I can't believe it's been super long since I wrote my first animé recommendation. I'm only on the "2nd month" but I've watched quite a number of animated series. Dang. I feel like I've sinned against the Animé gods because of this.
ANYWAY. Aside from listening to music, blogging, and watching Netflix, a sure way for me to recover from stress is to watch nice animé. This month's recommendation is a chill, slice-of-life story. Let me introduce Non Non Biyori.
The Plot
"The story takes place in the countryside small town village of Asahigaoka, a place lacking many of the conveniences that people from the city are accustomed to. The nearest stores are a few miles away and one of the local schools consists of only five students, each of whom is in a different grade of elementary or middle school. Hotaru Ichijo, a fifth grader from Tokyo, transfers into Asahigaoka Branch School and has to adjust to countryside life with her new friends." (source)
Aside from the very chill plot, the characters all have their own lovable personalities. Renge's (lavender hair) character is especially memorable, with her usually poker, stoic face and curiosity.
She tells off the adults (her older sister-slash-homeroom teacher) for being unmotivated and bland, urging them to be models to kids like her. She also has her own way of doing things (marking her way to school with a stick on the ground so she can retrace her steps back home) and perfectly balances the other characters' personalities.
I don't remember how I found this show, but it was around the same time I discovered Himouto Umaru-chan (another glorious little animé that I recommended for the first one). I'm so glad I came across it! Lovable characters, nice animation, great voice actors - the whole thing.
Slice-of-life shows are great for those moments when you want to watch something but don't want to get invested into a 100-episode series all at once. Non Non Biyori is a great bet.
I'm giving this show a 4.8/5. The only complaint I have is that it didn't have enough episodes for me to gush over Renge. :)
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