Anime Bites 01: Appreciating Slice of Life

Welcome to the first installment of my ever-unpopular Anime Bites series. In it, we shall discuss some of the oft-mentioned, but never truly explained bits of the anime world. We shall all try to increase our anime knowledge, because even as Closet Otakus, learning never ends. Shall we see whose power can exceed 9000?

...Okay. Lame joke. Let's begin.

This week's topic is *drumroll* APPRECIATING SLICE-OF-LIFE

O_o

SLICE-OF-LIFE? That KyoAni Bullshit?

Slice-of-Life (henceforth SOL) is a genre of anime that basically showcases ordinary people doing ordinary things in an ordinary life. It is also commonly referred to as that 'cute-girls-doing-cute-things' (CGDCT) anime. And it cannot be denied that som- okay the most part of it is true. SOL shows do showcase regular people having that regular life, and it just so happens that these people are usually female. But it doesn't showcase some badass main character that girls fall over for no particular reason, nor does it show an intelligent anti-hero beating the pants of the ruler of a empire. By all means, it should be boring.

Except its not.

Yup. Five-girl rock band is so not cool. Totally.

Kyoto Animation (KyoAni) has carved a niche all for itself in SOL. And they're widely regarded as one of the better animation studios around (although they've been in a slump for a while now). But regardless of whether you like their studio or not, one needs to wonder how a studio producing boring shows can survive in a cutthroat world of anime where various shows compete for your time.

There must be some appeal, right?

Can you see the appeal HERE?

Appeal of Slice of Life

Is there some hidden gem in SOL shows? What is their appeal? Its very hard to answer these questions on the surface. After all, our lives themselves are boring enough - why bother watching anything that adds to our boredom? But perhaps we are overlooking the mere fact that it is by these SOL shows performing familiar actions that we are endeared by them. It is because we perform the same things, and we react the same way that we can relate to them. And anyone that knows anything about storytelling can tell you that relatability is one of the factors of a successful character.

...Or maybe not

Some shows purposefully include SOL elements simply to make their characters more relatable. Evidence? Think of the number of shows that feature high school elements despite their main focus being elsewhere. Off the top of my head - Fate/Stay Night, Code Geass, Death Note, Bakemonogatari. All A-list shows and they all include SOL elements.

Humour is a great part of SOL shows. Most SOL shows will feature humour prominently, or at least in some form in the show. Humour can be caused by the various character antics played by their differing personalities bouncing off one another. Or it can be the standard japanese boke-tsukkomi (straight man and comedian) slapstick comedy routine. It may be hit-and-miss, but its usually pretty spot-on, since its related to the life we live in. If you're a fan of humour and comedy, then SOL is the natural choice. And since character personalities plays a great part in the humour, if we can relate to similar personalities in people we know in real life - that's another plus.

Although I'm not sure you find rainbow-haired people in real life

Taking the Plunge

Of course SOL is not for everybody, but if you're one of those that vehemently oppose watching it due to their very nature, I strongly recommend you to just watch one, and decide for yourself whether its for you or not. If nothing else, SOL shows are a good palate cleanser between doses of adrenaline-charged anime. I personally find that SOL shows brings something unique to the anime table, and its unique perspectives is quite refreshing.

Yes. A compelling show about ordinary characters. Really.

SOL shows may not simply be just about ordinary school life; it actually comprises of a plethora of themes and genres, which may or may not be ordinary. A good SOL show to start would be Hyouka, a show which I consider is one of KyoAni's finest. Its about a highly intelligent but otherwise ordinary high school guy and his bunch of friends solving common, everyday mysteries but it is very compelling. Otherwise, you may want to start with the quintessential K-ON!, a veritably legendary anime which has gained infamy of epic proportions. Or you may want to start with Love Live! School Idol Project - a show which I initially resisted watching until one day I decided to just watch a single episode and got hooked.

Come on, how can you say no to that!?

To be fair, there are good and bad SOL shows. If you do watch a poor one, then the criticisms are valid - it may be the most boring thing you had the misfortune of watching. But isn't that true for all other genres of anime. If you go watch a good one, though - it might just be your new favourite genre of anime.

What are you waiting for? Take the Plunge!