This review contains no spoilers. If youd like to please check out my review for the movie here.https://anilist.co/review/18424 Its quite different thematically from the main series which is why I chose to review it separately but be warned that it contains full spoilers for the movie not the seasonals. While this is listed under Non Non Biyorihttps://anilist.co/anime/17549/NonNonBiyori/ the first season it reviews the series as a whole which of course includes Repeathttps://anilist.co/anime/20694/NonNonBiyoriRepeat/ and Nonstophttps://anilist.co/anime/109403/NonNonBiyoriNonstop/. However due to way Ive chosen to approach this review I am able to loosely discuss all three seasons without spoiling anything I wont be talking about the movie as aforementioned. Introduction 1080https://raregallery.com/thumbs/995961NonNonBiyorinaturefield.png https://www..com/watch?v=kSY7ARnUAlist=PL85DCZiQaoYMbhXXbxk4FsleBJ0kjuP Its not the same route every day. When its rainy or cloudy its a little bit different. Thats whats fun. I dont know about you but I grew up in an urban environment. Maybe not bustlingly dense like Tokyo or Hong Kong but I live in a metropolitan region with more than two and a half million inhabitants. Im used to concrete jungles bumpertobumper traffic packed trains and buses large lecture halls open offices and everything in between that comes with living in a large city. I could never imagine living anywhere other than in an urban region. And with just over half of the worlds eight billion people also living in cities Im far from the only person that feels this way. Enter Asahigaoka the quaint abode where this series resides a humble farming village in Japans countryside. Gone are the comforts of restaurants convenience stores malls and most amenities public or private. In fact you dont even get cell service unless youre in very specific spots of the town. Its population is never explicitly stated but I would wager its in the lowtomid hundreds at the very highest. All of this is to say the environment and setting of Non Non Biyori is a far cry from the booming city centers of most. At the very least it was for me. And yet a profoundly tangible sense of bliss and comfort that cant be put into words is realized with each and every single episode. Its a very human phenomenon to grow attached to personal places of significance but for most it understandably takes years of lived experience and memories to form this fond attachment. Non Non Biyori effortlessly manages to create this feeling and these experiences in just 36 total episodes or with 21 minutes of runtime per just under thirteen hours of total series time. It fosters an intimate familiarity with Asahigaoka that makes you feel right at home a bittersweet nostalgia for a fictitious village thats nevertheless intimately imbued. It is not merely an attachment to familiarity and the time we take for granted which generates these human catharses this series reminds us of all the things that make the concept of place so incredibly special for us. This anime is more than just the setting its based in the characters that live in it or even the time that passes it by. So if I havent already convinced you heres everything that makes Non Non Biyori so special. Background Context Mono no Aware This is a concept deeply embedded into Japanese literary social consciousness and its a necessary frame of reference to know in order to fully articulate this series thematic breadth. In essence mono no awarehttps://stephanjoppich.com/mononoaware/ represents the transience of time the impermanence of human life and the gentle yet bittersweet acceptance of this fact. This is the heartbeat of Non Non Biyori what makes it tick and what lends its strengths the substance which transforms it from a quotidian sliceoflife to a profound depiction of placedriven attachment and the wistful cognizance of the fleeting nature of life. Intimacy with Place and Space Familiarity Amongst Fleeting Time 1080https://i.pin.com/736x/6d/0e/0f/6d0e0f7494ed0549a23e2fd0a7ce38ad.jpg https://www..com/watch?v=qcu1rydEB38list=PL85DCZiQaoYMbhXXbxk4FsleBJ0kjuPindex=11 All media in general seeks to establish a sense of place its necessary to even begin to consume literary fiction and suspend disbelief that much is implicit. But amongst the backdrop of mono no aware Non Non Biyori functions as a much more focused and deliberate deep dive into place as a concept and as aforementioned this is the gravy of what this show has to offer. Throughout the course of its three seasons youre given ample time to witness the environment and setting of Asahigaoka all the nooks and crannies the mountains and the trees the water and the pavement. These representations of place can be as critical as the single train line that takes you out of the village or as charming and modest as a water well deep in the fields of a farm a small unpaved path that cuts between streets or the hallway of Asahigaoka Branch School that shows its age and is poorly maintained. Intertwined with these intimate depictions of Non Non Biyoris hometown the viewer comes to feel the time thats passed whenever youre greeted with scenery of this small village. The seasons change and life moves forward. The snow outside the classroom window. The aged produce sitting by the side of the road where purchases are made by goodwill donation. Nostalgia necessitates an emotional hook what better way to create such than the simple transience of the creature comforts we take for granted? Its these quaint depictions of Asahigaoka combined with this aforementioned thematic impermanence of time and life that is Non Non Biyori. This town is spatially constrained yet its potential is limitless and it will pass us by irrespective of whether or not we chase after it. Why not make the most of whats around us? Every day the world we find ourselves in changes a little bit. Theres an exciting prospect to that but theres also uncomfortable undertones of sadness and longing saying farewell to what weve always had the pleasure to say hello to. Non Non Biyori does exceptionally well in beautifully using the transience of time to build on very human and very fleeting