Good "slice-of-life"/"realistic" anime?

[Apache Thunder]

I think the only slice of life Anime that I've ever watched is Clannad maybe. But I've recently picked up Watamote. Not sure if that would be your cup of tea though. I recommend against trying to binge watch it. I learned that the hard way. Wish I had picked it up sooner.

As for how realistic Watamote is....Well that's hard to say. Perhaps there's some exaggerations here and there. But overall it doesn't seem to have all the typical anime tropes from the typical bad anime (that I am keen to. I'm not a heavy anime watcher, so certainly if there are some more settle references, I would likely not notice them) and all the side characters (thus far) seem to be realistic. Tomoko really is the only abnormal one in the show but that is by design so not really a negative.

 

[Cyan]

I didn't see this thread before.
I'll post some I watched:

Series
Usagi drop (I know, already mentioned, but you REALLY should watch this one if you want slice of life) : a 30 year old guy getting his nieces at home after her father's death, with every implied changes in his life (children care, etc.)
Piano : A girl who want to learn piano
Aku no Hana : psychological harassment between two students
Eve no Jikan : When Cyborg hide to human that they have self awareness.
Fuujin Monogatari
K-on : Student creating a Light Rock club at their Girl's school.
Fuyuu no Sonata : (this one is based on a Korean Drama. I didn't watch it)
Paradise Kiss : a girl joining a strange group, which happen to be a stylist students and she's asked to be their model. (Prequel to Gokinjo Monogatari)
Gokinjo Monogatari : Following the sister of the previous series's main character.
Ikoku Meiro no Croisee
Someday`s Dreamers (with some magic world theme)
Nodame Cantabile
Peach Girl
Rec
Sora no Oto (too bad, not enough world's detail. Same setting/character design as K-on)
Space brothers (currently airing, there's no real seasons, it's just a following story)
Natsume Yuujinchou (I don't know if you can consider this one as slice of life. It's a slice of life of a student who can see spirit world and japanese folklore's spirits)


You might also like the annual "Young Animator Training Project." since 2011: 4 short animations sponsored by big animation studios.

More sport oriented :
Touch, Slow step, Cross game, etc. (all work from Mitsuru Adachi)
Major
Hikaru no go


Movies/OVA:
Mimi wo Sumaseba (Ghibli)
From Up On Poppy Hill (Ghibli)
Umi ga Kikoeru (Ghibli)
Grave of the Fireflies (again)
huu, in fact a lot of Ghibli's

Hoshi no Koe
5 Centimetres per Second
Kotonoha no Niwa

Hotarubi no Mori e (same genre as Natsume Yuujinchou)
Kimi no Iru Machi
Colorful
Rain Town

 

[Sop]

I didn't see this thread before.
I'll post some I watched:

Series
Usagi drop (I know, already mentioned, but you REALLY should watch this one if you want slice of life) : a 30 year old guy getting his nieces at home after her father's death, with every implied changes in his life (children care, etc.)
Piano : A girl who want to learn piano
Aku no Hana : psychological harassment between two students
Eve no Jikan : When Cyborg hide to human that they have self awareness.
Fuujin Monogatari
K-on : Student creating a Light Rock club at their Girl's school.
Fuyuu no Sonata : (this one is based on a Korean Drama. I didn't watch it)
Paradise Kiss : a girl joining a strange group, which happen to be a stylist students and she's asked to be their model. (Prequel to Gokinjo Monogatari)
Gokinjo Monogatari : Following the sister of the previous series's main character.
Ikoku Meiro no Croisee
Someday`s Dreamers (with some magic world theme)
Nodame Cantabile
Peach Girl
Rec
Sora no Oto (too bad, not enough world's detail. Same setting/character design as K-on)
Space brothers (currently airing, there's no real seasons, it's just a following story)
Natsume Yuujinchou (I don't know if you can consider this one as slice of life. It's a slice of life of a student who can see spirit world and japanese folklore's spirits)


You might also like the annual "Young Animator Training Project." since 2011: 4 short animations sponsored by big animation studios.

More sport oriented :
Touch, Slow step, Cross game, etc. (all work from Mitsuru Adachi)
Major
Hikaru no go


Movies/OVA:
Mimi wo Sumaseba (Ghibli)
From Up On Poppy Hill (Ghibli)
Umi ga Kikoeru (Ghibli)
Grave of the Fireflies (again)
huu, in fact a lot of Ghibli's

Hoshi no Koe
5 Centimetres per Second
Kotonoha no Niwa

Hotarubi no Mori e (same genre as Natsume Yuujinchou)
Kimi no Iru Machi
Colorful
Rain Town

Aku no Hana is weird.

 

[sharred]

Pokemon, the best anime ever

 

[Foxi4]

Ghost in the Shell - both the movies and the Stand Alone Complex/2nd Gig series. It's realistic in the sense of not having any magic and whatnot - it's merely a look into the grim, somewhat cyberpunk future.

 

[RikuCrafter]

Minami-ke! First season is brilliant, as was the fourth. I love the second and third, but admittedly I see why others don't.

 

[Cyan]

Aku no Hana is weird.

yeahh, it sure is.
I had difficulty to continue watching it, but not for the animation/design, more because of the theme (I don't like Hijime, harassment, people abusing other people)
And to finally found ... "End of Part 1, To be continued" Noooooo, no more of that story.

 

[Bake]

Never really understood what the hell "slice of life" is.

But uh... Monster is pretty realistic. Does that fit in here?

 

[Cyan]

slice of life is story based on a character, mostly from real world locations/country/town (it could be imaginary locations too), living their own life with their own problem.(not fantasy, Sci-fi, surnatural, monsters, etc.)
A student in love with his teacher (Piano)
A guy taking care of a kid because her father died (Usagi drop)
A girl meeting a boy who want to become luthier (Mimi wo sumaseba)
Two brothers aspiring to become astronauts, following their training at JAXA, NASA, etc (Space brothers)
An orphan kid who need to sell lanterns to earn money and survive, while electricity is starting to be available to everyone (Ojii-san no Lamp)


It's not about saving the world, or killing a villain, it's about simple, every day's problem or happiness that people could have in their life. You follow a part/slice of their life.

Of course you could say "any story is a part of the protagonist's life". but it's more like a genre, no ennemies, no world to save, no goal to reach, etc. it's just following few days of someone's "boring life"

 

[Veho]

Surprisingly enough, Windy Tales. Yes, despite the premise, it's a slice of life anime. One of the sliciest. Yes, it's about a bunch of people who can (sometimes) control the wind, but the story doesn't revolve around that. There is no overarching plot, there is no conspiracy of airbenders bent (hah!) on world domination, there are no antagonists, no enemies, no fights, nothing. It's just the daily lives of several people. And it's really good, and nice, and relaxing, and the art style is very unusual, and I sincerely recommend it.

 

[Cyan]

ah yes, I list it with the japanese name
Fuujin monogatari = Windy tales

I'll also add that it has nice and relaxing sound track, I listen to it occasionally.

 

[Theconejo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_on_the_Slope

Super short(12-13 ep if i remember), but pretty awesome. Revolves around a couple of kids who become friends with the basis of music, Jazz specifically. I'm not really musically inclined or anything but the selection + animations were great together.

 

[Veho]

ah yes, I list it with the japanese name
Fuujin monogatari = Windy tales

I missed it, sorry. I just searched the page for "wind" and when I didn't find it I posted it myself.