It just had to happen sometime.
I think my own opinions on the nature of what defines a ‘slice of life’ show were made clear, but it’s interesting to see what some of the members of the blogosphere think about the matter. The fact is, the term ‘slice of life’ is used more and more these days as a word of convenience, for shows that don’t seem to fit the expected forward-moving narrative mode.
The thing is, this doesn’t really fit with how ‘slice of life’ was defined just a few years ago, where a ‘slice of life’ show in one way or another demonstrated the concepts of mono no aware and wabi-sabi, a fixation on the ephemeral nature of objects or events in one’s daily life that gives a better appreciation for existence as a whole. That is why shows like Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō/ヨコハマ買い出し紀行, ARIA, and Sketchbook count as ‘slice of life’ shows for older viewers, due to the use of a mono no aware-focused storytelling style.
These days, however… As mentioned, the term has been used more recently for its convenience, at least in anime. To give an example, the anime K-On!! has been categorized as a slice-of-life show (I call it a 4koma comedy myself), by virtue of the fact that very little ‘plot’ is apparent over the course of its airing.
It should be interesting to see where the discussion goes, especially if or when it goes into the minutiae of the term’s contemporary definition (or what some would say its misuse by people who don’t know better).
Here are the bloggers participating in the exchange as of this edit:
- Novajinx, who got the exchange going.
- Omo, who comments on the artificiality of the recent use of the slice-of-life ‘metaphor’.
- Kurogane, who posits the use of an alternate term instead of slice-of-life.
- BigN, who talks about the essence of the metaphor (Don’t think. Feel. Then Think.) compared to how it is commonly misunderstood.
- Lelangir points that the argument, in a way, is moot, as definitions shift.
- RyanA comments on the discussion itself, and the controversy behind the use of the term.
Midnight Equinox 
It is a convenient term, and I think that’s why I feel we should culture it better rather than jump ship.
Haesslich mentioned that what we’re seeing now seems to be a repeat of the shifting of definitions that ‘tsundere’ once had, from a perspective change that occurs over a course of time, to the flip-flopping bipolar affection many associate it with these days. The same could be said for the use of the metaphor ‘slice of life’; where before it used to be associated with shows using the mono no aware style.
Though in this case, it’s becoming a dead metaphor, which seems a little sad.
It is interesting to note that, as far as I could recall, the term was called as a ‘dead metaphor’ the moment it saw use outside of its origins in the theater.
Isn’t life what we make of it? And isn’t a slice a snapshot?
So isn’t what we might call “slice of life” hugely subjective, and can’t it be found in almost anything? Rather than making it a useless term, however, it takes on a new meaning: “for me, this show demonstrates genuine qualities that speak to my life and validate me.”
Some people see that in Honey & Clover… others in K-ON!, others still maybe even in Wolf’s Rain.
Live and let live.
you mean, slice of my life?
it really isn’t very hard to communicate more clearly if you ditch the stupid term for a less stupid one using a pronoun. i hope that is what you strive for.
Nah… I don’t see why it can be slice of someone else’s life, so long as you see it as such.
And I’m not striving for anything, I’m resisting this urge to strive on the parts of all the morons arguing about this. The people who say “omg I wonder where this discussion leads” are no better, a bunch of sensationalist lamers who would spend their time better generating content rather than regurgitating it.
*don’t see why it can’t