Like video games, anime is often driven by a larger narrative or character arc with high tension and stakes. Isekai especially is replete with works committed to fantastical or futuristic works ready for exploration and combat. Its wish-fulfillment nature even allows viewers to skip the grind and get to the good parts.

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Best Slice Of Life Anime Of 2023, Ranked

2023 did not produce many slice of life anime, but these shows were great.

However, some works are decidedly laid-back with a focus on a niche that may not be normally exciting. And while some titles get a few fights or tense situations, they don't displace the overall cozy vibes of the show. Wish-fulfillment is still present, but it's mostly about characters taking it easy, or achieving goals they could not accomplish in their prior life.

Updated January 2, 2024 by Rie Takumi: Slice-of-life isekai combines two great genres for unique scenarios. Otherworldly species finding delight in Earth food, Earth knowledge saving the day, and Earth gadgets making a killing in another world often come up in these anime. They can even be the highlights of each episode, aside from plot-relevant events.

Oftentimes, the people from Earth make a significant change in their adopted world. These slice-of-life isekai often note that their otherworldly knowledge is ahead of its time, or use resources that may not have been invented yet. Depending on the anime, it can try to explain the difference or handwave it for convenience.

12 I Shall Survive Using Potions!

6.53 MAL Score (10,465 Users)

FUNA, the author of Saving 80,000 Gold, seems to have hit a nice niche in the slice-of-life isekai genre. I Shall Survive Using Potions! follows Kaoru Nagase, an overworked salarywoman, who wants to take it easy after an incompetent entity accidentally disintegrates her.

Kaoru tries to keep a low profile, but trouble always finds her due to her cheating skills. When she's not haunted by adventure, however, she makes full use of her cheat abilities and business savvy. Anime viewers who are excited about its release can read its manga or light novel version to get a better idea of its plot.

11 By The Grace Of The Gods

6.88 MAL Score (Average Of Two Seasons)

Ryoma Takebayashi never had a great life. At 39, he's completely unfazed that he's lost it, to the point that the three gods that meet him at death are bewildered. His attitude changes a little when he incarnates in another world and realizes he has a new life ahead of him.

Though given a boatload of overpowered skills, he chooses to focus on slime training, for companionship and comfort. Ryoma eventually gets involved with the Jamil family, whom he's determined to pay back for their kindness.

10 Saving 80,000 Gold In Another World For My Retirement

6.94 MAL Score (41,011 Users)

A lot of working adults can instantly sympathize with this series' stated purpose. Orphan Mitsuha Yamano simply wants to have a comfortable retirement or a retirement at all. Though she is pushed off a cliff, she happily turns the incident around into a profitable venture.

Saving 80,000 Gold is not the first anime to think of selling real-world conveniences to a fantasy world. But it is unique in that the protagonist can convert fantasy gold into real currency, so she can retire in this world and the real one. It also may have too much combat for some viewers, but Mitsuha’s actions are ultimately geared toward her retirement dreams.

9 Parallel World Pharmacy

7.30 MAL Score (99,874 Users)

Parallel World Pharmacy's light novel and anime have an amazing commitment to scientific accuracy—as much as they can have when they are set in a fantasy world. Real-world pharmacology, historical references to medical events, and scientific knowledge of diseases are packed alternately in every episode. The result is an educational anime that is not obnoxious with its research.

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These anime explore different themes involving medicine to enrich their storylines while giving viewers a unique viewing experience.

The same could be said of its protagonist. Pharma de Médicis is selfless and, like his pre-reincarnation self Kanji Yakutani, never brags about his accomplishments. His temperament helps create a comfortable vibe and heightens moments when he is forced to break his peace.

8 My Next Life As A Villainess

7.36 MAL Score (Average, Two Seasons)

My Next Life As A Villainess has action, thanks to its premise and origin world, but it's ultimately a low-energy show. This romcom anime effectively de-escalates tension with its unique brand of humor, kindness, and oblivious heroine.

Katarina Claes, affectionately nicknamed Bakarina, is a big reason why the anime manages to feel down-to-earth and drama-free. She attempts to be proactive to defy her character's fate, but her actions are always practical and no-nonsense. Her honest and oblivious nature allows the series to always slingshot back to a comfortable status quo.

