Slice of Life & Sports Anime - Winter 2019 (Expectation Vs. Reality: How Slice of Life & Sports Anime Faired!)

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Introduction

With the Winter 2019 season behind us and we’ve been able to catch our breath, we decided it is time to take a look back at the shows that were on air. While there were more than 10 Slice of life and sports anime that aired from January to March, one thing is for sure: there was no shortage of anime for these two genres. This article isn’t going to review the anime themselves. If you’re looking for a full review of the show, then be sure to search the site for them! This article is more to look at how the original introductions from the official Japanese websites in this article, stand up with what we actually got. Sometimes we get the old bait-and-switch, and other times, we end up with something that was much better than expected. Regardless, let’s take a look at all of them!

1. Ameiro Cocoa Side G (5th Season)

  • Genres: Slice of Life
  • Air Date: January 9, 2019

This is the fifth season of Ameiro Cocoa.

Set on the stage of Rainy Color, the café, this story will be about the owner, Koji Amami’s daughter Yoko, running the shop

What We Got:

It’s a rough time for the girls of the Rainy Cafe, what with having to find new outfits to help promote the cafe after being entrusted by Yoko’s father to make sure it thrives. It’s hard for them to come together, but after an incident with a child’s lost cat, some of the distance shortens between Kate and Yoko at least!

Ameiro Cocoa Side G (5th Season) Official PV

2. Colorful Pastrale from BermudaΔ (Triangle)

  • Genres: Slice of Life, Fantasy
  • Air Date: January 12 2019

The spotlight shines with light. Cute, shining, and soft costumes. Charming voices accompanied with shining smiles and dance.
The dazzling light casts light on beings that can swim and dance freely in water: Mermaids.

There, in a sea overflowing with light, these mermaid idols perform.

Their story starts not in the capital, but far away in a quiet sea in the remote countryside.

What We Got:

Ever since our favorite mermaid girls fixed up the theater, their sleepy village of Parrel has been brimming with life! It’s been a lot of hard work, including keeping themselves from losing the theater to a visiting diva, locating cineorbs to keep it stocked with fresh material, and one very odd experience encountering a strange kind of land-mermaid with bizarre appendages called “legs”. However, it will all pay off when they have successfully turned Parrel into a city of interest!

Colorful Pastrale from BermudaΔ (Triangle) Official PV

3. Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue

  • Genres: Slice of Life
  • Air Date: January 9 2019

Subaru Mikazuki hates being around others and is a shy author who rescued a cat named Haru from a terrible life as a stray cat. The two unexpectedly start to live together as human and animal. The story is told from the perspectives of both Subaru, the human, and Haru, the cat and weaves together each of their thoughts and feelings. Gradually the two spend more and more time together and they become ‘family’; searching for their own happiness together.

What We Got:

Thanks to Haru, Subaru’s circle of friends increases from a whopping “0” to “a few”. That doesn’t mean that he’s lost sight of his goals, though, and he’s successfully balancing his dedication to storytelling and maintaining his relationships with his new friends. Meanwhile, due to Subaru’s heroism, Haru lets go of some of her separation anxiety and accepts that Subaru won’t leave her by herself. Plus, she discovers Subaru’s head is a nice place to nap, so she’s got that going for her too.

Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue Official PV

4. Hinomaru Zumou

  • Genres: Sports, Shounen
  • Air Date: October 5 2018

‘Hakkiyoi!’

The fierce battle of these men chasing after Yokozuna begins.

What We Got:

Hinomaru’s high school sumo plans aren’t going exactly as expected, but he still aims to achieve his dream of a professional sumo career. Not only that, but he manages to finally get that fight with Kuze he’s wanted all this time. Most importantly, he inspires people he never expected into loving sumo! He’ll have a difficult future ahead of him if he wants to survive in the professional leagues, but that’s perhaps a story for another day!

Hinomaru Zumou Official PV

5. Hulaing Babies

  • Genres: Slice of Life
  • Air Date: January 11 2019

‘This is the best! I can’t get enough!’
‘This should be enough for today. You’ve mastered what you were struggling with. Whew, still though, foot baths rock.’

