –
5. Clannad
Image credit: Kyoto Animation
Okazaki Tomoya is a delinquent in his senior year of high school. He often skips school as he finds his life to be monotonous and unfulfilling. One day, he meets Furukawa Nagisa, who is repeating her senior year due to an illness.
Upon meeting Nagisa, the two of them develop a friendship, and Tomoya learns that Nagisa’s dream is to join the drama club and perform on stage. However, the drama club was disbanded the previous year.
Having much time on his hands, Tomoya decides to help Nagisa achieve her dream, starting by recruiting enough members to revive the drama club. In doing so, Tomoya meets four other girls each with their own set of problems.
Tomoya helps each of them overcome their personal problems and realises that his life is gradually becoming meaningful along the way.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice-of-life, Supernatural
Length: 2 seasons, 47 episodes
Release date: 5th October 2007
Video credit: TBS Global Business
6. Komi Can’t Communicate
Image credit: TVアニメ『古見さんは、コミュ症です。』
Tadano Hitohito is an average high school student who just wants a peaceful school life free from any trouble. His plan is almost immediately wrecked when he finds out that his new seating arrangement puts him next to the prettiest girl in school, Komi Shouko.
Komi is beloved by boys and girls alike, which means that Tadao is now in a tough spot as his peers’ jealousy singles him out as a target.
As Tadano gets to know Komi, however, he finds out something about her that most people aren’t aware of. Behind her apathetic and mysterious persona, Komi actually has crippling anxiety which prevents her from communicating properly with her peers.
As Tadano gets to know Komi better by communicating through a blackboard, he finds out that Komi has a goal to make 100 friends by the time she graduates. Tadano decides to help Komi with her goal by not only becoming her first friend, but also by helping her communicate with others so that she can continue to make more friends.
Genre: Comedy, Slice-of-life
Length: 2 seasons, 24 episodes
Release date: 7th October 2021
Video credit: SHOPRO
7. Isshuukan Friends
Image credit: 『一週間フレンズ。』
Hase Yuuki is a 16-year-old high school student who has a crush on Fujimiya Kaori, a sweet and reserved girl from his class. One day, Yuuki finds Kaori eating her lunch alone on the school’s rooftop and decides to join her from then on. However, as the end of the week slowly approaches, Kaori starts to distance herself from Yuuki.
Kaori reveals that the reason behind her coldness towards Yuuki is because at the end of each week, her memory will be completely wiped. Her unfortunate situation was a result of an accident she had in middle school, and is likely to have manifested because of her trauma.
In order to avoid causing pain to others, Kaori began isolating herself, and as a result, she’s no longer able to make friends like she used to.
Genre: Comedy, Slice-of-life
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 7th April 2014
Video credit: TOHO animation チャンネル
8. Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru
Image credit: やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。公式
Hikigaya Hachiman is a jaded and narcissistic high school student with nihilistic views that separate him from the other students in his school, rendering him an outcast.
Hachiman writes an essay that essentially mocks his peers for the way that they conduct themselves – solely for the sake of fitting in – and says that they are not worthy of living.
Upset about Hachiman’s controversial piece of writing, his teacher forces him to join the Volunteer Service Club – a club that seeks to help students with their problems. The club’s only other member is Yukinoshita Yukino, a gorgeous but unfriendly girl who is an outcast because of her beauty.
By forcing Hachiman to join the club, his teacher hopes that helping other students can change his nihilistic outlook on life.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice-of-life
Length: 3 seasons, 38 episodes
Release date: 5th April 2013
Video credit: Madman Anime
– Romance –
9. Horimiya
Image credit: TVアニメ「ホリミヤ」
Hori Kyouko is the most popular girl in her class and is known for both her beauty and brains. Outside of school, however, she does not put much effort into her appearance and dresses rather plainly.
One day, Hori coincidentally meets her classmate Miyamura Izumi – an introverted bespectacled nerd – outside of school. Although she was embarrassed to be seen in her awfully plain getup, she was more surprised by Miyamura’s exposed tattoos and piercings.
Having both discovered each others’ secrets, the two befriend each other and gradually grow to become close friends who can confide in each other.
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice-of-life
Length: 13 episodes
Release date: 10th January 2021
Video credit: アニプレックス YouTube チャンネル
10. ReLIFE
Image credit: TVアニメ「ReLIFE」
27-year-old Kaizaki Arata is a struggling adult who is hopping from job to job after resigning from his first company. One day, Arata meets Yoake Ryou, an employee of the ReLIFE Institute who offers him a pill, stating that it is a second chance at life.
Thinking nothing much of it, Arata swallows the pill Ryou gives him and wakes up the next morning realising that he has physically reverted back to his 17-year-old self.
Ryou later explains that Arata is now part of an experiment that requires him to attend high school again for a year. Arata has to juggle the tough life of a senior year student and make new friends, all while being observed by Ryou as part of the experiment.
