You need no longer wonder what it's like to work at one of Akihabara's many anime stores, because Denki-gai no Honya-san here to help give you some insight. Follow the employees of the Umanohone book store as they work midnight releases, try to reach manga competition deadlines, and recommend customers excellent hentai. One of the most stand out things about Denki-gai no Honya-san is it's round, bouncy art style, which really reflects the silly attitude that the series takes. This pairs well with the super otaku setting, leading to an over all not-very-serious but very amusing series. Although it's not peppered with in-jokes or references, the setting and characters are definitely something any anime fan can relate to. Despite having no romance in the series, there are a few pairs worth shipping as well, which gives the plot a little bit more substance to keep things interesting. Denki-gai no Honya-san is great if you're into whacky characters, and want a show that leaves the often used school setting behind.

Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge is pretty much exactly what it says in the title: a story about a very listless high school boy. Thanks to his good friend Ohta acting as a human taxi, Tanaka is able to spend much of his school life sleeping, and finding ways to be the very best at doing the very least. His sleep filled days have also somehow managed to acquire him an unusual following of weird and wonderful friends, who like Tanaka himself, spend their days dealing with regular old high school problems. Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge is a dangerously laid back show, the kind of thing you watch before bed to chill out. A majority of the humour is not ridiculous puns or in your face noise, but revolves around the excellent character interactions, which always have a nice, natural feel. Even the simple art style suits the character of the show, and certainly has a way of making Tanaka look like the most tired anime protagonist that has ever existed. A great show to watch when you're tired or stressed out, Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge will make you feel as relaxed as Tanaka himself.

Umaru Doma is the perfect high school princess, adored by all and second to none. At least until she gets home. Then she becomes the lazy, whiney, good-for-nothing otaku that she really is, bugging her brother for every little thing. But keeping up two personalities is surprisingly hard, especially when your best friend lives just downstairs. Watch as Umaru attempts to live her otaku life, without being thwarted by her friends or her big brother. The show's concept and characters are both pretty crazy here. Not only is Umaru herself a riot, spending most of her time in an adorable chibi form, but her friends also manage to be whacky in some regard: be it obsessive rivalry, or a strange shy, but yandere personality. Himouto! Umaru-chan is definitely one for those who like silly and whacky humour, and of course cute girls. One thing the show does exceptionally well is balance Umaru's character somewhere between "isn't she adorable, I want one as a pet", and "chibis are pretty small, I wonder how far I can kick her". It actually does wonders for keeping her and her brother's relationship interesting, and makes her daily switch to high school princess even more bizarre. Himouto! Umaru-chan is one we'd recommend to those who want something both ridiculous and cute to watch.

Lucky Star follows the lives of regular high school girls Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa, and Miyuki. As you can imagine though there's a bit more to it than that, with Konata's otaku lifestyle, Miyuki's ditzy antics, and Kagami and Tsukasa being the twins who could be no more different from one another. Along with a host of other barmy characters, look forward to hellish trips to Comiket, exam cramming, and surprisingly well choreographed cheerleading. Famous for it's popularity amongst otaku, Lucky Star is filled with gags and references that that any dedicated anime fan should love, as well as of course your standard slice-of-life silly conversations and events. There's a charming simplicity to the art, with bright colours and moe character designs that make the show easy and pleasant to watch, as well as enjoyable if you're after cute girls. A majority of Lucky Stars comedy and character interactions work so well because of how relatable the characters and situations manage to be, which is impressive considering the style and setting of the show. Lucky Star is one of those anime classics that even those who aren't fans of slice-of-life shows can enjoy.

At the age of 15, Makoto Kowata is now considered an adult in the witching world, and so is expected to become more independant. But still wanting to finish high school, she has left her home in the city of Yokohama behind, and moved to live with relatives in the countryside of Aomori, to get the best of both worlds. Now settled in, she begins her new life, training to be a full fledged witch, with her family and supernatural friends. Flying Witch's main draw is how it takes supernatural scenarios and unusual characters, and manages to make them seem so normal, with most occurrences not even phasing the human members of the cast. The show gives you no real chance, nor reason, to question why everyone is so chill with the Harbringer of Spring dropping by to say hi, you just kind of go with it. And that's the key to the show's success, that everything just flows so nicely from story to story, without you ever worrying what's going to happen or where it's going. Flying Witch is another one for the ultra-relaxing shows pile: would highly recommend watching with warm milk.

