Slice of Life Anime: Insane Sanity

When many people think of Anime, they think of those colorful Japanese cartoons with little creatures that can use superpowers. They think of Pokemon, Sailor Moon, and even Naruto and Bleach. With Anime dominated by the Japanese genre of Shonen, which is aimed primarily at boys aged twelve to fifteen years old, many forget that Anime has many other types as well. It is not all fighting to save the world, it does not all involve big, buff men on a quest for Dragonballs in an effort to revive the dead and defeat the evil overlord that can destroy planets, and it is not all about kids developing superpowers, using them for the powers of good. Sometimes, Anime takes place in our own world with people as normal as any of us… for the most part.

The Anime spoken of are called Slice of Life Anime. They follow the lives are characters in situations otherwise seen as completely normal. They go to school, they develop crushes, they have family issues, estrangement from their parents as they grow up and go through puberty, and struggles on finding their own direction in life. Generally, a Slice of Life is considered a portrayal of life, bonus points if it’s a life with problems. A good gateway into Slice of Life is Whispers of the Heart, written by Hayao Miyazaki. It follows a normal girl who lacks any sort of direction, living in a small, cramped apartment with her parents and sister, deals with her romantic problems, refusal to take her studies seriously, and in the end discovers her direction and pursues it. Like some Slice of Life, it is tinged with a little bit of imagination, of the incredible that give it what makes it unique. Many Slice of Life Anime have that element of fantasy, and how these otherwise rational characters deal with it is what makes it Slice of Life.

Slice of Life

Three Anime come to mind when thinking of rational characters in irrational situations, trying desperately to make sense of it all. Even though these Anime contain some fantastical elements, what makes them Slice of Life is the element of normalcy, the prevailing element of incredulity as such insane things happen. This is why these kinds of Slice of Life Anime tend to follow the lives of the normal characters and not the abnormal. The Anime spoken of are none other than the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Ouran High School Host Club, and Chuunibyou, Love and Other Delusions. All are Slice of Life but in a way different than most others. They are Slice of Life because their main character tries battling the insanity and find a saner life.

The audience learns to sympathize with the main characters in these Anime because they act as any normal person would. They try ignoring, rectifying, and they even try embracing the situation. Where others around them may (secretly) have superpowers, the main characters do not; while those around them may be slightly crazy or irrational, the main character is not; and, where those around them live in an overly active imagination completely cut off from reality, they do not. They try dealing with it the way any normal person can, and at the same time try to establish for themselves a normal life outside of the abnormal. It is an attempt to reject abnormality and pursue what everyone pursues. What makes them slice of life is not only the presence of reality, it is the main character refusing to conform to the strange ad unrealistic.

Warning: The following content may contain spoilers for the first few episodes of any given show. Reader discretion is advised. While none of what follows will spoil the ending, it will refer to the inherent plot points of the first few episodes that build any given show up. Sensitive readers who prefer to go I blind have been warned.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Obsessively searches for anything to do with the supernatural, not knowing she is supernatural herself.
Obsessively searches for anything to do with the supernatural, not knowing she is supernatural herself.

Imagine for a second a scene with you sitting in school and a girl behind you stands up and asks for any Esper, time-traveler or alien to come forward. No one does of course because such beings do not exist, at least, they don’t until you meet them. The beginning of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is exactly like this. The weirdest girl in the class stands up and asks for any supernatural beings to come forth. Unbeknownst to her, she is a sleeping god and whatever she wants to happen, even subconsciously, will happen. At first, it may seem like the anime is veering off from normal Slice of Life elements but the main element remains.

The main character Kyon is used to normalcy running the day. He just wants a quiet life where he studies, hangs out with his friends, lays back and watches television and basically do stuff any teenager his age would want to do. However, the outspoken and enthusiastic Haruhi Suzumiya wished for something more than normalcy and that wish alone made it so. She founded a club dedicated to finding time travelers, Espers and aliens and she roped Kyon right into it. Kyon wishes to leave but her forceful attitude and the presence of three others make it impossible for him to do so. Kyon meets a time traveler named Asahina, an Esper named Kyozumi, and an alien named Yuki.

