Anime: Non Non Biyori

Review
Non Non Biyori was probably one of the hardest tales to analyze. It's simple, light-hearted, charming, amazing at some points, yet it can be mundane and pointless to a degree it feels as a complete waste of time. Regardless of everything, however, the show got me throughout the twelve episodes, maybe because of the stunning visual presentation of the rural land, maybe because the cast is enjoyable, maybe because Renge is a damn cute child, maybe... well. let's try to elaborate.

The tale starts as Hotaru moves from Tokyo to an isolated rural region of Japan. There she finds out her new school is basically a single classroom where other four students attend, each from a different grade. This first season narrates the events of a single year, where Hotaru befriends the genki Natsumi, falls in admiration with the charmingly short Komari, and accompanies the vivid imagination of the first-grader Renge.

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1. It's frustratingly mundane
   Non Non Biyori is not about drama or tension, it lacks an objective, a plotline, and many things that typically get the attention of viewers. This entire year is not involved in a major event, neither the last string of episodes are connected to a bigger plot. Everything here is about things that would normally happen in the lives of common girls from the countryside. If you are not aware of that, if you are expecting any deeper meaning to the show, you will certainly get overwhelmed and drop Non Non Biyori after an episode or two... that, however, considering you are not entraced by some of the show's strengths.
   
   It's amazingly charming
   First off, Non Non Biyori is beautiful. The scenery is amazing, with dozens of stunning shots of rural landscapes, mountains, snowy trails, rice crops, classic houses, and so on. These ordinary elements of rural Japan are craftfily portraited in a great artistic work. When you join this with a quiet and entracing background music and sound effects, you have a show that can basically leave you dazed as it happens.
   
   The cast is also a positive
   Watching something that is only beautiful to the eyes is certainly far from enough. Non Non Biyori's cast, although basic in their presentation and somehow shallow in their personalities, can grow quite a lot in these few episodes to make the experience worthwhile. The four starting girls are charming, feel more natural to their ages and surroundings than most high-school templates we have around, their different kind of school also brings an interesting idea to the show. Additionaly, they all have families, relatives, and other friends who appear from time to time, making these four girls fit perfectly for a show that is all about common things and events.
   
   Renge steals the spotlight
   Whereas shows around turn 10-year-old, and even younger, girls into sexual symbols and sources of fanservice, Non Non Biyori teaches how you should depict a true child. Renge, the youngest member of the group, steals the show most of the time, gaining many of these twelve episodes solely for her. This happens because she acts as she should, a child with a vivid imagination, a reasonable behavior, bathed in innocence and gifted with the cunning kids typically have. She is a natural charming child, and that alone gives room to many scenes where you just smile and laugh due to stupid or captivating things she does.
   
   It never tries to deceive you
   There are other shows like Non Non Biyori, where ordinary events are the main focus. Kamichu, Ichigo Mashimaro, Minami-ke, Usagi Drop, and many others can fall to genre. What Non Non Biyori does that few of them do, however, is never trying to tease you that this will develop into something bigger or exotic. In Usagi Drop, for example, you have many open opportunities and plotlines taking the spotlight only to vanish in later episodes and be left unexplored. Here you will never see that. Non Non Biyori embraces its simplicty from the start, so you can watch it at your own pace and always expecting to see more of these girls' daily lives without compromising with anything big or important.
   

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Comments
I typically abhor lolis, mainly because they are mostly used in the industry as a mean to sexualize things that are completely wrong from my cultural point of view. Non Non Biyori, however, is very weak in the fanservice part, with perhaps only the mandatory beach episode thrown in the mix. This lack of "evil" intentions with a cast that is completely composed by girls turns the show into a natural slice-of-life experience, one you can relate quite easily regardless of being a boy, a girl, a grown man or woman. It also never boils down to explore aspects reserved for a specific target audience, such as clubs from K-On! and Hyouka, teen romance from Clannad, or comedy from Minaki-ke.

Regardless of how Non Non Biyori charms you, however, it is obvious the show could be a lot more potent if once in a while the slice-of-life granted room for a deeper drama or explored more alternatives to its comedy. At many points, during the first set of episodes, you may wonder how this could develop into a girls-only Gin no Saji, yet you may also feel as watching a Minami-ke with less comedy and more cuteness, so, in the end, it's not unlikely that you will feel a bit disappointed for watching something that took you apparently nowhere.

Non non biyori is the fix for the slice of life lovers in this season , it doesn't really stand out much but it's a very relaxing show with a yotsubato!-like vibe , if you were a fan of that you would probably like this .It's an anime about the dailylives of four girls from diffrent grades who happen to be in one class in a countryside school , the reason for that being that they (along with one male student who is the brother of two of the girls) are the only students in the entire school .

Animation :
Is pretty standard but isn't bad at all , some backgrounds are done really well done and are perfect for the general atmosphere of the anime .

Sound:
The sound department didn't feel noticeable to me at all , but it also didn't obstruct the show for me so I didn't mind.

Story:
As is the case with slice of life shows , the story in non non biyori is non existant ,moreover, at the first episodes it suffers a severe lack of content and that may discourage some viewers but it has some moments that are pure gold ( and not just in comedy mind you) and if you would ask anyone who started watching this , they would tell you they were pleasantly surprised by these moments. ( especially that the show seems very average and uninteresting at first)

Character:
The characters are fairly standard . You have the genki girl natsumi , her elder tsundere sister with a napoleon complex komari , the aloof beauty and transfer student hotaru and finally the crazy kuudere kid renge (aka: ren-chon) . That last character is by a margain the most original . Regardless the characters are fairly likeable and usually won't annoy the viewer .

Value:
The show doesn't have much value in comparison to the bigger names , but in this wasteland-like season it's a welcome addition .

Enjoyment:
The surprise factor in this anime is what made me enjoy it so much , it always starts with average , sometimes boring interactions that get better as the episode goes on until they reach a high-point which is usually quite good . If you are an avid slice of life fan , especially the soothing kind , there is a good chance you will like this :grin: