Even when the curse seems to be the main source of the characters’ plight, their struggles are so human you won’t help to identify with at least some of them.įruits Basket has achieved the perfect balance between hope and darkness, which makes it totally worth watching the characters have a lot to teach us about living our best life, acknowledging the existence of trauma, but also the possibility of healing. Unlike pure fantasy shows, Fruits Basket might have you think the zodiac curse is ultimately a mental state rather than a shapeshifting superpower. From meals with friends and high-school shenanigans to tackling loss, grief, abuse, or bullying, the anime features everything you would expect to see in a high schooler’s life, not shying away from life’s darkest moments.
Sure, there are supernatural elements, and the story wouldn’t exist without them, but the story is so much more than that. If this doesn’t sound slice of life to you, you need to read the manga or watch the anime (preferably the 2019-21 version, although 2001 original is charming for its day). Since the manga came out back in the early 1990s, countless fans have fallen in love with the adventures of high-school girl Tohru Honda, who finds out her new flatmates are afflicted by a Zodiac curse when hugged or ill, they transform into the animal they’re possessed by. Fruits Basket (2019-21)įruits Basket hardly needs any introduction. In the past, “ slice of life” would usually describe a still moment in a work that closely resembles real life, in which nothing much would happen beyond everyday occurrences.īut anime shows are very diverse and different genres bleed into one another, meaning that many anime with other genre elements and tropes are categorized as a slice of life.
“ Slice of life” is a term you might encounter in different media, but nowadays you are more likely to see it describing anime. What are some of the best slice-of-life anime to watch?