Yuki explains to him a big mind-blowing pack of information that would provoke any other guy to call her crazy. That is exactly what Kyon does. He tries dismissing the notion that Yuki is an alien just as he dismisses that Asahina is from the future and Kyozumi is an Esper. At least until all of this is proven to him and he is told that this must remain secret. Haruhi’s mind is unstable and if she discovers any of this, the world would start changing in a way nobody can handle. Haruhi, the sleeping god, must remain asleep. This cast of characters make it their mission to handle and explain any world-changing event and keep the existence of their Order blissfully secret.

Kyon represents the viewer trying to make sense of everything and at the same time, embracing the abnormal because failure to do so may literally mean the end of the world. The entire Anime sees Kyon trying to retain what little normalcy there is left in his life. His two friends who are unaware of the drastic turn his life has taken symbolize the bit of normalcy left. His little sister at home also shows the little normalcy he has left and he keeps it close. It is made difficult when Haruhi, Kyozumi, Asahina or Yuki come to call but he still tries keeping things normal. He frequently shows impatience and exasperation at the whole situation.

Chuunibyou, Love and Other Delusions

She literally lives in her own world. So... why is she so endearing?
She literally lives in her own world. So… why is she so endearing?

We all had that phase in our childhood where we put a ridiculous spin on things to make it seem more fantastical than it really was. Like a detour during the emotional and physical maturation that is puberty. Imagine entering High school, trying to put that all behind you, and then you meet a girl your age who has not. That can be testy. It threatens any attempt you or anyone else in that situation might make to put the past behind them and grow up. The beginning of Chuunibyou is exactly like this. The main character, Yuuta, once called himself Dark Flame Master and acted like he possessed dark powers. Upon entering High school, he means to put it behind him but in comes Rikka, who once admired that about him, and still pretends she has a powerful eye and so wears an eye patch to school.

Once again, the main character is completely normal. Yuuta just wants a high school life. He has a crush, he has tests, and he has a home life. He wants to study, fall in love, and socialize with friends his age. Yet, he ends up getting far more than he bargained for. He ends up socializing with people older than him, younger than him, and his own age. Like in Haruhi, the weird girl who swoops in and ruins things, founds a club to keep all that weirdness in a single spot and Yuuta is in the middle of it. He doesn’t have a choice either. It’s the only way he can make sure he is not embarrassed too much, to make sure Rikka doesn’t tell too many people. The one sane person is surrounded by the eye patch wearing Rikka, her apprentice Dekemori, and the napping Kumin. The only sane person is Nibutani and even she engages in childish activity when she flares up against Dekemori because her own childhood has come back to haunt her.

This leaves Yuuta quite alone. Rikka’s sister Touka can sympathize and wants Rikka to exit that phase too, but she is powerless to stop it since Rikka views her as the evil High Priestess. The only one who can bring her out of that phase is Yuuta, who Rikka sees as having entered a contract with (meaning they are in a relationship.) Yuuta can’t do it though. Something is holding him back. Peer pressure, perhaps? Has the club gotten to him like it got to Kyon? It is possible. Yuuta is in a very close, special relationship with Rikka and he is the only one who can handle her and he does. She is basically his own childhood returning to him and by engaging with her, Yuuta embraces this childhood. Yuuta takes part in imaginative sequences too as Dark Flame master. For those who watched Whispers of the Heart, which is also a Slice of Life, this is familiar to the scene with the Baron cat.

Yuuta represents the normal high school student, trying to make sense of the insane, childish world around him. But it’s all around him. Yuuta, in a way, proves to be more balanced than Kyon before him. Kyon could not really make peace with this until the end. He tried unsuccessfully to manage Haruhi until eventually, he embraced the insanity. By falling in love with Rikka, Yuuta succeeded much sooner in managing to keep a balance than Kyon did. Unlike in Haruhi, the viewer may not necessarily like or agree with the action of allowing Rikka’s ‘eighth grade syndrome’ to fester. This is where Nibutani comes in. She is more normal than any of them, and so the viewer is allowed to relate to her more than anyone. Nibutani is the completely real against Rikka’s unreal and Yuuta, the character the audience relates to, serves as the balance between both.

