Nichijou

Nichijou is one of the best comedies I have ever watched, anime or otherwise. It's consistently funny throughout, boasting likable characters, tons of quotable and memetic sketches, fantastic animation, and a beating robot heart.

Nichijou is a slice of life sketch comedy about an ordinary high school and its eclectic student body. There isn't an overarching story or anything, but there doesn't have to be. This anime is really just about watching the incredibly memorable cast of characters interact and go through life, with many of the sketches being based around fairly grounded slice of life situations. The main trio of Yuuko, Mio, and Mai serve as a strong main cast, working as a perfect comedic trio. Yuuko causes all the antics, Mio is the straight man, and Mai just goes along for the ride. They play off of each other perfectly, and it feels like you can put them in any situation and get entertaining results out of it. The side characters are great too, though. Sasahara is a fun subversion of the "rich kid" trope by having his presumed wealth be just for show, Misato's increasingly massive arsenal of weaponry is always entertaining, and Haruna's "Eeeehhhh?!" are all very amusing. Even the teachers are likable, especially the hilariously lame principal and adorably shy Sakurai. And I didn't even get into Nano, the robot girl that wants to live a normal teenage life. Nano's probably the heart of the show, and is the source of some of the show's most genuinely emotional moments. Her dynamic with her creator, Professor, range from hysterical to absolutely adorable. Once Nano starts going to school, Nichijou ends up becoming one of the most heartwarming and positive shows I've ever seen.

In addition to the strong characters, Nichijou is a very funny show. As mentioned above, a lot of the sketches in Nichijou are based on Seinfeld-esque slice of life situations, like trying to catch food before it falls on the floor, getting stuck in an elevator, and trapping a cockroach under a bowl. The twist, however, is the fact that all of these mundane situations are portrayed as cartoonishly over-the-top as possible, with dramatic animation shifts, over-exaggerated expressions, and surreal imagery. The sketch-based structure also allows for a rapid-fire comedic pace, with plenty of less-than-a-minute sketches that manage to make a massive impact (the Helvetica Standard ones, especially). But the most impressive thing about Nichijou's humor is just how consistently strong it is. There really aren't that many sketches that didn't make me at least chuckle, with pretty much every single one of the 26 episodes being enjoyable to watch. Since anime is usually from Japan, it's pretty easy for the comedy to fall flat for people who don't live in that country (Demon Slayer is a big example), but Nichijou's simple character-driven and situational humor really does feel like it can appeal to anyone. I also need to praise the fantastic animation, with not only uses a distinct and unique geometric artstyle, but manages to include plenty of insane animation shifts and moments of sakuga to sell the comedic setpieces that much more. The high FPS, clever usage of CGI, and clean artwork go beyond most slice of life anime I've seen. The voice acting is also really strong, especially in the case of Yuuko's voice actor who just kills it episode after episode. And the soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, calming orchestral background that juxtaposes the show's goofy shenanigans just enough to create an offbeat vibe all its own.

Even with the anime's fantastic level of quality, there are certain episodes and sketches that really stuck out:

Episode 5: This episode in particular had a lot of really iconic sketches in it. There's the adorable scene of Professor wearing cat ears, the bizarre Bob Hope scene, the rock-paper-scissors battle, that Helvetica Standard with the toaster, Professor vandalizing Nano's doll, and especially, the frantic drawing duel between Yuuko and Mai that closes off the episode.

Episode 6: Easily the most well-known sketch of the series, this episode has the scene where the principal suplexes a deer. It's so well-animated yet so bizarre, it's a perfect sequence to introduce the series to people. There's also the game of picture shiritori where Yuuko spells everything wrong, Nano's shark hand, the disastrous camping scene, and the incredibly well-animated penny soccer scene.

Episode 13: The midpoint of the series, Episode 13 is more emotional but funny, being focused pretty heavily around Professor's decision to let Nano finally go to school. It's not only a big change in the status quo, but leads to some really heartwarming moments between the two. The comedy is great too, though, with sketches like Yuuko's failed magic tricks, and Yuuko overreacting over a decent test score.

Episode 14: While not one of the funniest episodes, Nano's first day of school was incredibly heartwarming and rewarding to watch. Seeing the show's two casts finally intersect was amazing, setting up for a fantastic second half of the series. This episode also had the adorable conversation between Nano and Sakurai, and the hysterical argument between Yuuko and Mio.

Episode 16: Similarly to Episode 6, this one has some really iconic scenes, particularly Mio's suplex-heavy outburst and Yuuko's stress-inducing coffee shop order. But the real highlight was the phenomenal sequence where Yuuko visits the Shinonome lab, meets Professor, and gets confirmation that Nano's a robot. That final scene where Yuuko tells Nano she's "not a robot, just Nano", is one of the most heartwarming in the series and solidifies this episode as one of my favorites.

Episode 19: This was just a really strong selection of sketches that left me in stitches multiple times. There was Mio's pole vault attempt, Professor dropping the laundry, the super dramatic Helvetica Standard, "domestic violence", and of course, the infamous shrine incident.

Episode 20: This episode has what is probably the longest sketch in the series, with Yuuko and Mai helping Mio out with her manga. Between Nano fleeing after reading a single page, to Yuuko stabbing herself with a pencil, to Mai's typical trolling, to Mio's hysterical outburst, this sketch was absolutely fantastic. I also really liked the "melon bread" segment, which unironically has some of the best voice acting I've ever heard.

Episode 23: This episode was just a really nice balance of funny and heartwarming. For the former, there was Sakurai discovering her brother's porn magazine, and Mio overreacting over bad jam. For the latter, there was Yuuko revealing she wants to be a teacher like Sakurai, and Mai getting along with Professor after the dog incident.

Episode 25: This was a fantastic penultimate episode across the board. Misato revealing her crush for Sasahara to the school, Mio's big chase scene, the baseball quote, Nakamura finding Nano's house, and especially that beautiful voucher scene. Each major sketch tied into the previous one, and all of the previous sketches resurfaced, as if the entire series was a massive Rube Goldberg machine building up to this specific episode. Mio assaulting the cop, the high jump, Helvetica Standard, the daruma, the glue trap, the rice cake hat, Biscuit, Sasahara's goat and glasses, the Matreiya statues, it all paid off in this fantastic, funny, and emotional episode that solidifies Nichijou as a damn near masterpiece.

Episode 26: While not as big and dramatic as the previous episode, I think the focus on the main cast makes this a perfect finale for Nichijou. The cast holding a birthday party for Nano, even with everything that happens during it, was really sweet. Nano's decision to keep the key is a great bit of character development, and the reveal that Sakamoto was Nakamura's cat was pretty cool. It's a satisfying but low-key finale that ends Nichijou on a cute note.

I really can't express enough how much I love this show. The humor is consistently strong, the animation is phenomenal, the entire cast is likable, and the entire anime is just so genuinely uplifting and wholesome. It's impossible to be sad when watching Nichijou, and sitting through it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had watching a series.

5/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Episode 25