Genre: Drama, Romance, Slice-of-life
Length: 13 episodes
Release date: 2nd July 2016
Video credit: comico
11. My Little Monster
Image credit: アニメ「となりの怪物くん」
My Little Monster features Mizutani Shizuku, a cold and seemingly unfeeling high school student who only cares about her grades.
One day, Shizuku meets Yoshida Haru – a hot-headed delinquent who rarely attends school – and the two of them develop a friendship.
Shizuku realises that like herself, Haru is also socially awkward and as a result, does not have any friends. Haru decides to befriend Shizuku and proclaims his love for her, but Shizuku is unable to understand their relationship.
Shizuku discovers that underneath Haru’s harsh exterior lies a sweet and gentle boy and eventually falls in love with him. Will Shizuku be able to process her feelings for Haru and allow their friendship to escalate into a romantic one?
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice-of-life
Length: 13 episodes
Release date: 2nd October 2012
Video credit: NIS America
12. Ao Haru Ride
Image credit: TVアニメ『アオハライド』
Yoshioka Futaba is a 16-year-old high school student who used to have a cute and feminine personality, causing her to be well-liked by the guys in her class. However, her popularity with the guys led to her being ostracised by the girls.
At that time, Futaba did not mind as she had Tanaka Kou, the boy she liked back then. However, Kou soon moved away to Nagasaki and she was left all alone in school.
In the present, Futaba adopts a tomboyish personality to prevent history from repeating itself. However, her life is turned upside down when she is reunited with Kou. Futaba realises that Kou has changed since the last time she met him; he is now apathetic and distant, in contrast to his warm and emotional self back then.
As Futaba learns about what happened to Kou, she falls in love with him all over again. Will the two be able to develop their friendship into something more?
Genre: Drama, Romance, Slice-of-life
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 8th July 2014
Video credit: TOHO animation チャンネル
– Comedy –
13. Daily Lives of High School Boys
Image credit: TVアニメ「男子高校生の日常」
Daily Lives of High School Boys revolves around the comedic antics of three high school students, Tabata Hidenori, Tanaka Yoshitake, and Tadakuni.
Hidenori is the group’s idiosyncratic leader who usually involves the others in his crazy schemes, Yoshitake is the blond-haired idiot who would typically go along with Hidenori’s schemes, while Tadakuni is the most rational of the three.
The boys’ lives are often portrayed to be full of action, drama, and romance – but that’s only in their imaginations. In reality, they are just a bunch of ordinary guys making the most out of the mundane.
An anime about the daily lives of high school students might not seem like much, but the absurdity of some of their antics make it difficult not to burst out laughing.
Genre: Comedy, Slice-of-life
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 10th January 2012
Video credit: NIS America
14. Grand Blue
Image credit: TVアニメ「ぐらんぶる」
Kitahara Iori starts a new chapter of his life at Izu University, and moves to his uncle’s apartment, which is located above his scuba diving shop Grand Blue.
Iori looks forward to leading a fulfilling university life, but his plans are quickly foiled by the members of the local diving club, who party and drink more than they actually dive. Iori ends up repeatedly getting caught up in their antics, but also gets to learn more about the beauty of diving and the wonders of the ocean.
Grand Blue is a hilarious series about a young man starting his unexpectedly bizarre freshman year at university surrounded by a bunch of muscular divers who evidently love to party.
Genre: Comedy, Slice-of-life
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 14th July 2018
Video credit: NBCUniversal Anime / Music
15. Sakamoto Desu ga?
Image credit: 坂本ですが？ 公式ホームページ
Sakamoto is not your typical student. In fact, he is perfect and flawless in every way. Elegant, charming, and reliable, Sakamoto is truly the ideal student not only to his peers, but also to his teachers.
All the girls in Sakamoto’s school swoon over his alluring charm, and as a result, the guys are all jealous of him. Many attempt to prank the perfect Sakamoto but fail to do so.
Sakamoto always emerges from these pranks completely unharmed and unbothered, and even manages to look extra suave in the process. When that happens, even the guys cannot deny his charm.
It seems that there is nothing that this perfect student cannot do, and there is nothing that can embarrass him as everything he does simply screams perfection.
Genre: Comedy, Slice-of-life
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 8th April 2016
Video credit: TBS Global Business
16. Nichijou
Image credit:「日常」オフィシャルサイト
Now that you have heard about the Daily Lives of High School Boys, Nichijou can be said to be the girl version of the comedic series. Nichijou (日常), literally meaning “everyday”, is an anime that revolves around the everyday lives of three highschool girls – Aioi Yuuko, Minakami Mai, and Naganohara Mio.
The three girls have perfect comedic chemistry with one another. Being idiosyncratic and extremely reactive, the three girls always seem to land themselves in absurd situations.
The story of the daily comedic antics of these three childhood friends intertwine with the other quirky characters in Nichijou, including an 8-year-old genius scientist Hakase, who built an android schoolgirl named Nano.
Genre: Comedy, Slice-of-life
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 8th April 2016
Video credit: KADOKAWAanime
– Iyashikei –
Iyashikei (癒し系) is a genre that usually goes hand-in-hand with slice-of-life media. The term means “healing” in Japanese, and anime with this theme tend to instil a peaceful calm in their audience.
