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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Y-San" data-source="post: 424316" data-attributes="member: 265">Glasslip, eh? I think you're one of the few people who actually had anything positive to say about the series, I mean most seem to have written it off as being kind of bland, including yourself initially. What brought about the change of heart?As far as slice of life goes though, easily Non Non Biyori - totes not just because it's one of my favourite anime of all time or anything. As you put it yourself, Non Non Biyori actually feels like it reflects an instance of 'real life'. Like sure it's still slightly alienating to the viewer who isn't well acquainted with the countryside because the setting is incredibly remote but I think that's part of the charm because it provides a certain degree of creative freedom in which the mundane can be reinterpreted, while still remaining relatively tethered to that which we are already familiar with. I think that there's a fine line that a lot of SoL anime run between mundane and quaint and it's all about finding yourself on the right side of that line. A lot of anime in the genre seem to be content with creating an artificial bubble for the sake of drawing together a bunch of stereotypical or single trait characters and playing them off each other to various ends but Non Non Biyori goes much further. Rather than taking the easy route and establish a routine between one dimensional characters in the anywhere clubroom - though which humour can be filtered- the series attempts to address the questions of its own environment. What kind of people live here? Are they different? If so, how? Does their environment impact their lives? Questions that help to expand the environment and give the setting the necessary depth to actually feel like a 'reflection of life'. I feel there are a surprisingly large amount of SoL titles that don't go far enough in addressing those kinds of issues, often meaning that the setting - and thus the characters who inhabit it- are forgettable at best. By actually exploring the environment, the potential for conflict is allowed and though not necessarily a driving force of Non Non Biyori, at least allows the characters the opportunity to be examined from a different angle.I guess the real selling point of Non Non Biyori isn't the setting but the characters themselves, in particular Renge, whose atypical outlook provides the character interactions with an unusual dynamic and yet, despite appearing as an oddity of sorts, she still feels at home within the setting because she feels like a product of it - as a younger child who has spent much of her time in older company - rather than a disembodies aspect.I'm sorry if I'm kind of rambling here and paraphrasing myself to boot but the point is that you should consider watching Non Non Biyori. It probably won't do much to change your perception of the genre but within the boundaries of the genre, it's probably the most successful title in recent years.For similar reasons, I liked Yama no Susume a lot as well, though arguably it also doubles as a sports anime of sorts, since it also deals with the challenges of mountain climbing and delivers a surprisingly comprehensive insight into, what might otherwise appear to be, a rather mundane hobby. Only downside is that the characters lack the same sort of instant appeal as Renge but for the most part are rather well fleshed out. I was kind of surprised by the decision to throw in a conflict of sorts that actually spanned multiple episodes - rather than just hand waving any adverse scenarios for the sake of humour as tends to happen in comedy/SoL titles. It really helped to keep the series grounded. I wish there were more SoL titles that actually drew on more dramatic elements, especially because it helps to endear the audience to the character/s if they are seen to be challenged in some way. It doesn't have to be high tension but just enough to create doubt.Gochiusa is pretty decent as well. Definitely further down the list but there are worse places to go when you seek the animated equivalent of a hug box. It's closer inline with the stereotypical image SoL titles circa 2010. In a nutshell 'cute girls doing cute things' but wins points for bothering to develop the characters in a meaningful way.</blockquote>

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