Non Non Biyori short people got no reason to live

 

Perhaps one of the most odd things about anime is the continued existance of certain kind of show which goes by many names but usually centers around for girls who don't do much of anything. It is the bane of certain kinds of anime fans but obviously the favorite of some others since said shows keep getting made. I think it is a type of show not well loved by English speaking anime bloggers for several reasons not the least of which is that they are often lacking much in the way of plot giving episode bloggers little to talka about. Non Non Biyori is the fall season's example of this kind of show and it is something that I kind of like.

 

I think we overdid the merchandise a bit

Non Non Biyori is about a young girl named Hotaru who moves from Tokyo to the countryside. There are only four other students in the shcool where she lives. They are the the Koshigayas, older (even if she is tiny) Komari and younger sister Natsumi as well as their brother Suguru who never gets any lines. To round out the cast is the cute first grader Renge who is also the little sister of the schools teacher.

 

A slice of life show needs lolis that are space

To be completely honest I am not the biggest fan of slice of life shows but I have found that Non Non Biyori is rather enjoyable and perhaps a bit better than many shows of this genre. Even though there is the normal four girls you find in almost every show of this type but it does a good job of mixing up the flow of the show by omiting some of the characters allowing the character dynamics to be shook up. Shows like this often depend on humor so having a large selection of dynamics for characters is a definite plus for the viewers.

 

But no catgirl statues

However I have noticed there is one thread that runs through most of the show it is that Komari is the eldest of the four girls in the cast but looks (and in some cases acts) younger than anyone except for Renge. Perhaps this is the show's way of injecting comedy, as this clearly subverts the usual social hierarchy that especially pronounced in Asian societies (and yes I know this happens in Asian cultures that are not Japan). In fact the authority figures in this show (other than the mom) have no real authority but if they did it wouldn't be the laid back slice of life show that Non Non Biyori is.