Suzu and Fumi are classmates in their first year middle school in the hot springs town of Iwaki. They founded a hula dance club on a whim, but soon lost the drive to keep practicing, and now spend their days lazily doing nothing. Then one day, Mona, a transfer student, joins the hula club. Starting with her, the girls start to gather friends to form a team to enter into a hula dancing competition.

What We Got:

Thanks to a challenge from Rei, the girls enter the harbor reopening’s hula contest. But it’s not as easy as just participating. Suzu is set to win, and Fumi isn’t sure she’s up to the challenge. Thankfully, Chizuru knows a fantastic coach who tells them exactly what they need to face Hulalion. Thanks to that advice, the girls finally make it clear why sometimes the title switches between “Hulaing” and “Flying”!

Flying Babies Official PV


6. Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru

  • Genres: Sports, Slice of Life
  • Air Date: October 3 2018

Nighttime. Kakeru Kurahara runs throughout the city as if he is fleeing something. A bicycle unexpectedly pulls up next to him. A man Kakeru has never seen before pulls up next to him and says
‘Hey! You like to run, don’t you!’

That man’s name is Haiji Kiyose. Following the instructions of Haiji, Kakeru arrives at the old apartment building, Takeao Manor. There, nine different residents overflowing with individuality live. Finally, an available apartment is recommended to him, and Kakeru, being completely lost at sea, is cornered into taking the room. Who would have dreamed that he would become the 10th man in this building?

What We Got:

It’s been a long, wild ride. No one ever thought that the crew of the Chikuseisou dorm would ever actually run at the Hakone Ekiden… largely because no one wanted to at first. But somehow, Haiji figures out a way to convince everyone that not only should they want to run at Hakone Ekiden, but that they could develop the skills to compete there within a year.

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru Official PV

7. Layton Mystery Tanteisha: Katri no Nazotoki File

  • Genres: Game, Mystery, Adventure
  • Air Date: April 8 2018

The Layton Detective Agency motto is “No matter what the mystery is, we solve all.”
The daughter of Professor Layton, Katrielle Layton, along with her talking dog Sheri, and her assistant Ernest Greeves, run the Layton Detective Agency. Daily, they solve strange happenings that occur in London.

Originally, she began working at the Agency as a means to help her find her father, Hershel Layton, who up and disappeared one day. Due to her incredible way of thinking, her skill for solving mysteries has gradually become a hot topic, and eventually, more and more requests come fluttering in.

What We Got:

Katrielle has a lot of adventures in between when she starts and when she finally reunites with her father. She’s framed for murder, breaks into Scotland Yard, and finds an invisible baby, but nothing breaks her spirit or her lust for a good puzzle. Weird things happen almost every week, but now once her father is back, maybe she can kick back and relax for a bit… or maybe it’s the perfect excuse for an even wilder adventure!

Layton Mystery Tanteisha: Katri no Nazotoki File Official PV

8. Manaria Friends

  • Genres: Fantasy, School Life
  • Air Date: January 21 2019

Here, in this sacred and mysterious world, “People,” “Gods,” and “Magic” all exist, intertwined with each other.

Hailing from the Kingdom of Manaria, is the cheerful princess Anne. Grea is quiet, bashful, half-dragon princess. Starting from the moment that they meet, they begin their school lives at the Manaria Academy of Magic.

What We Got:

Anne and Grea have a lovely semester. They find their own fun together, whether it’s playing hide-and-seek while bored in the library or helping each other overcome their stage fright. It’s not all fun, though, like that fight they have before winter break that causes them to stop speaking to one another. But once the school year starts wrapping up, the duo realizes that they’ll be graduating soon and their halcyon days are coming to an end.

Manaria Friends Official PV

9. Mini Toji

  • Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy, Action, Supernatural
  • Air Date: January 6 2019

These girls have to fight and choose not to fight each day?

The characters from the anime ‘Toji no Miko’ have all been shrunk down and have gathered!

What We Got:

The girls have a nice break in between their work and find ways to kill time. As the year wraps up, they all realize at their school’s festival that they’re soon going to be sent on separate missions. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be friends, and to celebrate, they decide to watch the fireworks together while keeping their class’ yakisoba stand from getting completely overwhelmed!

