12 Best Slice of Life Anime of All Time

Slice of life genre isn’t something I watch regularly mainly because I am certainly more invested in action or thriller genre. But I personally think that slice of life is a genre that one needs to watch as a break from some serious stuff. Most people think that there is mostly romance when it comes to SOL but it is not so. The plots of this genre aren’t much serious or complicated. REally life is mostly uninteresting and doesn’t have that spicy movie element. This genre captures it beautifully. I guess that is why they call it Slice of life. Anyway, this list is a compilation of top slice of life anime ever. You can watch some of these best slice of life anime on Netflix, Crunchyroll and YouTube.

12. Free! (2013)

I enjoyed watching ‘Free!’. It is a nice anime that just lets you relax and enjoy. It is a sports genre anime which focuses on swimming. One of the main characters of the series is Haruka Nanase who just loves swimming. He was part of a swimming team with three of his friends namely Makoto Tachibana, Rin Matsuoka, and Nagisa Hazuki. They won a tournament but were later separated as they went to different schools. Fate brought them back as they were reunited in high school. But one member was less. That was Rin. He was in a different school and did not want to go back to the swimming team. He rather wanted to challenge Haruka and prove he is better. Needing a fourth member to complete their team Nagisa recruits Rei Ryuugazaki.

11. Mushishi (2005)

I have two words to describe this anime, interestingly weird. Yup, that’s what it is as far as I am concerned. ‘Mushishi’ is a highly rated anime series and has around 26 episodes. So, what is the plot, you ask? Well, it is kinda difficult to explain the plot of ‘Mushishi’. For that, you need to understand what a Mushi is. According to the anime, Mushi is a primitive spiritual form of life having certain physical existence. They try to live off living hosts like a parasite. The hosts generally become diseased or crippled and some may even die. Ginko is a Mushi-shi, a ponderer on the subject of Mushi. He wants to discover more about these beings. His investigation leads him to various places which may have been affected by them.

10. Fruits Basket (2001)

From one weird plot to another. This time it’s ‘Fruits Basket’. The plot follows the life of a girl named Tooru. She is orphaned after her mother dies and decides to live with her grandfather. But there’s another problem. Her grandfather’s house is being renovated, which means she will have to find another place to stay until the work is completed. She doesn’t want to go to any family member or friends thinking she will be a burden to them. She starts living by herself in a tent in the woods. After her tent has been destroyed by a landslide, Yuki and Shigure Souma takes interest in her condition and ask her to stay with them but Tooru soon discovers a dark secret about the Souma. When hugged by the opposite gender they transform into animals of their zodiac. Though this might sound comical it is a curse that the family suffers from.

9. Great Teacher Onizuka (1999)

This is a funny anime. You will have some great laughs while watching this anime. The plot follows the life of Eikichi Onizuka, a former gangster who used to be a biker gang leader. But his perverseness got the better of him as he decided to leave his old life and start a new career as a teacher. His current aim is to become the greatest teacher in the world. But why did his perverted nature force him to become a teacher? Well, he just wanted to get his hands on some hot high school girls. He encounters certain problems from the school delinquents who try to cause him trouble. But Onizuka is himself going to be the biggest trouble they have ever encountered.

8. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (2011)

If you love some ecchi and comic stuff in your regular slice of life genre anime then you can go for ‘Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai’. This anime wasn’t for me though I watched it since it only had twelve episodes. Anyway, the plot sees Kodaka Hasegawa, a boy whose looks get him labeled as a delinquent in the first day of his new school. This makes it quite difficult for him to make new friends. He ends up meeting Yozora Mikazuki a girl who is lonely too. They decide to become friends and help others like them by forming a club for people who don’t have any friends.

7. Byousoku 5 Centimeter (2007)

Now, it’s time to get your tissues out (not remotely what you are thinking). It’s time for some intense romance and separation stuff. I loved this anime movie. It is really beautiful to look at with some really good and picturesque scenes. The plot deals with two people Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara who are really close to each other. But fate has some other ideas for them as Akari needs to move to another place with her family due to their job. This made the too very sad but they decided to keep in touch as much as possible via mail. Soon, the distance started growing further and further and when Takai needs to move to a different place with his family he decides to have one final meeting with Akari. This anime is good stuff.

6. Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo (2012)

If you like rom-com then this anime might be an entertaining watch. ‘Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo’ is the story that mainly follows the life of Sorata Kanda a boy whose love for cats is intense. He owns several cats despite the strict rules of his dorm. This leads him to be banished from his dorm and sent to live at the weird Sakurasou. This dorm is filled with an odd bunch of people namely Kamiigusa Misaki, Shiina Mashiro, Aoyama Nanami, and Mitaka Jin. Though feeling out of place at first Kanda slowly fits in and later starts getting close to Mashiro Shiina. The series is fun to watch and has around 24 episodes.

5. Hyouka (2012)

Houtarou Oreki is the main character of the series ‘Hyouka’. The series has around 22 episodes and it took me some time before the anime grew on me. Oreki wants to have an easy-going life. He doesn’t want too much excitement or work. He just wants to cruise around the normal and get on with his life. But at the request of his sister, he decides to join the Classics Club to prevent it from getting disbanded due to lack of membership. He ends up meeting the energetic and curious Chitanda Eru who makes him stay in the club and solve various mysteries. Each episode brings in new mysteries which the club tries to investigate.

4. Clannad (2007)

Most of the slice of life genre anime follow similar background which sometimes makes it boring to watch. But since I mostly frequent thrillers and action genre I try to mix things up. ‘Clannad’ follows a similar plot structure to ‘Hyouka’. Why wouldn’t it? It’s a structure that works. Both anime received good ratings and did fairly well. Tomoya Okazaki is one of the main protagonists of the series. He finds life boring and wants to waste his high school life by bunking classes with his friend. But he later ends up meeting a girl Nagisa who has been held back a year due to illness. This encounter changes Tomoya’s perspective on life as he befriends her and decides to help her revive the drama club.

3. We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day (2011):

I generally choose to keep the name of the anime as it is pronounced in Japanese. But with this anime, I kept it in English since it is one of the titles that touches me the most. The plot of this anime is really good and teaches a lot. The story follows a group of childhood friends who have grown apart following the death of Menma, who used to be in the group. Years later Jinta, who has now shunned society and keeps to himself playing video games and not attending school, encounters the ghost of Menma who asks him to fulfill her wish so that she can pass to the afterlife. But she cannot remember the wish which makes Jinta re-band his group of friends. Slowly, things start getting complicated as past memories surface and suppressed feelings start to emerge. This can be a tear-jerker at times.

2. K-On! (2009)

If you like school themed anime with some music then ‘K-On!’ might have the stuff that you need. The story is simple. It follows the life of a cheerful and easily excited girl named Hirasawa Yui. She gets excited when she sees a poster of Light Musical Club and decides to join it. But there’s one problem. She can’t play an instrument. Since the band desperately needs a member they decide to keep her and train her. But will she be ready before the music festival arrives?

1. Usagi Drop (2011)

Another great example of a slice of life genre anime is ‘Usagi Drop’. I loved this anime due to its simple plot and brilliant execution. Daikichi Kawachi is a normal guy who works at a respectable place but doesn’t have any concrete aim in his life. When his grandfather dies he returns to his home to pay his respect and is surprised to find a girl named Rin who turns out to be an illegitimate child of his grandfather’s. With the entire family treating her as a disgrace and refusing to take care of her Daikichi decides to take her in and care for her. This anime will really make you fall in love with the genre.