Ouran High School Host Club

All look like regular teenage boys. One is a girl.
All look like regular teenage boys. One is a girl.

Many disagree that Oroun High School Host Club is a Slice of Life. Indeed, it fits much more nicely into the romantic genre (in some ways at least.) The two are not mutually exclusive. Ouran High School Host Club is a slice from the typical life of a High school student. In this case, the student’s name is Haruhi. Because Haruhi looks like a boy, she is mistaken for one and therefore flirted with by many girls her age, also making it a reverse harem. This Anime follows random adventures of the Host Club, a gang of boys who have a lot of time on their hands to bring happiness to ladies by flirting excessively with them. Haruhi is caught in the middle, required to be there to pay off a vase she broke.

Once again, any girl can relate to Haruhi. What would any High school student do if they are caught in the middle of a club of people flirting and taking advantage of the opposite gender? They would leave. The only problem is Haruhi cannot just leave. She has to pay off the debt she owes for breaking an expensive vase of theirs. To make things worse, she truly is the odd ball out when she is separated as a commoner, as most of the students are very rich. She is constantly flirted with by the boys, making her feel even more uncomfortable. Any audience member can relate to her as the main character. She is the normal one in a gang of excessive, overdramatic boys. In a gang of boys where weirdness rules the day and one is actually practically a super weapon based on how strong he is, the audience needs Haruhi to keep a lid on things.

Haruhi not only rejects the Host Club, she has a shred of normalcy. Where she is often shown to be strong-willed, she cowers by the sound and rumble of thunder. While many might deny that Ouran High School Host Club is a Slice of Life due to the more romantic and sexual nature of some of the sequences, the presence of the main character makes it a Slice of Life. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a Slice of Life because of Kyon, Chuunibyou is a Slie of Life because of Yuuta and especially Nibutani (not to mention its exaggerated basis in childhood fantasy) and this Anime is a Slice of Life because of Haruhi, not to mention Kyoya in some ways. The main character alone, the one normal person in a sea of weird, makes these two a Slice of Life.

This is what makes Ouran High School Host Club a Slice of Life. Haruhi does befriend them but she constantly wishes she could put a lid on things. Unlike Kyon and Yuuta, however, she succeeds. The reason for her success is in the Host Club itself. There is one other who shares her sentiments and wish for things to be normal and that is the character of Kyoya. Many times, both end up partaking in their ridiculous games, but Haruhi proves to be more strong-willed than Kyon and Yuuta before her. They embraced the weird and abnormal, Haruhi rejects it, believing it to be an offense to her character. She does what she likes, she even goes against the Host Club at times. Due not only to the presence of normalcy, but the triumph of normalcy, one could actually argue that Ouran High School Host Club is more within the Slice of Life genre than any of the other two.


In the end, all three are indeed Slice of Life and all three are very popular in their own right. Though Chuunibyou is quite underrated for its type, all are known enough to be considered popular and all are considered a must-watch for any Slice of Life watcher. All three main characters dealt with the abnormal situation given to them in their own way but all three shared the same common goal of normalcy. Kyon was lax and impatient all at once, and did not grow to embrace what he was given until the very end. Yuuta accepts the new reality that is the overactive imagination of Rikka, even indulge in t, but he maintains the boundary between real and unreal ad so keeps himself within the physical world. Haruhi rejected the actions of the Host Club even if she ultimately befriended them all in her own way. She continued fighting back and showed her own sense of strong will, even scolding them for getting involved in her private life if they ever did.

