The slice of life anime shows the lives of high school students, from the happy to the sad moments of growing up. Therefore, slice of life anime tends to be about romance, whether it’s about first love, friends becoming lovers, or enemies liking each other. Usually, slice of life anime will follow the development of the relationship between the two characters.
However, not all slice of life adhere to the above principles. There are also several slice of life anime that show everything from friendship comedy to adventure, even daily life full of supernatural powers. Without a hint of romance, some of these slice of life anime only focus on character development. If interested, here are five of the best slice of life anime without romance.
Anime Mushishi (2005)
Premiered in Fall 2005, Mushishi carries the slice of life genre which is quite different from slice of life anime in general. Produced by Artland, this anime managed to get a high rating, namely 8.67 on My Anime List. Not only a slice of life, this anime combines the daily life of the main character named Ginko with adventure, fantasy, mystery and the supernatural.
Without the spice of romance, Mushishi follows Ginko’s story. He is a mushishi expert, one who researches supernatural beings called mushi in hopes of understanding their place in the world’s hierarchy. He chases every possible rumor regarding Mushi, creatures capable of imitating things from nature, in order to find the answers he seeks.
Anime Natsume Yuujinchou (2008)
Just like Mushishi, Natsume Yuujinchou also combines slice of life with the supernatural, but this anime is more towards the drama genre. With around two hundred users on My Anime List, this anime has received a good response from fans by getting a good rating, which is 8.31. The anime produced by Brain’s Base premiered in Summer 2008.
Natsume Yuujinchou revolves around a teenage boy named Takashi Natsume. He is able to see invisible creatures. When his grandmother dies, he inherits the Book of Friends, a book containing the names of the youkai his grandmother, Reiko Natsume, has defeated. Accidentally breaking an invisible barrier, he freed a mighty cat-shaped spirit named Madara.
With the Book of Friends, Takashi is able to summon every youkai written in the book. However, he wasn’t interested so he made a decision with Madara. He will turn over the Book of Friends when the time is up. Meanwhile, he will be guarded by Madara. After that, he has a new goal, which is to free the sealed Reiko. Gradually, the relationship between him as a human and youkai began to improve.
So Ra No Wo To (2010)
Produced by A-1 Pictures with a visual design that doesn’t disappoint as usual, So Ra No Wo To has a rating of 7.54 on the My Anime List site. This premiered in Winter 2010 by combining slice of life and science fiction. Set on a military base in a war-torn country, this presents a line-up of young female characters, including Kanata Sorami.
The main character of So Ra No Wo To is a teenager named Kanata Sorami. After seeing the Amazing Grace performance by a group of trumpet players from the Helvetian Army, he wanted to join the military. Not long after that, he managed to join platoon 1121 in Seize, Helvetia, as a trumpeter. He realized that being a soldier was not easy.
Yuru Camp (2018)
Yuru Camp is one of the best slice of life. Among other anime with a similar concept, besides Bocchi the Rock! trending recently. Due to the relaxed storytelling and good visual design of the characters. This anime produced by C-Station managed to receive a rating of 8.27 on the My Anime List website.
Centered on the life of a teenager named Rin Shima, Yuru Camp tells his story as a camping enthusiast. One day, when he was enjoying camping alone, there was a girl named Nadeshiko Kamigahara who was looking for help after falling asleep on the way to a destination. He helped the girl. He soon becomes good friends with Nadeshiko, with whom he later goes on frequent camping trips.
Sora yori mo Tooi Basho (2018)
Produced by Madhouse, Sora yori mo Tooi Basho has 13 episodes. This movie managed to get a rating of 8.53 with nearly two hundred users on My Anime List. The Film which premiered in Winter 2018 combines the slice of life genre with adventure, comedy, and drama.
Sora yori mo Tooi Basho tells about Mari Tamaki, a high school girl who wants to make good use of her youth. One day, he meets Shirase Kobuchizawa,.
who has been saving money to go to Antarctica in an attempt to find his missing mother. With Hinata Miyake and Yuzuki Shiraisi, he helps Shirase to explore Antarctica. The five anime above can be an option for those of you who are bored with romance stories. But still want to enjoy light slice of life stories.
Even though there isn’t even a hint of romance that will make your heart flutter. The anime above have interesting stories that won’t make you regret it. This can also be proven from the ratings obtained by the anime above. Which are quite good for the slice of life genre class. So, are you still in doubt?