One of the biggest genres within the media of anime and manga is undoubtedly comedy, gag comedy to be more specific. These kinds of titles have been a huge part of the industry, and one of Japan’s most beloved anime titles is the slice of lifecomedy anime known asSazae-san. It’s clear that slice of life comedies are significant, and one of the most brilliant titles to emerge within this bracket is the wacky and hilariousNichijou.
With a title that literally translates to “Daily Life”,Nichijouis an incredible example of the perfect slice of life comedy anime and should always be considered in any conversation about the best comedy anime. So, what makesNichijousuch a stellar example of the perfect comedy slice of life anime?
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Plot
The main focus of theNichijouseries is the childhood friend trio of Mio Naganohara, Yuuko Aioi and Mai Minakami, and how their daily lives intersect with the child genius inventor Hakase Shinonome, her robot guardian Nano and their cat, Sakamoto. Each day is a different kind of mundanity or chaos, depending on the day, and each character experiencesa different aspect of daily life.
From walking to school with friends, to daydreaming in class or even bearing witness to the school principal engage in a dramatic battle against a literal deer;Nichijouis packed with all kinds of hijinks, all of which simply form part of the daily lives of the characters. The series features an in-universe comic series known as “Helvetica Standard”, which adds a meta-layer of mundanity upon the series' depiction of the characters' daily lives.
Characters
Like any narrative, the best part ofNichijouis itsvarious weird and chaotic charactersall of whom are eccentric on their own ways, or simply have something eccentric about them. The episodic nature of the series means that characters can and will end up in a flurry of hilarious, unbelievable and downright ridiculous situations (the aforementioned principle versus deer actually does happen), and each of their situations are just simple and just ridiculous enough to create all kinds of humour. Each of the characters, be they main or supporting, brings something random to theNichijouworld, and each of them is humourous in their own right for the kind of elements they bring to the series.
Nano Shinonome
Uniqueness
From its interesting and light approach to the art style, adorable character designs and great visual humour, Nichijou is a stand-out anime on various levels. It is unique in its humour, characters and approach, and the manner in which it connects each character without needing to do too much in terms of fleshing out the characters to derive some level of humour from them.
Ultimately, the objective ofNichijouis to create a funny depiction of the everyday lives of various strange and eccentric characters, and with there being so many fun andhilarious running gags in the series,Nichijouis the kind of show that goes far beyond one’s expectations, and comes highly recommended.