By creating a dynamic balance between the normal and the abnormal, between the real and the unreal, and between the magic and the mundane, these three shows have gone where most Slice of Life cannot go. See, magic is not usually apparent in Slice of Life, it rarely does not feature overdramatic romantic sequences, let alone imaginative elements. These three shows do so, and with the presence of the main character, they all succeed in creating a balance between Slice of Lie, romance and fantasy. By definition, a Slice of Life is exactly what it sounds like. A slice out of a typical life of a person based off the setting that person is situated in. A slice of the life of a working adult would simply feature that adult going to work and managing his family. A slice from a high school student’s life would simply be good grades and romantic ventures. These three Anime go much further and still manage to retain their overarching and common genre. This is what makes all three truly good works of art.

What do you think? Leave a comment.

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54 Comments

  1. I’ve seen a lot of action/adventure anime and a few slice of life, and every slice of life anime I have seen have great stories. A lot of the mainstream shit like One Piece has crying in every flashback (bad storylines). I watch it but it is not really good.

    • Adnan Bey

      I’ve seen a lot of sob stories, mostly in Naruto. Some are good but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Slice of Life keeps it real.

  2. Great write up! I’ve made a huge mistake having still not seen either Chuunibyou or Ouran High School Host Club. Haruhi Suzumiya is great though!

    • Adnan Bey

      It is a pretty big mistake but at least you’ve seen one of them. Haruhi is great. Barring the endless eight episodes, one of the best. But Chuunibyou… let me put it this way, if you like Haruhi, you’ll like Chuunibyou, and if you like Chuunibyou, you might give Ouran a shot, even though its likeness is totally dependent on the viewer. SOme may not find it too funny.

  3. I’m just starting to force myself to watch SoL animes. They aren’t normally my kind of deal, but I have watched a few before and they were pretty good.

    • Adnan Bey

      Same with me a while ago. First SoL anime I watched was Watamote, then I got to watching Haruhi, and then Chuunibyou, and I really fell in love with the genre. Maybe I got lucky these times, since all were recommended to me by one person or another, but I greatly enjoyed my SoL experience.

  4. You’re honestly one of my favourite writers on The Artifice. All of your articles are pristine. Keep up the good work.

  5. I am fairly new to anime.

    I only started watching it in my sophomore year and so far I guess the ‘Slice of Life’ genre is my favorite.

    Sure, some of my favorite anime might not belong to the slice of life genre but I guess I liked that genre (as a whole).

  6. These are all wonderful shows. Slice of life takes the mundane and makes it interesting to watch.

  7. Florrie
    0

    I love SoL animes- especially when I just want to relax and/or want to watch something cutesy and heartwarming. But another SoL anime that I enjoyed is called Sora no Woto, or Sound of the Sky. I guess it has some (REALLY) dark parts, but I think what I like about it is that contrast between the relaxing cuteness on the surface and the dark stuff if you look into it further. 

  8. I don’t understand the concept of “Slice of life” or “Normal days” anime. Why does it have to be anime? Isn’t anime there to visualize the supernatural, magic or completely ridicilious fighting? Why would i wanna watch a slice of life anime when there are real soaps and crap like that?

    • Adnan Bey

      Well, no. Like I said before, Anime doesn’t exist to visualize fighting and supernatural powers. There’s more to it, it’s a different medium as opposed to 2D animated cartoons or books, it’s its own medium and it portrays normal days its own way, and imo, a much better way than any soap out there.

  9. Is a slice of life allowed to have supernatural themes in it? My favourite is Anohana.

    • Adnan Bey

      Well, Haruhi has supernatural themes in it. Part of the point of the article is it depends hw the supernatural is done. Who’s our main character? What’s the motive? Haruhi has supernatural espers, time travelers, aliens, etc… but the main character is Kyon who wants to keep a lid on this madness. That’s what makes it slice of life.

  10. Great article. I loved the following animes Dragon Crisis, Mayo Chiki, Isuca, Sakurasou No Pet, Nisekoi. 

  11. I usually watch slice of life animes that actually has some sort of purpose or a story that actually goes somewhere (one reason why animes like K-On bores me). I had a great time with Ping Pong although it is technically a coming-of-age story.

