These two genres actually go pretty well together.
Are you tired of constant fights in fantasy series? Do you want your fantasy to be more slow-paced and relaxing? Fear not — the anime industry has a lot of series for you.
Fantasy and slice-of-life actually go together pretty well, as the fantasy world is often considered being less stressful than our own. Here are some examples that prove that.
Of course, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) is the biggest new thing, and it requires practically no introduction. But if you somehow haven't watched it yet, and want a slow-paced fantasy adventure with a slice-of-life vibe, it’s actually perfect.
Yes, Frieren sometimes has action — but that’s not the main point of it. The main point is, of course, the character interactions we see throughout the series. Frieren can’t be fully called a slice-of-life series, but it definitely has elements of the genre.
Another fantasy adventure series with a chill vibe, Spice and Wolf (Ookami to Koushinryou) is a story of a traveling merchant who meets a wolf goddess. Together, they travel throughout the land, doing… well, exactly what merchants do — trading.
Spice and Wolf makes fantasy economics look interesting, and it’s also a good slow-burn romance with witty dialogue. Do you want to watch the remake or the original series? You decide, as fans think both are good!
The Devil is a Part-Timer!
MyAnimeList score: 7.73
A workplace comedy focusing on fantasy world inhabitants coming to Earth, The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Hataraku Maou-sama!) has (former) Demon Lord Satan working in a fast-food restaurant. He has to earn money somehow, after all.
The anime was recommended a lot in the 2010s, and is still a pretty good and fun watch. The sequel seasons are considered to be less great, though.
Imagine: a bunch of players get stuck in an MMORPG they played. They don’t die in real life when they are killed there, though — it’s not a live-or-die Sword Art Online-like anime. Instead, they just kinda… hang out there?
Log Horizon, to many, is a better take on the “stuck in the game” premise. It doesn’t become overly edgy, has pretty good insights regarding politics and economics of the game world, and is in general a fun and easy watch.
A bit of a different take on fantasy, Violet Evergarden takes place during the alternate universe version of the 20th century or so. The namesake character, Violet Evergarden, is a girl traumatized by war who learns to experience emotions through interacting with others, adjusting to live a normal human life.
Some may call the anime slow, but it’s a great fantasy drama with heavy slice-of-life elements: don’t expect it to be an action series or anything.
Of course, we get slice-of-life isekai anime nowadays, as well, and perhaps the most popular example is Ascendance of a Bookworm (Honzuki no Gekokujou: Shisho ni Naru Tame ni wa Shudan wo Erandeiraremasen).
The protagonist — who loved books in her first life so much she was crushed by them in a library — finds herself in a fantasy world. However, they didn’t invent the printing press yet, but that’s not going to stop her in her quest to read more. She has to live her own life as a child as well, though, and the anime focuses on that a lot.
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
MyAnimeList score: 7.94
Forget coming to the fantasy world; how about having the fantasy world come to you instead? Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon) is exactly that: Kobayashi, an office worker, discovers a dragon in her apartment one day. And the dragon turns into a cute girl. Kobayashi takes her in, of course.
Very quickly it turns out that there are many other dragons around Kobayashi, and the anime follows her as she tries to live her normal life which was turned upside down by the fantasy creatures surrounding her.
Slime 300
MyAnimeList score: 6.92
Slime 300 is a shorthand title for I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level (Slime Taoshite 300-nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Level Max ni Nattemashita).
The anime would be your usual overpowered-protagonist-isekai, but here, it’s about a woman who doesn’t really want to do anything — she wants to live a peaceful life. The series is pretty good at combining slice-of-life with wacky adventures, and the second season is already announced for 2025.
Haibane Renmei
MyAnimeList score: 7.98
Want something completely different? Haibane Renmei is a classic anime that doesn’t get talked about much these days, but it’s so cryptic and full of symbolism that was never elaborated on that fans have been making theories about it for years.
The anime is a unique take on both a fantasy setting and the slice-of-life genre, and it adds mystery to the mix. Except here, the mystery is the nature of the world itself.
Imagine there was a restaurant that was seemingly normal — except, one day in the week, it would always be closed. On Saturdays, it just doesn’t work — or, well, it does, but not for normal customers.
Instead, it serves food for magical creatures from different fantasy worlds. If you’re interested in a slow-paced workplace series that is (very technically) reverse isekai, you can try Restaurant to Another World (Isekai Shokudou) out.
