Dec 11, 2012
Much probably it's not the best anime ever made. Much probably it won't change anyone's life or win any award. But surely, Nichijou ("ordinary life") it's one of the weirdest, craziest and most unique series of all time.
Before I proceed with this review , let me specify one thing: if this anime did receive a decent amount of success in the Japanese market, I wouldn't care less of writing such rambling. The thing is: it didn't. On terms of sales, Nichijou was KyoAni's (the authors of very popular series like K-ON!, Lucky Star and such) Waterloo and is almost sure that they'll drop everything that
...
involves such series for that reason.
Now, one could simply say: "well, maybe this series actually IS that bad!" -and as we all know, everyone is right to have his own opinion. But it takes a little research on the web to see how this anime received praise. I personally -and intentionally- searched for a completely negative review of this anime, both from professional and casual authors, and even I was surprised of the result: I couldn't find one. Now, I'm not the kind of person which bases his own opinion on reviews (in fact, I did such search after watching it all), but not finding a single bad review about it (and I read more than 10) had some relevance for me. As I said earlier (and many said before me, I assure you) Nichijou is no mind-blasting anime. It actually takes lots of time, patience and a very open mind to appreciate it, because it has a very "hit or miss" sense of humor. If you expect to roll over the floor laughing after the first five minutes, let me warn you: that's not how it works. The true courage of this anime is right that it doesn't "beg" you to laugh with easy jokes. The true philosophy of this series is actually quite the opposite. The sense of humor is ever-changing, because the authors always try something new and different to make you smile. And despite its exaggerated style, Nichijou -with its crazy situations and bizarre cast of characters- ultimately does what a successful slice-of-life comedy aims to do: it grows on you. And that very story characters you labeled just as "silly" at the very beginning might even end to surprise you by showing a depth that is rare to see even in the most "serious" animes.
With that said, I invite you to watch at least a couple of episodes - and for one, very simple reason. Even though it's not in my place to state what Nichijou deserves in the future, I allow myself to indicate what it doesn't deserve: to be forgotten, discarded and labeled like a "failed experiment". This anime might have met such tragic fate in the Japanese market, but the web can overthrow that outcome, by having people watch it and talk about it. And, at some extent, it's already happening. Here on internet, Nichijou stands defiantly against "big names" on term of popularity, gaining a small army of lovers and admirers - you just have to take a look on Youtube or DeviantArt to see that.
In the end, what I (and quite probably all those who liked it) really wish for Nichijou it's not be outrageously popular today, but to stand the test of time in the years to come - and I've got only one way to do my part: convince you people to watch it... or at least, to give it a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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