Non Non Biyori as the summary above suggests, follows Hotaru when she moves from Tokyo to a very small rural town. The anime focuses on her and three of her classmates over the course of one year. Overall, its cute, but was at times slow or boring to watch. I enjoyed the show most when I was doing something else while watching it.
Story: There's not much in the way of overarching plot. Each episode just highlights a moment during Hotaru's first year in her new home. Episodes were slow at times, especially the first few episodes, but I grew to enjoy the show later on.
Animation: Can't say I really payed much attention to it. I enjoyed the bright colors, and nothing stuck out as off-putting so I'd say the animation was pretty good.
Sound: The opening song is upbeat, much like the show, but not very memorable. The closing song was much more meorable, because it sounded like the main characters were singing it. I found it cute and fun to listen too.
Characters: Eh. I didn't hate any characters, which is good because there aren't any antagonists. I cringed quite a bit at Hotaru's obsession with her senpai Komari. She also wasn't nearly the most interesting character on the show, which is a shame considering she's the main character.
Komari is also not quite as entertaining a character. I enjoyed her character most when she was intereacting with her sister Natsumi. Their relationship reminded me of when me and my sisters were little, and their personalities play off of each other well. I also often felt sympathy for Natsumi, as her mother would often compare her to her older sister. Yeah, the kid got into a lot of trouble, but it bothered me that their mother would go straight to shouting at the poor girl. It added to the character development, so I'd like to see maybe their mother treating Natsumi a little better in the next season.
On a side note, Komari and Natsumi have an older brother as well named Suguru. He literally does not speak, and only makes a few appearances throughout the show. The few times we do see him however add to his character, and threw some lighthearted humor into the episode as well.
The last kid, Renge, is also the youngest. She is curious and imaginative, often spouting nonsense at random intervals. She was my favorite, and if you want to know why, it was episode 10. She was positively adorable, and I enjoyed that even though all of her friends were older than her it never seemed like she was ignored in the show.
More side notes. Her older sister Kazuho is the only teacher at their school (hell they're the only students). Her head is often in the clouds and to me at elast, it doesn't seem like they get a lot of learning done. We also have a little peak at what she was like as a kid and it has me confused, because she seemed much more energetic than how we see her throughout most of the show. What happened? Was Renge that much of a handful?
As for any parents... there really isn't much to say. I made my case about Komari's and Natsumi's mom, Hotaru's parents briefly show up maybe twice in the whole show, and I don't even remember seeing Renge's parents. The show explains this as because they often work long hours (I believe they are all rice farmers?) This creates the feeling that the kids are raising themselves for the most part. The make up their own fun and learn from the hijinks they get into. That's all the show is really.
The only other adult that you meet is Kaede, who runs the candy store. She was an enjoyable character to me, and her friendhship with Renge was a highlight of the show for me.
Overall I suggest this show. I watched it a few epsiodes at a time due to the slow pacing, but the show is a cute and refreshing break from the drama and action that is the center of otheer animes. I would say this is appropriate for all ages as well, so if you're a parent or you babysit munchkins, and it comes subbed only if you were wondering.
Screenshots
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