Ask John: Are There Any Realistic Anime?

Question:
Putting aside giant robots, magical girls, super-powered martial artists, etc., has there ever been any anime or manga that has tried to stay as close to real life as possible?

Answer:
There are countless number of slice of life, realistic anime. Among them, there’s a lot of variance between exactly how much or how little these “realistic” anime reflect everyday reality.

Just a small sample of anime titles that could occur in real life include Azumanga Daioh, Maria-sama ga Miteru, Comic Party, Millennium Actress, Boys Be…, Piano, Whisper of the Heart, Only Yesterday, I Can Hear the Ocean, Graduation, Atashinchi, Momoiro Sisters, and Touch. Certainly, some of these series are a bit more exaggerated than others, but none of these titles include any “impossibly fantastic” elements that don’t exist in real life. Anime titles such as I Can Hear the Ocean, Piano and Only Yesterday are specifically designed to seem like an animated depiction of typical daily life.

And I’ve intentionally excluded numerous sports anime titles such as Slam Dunk, Princess Nine, Prince of Tennis, Dandoh!, and Dear Boys that likewise don’t include any characteristics that couldn’t occur in real life.