Its basically a slice of life, comedy anime. Very chill.
General Plot/Story:
There is no overall plot or goal. No plot arcs. Just shows how 3 sisters live together in their apartment, go to school and have fun with their friends. Strictly episodic. In fact, each episode is kinda segmented too; dealing with a specific story. Story-wise its similar to Azumanga Diaoh. The only difference is that in Minami-ke, the minamis interact as a family whereas in AD its all about friends. Never felt the story dragged.
Slice-of-life-ness:
The slice-of-life part is done very well. Like very, very well. You know how many animes have the typical 'school opening part' --> 'kareesames (Christmas) party' --> 'sports fest' --> 'field trip' --> 'emotional part (love confession etc)'. Well minami-ke doesn't do that. It does something a bit different. To me, i felt like, instead of understanding the characters based on their reactions to events, we get to know characters by their direct interaction with each other.
The comedy:
The comedy is quite subtle mostly. There is less of the ridiculous-looking, exaggerated faces expressing emotion. Less of the screaming, silly poses. Basically its less slapstick in nature. It adds to the slice-of-life effect.
Characters:
In my opinion, they were very well performed. There were a few surprises here and there which didn't make them seem robotic. Personalities are easily distinguishable without falling into common stereotypical types. So its not like we have a dumbass, a smartass, a disgusting ass (?), the well-endowed ass, the handsome ass, the mature ass, the average ass....u get my point, right?
The variety of characters was also pleasantly surprising. The 3 minami sisters complement each other very well without developing a strict, rigid, 2D personality each.
Soundtrack:
Slow, soothing, matches anime genre. OP songs are awesome! My fav were 1st and 3rd. Note: 2nd season OP is supposed to be a parody of the serious slice-of-life types. Many ppl didn't understand tht and started hating on it.
Overall:
Very chill anime, nothing too exciting. Gives off an easy going feeling. Excellent for those who hate cliffhangers. Non-stereotypical characters. Main characters have some personality depth and are not like robots. Comedy is subtle and the not in-your-face kind.
p.s= kana is boss :P lookout for the famous, pink t-shirt xD
