Top 7 Underrated Slice of Life Anime to Watch – Hey guys!. In this post, I’ll be discussing a list of Top 7 Underrated Slice of Life Anime to Watch. It’s fair to say that I enjoy slice of life anime more than any other genre, as many of my all-time favourites just so happen to be of the slice of life variety. Well, let’s go to the list.
1. Croisée in a Foreign Labyrinth The Animation
Starting this list off with an anime I barely see anyone talking about any more: Croisee in a Foreign Labyrinth – An anime that takes place during the 19th century and revolves around a Japanese girl called Yune who accompanies a French traveller on his way back to Paris and offers to help at the family’s ironwork shop.
It’s here that she meets the traveller’s nephew, a blacksmith called Claude, who makes street signs. After reluctantly agreeing to take care of the young girl, the two begin to learn from each other, and their cultural differences, as they try to keep the shop open despite their dwindling business.
In essence, the show is about how this cute Japanese girl adapts to her new surroundings, as she tries to adjust to the various European customs she’s not familiar with.
An early example of this is when she’s introduced to cheese and finds it rather unpleasant but insists it’s delicious and doesn’t throw it away (even when Claude says it’s okay to) because her Japanese customs dictate that she should eat everything she’s served as a sign of appreciation.
Some people might write this anime off as nothing more than moe-bait and while it’s true that the girl is freaking adorable that doesn’t mean that this show lacks substance. Its historical setting is not only accurate but also a nice change of pace, and its cast of characters are nothing short of endearing. I thoroughly recommend giving it a watch!
2. Yotsuiro Biyori
If Croisee in a Foreign Labyrinth isn’t obscure enough for you then might I suggest watching Yotsuiro Biyori instead? The story takes place in a Japanese-style tea house ran by four handsome young men including Sui – the shop owner who’s in charge of making tea, Gre – who does Latte art, Tsubaki – who handles desserts, and Tokitaka who’s responsible for the food.
Not only do these men excel in hospitality, they also help out with their customers’ worries from time to time. Yotsuiro Biyori is a very chill healing anime, with food being the driving force behind each of its stories.
Each episode will typically start with the introduction of a new concerned customer, and end with their anxieties being alleviated – usually thanks to a good meal or fine beverage, as well as the kindness shown by one or more of the show’s four main leads.
It’s a heartfelt series that doesn’t do anything particularly Earth-shattering for the genre but is nonetheless a pleasant show to watch, and one that I can easily recommend during these trying times we’re all currently facing.
It is worth mentioning that this anime is much slower paced than other slice of life shows (almost to its own determent) but while I never personally found this to be a problem, others may find it a little dull – so I’d recommend giving it a few episodes before deciding if you like it or not.
3. Amanchu!
An anime about an introverted high school girl called Futaba who moves from Tokyo to a seaside town and becomes enamoured by the ocean. It isn’t long until she captures the attention of a local diving enthusiast, Hikari, who’s in the same class as her – sparking a tender friendship between them.
Together they join the school’s diving club, led by their homeroom teacher, where Futaba works to earn her diving certification – meeting new people and experiencing new things along the way. Just like Yotsuiro Biyori, Amanchu definitely falls into the healing sub-genre, as it has a very calming and relaxing atmosphere.
Couple that with a small but vibrant cast of characters, and an activity as spectacular as scuba diving, and you’ve got yourself one thoroughly enjoyable slice of life anime! Its only real downfall (at least for some) is that it leans so hard into the slice of life angle that it often neglects its central plot.
This is most noticeably felt in the second season where the story kind of derails a bit in an ill-fated attempt to liven things up. However, despite these small hiccups, I’d still wholeheartedly recommend it – especially if you’re looking for something light and easy to watch.
It’s also written by the same author who wrote Aria, so if you’re familiar with that show and its similarly tranquil vibe then there’s a decent chance you’ll enjoy Amanchu as well.
4. Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu
If you want a show that puts the cute in CGDCT anime then allow me to turn your attention towards Hitoribocchi – An anime about a socially anxious middle school girl (named after the show’s title) who wants to befriend everyone in her class after promising her one and only friend from elementary school that she’d do so.
Unfortunately Hitori’s social anxiety makes this a rather daunting task, as she faints when overwhelmed, throws up when nervous, and concocts elaborate plans just to avoid interacting with people. Yet despite this, she musters up all of her courage to reach out – starting with the delinquent-looking girl sitting in front of her.
