Down to Earth Animes

[kyuuei]

:3 So.. Animes have the stereotype of just being out there.. Melodramatic relationship problems blown far out of proportion, crazy antics with mechanical suits breaking into a school every 10 seconds, harems of girls or boys dribbled around a single, plain character, etc.

But! Not all anime is crazy space-fights, space-ice creams, and space-love. Some aren't even in space.

Below is a paragraph written in a newsletter from jlist.com that lists some animes that are very down to earth, with normal human characters going through normal human life. It's a pretty cool list for those seeking a less crazy way to break into the scene, or can't stand all the high pitched screaming..

Recently a customer posted a question on our Facebook page asking if there were any "realistic" anime series, which seemed like an interesting topic to write about here. Anime is often a place where impossible things happen, where Magical Girls transform at just the right moment in order to save the day (or the universe) and nondescript generic males are surrounded by of gorgeous 2D females dedicated to making him happy for no reason. But how about shows that are closer to the reality most of us li ve in? Some examples of more down-to-earth anime stories might include Hanasaku Iroha, the tale of a girl who finds her place in life through hard work at her grandmother's Japanese inn, or the outstanding Emma: A Victorian Romance, about a maid in 19th century England who falls in love with a man above her station. Another show that impressed fans for its realism was Toradora! -- I love the part where Taiga and Ryuji try to elope, but of course life never really works like that, and they have to make other plans. Often stories can be realistic to the point of causing pain, for example the wartime tale of Grave of the Fireflies, or the beautiful 5 Centimeters per Second, about the gap between a boy's dreams and the real world. Genshiken is another amazing work that accurately portrays life in a university otaku club, which I recommend highly. Finally there's the currently running Bunny Drop, the tale of thirty-year-old Daikichi, who becomes the guardian of Rin, the illegitimate daughter of his deceased grandfather, and the many touching hardships the two of them face together.

If anyone has any to add to the list that'd rock too.

 

[ultimawepun]

Honey & Clover
BECK
Welcome to the NHK maybe?


A lot of Slice-of-Life anime fall into this category:

Bartender
Azumanga Daioh
*Coughs* K-On

And my favorite, Nodame Cantabile.

 

[violet_crown]

But I like overblown antics....

 

[Qlip]

This is probably my favorite genre, I'm always looking for more, but people aren't usually into these as much. I loved Genshiken, and Azumanga Diaoh. I'll add Maison Ikkoku to the list, my fav. (Yeah, I'm a sap)

 

[Oaky]

Honey & Clover
BECK

Certainly these. Honey and Clover was rather pleasant I believe.

 

[Rail Tracer]

As ultimatewepun said... slice of life generally falls into this category. Though... I would say some fit a lot more than others. Some has darker undertones while others are slightly lighter.

5 Centimeters Per Second is probably the most memorable as it is more in our time compared to Grave of The Fireflies.

Recently, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai(AnoHana for the short version of the name ) has this realism to it. It is about a group of kids, because of a death of a friend in their childhood, drifted apart. It has all the characteristics of this time... but I really won't spoil what you get to see. But let us say, popular brands (renamed so that lawsuits aren't made) are referenced in it.

Myself; Yourself gets darker as it nears the end. There is some realism to the anime, but there are some characteristics that make it more.... drama-esque.

 

[Qlip]

I finally found a place to get a hold of a sub of 'Touch', it's supposed to be one of the classic great slice of life Animes. One of those that Japanese distributors aren't going to go through the effort of giving a proper release for here in the U.S. 100+ episodes, with an actual ending.

 

[William K]

Well, there is a genre within anime called iyashikei (literally 'healing') which doesn't really have a large plot or a villain and each episode is self-contained mostly
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Iyashikei

Examples (which you can find in the page) include
Aria (about a Venice-like city on another planet)
Sketchbook (about art of course)
Tamayura (about photography)

 

[William K]

*Coughs* K-On

What's wrong with K-On?

Anyway, not going to recommend Nichijou as down to earth? *Goes to watch and listen to the amazing 2nd OP again*

 

[ultimawepun]

^

Well, K-On has one of the most polarizing opinions out there. Either you love it or you hate it.

And I wouldn't exactly describe Nichijou as down to earth or realistic, but I do recommend it if you're looking for something that's lighthearted yet wacky. Personally my most favorite anime this year so far. Also, Kakakata > Joujou Yuujou.


Others I also recommend that may fit OP's description are:

Usagi Drop, Slice-of-Life Drama. About a 30 year-old man taking care of his 6 year-old aunt. Yes, his 6 year-old aunt. The anime is very lighthearted. The manga on the other hand is somewhat controversial.

5cm Per Second, The scenery porn in this film is good enough reason to watch it. Drama.

Planetes, A favorite of mine. This one's a sci-fi anime; It's hard sci-fi though, meaning, it's quite realistic. It's also episodic for the most part and emits that "slice-of-life feeling."


If you want something very recent, then give Chihayafuru a go. 8 episodes in so far and it has been very very good. Fits OP's description perfectly fine too.

 

[Nakawaka]

FLCL is where it's at.

;D