These two genres actually go pretty well together.
Are you tired of constant fights in fantasy series? Do you want your fantasy to be more slow-paced and relaxing? Fear not — the anime industry has a lot of series for you.
Fantasy and slice-of-life actually go together pretty well, as the fantasy world is often considered being less stressful than our own. Here are some examples that prove that.
Of course, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) is the biggest new thing, and it requires practically no introduction. But if you somehow haven't watched it yet, and want a slow-paced fantasy adventure with a slice-of-life vibe, it’s actually perfect.
Yes, Frieren sometimes has action — but that’s not the main point of it. The main point is, of course, the character interactions we see throughout the series. Frieren can’t be fully called a slice-of-life series, but it definitely has elements of the genre.
Another fantasy adventure series with a chill vibe, Spice and Wolf (Ookami to Koushinryou) is a story of a traveling merchant who meets a wolf goddess. Together, they travel throughout the land, doing… well, exactly what merchants do — trading.
Spice and Wolf makes fantasy economics look interesting, and it’s also a good slow-burn romance with witty dialogue. Do you want to watch the remake or the original series? You decide, as fans think both are good!
The Devil is a Part-Timer!
MyAnimeList score: 7.73
A workplace comedy focusing on fantasy world inhabitants coming to Earth, The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Hataraku Maou-sama!) has (former) Demon Lord Satan working in a fast-food restaurant. He has to earn money somehow, after all.
The anime was recommended a lot in the 2010s, and is still a pretty good and fun watch. The sequel seasons are considered to be less great, though.
Imagine: a bunch of players get stuck in an MMORPG they played. They don’t die in real life when they are killed there, though — it’s not a live-or-die Sword Art Online-like anime. Instead, they just kinda… hang out there?
Log Horizon, to many, is a better take on the “stuck in the game” premise. It doesn’t become overly edgy, has pretty good insights regarding politics and economics of the game world, and is in general a fun and easy watch.
A bit of a different take on fantasy, Violet Evergarden takes place during the alternate universe version of the 20th century or so. The namesake character, Violet Evergarden, is a girl traumatized by war who learns to experience emotions through interacting with others, adjusting to live a normal human life.
Some may call the anime slow, but it’s a great fantasy drama with heavy slice-of-life elements: don’t expect it to be an action series or anything.
Of course, we get slice-of-life isekai anime nowadays, as well, and perhaps the most popular example is Ascendance of a Bookworm (Honzuki no Gekokujou: Shisho ni Naru Tame ni wa Shudan wo Erandeiraremasen).
The protagonist — who loved books in her first life so much she was crushed by them in a library — finds herself in a fantasy world. However, they didn’t invent the printing press yet, but that’s not going to stop her in her quest to read more. She has to live her own life as a child as well, though, and the anime focuses on that a lot.
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
MyAnimeList score: 7.94
Forget coming to the fantasy world; how about having the fantasy world come to you instead? Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon) is exactly that: Kobayashi, an office worker, discovers a dragon in her apartment one day. And the dragon turns into a cute girl. Kobayashi takes her in, of course.
Very quickly it turns out that there are many other dragons around Kobayashi, and the anime follows her as she tries to live her normal life which was turned upside down by the fantasy creatures surrounding her.
Slime 300
MyAnimeList score: 6.92
Slime 300 is a shorthand title for I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level (Slime Taoshite 300-nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Level Max ni Nattemashita).
The anime would be your usual overpowered-protagonist-isekai, but here, it’s about a woman who doesn’t really want to do anything — she wants to live a peaceful life. The series is pretty good at combining slice-of-life with wacky adventures, and the second season is already announced for 2025.
Haibane Renmei
MyAnimeList score: 7.98
Want something completely different? Haibane Renmei is a classic anime that doesn’t get talked about much these days, but it’s so cryptic and full of symbolism that was never elaborated on that fans have been making theories about it for years.
The anime is a unique take on both a fantasy setting and the slice-of-life genre, and it adds mystery to the mix. Except here, the mystery is the nature of the world itself.
Imagine there was a restaurant that was seemingly normal — except, one day in the week, it would always be closed. On Saturdays, it just doesn’t work — or, well, it does, but not for normal customers.
Instead, it serves food for magical creatures from different fantasy worlds. If you’re interested in a slow-paced workplace series that is (very technically) reverse isekai, you can try Restaurant to Another World (Isekai Shokudou) out.
