This came up recently on Twitter, and then again (to a more insane degree) on the Anime News Network forums. In fact, it’s a perennial debate, and not one that I think comes up so often in western media: are “slice-of-life” shows stupid and boring (with some exceptions), or are they fun and charming (with some exceptions)? Obviously the answer will vary from person to person, and yet somehow this winds up being one of those situations where some S’o'L fans berate non-fans for their legitimate opinions, and some non-fans do in fact smear the genre and its proponents. Most recently this came up over a brand-new show, Tari Tari.
It’s stupid, and repetitive, and I think I have an idea why some people get into these shows and others don’t. I think it has to do with your ability to sit back and enjoy something essentially without thinking. That sounds bad, I know, but bear with me: Are you one of those people who can sit in a room listening to cool jazz for an hour and doing nothing else? Or are you the kind of person needs to be constantly engaged?
I’m the latter, and I have trouble with a lot of slice-of-life shows. Unless there are particularly outstanding characters (as in Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, impressive humor (Azumanga Daioh), or the lives in question are pretty amazing in some way (Ouran High School Host Club), I rarely get into these shows. It’s not that I especially think they’re bad, I just get bored or distracted while I watch them. I can’t get into Aria or its ilk. I don’t have whatever it is that allows people to simply soak in an atmosphere.
And sometimes I’m jealous of those people. I have a hard time at most concerts— even if I like the music, I get bored. It gives me trouble on the practical front, too…I could probably exercise a lot more effectively frequently if I was better at shutting off my brain for a while. So when I say that I think people who like the slice-of-life genre as a whole can do so because they can “shut their brain off,” I absolutely don’t mean it as an insult. I just think it’s something some people can do, some people can learn to do, and some people just can’t do.
I’m sort on the fence on this issue, though I’m definitely sitting more on the “non-moe” side. Firstly, I actually classify series like SZS, Azumanga Daioh, Nichijou and all those “gag” type series in a different category to simply “moe slice of life”. Likewise, drama that happens to have moe I also put into another category. Melodrama series or as I like to call it “bawwfests” (e.g. Key, Anohana) I also put into another category. Slice of life is such a broad genre/concept it’s ridiculous to call it even a genre a first place.
People’s thresholds and tastes differ. I’m like yourself and find the “moe slice of lifes” boring as hell. These are your K-ons, Workings, Minami-kes, Strawberry Marshmellows etc. However, unlike yourself, I’m also not fond of gag or moe comedies. I find that largely unfunny because they tend to be slapstick a lot of the time or require you to understand specific Japanese culture (wordplay, the meaning behind a gag that only a local would know). I’m also not very fond melodramas either and personally I draw a big distinction between drama and melodrama.
Which leaves me with just one category, dramas that just happen to have moe (cute girls, teenage setting plots, yadidadidada) in it. These are your White Albums, Book Girls, Ano Natsus, Toradoras (to an extent, though it’s largely romcom in its first half), and Hanasaku Irohas. Tari Tari also falls in this category. You might disagree with me, but Tari Tari has the “polish/budget”, has a meaningful purpose compared to your typical moe slice of life (there’s definitely drama in this and there’s also a musical theme), has minimal ero-fanservice and little “shoving moe down your throat for the sake of it”. Another show I’m actually liking is Hyouka, despite having a strong distaste towards Kyoani in general – I’m looking at you Air, Kanon, Clannad – all three are examples of melodramas, which happened to be start of very silly, making it jarring on top stinking with melodrama later on.
Of course, this still pales to slice of life or dramas that noitamina tends to do so dramas that have moe in it are almost always on a lower tier to more “realistic” or “mature” ones that noitamina tends to do. That and I’m also a big fan of hard sci-fi, which luckily seems to be on a small revitalization.
Anyways, I hope you got at least -something- from this blabbering of mine…
Fascinating to read about your take on US entertainment. In the UK we do get a good deal of US entertainment but also generate a great deal of ‘historical’ drama. Have you seen Downton Abbey?