Another city dweller, now moved to the outback that is the Japanese countryside, Hotaru Ichijou is the new fifth grader at Asahigaoka Branch School, a school with a grand total of five students. With very little to do in the countryside village, Hotaru along with her new friends, Komari, Natsumi, and Renge, spend their days finding fun stuff to do and interesting places to go. The odd combination of characters in Non Non Biyori is one of the highlights for us, with several kids of different ages, as well as some very lazy adults, getting along like one big happy family. It really gives the area that they live in a sense of community, and a great deal of warmth to the show, making it the kind of place where you really wish you could spend some time relaxing. The art is another one of the centrepieces of Non Non Biyori, and although the characters may look simple, the backgrounds offer some truly stunning scenes of the lush, green land that they live in. Non Non Biyori really leaves the city life behind and provides a slice-of-life experience which although very different, is still very enjoyable.

After the unfortunate passing of his grandfather, 30 year old bachelor Daikichi Kawachi was surprised to find a young girl attending the old man's funeral. After discovering that the girl, Rin, is infact his grandfather's illegitimate daughter, and that no one else in the family is willing to take the poor girl in, he volunteers to look after the girl himself. Usagi Drop follows the two of them as Daikichi discovers what it takes to be a father. Usagi Drop takes on a much deeper story than many other slice-of-life shows would: the trials and tribulations of a new family getting used to living with each other. But it does this whilst maintaining a feel good, slice-of-life atmosphere, rather than taking a more dramatic turn. The character development is truly satisfying to watch, with both of the main characters, the whole cast in fact, being both incredibly warm and believable. Usagi Drop is perfect for times when you want something warm to watch, that still has a lot of substance.

Takashi Natsume has the rare gift of being able to see ayakashi, much like his deceased grandmother. Now in possession of the "Book of Friends", a book containing the names of ayakashi his grandmother brought under her control, he is often the target of their attacks. To put a stop to these disturbances, he has decided to return the names with the book to their respective owners, all the while assisted by his cat shaped "bodyguard" Madara. This is probably the strangest show on the list, with the unusual ayakashi featuring in every episode. The encounters with them range from the very trivial, to being quite over the top and even dangerous. Not only does the series tell the fascinating tales of the desires and lives of youkai, but also explores the bonds between humans, and more day to day situations. With four seasons out and a fifth on the way, there are plenty of stories in the Natsume Yuujinchou series, and plenty of time for the characters to develop properly. Being one of the longer running slice-of-life series, Natsume Yuujinchou is a great choice if you want to spend some time getting to really know some new characters and a new world.

Quite literally the daily lives of high school boys, Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou revolves around the lives of Hidenori, Tadakuni, and Yoshitake, who do totally normal high school boy stuff (it may or may not be totally normal high school boy stuff). There's little more to say than that really, so look forward to disappointed little sisters, boys in skirts, and nipple shaving. Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou is one of the most laugh-out-loud funny series we've watched, with the guys out of control antics being a source of constant hilarity. A big part of this is thanks to the magnificent voice acting, perfect comic timing, and well written character interactions. The last point is very important, because this is clearly a very well written series, frequently parodying anime tropes and making fun of itself. If you want something that will make you laugh not matter what kind of day you've had, we'd highly recommend Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou.

The Goto Islands are the perfect place for an arrogant city boy to learn a bit of respect, and get some serious work done. So after young and skilled calligrapher Seishuu Handa flips out after getting criticised by a veteran of the art, it's the perfect place for his dad to send him. But whilst Handa is hoping to get spend his time improving his calligraphy and finding his own style, the quirky residences of the island have other plans. Well not really plans, they're just quirky by default. One thing that's really different about Barakamon is the range of characters it has. From old men, to very energetic young kids, Handa has to deal with everyone in his new setting, and being a city-boy he does have some difficulty. It's hard to say exactly why Barakamon deserves spot number on on the list, because like many other slice-of-life shows here, it's got some great comedy, realistic, well written characters, and some solid, well paced storytelling. The thing with Barakamon is simply that it balances all these things superbly, to create the perfect slice-of-life viewing experience. You won't see much plot development, and you might not learn much about calligraphy, but Barakamon is one of the highest quality, recent slice-of-life shows around.