  12. Thank you for this article. I’ve recently been getting into more anime and have been looking with something with more “depth”. I’ll have to check these out.

  13. In my opinion my favorite slice of life is Welcome to The NHK if it can be considered one (also my favorite anime ever).

  14. Von Vaughan
    0

    To me, one of the best slice of life anime of all-time was definitely Kanon 2006 because of how natural it felt the entire time, with the only exception being that unnecessary supernatural tidbit in the middle. There are lots more I could list, but Kanon 2006 felt the most casual and deep out of most slice of life that I have seen. The other ones felt like they had the vibe, but were not there. Even K-ON! never quite felt like it was there for some reason. However, Lucky Star kind of did due to how natural the conversation in that anime was. And it beats Kanon 2006 on being more realistic as I swear that anime solely consisted of casual conversation the entire time.

    • Adnan Bey

      I heard a lot about Lucky Star and had it recommended to me loads of times. I still haven’t watched it though, I should. Same with K-On actually.

  15. I feel like most of my favorite slice of life shows are a little too on the fringe to fully qualify.

  16. I used to only watch action, sci-fi, and fantasy anime. And mostly films, not so much TV shows. But I might give slice of life anime a shot after reading this. Thank you.

    • Adnan Bey

      If you do want to give Slice of life a shot, I would recommend either Ouran High School Host Club or, if you’re in the mood for romance, Chuunibyou. Haruhi is probably for someone who’s already been exposed to SoL before and is open to something new.

  17. Grayciik
    0

    Non non Biyori is very much my favorite slice of life. It’s probably one of my favorites of all time. I wish that someone would make some historical slice of life anime, in edo period Japan or something. In quite a few episodes of Moribito there are very much slice of life moments (a fantasy series). For example when a character called Chagum goes to the market and plays a gambling game on the street… and that was the who episode. Intriguingly gratifying to watch.

  18. AutamnDarling

    I love how you introduced us to the genre and then expanded your argument to a specific type of series within that genre. The anime you chose to analyze are all amazing, and perfectly suited for your argument! I believe the Slice of Life genre have become rather underrated, lately. This is a very interesting argument to show its diversity and uniqueness! Very well written; well done!

    • Adnan Bey

      It seriously is underrated, it is. But thankfully, the shows that ARE SoL are not underrated. Haruhi is very popular for very good reason, and Chuunibyou has its little cult following. Ouran is another popular one.

  19. I find it hard to watch SOL because it seems simple compared to my interpretations of other shows, but I’m trying and enjoying watching SOL.

  20. While I like Slice of Life series, they ask more about what to do in a vast number of specific situations that come in life, as opposed to the shows I mainly watch asking questions about society (Psycho-Pass), the individual (Ergo Proxy), mentality and reality (Steins;Gate), and what it means to have a personality/identity (Requiem for the Phantom) to name a few. They require more extrapolation on the viewer’s part and can therefor mean many things to different people because of the inherent almost-vagueness of the questions and criticisms they put forward.

    • Adnan Bey

      While not SoL, I definitely enjoyed the heck out of Requiem for the Phantom. You’re right though, SoL is different to other genres but still a legit one in its own right.

    • SoL often carry a lot more of their symbolism, higher concept questions and ideas on their sleeves, rather than having them hidden beneath their plot.

  21. I watched a lot of slice of life anime.

  22. Sean Navat Balanon

    I do enjoy some slice of life anime, and I’m glad you included Ouran as an example. I never would have thought to classify Haruhi Suzumiya and Chuunibyou under the slice of life genre though, but they do fit well into your theme of Insane Sanity.

    • Adnan Bey

      Ironically, I’ve heard it claimed that Ouran is anything but SoL, I think what constitutes as SoL really depends more on the audience’s classification and what makes something SoL or not. I for one definitely see all three as SoL.

