The article will therefore be structured accordingly, exploring each of these categories by both covering the empirical material and expanding on it with examples of analysis and scholarly material. The information from these threads is diverse and varied, but can generally be comprised into three main categories: relaxation, characters, and relatability. Based on empirical information from forum threads that discuss topics like “What is the appeal of slice of life?” and “What makes a good slice of life show?”, it examines the basis for enjoyment for fans and consumers of the genre. The following article is an attempt at answering these questions. Why is that? What is it about this seemingly esoteric approach to storytelling that attracts so many people, both in and outside of Japan? What appeal lies in the portrayal of the everyday? Ever since the emergent waves of iyashi-kei and nichijou-kei in the late 1990s to mid-2000s – not to mention the exploding popularity of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006) – slice of life has been one of the most prevalent and defining staples of modern anime and manga. With such unconventionality at its core, one would assume that its market is limited to the realm of obscure avant-gardism, with a small underground cult following as its only audience. Indeed, it goes against pretty much everything normally recognized as fundamental facets of engaging storytelling. Like an anti-narrative mode it embraces a seeming plotlessness, resulting from a meandering non-directionality and a lack of high-stake events. As such it completely lacks any form of conventional dramatic structure there is no goal driven by a conflict, and no act division led by buildup and catharsis. Defined by the portrayal of regular everyday life, it has uneventful mundanity as its narrative center. A mere five years after Salieri’s own death the rumor was widespread, forever pitting one composer against the other from the shadows post-mortem, and inspiring even more adaptations of this apocryphal “ truth“.Slice of life is a very strange genre. Or are these just ravings of an emotional, possibly mad, dying man?ĭramatists and story-spinners of all kinds made this gossip infamous legend. The near-mythic and oft-debated circumstances surrounding the death of Mozart spurned a rumor that Salieri was indeed involved in some foul performance. They whispered about poisons and assassins and the Italian cabal. Antonio Salieri murdered Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - or so he purportedly claimed in his terminal delirium.įor decades people whispered. In the final year of his life, the once famed court composer and teacher of Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonio Casimir Cartellieri, Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, and Franz Xavier Mozart was committed to a hospital, suffering from failing health and dementia. Mozart, I can’t think of a time when I didn’t know his name. Naturally Revolutionary Girl Utena dials this up to eleven.
Roses and sparkles appearing mystically out of nowhere - perceived, if not by the audience alone, then as an unquestionably normal part of the universe - are as much an expected genre / demographic convention as bursting out in song during a musical. They appear without a second thought in backgrounds and imagery in the same way speed lines might show up in an action sequence. These lovely flowers even have wars named after them. It has been a natural source of symbolism, meaning, and aesthetics, in all sorts of media.įor those uninitiated, roses are a staple motif in shoujo anime and manga. Roses have held a place of pride in ancient gardens. For millennia, roses have been a staple of human culture, from garden additions, gifts, and even as confectionaries across a multitude of cultures. Eternity doesn’t exist in this world, does it? It’s just that one could think that a heart that longs for eternity is beautiful. I wonder if the flowers themselves are happy, being forced to last so long.
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