Iyashikei stories tend to focus on character development, heartwarming moments between said characters, or even the philosophical sentiments of life. Anime with this theme could also be a tribute or appreciation for the little things in life.
17. Barakamon
Image credit: TVアニメ「ばらかもん」
Handa Seishuu is a talented but narcissistic calligrapher who once punched a director of an art gallery just because he criticised Handa’s calligraphy, saying that it was too “rigid”, “dull”, and “empty”.
As punishment for his actions, Handa’s father exiles him to the rural Goto Islands so that Handa could reflect on himself while developing his calligraphy style for the better.
Handa finds himself constantly interrupted by nosy children, especially Kotoishi Naru, a curious and lively 6-year-old who loves to visit Handa’s house to play. However, as the story progresses, Handa starts to find value in his interactions with the residents of the island, Naru in particular.
These distractions that he loathed in the beginning have now become a crucial factor in Handa’s personal character development as well as in finding his own calligraphy style.
Genre: Comedy, Slice-of-life
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 6th July 2014
![ばらかもん PV第3弾 [Barakamon]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u1pCw1Cr3_U/sddefault.jpg)
Video credit: Kinema Citrus via NicoTubeAnime012
18. Girls’ Last Tour
Image credit: TVアニメ「少女終末旅行」
Girls’ Last Tour is not your typical slice-of-life anime given that it is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The story follows two girls, Chito and Yuuri, as they navigate through the wastelands while trying to survive.
The girls are often on the lookout for food and resources, occasionally meeting other survivors along the way. As the two of them are often by themselves, they have to deal with feelings of loneliness and longing for the pre-apocalyptic past.
Unlike other post-apocalyptic shows, Girls’ Last Tour is neither jam-packed with action, nor does it contain the typical thrill of survival in a barren world. Instead, much of the show is about the girls’ interactions with each other and how the two of them banter in order to both pass the time as well as to comfort each other.
Despite the gloomy and bleak backdrop of the show, Girls’ Last Tour is a feel-good anime that befits the iyashikei theme. It is truly heartwarming to watch the two girls find hope in such a dark and desolate world.
Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Slice-of-life
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 6th October 2017
Video credit: KADOKAWAanime
19. Sweetness & Lightning
Image credit: 甘々と稲妻 – 読売テレビ
Inuzuka Kouhei is a busy single father who looks after his 5-year-old daughter Tsumugi to the best of his abilities, despite being busy at work as a teacher. Although Kouhei is doing the best he can for Tsumugi, he can’t help but feel frustrated at his inability to provide a nutritional home-cooked meal for her due to a lack of time and cooking skills.
One day, Kouhei meets Iida Kotori, a student at the school where he teaches. She invites them to eat dinner with her as her mom is often away for work, leaving her alone at home for most of her meals.
Wanting to let his daughter eat delicious food instead of constantly dining on the bento (弁当; boxed lunch) from convenience stores, Kouhei agrees to have dinner with Kotori and the two of them learn to cook various recipes together from then on.
Sweetness and Lightning is a wholesome iyashikei anime about a doting father who learns how to cook for the sake of providing his daughter with delicious and nutritious home-cooked meals.
Genre: Comedy, Gourmet, Slice-of-life
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 5th July 2016
Video credit: 東映ビデオ
20. Gakuen Babysitters
Image credit: TVアニメ「学園ベビーシッターズ」
After losing their parents in an unfortunate plane crash, Kashima Ryuuichi and Kotarou were taken in by the chairwoman of Morinomiya Academy, an elite school. Incidentally, the chairwoman lost her son and his wife in the same plane crash.
However, the reason for taking them in was not out of altruism, but because she needed a babysitter to look after her employees’ children. This daycare centre was an initiative that was started for the sake of assisting the teachers that work at the academy.
From a very young age, Ryuuichi has been his brother’s primary caretaker – even before the plane crash – as their parents were never really present back then. As a result, his experience now comes in handy as he takes care of the children in exchange for food, lodging, and enrollment in the prestigious Morinomiya Academy.
Watch how Ryuuichi handles the adorable children who have differing and dynamic personalities, and makes sure that they are well taken care of and mitigating any conflicts that arise.
Genre: Comedy, Slice-of-life
Length: 12 episodes
Release date: 7th Jan 2018
Video credit: 保育ルーム森ノ宮学園
Slice of life anime to watch & heal your soul
From absurd and comedic scenarios to slow-moving, yet healing scenes, slice of life anime run the gamut in terms of plot, but one thing’s for sure – they’ll never let you down.
Also check out:
- Fantasy anime series to watch
- Isekai anime that will transport you to another world
- Survival anime with children protagonists
- Funny anime recommendations
- Historical anime that will take you back in time
Cover image adapted from: TVアニメ「ホリミヤ」, TVアニメ「ばらかもん」, TVアニメ『古見さんは、コミュ症です。』
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