  23. I like to sit back and relax and watch slice of life and forget about all my troubles.

  24. Personally, I feel like Haruhi ISN’T a slice of life just because of its overarching fantastical plot. I would classify it as more of a comedic sci-fi. If it had just stuck with Kyon lamenting his crazy life with the SOS Brigade, it could have been a slice of life. I would class something along the lines of K-On or Daily Lives of High School Boys as proper SoLs instead.

    • Adnan Bey

      I’ve heard that argument before. In fact, with that argument, one could also argue that Chuunibyou isn’t Slice of Life either. I think it’s more to do with the main character in collaboration with the setting itself. It’s our world, our real world, and the character wants that real world back. That, to me, is what makes Haruhi slice of life. Just with a little magical twist to it.

  25. Goldsmith
    0

    For me slice of life is pretty hit or miss. I’d say it’s all about getting immersed in the setting, and the chemistry between the characters. Does the anime make me wish I could experience the setting for myself? Do the characters have fun? Do I have fun watching them interact? Do the characters’ personalities mesh well together? These are a few of the criteria I have for liking a slice of life.

    • Adnan Bey

      I agree with you, minus the setting bit. I can’t possibly wish I’m in the setting cause the setting is the real world. I’m already there.

  26. ChristelleMarie Chua

    It always takes a special kind of mood to watch Slice of Life anime. I was wondering what your take on anime like Lucky Star, K-On!, and My Little Monster would be — they’re all pretty normal, with little to no magic involved.

  27. It’s weird. I always stay away from SOL series, but I always end up watching them (like Ouran High School Host Cub and Honey & Clover). Nice article: you’re right that the good SOL series are always the ones that are just a little bit bizarre/different too.

  28. Tiffany

    This is a great article! There’s definitely something special about SOL series that aren’t strictly bound by realism. Like hey, you may be God or whatever, but that doesn’t mean you don’t live day-to-day like everyone else!

    But I do find sometimes when series are too idyllic it feels painful for me, who has to return to my own troubles afterward.

  29. Excellent article, love your mention of Ouran!

  30. There are some strange capitalisations (for example, “anime” does not need to be capitalised) and there’s a few typos present (the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya character is called Koizumi if you choose to call him by that name). You should be consistent with how you use names, as you’ve used Yuki’s first name but Mikuru’s and Itsuki’s last names. If you’re going for a more professional approach, maybe rework the piece so that it doesn’t ask for relatability, yet still allows the content to shine – calling something or someone “weird” is too informal for a professional piece.

  31. SoL’s are one of my favourite types of animes. It’s nice to kick back and enjoy them. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is one that I haven’t seen for years too! Definitely a good one!

  32. Kiss Him, Not me or Watashi ga Motete Dosunda, which is currently airing, is also another good example of the “slice of life” narrative technique that also speaks to a larger, more controversial topic.

  33. Amyus

    An interesting article and whilst I agree with you about the general ‘Slice of Life’ theme in all three of the animes you’ve mentioned, I have to add that there is a whole lot more to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya than it solely being about a boy trying to keep to keep his life normal. There are layers of hidden storytelling that deal with a wide variety of quite weighty subjects, from Creation versus Evolution to a look at Mankind’s cosmic ignorance and the stories are crammed with literary allusions, number symbolism and an exploration of archetypal images and concepts that date all the way back to Plato. However, I think one of the reasons why ‘Melancholy’ gained such a world wide following is that it manages to stay true to mainstream anime whilst parodying it at the same time without offending anyone, plus it has a few well placed digs at its viewers in the process (ref: Endless Eight – a scathing dig at Otaku). Every stereotype and genre comes under scrutiny and none get away Scot free. Brilliantly written with a sense of humour that ranges from the dry to the wacky and superbly visualised by Kyoto Animation, I would definitely recommend ‘Melancholy’ to anyone new to anime.

  34. Andi

    You know I’ve never thought of Ouran as slice of life, so this is an interesting take!

  35. There are quite a few anime that are Shonen and Slice of Life (the two are not inherently in contradiction). Just a bit of food for thought.

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