The slice-of-life genre has many appealing qualities, most notably its ability to draw viewers into a world that bears similarities to real life while providing comfort and relaxation. It’s the perfect form of escapism—the opportunity to spend time with lovable characters dealing with life struggles and growing in different areas of their lives.
Skip And Loafer is one such character-driven story, focusing on its characters, Iwakura Mitsumi and Shima Sousuke, as they navigate their unlikely friendship in the big city of Tokyo, which Iwakura Mitsumi has only recently moved to. Skip and Loafer offers many positives, including its relatability and pockets of excitement. Here are some other slice-of-life anime recommendations for fans who love Skip And Loafer.
10 Aiura
In Aiura, an unlikely encounter leads to a fulfilling friendship for Ayuko Uehara. While she goes about her holiday business, she meets two girls, Kanaka Amaya and Saki Iwasawa, who turn out to be new students at her high school.
Aiura shows how they grow closer each day and how the depth of their friendship increases with different daily occurrences. This anime by Liden Films is great at delivering the sweetness of the slice-of-life genre in the high school setting, along with some funny moments and verisimilitude.
9 Amanchu!
When Futaba Ooki moves from Tokyo to another town, she is met with a hollow feeling, due to the wideness of the new city and an unacknowledged email sent to an old friend. She becomes taken with the sea and loved watching it. This interest in the sea is what leads her to Hikari Kohinata, a classmate who loves to dive.
Amanchu! Blends the peace of seaside life with the power of friendship, the thrill of diving, and the satisfaction from working towards a major goal.
8 Senryu Girl
In Senryu Girl, Nanako Yukishiro is beautiful and perfect, but different, as she only communicates with others by writing poems called ‘senryuu’ made of seventeen syllables. Her cuteness leads Eiji Busujima to fall in love with her, and this love changes him.
He drops many negative characteristics and instead becomes dedicated to his love for Nanako. They become close friends with a unique understanding of each other. Senryu Girl has no problem transporting viewers into its calm and rejuvenating setting and making the lives of Nanako and Eiji something to look forward to.
7 Diary of Our Days At The Breakwater
Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater is another anime that has water playing a pivotal role in the story. After moving to a seaside town, Hina Tsurugi mostly enjoys watching the water. A schoolmate called Yuuki Kuroiwa then introduces her to the world of fishing and the Breakwater Club, filled with community, fishing, and interesting dishes.
Although Hina is initially hesitant, she enters into that world and allows it to change her. Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater uses fishing to show the beauty of togetherness and making memories with important people.
6 Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu
In this anime, Bocchi Hitori faces the reality of social anxiety. Added to that, she has to deal with moving to a new school and losing her friend, Kai Yawara, in the process. Kai decides to show Bocchi some tough love and says that they can only be friends if Bocchi makes new friends in her new class.
Bocchi’s strong desire to remain friends with Kai drives her to face her social anxiety head-on and embrace the challenges that come with the process of trying to make new friends.
5 One Week Friends
One Week Friends tells the story of how Yuuki Hase’s crush on Kaori Fujimiya leads to him discovering a condition she suffers from, that makes her push everyone away from her. Although Kaori initially tries to push Yuuki away, he is persistent, and they grow a bond over the short span of a week.
However, things don’t remain rosy as Kaori begins to withdraw again after one week, leading Yuuki to discover the truth. What follows is Yuuki’s determination to remain friends for over a week, even if it means starting over every time.
4 You And Me
You and Me, created by the studio J.C.Staff, and written by Hotta Kiichi, is a combination of slice-of-life, comedy, drama, and romance all rolled into the story of four friends and high school students whose friendship is changed by the arrival of a new member.
When Chizuru Tachibana, a half-Japanese transfer student, joins Shun Matsuoka, Kaname Tsukahara, and Yuuta and Yuuki Asaba who are twins, his spirited disposition increases the fun in their lives and leads them to deepen their friendship with one another.
3 Wandering Son
In Wandering Son, Shuuichi Nitori and Yoshino Takatsuki find comfort in each other’s presence and friendship. Dealing with their individual struggles with gender identity, they both have to navigate a new environment, not knowing what to expect.
They must face difficult odds to embrace their unique identities while making friends and dealing with other everyday challenges. Wandering Son is an important yet lighthearted take on LGBT reality within the familiarity of slice-of-life elements, the depth of friendship and mutuality, and a sprinkle of charming teenage romance.
2 Non Non Biyori
In Non Non Biyori, Hotaru Ichijou moves from Tokyo to Asahigaoka village. Her new environment is very different from the one she’s always known, but still, she takes a liking to it. Although everything is different, there is much to love, like the new friends she makes at school: Renge Miyauchi and the three Koshigaya siblings, Suguru, Komari, and Natsumi.
With their help, Hotaru adjusts to a slower-paced life, and she also brings some excitement into theirs. Together they fill their quiet days at Asahigaoka village with fun and laughter.
1 Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You
Sawako Kuronuma, also called Sadako, leaves the wrong impression on people. She comes across as a more negative person, even though she’s simply shy. This has left her lonely and craving the excitement of friendship in her life.
So when she finally meets Shouta Kazehaya, who isn’t lacking on the social front, the attraction and admiration she feels are only natural. When she gets drawn more and more into his life, she has to seize the opportunity and make some friends. In the process, Sadako and Kazehaya change each other in more ways than expected.