7 Isekai Izakaya "Nobu"

7.46 MAL Score (16,400 Users)

Though conceptually similar to Restaurant In Another World, Isekai Izakaya has a pointedly different, but still comfortable, vibe. Its izakaya setting pointedly influences character interactions, the plot, and the main character's growth.

Owner of Nobu and protagonist Nobuyuki Yazawa's growth as a business owner and chef is directly influenced by his parallel world customers. He learns to pair alcohol and food better and improves his cooking skills to transcend problems he had in his last job. Meanwhile, viewers are treated to delectable bar food and alcohol that may be available at their local Japanese-style restaurant.

6 Restaurant In Another World

7.54 MAL Score (Average, Two Seasons)

While a decade old, Restaurant In Another World remains a go-to for anyone who wants to see good food and happy resolutions. In this anime's case, happy endings are often achieved through good food, which is all lovingly rendered, glossed up, and delectably described.

Each episode is split into two minisodes, defined by a star dish and an otherworldly story. Nekoya, the eponymous restaurant, and its dishes are always important to the core of scenarios created by its visitors. The episodic nature of the anime allows viewers to drop in and out of the series whenever they need a low-stakes watch.

5 Kakuriyo: Bed And Breakfast For Spirits

7.54 MAL Score (60,599 Users)

Aoi Tsubaki is, refreshingly enough, a college student instead of a high school girl. Nevertheless, her act of kindness to an Ayakashi, demons or spirits, is rewarded by being whisked away to another world as a bride. Aoi's quick wit gets her out of the marriage and a job as a chef at the Tenjin'ya, the Ayakashi's inn.

Kakuriyo follows Aoi's journey in the world of Ayakashi as she repays her grandfather's debt to the spirits. Her practicality, kindness, and personality are her greatest assets as she races against the clock before she's forced to marry the Tenjin'ya's master.

4 Farming Life In Another World

7.57 MAL Score (93,179 Users)

If the last entry is for food and travel adults, Farming Life In Another World is for Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley fans. Although protagonist Hiraku Machio develops a harem, the premise never truly strays from agriculture. Viewers get to watch as Hiraku cultivates the farm and, eventually, the town of his dreams with surprising consideration about agriculture.

Aside from fun farming, viewers can find humor in Hiraku's amazing achievements in mundanity. Hiraku manages to build a thriving community in the literal Forest of Death and unintentionally shows great leadership and mercantile skills without knowing about his feats.

3 The Slime Diaries

7.59 MAL Score (143,693 Users)

Tensura is tense, full of death, and world-altering stakes, but this spin-off is pure fluff. The Slime Diaries turns the comfortable, slow-paced, tender, and funny parts of the main series into bite-sized episodes. Instead of strictly following its original four-panel format, it extends skits while following the original's spirit.

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The anime follows day-to-day affairs between adventures shown in the main timeline. Viewers get to see Rimuru relax, villagers go about their day, and tiny details they can't get from the main story.

2 Campfire Cooking In Another World With My Absurd Skill

7.67 MAL Score (105,632 Users)

Action and overpowered skills are a means to finding ingredients and creature comforts in Campfire Cooking. Hero Tsuyoshi Mukouda firmly represents a common fantasy among his demographic, which is traveling and eating good food with loving pets without worrying about responsibilities.

Everything the 27-year-old overworked office worker not only looks good but looks mouthwatering. Animation giant MAPPA understood that half the appeal of the light novel lay with the gorgeous descriptions of its otherworldly food. MAPPA's BTS comparisons of the live-action reference, keyframe animation, and final product are also neat references for home cooks who want to replicate its recipes.

1 Ascendance Of A Bookworm

8.05 MAL Score (Average, Three Seasons)

Ascendance of Bookworm gets very plotty in later volumes of the light novel. In the early story, however, it's simply the light-hearted of a bookworm trying to read another book in their new life.

The anime adaptation curtails a lot of material from the light novel and ages it down. The direction makes it a great watch for adults who want to share anime with the vibes of a Saturday morning cartoon with younger relatives or children they babysit. Adults can even get versions of the light novels revised for kids.

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