Non Non Biyori (lit. Non Non Weather), is a slice of life and a comedy anime that I would easily recommend to both young and older viewers. From the very first episode on to the end of season two, viewer’s interest remains captivated and soothed through the portrayal of pristine environments, thoroughly enjoyable and quirky adventures of its characters, and a calming soundtrack. There is much charm to the serene and slowly paced storyline, which is dynamically complemented by the incremented character development of a whimsical cast. Thus, if you wish to relax, laugh, and enjoy life; I couldn’t recommend this anime enough.
Story: 8/10The story is fitting of the (SOL) genre, and has high rewatch value. Twenty minute-long episodes are segmented such that each new day in the countryside village of Asahigaoka is presented along with its quirky laughs, disputes and unique adventures.
Art: 10/10Much attention and care has been invested into the artwork. This is witnessed through the impressive background scenery. As examples, viewers are presented with a view of rocks within a stream of running water, the gentle sway amongst fields of grass in the wind, as well as a buzzing reminder as to surrounding insect life. The smooth and perfect visual integration of movement or processes within nature such as these, all serve to bring the scenes and its interrelated components towards a nearer degree of reality.
Sound: 10/10The songs utilized for the opening (by nano.RIPE) and ending (by ZAQ), are fitting to the anime’s theme and exceptional recordings that are well worth checking out. The original soundtrack is even more impressive, where the composer Hiromi Mizutani strikes dissonant notes at seemingly perfect times, dualistically capturing the essence of nature and its fragility through the simple and off key sounding of a child’s recorder (aka Renchon’s melody). Also too, I now acknowledge the excellent use of silence in many situations within this anime; I can ascertain that it has served as most effective in enhancing viewer’s (such as myself) emotional perceptibility and relatedness towards the characters during concurrent situations.
Characters: 8/10The cast is rather simplistic, but individually they are also quirky and unique; each in their own ways. This is further conducive towards enabling many comedic moments all throughout the anime. In addition, a case can be made in regards to the prevalence of a shōjo atmosphere, this is because almost all characters are female, and the few males are rendered insignificant to the point that it is funny.
Enjoyment: 10/10As the story revolves around charming, and adorable girls, this means that inciting incidents mainly involve goofing around, dodging chores, and having fun in any which way possible. Then, from this I conclude that the degree of enjoyment derived from this anime lies in the beholder; in other words, that it depend’s on viewer’s preference or their appreciation for simplistic themes such as innocence and play.
Overall: 9/10Thank you for reading,I hope you enjoy~