Sometimes, watching anime is something that we toss aside. Whether it’s for work, college, or exams, this hobby could be my usual victim when time is against me. After all the hard work is done, I often find myself scouring old anime to watch.

One genre that stands out to me is slice of life. This genre is pretty much a mush-up of episodic daily life of the characters. Slice of life anime can simply be a relaxing binge time to escape the real world. Sometimes, we just want to be entertained with light comedy and an easy plot.

However, there are plenty of anime of this genre, almost too many in fact. So, every now and then I’d miss some of them completely and discover them years after they originally aired. Here are few slice of life anime that make me say, “Where have you been all this time?”

Kakushigoto

This anime actually struck me as bittersweet rather than funny. Don’t get me wrong, there are comedic bits here and there. But, I found the father-daughter relationship sticks out so much with its adorableness.

The story is about a single father, Kakushi Gotou, who works as a mangaka. But, he mainly draws inappropriate manga. Not ecchi, not a comedy manga full of fan service, but the NSFW ones. Problem is, he has a daughter, Hime, and he’d like his line of work to stay secret from her.

Imagine the guilt and embarrassment if he gets found out. Even more so, the daughter is in fourth grade. Well, of course, he goes into full on disguise mode for his job. Gotou sometimes goes overboard with his paranoia, leading to some of the most ridiculous cover up attempts.

I watched Kakushigoto thinking I’d get to put myself into no brain mode. But, I later on found myself absorbed into Gotou’s worries. There is something about fatherly love that I think really brings up the sweetness of this anime.

Strawberry Marshmallow

Well, now we have a real no-brainer anime. Strawberry Marshmallow is a 2005 anime, so I only learned about this anime maybe like ten years after it aired. To me, 2005 was a year when I get to play with the neighbor’s kids and just making some ruckus for our parents to worry about. Hey! We were exactly like the characters in this anime!

You know that feeling when your childhood friend group had the crazy kid. Well, that’s basically Strawberry Marshmallow in a nutshell. Chika’s house is practically the home base for Miu, Matsuri, and Ana to hang out. Occasionally, Chika’s older sister, Nobue, would also join too. However, I think Miu is the real kicker in this group.

I couldn’t believe how a slice of life genre can put some of the most unhinged and out-of-pocket humor in a cute anime. But, kids will be kids, and this is Miu we’re talking about. Also, slice of life anime can get repetitive with their jokes, but I found Strawberry Marshmallow‘s to be entertaining.

I love their simple gags can suddenly turn into a full on trip to the afterlife. The sense of humor and its cutesy nature brings me back to watching this anime every once in a while.

Life Lessons with Uramichi-oniisan

Well, this anime certainly hits close to home. Uramichi-oniisan is about a kid show host who live a mundane life and forced to put a bright face for the show. It sounds depressing, but in reality it’s what everyone have gone through at least once in their life.

The story is about Uramichi. A host of the kid show “Together with Mama”. What caught me off-guard when watching this anime for the first time is how he occasionally drops realistic takes on life to the children. He is too realistic sometimes, and leaves the children mortified.

I found Uramichi-oniisan to be super relatable. Taking the first few steps in adulthood can be all gloom at times. Hobbies are no longer interesting, life in general becomes painstakingly boring. Pretty much, there is a level where people are stuck to their “I wake up to work” lifestyle.

Although the anime has a depressing undertone, it still carries itself very well as a comedy. It’s funny that I entertain myself by watching someone who is tired from working when I am tired from working. The parallel is impeccable.

Bakuon!!

When I first had the idea of blogging, I was thinking I’d make a special page for anime and bikes related posts. Partly, it’s because I found out about Bakuon!!

My first impression of this anime is that this is K-On! with horsepower instead of guitars. Hane Sakura has the same carefree and bright personality as Yui Hirasawa. And just like Yui, Hane is a natural in understanding what she does. So much so, she can actually have a conversation with her practice Honda Super Four.

I like the inside jokes of motorcycling community in this anime. Like poking fun at Ducatis and Raimu-senpai as a reference to The Stig from Top Gear. The only problem I kind of have with Bakuon!! is the fan service. While it’s a common thing for anime, I don’t really see the point of doing fan service with girls when I am already given fan service with bikes.

As someone who loves motorcycles, this anime is the perfect escape from the real world. Aside from the tomfoolery the girls frequently do, the bikes featured in this anime are diverse. I didn’t expect the anime to bring up a two-stroke bike, but I love the nostalgic touch.

Grand Blue

The last anime has to be one of the greatest slice of life comedy out there. Right from the get go, I got the impression that this anime might be the craziest one so far.

The story is about Iori who just started college and has to move to his uncle’s place. It just happens that his uncle has a scuba diving shop, which is a frequent victim of his university diving club’s shenanigans.

While reluctant at first, Iori eventually grows fond of his new friends in the club. To me, the thing that stands out in the relationship between the characters is the intense fraternity. It is somewhat relatable despite the silliness that is happening in this anime. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is someone out there who are exactly like Iori and his friends in college.

Grand Blue is a bit different from most slice of life anime. The focus on the much wilder college life is a breath of fresh air among high school settings. Especially, when it comes to the partying and drinking culture, this anime doesn’t hold back.