Supernatural Slice of Life
Anime
Slice of life stories with a supernatural twist, with characters usually falling into incidental perils thanks to supernatural or magical significant others or family members who bring all kinds of magical hi-jinx into the protagonist's lives.
TV, 2005,
24 eps
Me:-
Author:10
A personal favourite of mine, the manga and anime both hooked me strongly on the story. Belldandy and Keiichi being my favourite anime couple with their innocent romance and genuine care & concern for each other. Seeing the manga get a more proper adaptation with the TV series was definitely something I had hoped for since seeing the 5 part OVA in the mid 1990s. This show is likely my top pick in terms of the supernatural/slice of life hybrids in the Anime genre.
Special, 2005,
3 eps
Me:-
Author:10
These specials were really enjoyable with the Goddesses Urd and Skuld doing a two-part 'freak friday' style perspective flip where one reverted to her younger self (Urd) and the other aged up to a fully-grown Goddess (Skuld). Evoking tropes similar to Hollywood movies like BIG, 13 Going On 30, and 17 Again, the age-swapping is played very effectively for some good laughs, but also sees some interesting character growth from both Goddesses in this pair of specials.
TV, 2006,
22 eps
Me:-
Author:10
The follow-up season did a really good job of digging deeper into all of the Goddesses backgrounds as well as Keiichi's and provided some much needed character growth going forwards that drew upon some of the most memorable parts of the earlier manga chapters. The addition of the eponymous 4th Goddess 'Peorth' adds a new semi-regular (she reappears a few times later on in the season) element of chaos to the narrative going forwards. Really too bad that this season was the last with many manga chapters that remain to be adapted, despite the manga run being completed. One can only hope that the series is completed at some point, considering how long some manga adaptations take to reach full completion in anime form, there's always a chance this may happen someday.
Special, 2007,
2 eps
Me:-
Author:10
This pair of second season specials provided a fairly satisfying bookend to the season, with Peorth returning for some love magic hi-jinx and one of the manga's most thoughtful/introspective stories getting the anime treatment to close out the 2nd season of AMG.
TV Special, 2007,
2 eps
Me:-
Author:10
This OVA adapted the high-stakes Angel Eater manga Arc into anime form and sees the return of the Valkyrie Lind in a plot involving the Goddesses Angelic Symbionts which are threatened by the Demon Queen Hild and her loyal servant Maller. Seeing some fairly dynamic action, this definitely has a more dynamic feel than most AMG and has a fair bit in common with the Terrible Master Urd Arc that ended the first season and the Movie which both had dire threats as well.
Movie, 2000,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:10
With fairly high stakes the film balances a potential threat to existence itself with slice of life elements that focus heavily on Keiichi and Belldandy's affections for on another, due to an amnesiac magical affliction throwing a wrench into their relationship. The film serves as a good narrative bookend to the TV series, being set roughly 3 years after Belldandy arrived on Earth whereas the 2nd season of AMG ended roughly in the second year since arriving on Earth, and features a plot macguffin known as 'The Judgment Gate' which likely inspired manga author Kosuke Fujishima to use a similar Judgment Gate plot element in the manga years later when he wrapped up the story.
TV, 2020,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:10
This series takes an enchanting otherworldly setting/group of characters and suffuses it with simple slice of life aesthetics with a surrogate father story trope and the travails of being a child's sole guardian to create a very unique narrative. The setting reminds me a bit of the iconic Ghibli classic Nausicaa, whereas the adorable character dynamics remind me of the Usagi Drop Anime.
TV, 2008,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:10
Holo stands out as a very unique character, an old soul with a very carefree & mischievous side. Her growing affection for Lawrence in their travels makes for a story of compelling character growth as the two begin to understand each other more and more in the course of their journeys together trading across the land.
OVA, 2009,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:10
And interesting bridge narrative where Holo and her potential rival verbally spar with poor Lawrence trapped in the middle. Definitely an entertaining story that abridged the two seasons of the series together nicely.
TV, 2009,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:10
A satisfying close to the series, at least for the time being. Being left fairly open-ended we were left having room for more animation, and currently rumours circulate that we may be seeing an upcoming movie!
TV, 2017,
24 eps
Me:-
Author:9
This series presented an interesting Victorian inspired world where magic is fairly commonplace as well as an interesting innocent protagonist in the character Chise. Seeing her being mentored in magic living with her eccentric master makes for an interesting slice of life with a dynamic supernatural spin that sometimes brings large perils into their somewhat sedate existence.