Mini Toji Official PV

10. Okoshiyasu, Chitose-chan

  • Genres: Slice of Life
  • Air Date: October 6 2018

A penguin chick lives in Kyoto and her name is Chitose-chan. Chitose-chan is a fluffy and lovely penguin, and she loves eating delicious food and having fun. She wanders the streets of Kyoto led by her curiosity and meets people, eats delicious foods, and prays at shrines. This story is shown from the viewpoint of our penguin as she goes to places everyone knows in Kyoto like Kiyomizudera, Kinkakuji, Gion and more…

What We Got:

Poor little Chitose was all alone until she’s given a delightful carrying sack by a kind stranger. Now she’s got the courage to explore all sorts of fun places all around Kyoto! But that’s not all. She also spurs on the people she meets along the way to try a little harder in their lives, like her high school friend with her art! Chitose isn’t alone anymore, but at the same time, she is a little more independent.

Okoshiyasu, Chitose-chan Official PV

11. Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan

  • Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life, Seinen, Omnibus
  • Air Date: January 9 2019

Ekoda-chan has worked various jobs including a telephone operator, a nude model, a hostess, and more. Even though she has a boyfriend, she isn’t taking anything seriously with him. She sees popular girls as her natural enemy and calls them ‘birds of prey’. Today too, she is wandering the capital.

This series will feature a new director for every episode and be told in an omnibus format.

What We Got:

Honestly, Ekoda’s life doesn’t really seem to be improving all that much. She still can’t seem to find a good date, the one person she could even call her boyfriend hasn’t contacted her in a while, and she still can’t seem to find a decent job. In fact, she’s even picked up a stalker along the way, and not exactly a mentally stable one either. All Ekoda can really do is watch TV in peace, wait for the inevitable, and accept whatever fate may have in store for her, for better or worse. Her mood, appearance, and even her voice shifts day-to-day, most likely because the show’s director and her voice actress changes every episode!

Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan Official PV

Special Add: Inzuma Eleven: Orion no Kokuin

  • Genres: Sports
  • Air Date: October 5 2018

The Japan national football team, the Inazuma Eleven, have been announced! Amongst those names, Asuto Inamori, Ryouhei Haizaki, and Yuuma Nosaka, appear. The cream of the crop from all schools have now been chosen and gather. On top of this, a new ally named Mitsuru Ichihoshi who has played on another soccer team abroad, joins them. Now the new team truly sets out on the story seas of the world stage. However, the tests and trials that waited for them are exponentially beyond what they had imagined. Namely, a mysterious player known as ‘Orion’s apostle’.
Tactics, Betrayal, Clashing...

Now, all kinds of expectations swirl together as the Football World Championships FF1 (Football Frontier International) begins.

Japan! Spread your wings to the world!

What We Got:

The Orion team does its best to stay alive in Football Frontier International, but Russia and Spain prove to be incredibly powerful opponents. Russia is even dubbed “The Invincible Giant” and can’t seem to be stopped by anyone. Meanwhile, Spain is able to read all of Orion’s moves somehow, and no one can figure out why. Sadly, as it turns out, Orion’s got a traitor in their midst and can’t make up the difference in their scores! You’ll have to wait until next season to find out how!

Inzuma Eleven: Orion no Kokuin Official PV

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, each show is a bit different. Some gave us what we wanted, while others went somewhere and we don’t quite know where they went. What are your thoughts though? Are you happy with the way the shows here turned out? Voice your opinions in the comments below!

Rainy-Cocoa-sideG-333x500 Slice of Life & Sports Anime - Winter 2019 (Expectation Vs. Reality: How Slice of Life & Sports Anime Faired!)

Writer

Author: Meghan May Dellinger

Konnichiwa! I'm a writer/daydreamer who gets a little lost along the path of life from time to time. I love watching anime and playing all kinds of video games - everything from RPGs to first-person shooters. I hope to be an author someday, but until then, I'll share my words with the world any way I can! I love making new friends, so don't be afraid to leave a comment!

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