Who would’ve guessed that people would be interested to watch an ordinary day in the life of an ordinary person? That’s exactly what the slice of life genre builds on, and it’s greatly popular for TV and the world of Japanese animation!
In the literal sense, slice of life refers to a snippet in a person’s daily life. The term encompasses genre, as a short story can be a slice of life just as much as a TV episode.
Why is it called slice of life?
Slice of life is essentially that: a glimpse into the daily life of a person. The easiest way to picture it would be the popularized video theme of “A day in the life of.”
The slice of life kind of storytelling means that it doesn’t need a coherent plot, a conflict, or even a clear ending. Ironically, this lack of conflict helps to serve the purpose of slice of life as a means for escapism, instead of realism. For example, a lot of slice of life stories depict school life, and most of them do not show the kids’ parents at all!
Instead, it places a strong emphasis on the ordinary moment, intentionally focusing the audience’s attention on that particular moment, instead of these mundane activities being a part of a greater storyline.
For example, whereas a typical story would probably have a scene where roommates can’t get along, in the slice of life genre, the focus would be on that whole idea of having roommates and the mundane quality of it all. It can include punchlines and jokes, fixing the story as well in the lap of drama or comedy.
Newspaper comics often use slice of life, too, so that anyone who reads them anytime can immediately appreciate what’s happening without needing to know what happened previously. After all, not everyone reads the newspaper every day, so it’s virtually impossible to set a whole plot in daily strips.
Slice of Life in Literature
In literature, slice of life is a storytelling technique using seemingly ordinary glimpses of a character’s life. This is the kind of tactic used for writing vignettes. Slice of life prose usually features ordinary characters.
Surprisingly, magazine editors are increasingly drawn to these pieces. Most likely it’s because these prose pieces tend to be short, usually between 1,500 to 2,000 words, while still capturing big ideas in these little snippets. The way it portrays the everyday routine also means that it’s quite easy for readers to relate to them.
Some of the most popular fiction books in the slice of life genre include:
- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
If you’ve noticed, these books typically have an episodic feel, wherein each chapter talks about a different part of the main character’s life, without necessarily being part and parcel of an overarching plot.
6 Examples of Slice of Life in Anime
Meanwhile, slice of life is a popular theme in Japanese anime and in Korean drama. They zoom in on seemingly random events in the main characters’ lives, and turn them into laugh-out-loud scenes, tear-jerking drama, or even a little bit of romance.
Here we compile a list of some of the most enjoyed slice of life anime series you can check out:
1. Nichijou – My Ordinary Life
This is one of the funniest anime shows, focusing on the lives of three high school girls who also happen to be lifelong friends. Perhaps its being a little over-the-top adds to its charm, but it still contains a lot of down-to-earth moments.
2. Komi Can’t Communicate
In this anime series, the main character, Shoko Komi, goes through life mostly alone because of her social anxiety. When she gets to high school, she makes up her mind to change her life by making a hundred friends.
3. Lucky Star
This series is one of the first that did the “cute girls doing cute things” theme, and unfortunately, its first episode was a little bit blah. But moving farther along, it becomes a bit more engaging, thanks to its main character Konata Izumi and the antagonistic Kagami.
4. YuruYuri: Happy Go Lucky
This is a classic example of a slice of life, also using the “cute girls doing cute things” strategy. It shows snippets fro the daily life of four girls, using these ordinary events with great comedic effect.
5. March Comes In Like a Lion
This series is full of amazing animation, intelligent writing, and characters that are highly realistic and very relatable. Of course, it also delves into serious issues like depression, so it may not be as lighthearted as you would expect a slice of life film to be.
6. K-On!
Revolving around the lives of the members of the Light Music Club, this series includes a repertoir of memorable songs, albeit set as a background to the lighthearted comedy it’s meant to portray. The main characters are very likable girls whose friendship we get to watch blooming across the seasons.
Slice of Life for Relaxation
Slice of life vignettes, anime, and webcomics can be an entertaining recreation, since they don’t have to take up too much time—unless, of course, you decide to binge watch an entire anime series!
If you’re not familiar with this type of storytelling, consider checking out one of the featured anime series or books mentioned in this post.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- Vignettes in Literature: A Window to Your Story
- 10 Epistolary Novels That Tell Stories Through Letters
- 14 Best Webcomics to Read Right Now
- 8 Comic Book Writing Tips for Effective Storytelling
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