OVA, 2016,
3 eps
Me:-
Author:9
The prequel OVA offers some insights into Chise as well as expanding a bit on the supernatural lore of the series with a story that predates the events of the series proper.
PV, 2019,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:9
Offers hints of Chise's new school life going forward into season 2, which will likely serve to supply new settings and characters to the narrative as the show continues.
TV, 2023,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:9
Chise's school life becomes a new SoL element in the narrative going forward, with several episodes/plots involving teachers & Chise's fellow students. As well as featuring Elias in the position of a visiting teacher, which also serves as a springboard for more supernatural intrigues.
TV, 2012,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:10
Sharing similar story beats with AMG (living in a temple with divinities namely) this series attracted my interest fairly easily. Nanami Momozono is a compelling protagonist to me much like Keiichi Morisato from AMG, a fairly luckless person drawn into a SoL world of mighty supernatural beings and powerful magic. Both characters are often amazed by what their divine companions consider somewhat pedestrian and having them as viewpoint characters helps generate some interesting narrative episodes.
TV, 2015,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:10
Carrying on the story sees Nanami growing in confidence and ability as she learns the ins and outs of being the Temple 'God' and continues to earn the respect of her companions.
OVA, 2016,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:10
The big conclusion that several seasons and OVAs have built up to wrapping up the story by a very satisfying and conclusive narrative turn.
OVA, 2015,
4 eps
Me:-
Author:10
An interesting look into the character pasts and showing how this history affected the story in the modern envelope of the SoL narrative going forwards.
OVA, 2013,
2 eps
Me:-
Author:10
The OVA episodes continue the narrative momentum from the preceding seasons as well as the ongoing character developments between Nanami & her companions in the temple.
TV, 2016,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Very subdued SoL that makes a sedate series like Ah! My Goddess seem action-packed by comparison. Leaning strongly in the direction of Iyashikei, this SoL series is very low-conflict reminding me a lot of ARIA with most of the narrative weight coming in the form of dialogue & ongoing, subtle character developments.
OVA, 2011,
3 eps
Me:-
Author:9
A fairly mundane trio of OVAs that don't do much in the way of further character development. They do offer some nicely animated SoL fare, even if the stories do seem like fairly plain retreads of past AMG episodes.
OVA, 1993,
5 eps
Me:-
Author:9
While beautifully animated for it's time (the 1990s) and still holding up well today visually, the narrative deviates horribly from the manga over the course of it's 5 episodes. Outside the gorgeous visual aesthetics, the story is a mess of a narrative that barely correlates with the manga by the third episode and is totally making up it's own narrative by the last two episodes. Best avoided if you are looking for more of the definitive AMG narrative, as this is more of an 'alternative' version of the story that loosely adapted some of the early manga.
TV, 2019,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:8
'Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san' is a full-on Iyashikei SoL with many supernatural elements suffused into it's narrative. The stakes are never really high with this series focusing on a more sedate approach to it's storytelling and character developments.
OVA, 2021,
3 eps
Me:-
Author:9
This trio of OVA episodes is a bit more dynamic than the series proper introducing a character the OVAs are framed around. With a fair bit of action present, this set of OVA episodes forces the protagonists into a dangerous adventure.
TV, 2024,
25 eps
Me:-
Author:9
Without much known at the moment, all I can say is I'm really looking forward to seeing more of Holo & Lawrence in this production, because I can never get enough of them!
TV, 2017,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:9
Taking a standard salary-man SoL and suffusing it with zany supernatural characters leads to the insanity that is Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Tohru is definitely a one of a kind protagonist who stands out in the SoL genre with her hilarious bombastic personality, balanced by her genuine introspective insights into the human world which grows as the series progresses.
TV, 2021,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:9
The second season keeps up the hilarious SoL narrative, but also takes some time to delve into characters and their history more. The season sees a bit more dynamic action near the end of the season, but still maintains a strong SoL vibe, looking forward to season 3!
Special, 2017,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:9
This hilarious Valentine Special reminds me of some of Ah! My Goddess' comical 'love potion/magic' epsiodes with a similar plot macguffin used here. The insane hi-jinx that ensue as a result are definitely worth a pile of laughter.
