As fans well know, Non Non Biyori is a show punctuated by pauses. In fact, many of the top comments on Crunchyroll have to do with viewers who’ve checked their internet connection or refreshed the page mid-watch, thinking that the stream must have stalled. These “frozen moments” are unique to the anime adaptation of the… Read More Summer of SoL: Non Non Biyori & What Happens in the Pauses
I have heard it said that slice-of-life series do not engage viewers intellectually, in that they do not have complex plots or go deep like dramas. Yet, this criticism overlooks the fact that beneath the slow and easy-going pace of each episode, slice-of-life anime often center on meaningful themes. But rather than packaging them with… Read More Summer of SoL: Resting in a Busy World (or Another World)
Were you ever told by your teachers or parents “Hey, you had better hit the books and study hard; you don’t wanna be flipping burgers at McDonald’s or be a garbage man, right?” Heaven knows I have. What would be the 2070’s equivalent? “You don’t want to be a DEBRIS HAULER, right?” Well, in the… Read More Summer of SoL: Planetes and Taking Pride in your Job, However Humble
Every year, liturgical Christian churches celebrate a season called “ordinary time.” It’s like the “slow arc” of the church calendar: no Easter or Christmas, no super special feasts—just quiet, normal life. I think the citizens of the metropolis of slice-of-life are always celebrating ordinary time. After all, they spend each and every day in the… Read More Summer of SoL: Dwelling in the Ordinary
Do you remember that kid from elementary school that everyone called the “teacher’s pet”? The kid all the adults loved because they were responsible, mature, and generally did everything expected of them? Koi Yoshinaga from Slow Loop probably grew up as that kid. And while it’s nice to get all that praise for doing well,… Read More Summer of SoL: Koi, You Don’t Have to Know Everything
Welcome to BtT’s Summer of Slice of Life! This is the series where we’ll be celebrating all the things we love about SoL and the ways it soothes the soul, deepens our faith, and models for us the beauty of life and community on this planet we call home. And, in keeping with the relaxed,… Read More Summer of SoL: Is Escapism Unhealthy? A Christian Perspective (Series Launch)
Three typical slice-of-life girls arrive in the big city. There’s Himawari, the confident blond sporty one, Tsuyukusa, the sleepy-eyed, dessert-loving blue-haired one, and Tsutsuji, the reddish-pink haired one who is so normal she’s special, as befitting an MC. Only, what’s that beneath their hats? Horns?! Oh yeah, they’re oni or the demon-monsters of Japanese folk… Read More First Impression: Onipan!
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