As someone who also suffers from social anxiety, I appreciated how well Hitoribocchi handles the subject matter. Unlike a certain other show, Hitoribocchi is a very cute and light-hearted anime that will leave you smiling after every episode. It’s also got a great sense of humour, thanks in no small part to Hitori herself who is a very relatable protagonist.
The anime never uses her social anxiety to hit below the belt, so the jokes never come off as cruel or mean-spirited. The rest of the cast is just as delightful and their strong chemistry ensures that their interactions are always fun to watch. As far as CGDCT anime go, it’s easily my favourite to air in 2019, so it’s a shame that some people overlooked it.
5. Touken Ranbu – Hanamaru
If you’d prefer to watch cute boys doing cute things instead, then might I suggest Touken Ranbu – Hanamaru – Not to be confused by another anime with the same name! Set in the year 2205, the past becomes threatened by dark forces that wish to alter history.
The only ones capable of stopping them are a bunch of boisterous swords that were brought into life by a sage who has the ability to breathe life into inanimate objects. The story follows a new sword boy, as he begins his first day at the citadel.
After reuniting with an old friend, the two soon find themselves caught up in the daily antics of their fellow sword warriors – never missing an opportunity to have fun, until they’re called into action to fulfil their mission of protecting history.
That latter part isn’t really as important as it sounds, as while the anime initially opens with a somewhat serious tone – the majority of the show’s episodes are the kind of light-hearted slice of life fun you’ve come to expect from this genre.
A standout feature of this anime is its ridiculously huge cast of characters (which makes Funimation’s English dub all the more impressive) as there’s like 50 distinct male characters that show up over the course of its two seasons.
Unfortunately this anime doesn’t get a whole lot of love, and while I’ll admit it did take a while before it started to grow on me – by the end of the second season I was positively smitten with this show. I strongly recommend giving it a shot!
6. Ms. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighborhood
Another anime that doesn’t get as much love as it deserves is Ms. Vampire who lives in my neighbourhood, which tells the story of a girl called Akari who hears rumours of an ageless girl who only comes out at night. While seeking the mysterious girl out, she ends up getting lost and is rescued by a cute vampire called Sophie who turns out to be the rumoured girl in question.
Akari is immediately infatuated with her doll-like appearance and it isn’t long before the two of them are living under the same roof – much to Sophie’s reluctance. Despite being a vampire, Sophie acts very much like a normal human girl – like how she uses the Internet to order blood online, or how she sleeps with a body pillow, and a lot of the show’s humour comes from exploring that contradiction.
What I like most about this anime is that it doesn’t conveniently forget that Sophie is a vampire to serve the plot; rather the plot is written around the fact that she’s a vampire and that she can’t do normal things human girls do – despite acting like one.
It’s very common for these types of shows to forget their gimmick halfway through, and just turn into every other CGDCT anime out there, so I appreciated that this was not one of them. Outside of that though, this anime is pretty run of the mill so your enjoyment will largely depend on whether or not you like the characters.
7. My Roommate is a Cat
And lastly, we end on My Roommate is a Cat which is probably the least overlooked anime on this list but was one I still wanted to talk about because of how much I enjoyed it! The story is about an introverted novelist called Subaru who struggles with relationships – further exacerbated by the tragic death of his parents, which has left him all alone in the world.
While visiting his parents’ grave one day, he runs into a stray tuxedo cat that he decides to take home with him – giving her the name Haru. Before long, the two start bonding with each other – finding happiness in their new life together.
What I like most about this anime is not only how accurately it portrays living with a pet but also how each episode is presented – with the first part typically showing things from Subaru’s perspective and then the second part showing the same events again from Haru’s perspective.
This second part is also where a lot of the show’s comedy comes from, as witnessing things from Haru’s perspective allows us to see what she’s actually thinking when Subaru interacts with her.
My Roommate is a Cat also has a very warm and wholesome atmosphere to it that’s very reminiscent of other similar shows about familial bonds and friendship like Shonen Maid, Barakamon and Poco’s Udon World, so it’s hardly surprising that this anime would resonate with me. It’s the perfect anime to watch when you’re feeling under the weather, and I cannot recommend it enough!
That is it from today’s post on Top 7 Underrated Slice of Life Anime to Watch. If you do not agree with the points in the post and have some of your own opinions, share them with us in the comments section down below. Keep visiting Animesoulking for more information about Anime and Manga.
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