The rainy season (Tsuyu) is a long period of persistent rain in Japan. Every year, people tend to get tired of going outside, but
this year, with the spread of the new coronavirus, many of them are probably spending even more time at home.
Here at Anime!Anime!, we conducted a reader survey asking, “Which 'slice-of-life anime' would you like to watch at home during the rainy season?”. A total of 91 responses were received between Jun. 8 and Jun. 12.
There were more female respondents with the gender ratio being 37% male and 63% female. The age group was about 55% for those under the age of 19, and about 25% for those in their 20s, mainly focusing on youngsters.
■The results have shown a big variety of slice-of-life anime!
“Non Non Biyori” and “Is the Order a Rabbit?” ranked in 5th place with the same number of votes.
“Non Non Biyori” is originally a comedy manga serialized in “Monthly Comic Alive”. The story depicts the exciting country life of five students, including Miyauchi Renge, that attend the local school of Asahigaoka.
Among the reasons why fans chose this anime, they commented about the peaceful life in the countryside; “It's heartwarming”, “Ren-chan makes me feel healed”, and “This is what I call a true slice-of-life anime. The best one right now!”.
[Streaming Sites]
・ABEMA (ABEMA Video) free distribution from Jun. 12, 2020 (midnight) until Jun. 25, 2020 (11:59 p.m.)
・Netflix
・d Anime Store
“Is the Order a Rabbit?” (abbreviated as GochiUsa) is an anime series based on the four-panel manga written and illustrated by Koi. It depicts the daily life of the protagonist Cocoa with the eccentric girls Chino, Rize, Chiya, and Sharo at the cafe Rabbit House.
Many fans have expressed their desire for being healed; “I am healed by the cuteness of the characters”, and “I am soothed by the lively personality of the cute girls”.
[Streaming Sites]
・ABEMA (ABEMA Video)
“Is the Order a Rabbit?”: free distribution period: Jun. 12, 2020 (midnight) – Jun. 18, 2020 (11:59 p.m.)
“Is the Order a Rabbit??”: free distribution period: Jun. 19, 2020 (midnight) – Jun. 25, 2020 (11:59 p.m.)
・d Anime Store
The 4th place goes to “Teasing Master Takagi-san”.
“Teasing Master Takagi-san” is originally a manga with the same title which is serialized in “Gessan” and has sold a total of 6 million copies. It is an adolescent romantic comedy that features the daily life of the middle school student Takagi, who loves to tease her classmate Nishikata.
It looks like most of the fans would love to see more scenes featuring the two characters; “It's so funny and cute”, “I'd love to see a warm home life of Takagi-san and Nishikata. Also, it would be also great to see a rainy season story with the two of them walking under the same umbrella”.
[Streaming Sites]
・Netflix
The 3rd place goes to “Mr. Osomatsu”.
“Mr. Osomatsu” is based on the gag manga “Osomatsu-kun”, and features the 1st season, which was released in Oct. 2015, and the 2nd season which aired in Oct. 2017. It is an unpredictable gag comedy that will make you laugh, cry, and even give you courage sometimes by depicting the daily life of the Matsuno six brothers which have now grown up into NEETs.
Various comments have shown how people get easily depressed in the rainy season, and that this work has the power to make them laugh and feel better; “I can laugh so hard and feel better even in this gloomy season”, and “This is the time when I really want to laugh for something”.
[Streaming Sites]
・Netflix
・d Anime Store
The 2nd place goes to “Daily Lives of High School Boys”.
“Daily Lives of High School Boys” is originally a manga by Yamauchi Yasunobu, which was serialized in “Gangan Online”. It is a comedy that revolves around the daily lives of Tadakuni, Hidenori, and Yoshitake of Sanada North Boys High school.
Many readers have commented that they want to overcome this gloomy time by laughing; “I laugh so many times that makes me feel better”, and “Even though it is centered on the silly life of some high school students, it also features some lovely characters”.
[Streaming Sites]
・Netflix
・d Anime Store
The 1st place goes to “Nichijou” with an approval rating of 11%.
“Nichijou” is a gag anime series produced by Kyoto Animation and is based on the manga with the same title by Arawi Keiichi.
It depicts the surreal daily life of an 8-year-old genius girl who lives with a female android, along with a group of eccentric girls of Tokisadame High School.
Many fans have commented about the reason for their choice; “It's so funny that it can even blow away the gloomy mood caused by the rain”, and “It makes me laugh and feel better when depression comes out in rainy days”.
[Streaming Sites]
・ABEMA Video
Free distribution period: Jun. 12, 2020 (midnight) – Jun. 25, 2020 (11:59 p.m.)
・ Amazon Prime Video
・Netflix
・d Anime Store
■Let's introduce other comments!!
“Sazae-san”: “The most popular slice-of-life anime”; “My favorite daily life anime. It makes me want to watch it even when I don't want to”; “I love how the story progresses and is also very easy to understand”. Many fans are convinced that it is the real first slice-of-life life anime created in our history.
“New Atashin'chi”: “It is interesting for both adults and children”; “It's a lovely story that portrays an ordinary Japanese family”. Many readers consider it as the perfect anime to watch with all the family members at home”.
“Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid”: “I was impressed by the moment when the dragon and the human overcome their differences to live under the same roof in rainy days”; “I'm always amazed at the way dragons play with each other”. Many comments were about episodes featuring the rain.
The survey includes a big variety of slice-of-life anime to watch during the rainy season, from those that depict an easygoing daily life to romantic and gag stories. In particular, the top-ranking was dominated by comedies.
■Top 20
“Which 'slice-of-life anime' would you like to watch at home during the rainy season?”
1. “Nichijou”
2. “Daily Lives of High School Boys”
3. “Mr. Osomatsu”
4. “Teasing Master Takagi-san”
5. “Is the Order a Rabbit?”
5. “Non Non Biyori”
7. “Barakamon”
7. “Sazae-san”
7. “Uchi no Sanshimai”
10. “New Atashin'chi”
10. “Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid”
10. “Lucky Star”
10. “Blend S”
10. “Kimi to Boku”
10. “Tanaka-kun is Always Listless”
16. “Pokémon”
16. “Laid-Back Camp”
16. “The Prince of Tennis”
16. “Sweetness and Lightning”
16. “Azumanga Daioh”
16. “WORKING!!”
16. “Three Leaves, Three Colors”
16. “Hidamari Sketch”
16. “School Babysitters”
16. “Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru”
16. “Wasteful Days of High School Girls”
16. “Cells at Work!”
16. “Eromanga Sensei”
16. “K-On!”
16. “Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro Biyori”
16. “Girls' Last Tour”
16. “Ooya-san to Boku”
16. “Chibi Maruko-chan”
16. “Minami-ke”
16. “Dynamic Chord”
16. “Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku”
16. “Maison Ikkoku”
16. “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.”
16. “Himouto! Umaru-chan”
16. “When They Cry”
16. “ReLIFE”
16. “Anne Happy”
16. “Gintama”
Response period: (Jun. 8 – Jun. 12, 2020)
* The questionnaire is part of an attitude survey related to the interest of the readers towards the current anime works and characters. Regarding the results, there is no intention to determine any kind of relative merit of any character or production. We hope that this article will be an opportunity for you to get to know new works and characters, and also deepen your understanding and interest in them.