On the one hand, K-On! is a story about a high school light music club.
#SLICE OF LIFE MEANING HOW TO#
While this is generally successful in tons of other shows (such as Ouran High School Host Club), K-On! seems to not know how to reconcile these two elements in its narrative. K-On! takes the overall structure of a high school club plot and mixes slice of life into it.
A common occurrence in K-On!: the light music club spends time drinking tea and chatting K-On! would classify as one of these shows since a good part of the plot revolves around the light music club’s activities (playing instruments or otherwise). One great example of a high school club narrative is Haikyuu!! or even something like Little Witch Academia, but it is important to note that high school club plotlines are very broad and almost every anime can fit under them as long as it is set in high school in some part. High school club plots generally mean that characters are devoted to their club, and all of their actions reflect the progression of the club in some way. K-On!, while it demonstrates elements of slice of life, frames these elements around the setup of a high school club plot. I want to stop here to take the time to point out one issue in this setup. Episodes focus on their time as a group spent having tea, shopping, going to concerts, playing games, and chatting about life. The group signs up for gigs outside of school, buys instruments together, and prepares for the cultural festival where they aim so showcase their skill. Her and three other girls join the light music club to prevent it from disbanding, and as the only members, they start on their journey to play in a band together. K-On! follows the story of Yui, a borderline delinquent entering high school who lacks direction and doesn’t know what club to join. K-On! depicts the lives of a high school light music club and their antics
#SLICE OF LIFE MEANING FREE#
To illustrate my point, I’m going to contrast K-On! with another slice of life Kyoto Animation show that I found relatively successful (though to be honest there is an abundance of KyoAni slice of life so feel free to use this model for any of their shows, or for any show in general! It’s just more direct comparing works from the same studio). I want to take the opportunity to show how K-On!’s technicalities make me think that way. But no matter how hard I try to think of K-On! this way, I just can’t shake the feeling of what K-On! actually presents, and as a result I find it very difficult to like. I am well aware that there are plenty of opinions out there pointing out how K-On! is a meaningful exploration of the uncertainties of growing up and finding what you have a passion for. The focus on character also helps to explain why slice of life focuses on mundane everyday events.Īnd so we arrive to my two guinea pigs for this slice of life post: K-On! and Tamako Market. So, instead of being goal-driven, slice of life is character-driven. This sounds complicated when I put it like that, but trust me, it isn’t! While a story generally uses point a, point b, point c as markers of progress, slice of life has no clear progress and is entirely reliant on what the character does. What defines slice of life in particular is its lack of external goals.
Without further ado, let’s isolate some variables! In order to figure out how slice of life works, I’ll be looking at how K-On! and Tamako Market use slice of life and whether or not it’s effective. Take the coffee-ordering scene in Nichijou, or swimming class in Toradora! as examples. In slice of life, even the most mundane event can be made interesting. For many though, slice of life is best defined as the depiction of everyday occurrences in a character’s life onscreen. Slice of life is one of those slippery genres that can change depending on the situations they incorporate.
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