emotions and imbues these feelings into its sense of place. Not everyone is able to relate to having to walk through unpaved roads and endless fields of grass to get to school but everyone can relate to their routines and environment changing bit by bit as a natural consequence of time. The Magic of Being Young An Earnest Look at the World We Live In 1080https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/508224651563c3357a717z.jpg https://www..com/watch?v=aIJvWkPSshklist=PL85DCZiQaoYMbhXXbxk4FsleBJ0kjuPindex=21 Its no secret that Non Non Biyoris main ensemble are young. While various collegeaged workingaged and parentaged characters round out the cast the oldest character within the main four is a secondyear middle school student. This equates to around 1314 years old. I want you to reminisce for a bit about how you lived life when you were this age and perhaps even younger as the youngest in the main cast is about 67. We tend to be very impressionable seeing the good in everything and taking this radiant perspective for granted. Its easy to get jaded as life goes on and responsibilities catch up to us but this anime functions as a heartfelt reminder it wasnt always this way nor does it have to be. As Ive touched on above Asahigaoka is an extremely small town with little to offer in terms of entertainment or leisure. There are no public facilities like parks or beaches and there are absolutely zero bigbox businesses or shops seemingly the only store in the village throughout the entire shows run is a momandpop candy store. Dont even dream about finding a mall to hang out at or a town square to relax in. All of the conveniences of city life that we take for granted? Theyre nowhere to be found in this shows hometown. And yet the characters of Non Non Biyori unlock an astonishingly infectious energy in a place pretty much devoid of conventionally experiential prospects. Theres no gokarting or mountain hiking to chase after there doesnt have to be. Life is an experience every day offers that very opportunity and at the end of those days its what you and your outlook make of it. The casts endearing youthful adventures endless curiosity and earnest approach to daytoday life means that even the most mundane of moments have an organic sense of excitement and comfort to them that betrays any feelings of complacency boredom or apathy. Through this anime and the adventures of the main ensemble were reminded of the fulfillment and satisfaction to be found in the everyday so long as we have the right heart to seek it out. Non Non Biyori shows us that theres warmth to be had through just simply living rejuvenating that youthful optimism to enjoy every day as a chance to see and do something new. The Simplicity of the Here and Now Living Life To The Fullest 1080https://randomc.net/image/Non20Non20Biyori/Non20Non20Biyori20Repeat2020052020Large2031.jpg https://www..com/watch?v=xJn1F7X6jR8list=PL85DCZiQaoaWI7cEOcDSlmAJxYnR9pBBindex=5 Last but most certainly not least this is what I consider the central pathos of this series and what is the culmination of all the previously mentioned overarching themes. Above all else Non Non Biyori creates an appreciation for living in the moment. To accept the transient nature of time and place yet forever cherishing the present all the same. Because with every episode and every scene all of its characters are doing just that nothing more and nothing less. Thats all this series needs and nothing that it doesnt. A beautiful simplicity that has the privilege of eluding tidy description. Such an exuberant and excitable childhood most certainly wont last forever. The streets and scenery you once saw with overflowing enthusiasm may one day fade. The way you see the world will one day change and will continue changing for as long as you are. Non Non Biyori persists and persists wearing its heart on its sleeve in telling the viewer that all of this is... okay. Its all going to be just fine this current moment certainly is and so too will the multitudes more to come. Its an exceedingly simple message but one that is filled with so much love care and gratitude for the little things in life. As expected in a sliceoflife anime the cast of Non Non Biyori arent doing anything worldchanging. Theyre going to school playing and hanging out with each other exploring Asahigaoka for the hundredth time and maybe even just sitting around just relaxing. But what makes all of what life has to offer for our main four so special is that they choose to view it as such. It might not be worldchanging but the right outlook is lifechanging. The poignant silences between dialogue the serene aspecttoaspect transitions the episodic nature of the show everything about Non Non Biyori all centers on this incredibly earnest idea to live life to the fullest no matter what it has to offer. It really is just that but the journey that this show takes you on to convince you of the power of this message is one that resonant and its impossible to reject its invitation to imbue this message inside your heart. Conclusion 1080https://d1a2e1vehwcxq9.cloudfront.net/news/2016/02/animetitleswithspectacularbackgroundartnonnonbiyorirepeat1.jpg https://www..com/watch?v=YKqHZHs19sAlist=PL85DCZiQaoaWI7cEOcDSlmAJxYnR9pBBindex=13 I could go on and on and on and on for hours and days about all of the various reasons I love this anime so much and Ive tried to articulate them in a discursively concise manner. But try as I might Ill have to emphasize that you the reader can only truly relate to this praise and witness these intangibles for yourself by watching this beautiful series. This review of course was aimed at getting you to watch this series that I love dearly but having finished it and reading everything back it is above all else my love letter to Non Non Biyori and why I will forever cherish it. I can only hope that some of my words and feelings resonated with you and maybe youll pick up this amazing show as a result. Thank you Non Non Biyori from the bottom of my infinitely fulfilled and full heart 1080https://media.tenor.com/2E9PMyx3B34AAAAC/nyanpasuhandsup.gif https://www..com/watch?v=qQBElzM0W0w Thank you for reading: