Non Non Biyori Nonstop

This may be it, the tradition I have of writing a review for every single part of Non Non Biyori may have sadly reached the finale. But thankfully, it is a happy one and one that I can write while being proud of an anime that was able to make me happy and change my mood for the better.


Non Non Biyori is an anime that surprisingly got way better with time, what I thought would be a "cute girls doing cute things" anime turned into something more sinister and one with a bigger dive into childhood and growing up. The anime never fails from surprising me with how emotional the smallest acts can be and how even saying "Goodbye" to your friend can have so much meaning. I'm always amazed at how the anime manages to make me laugh from something so simple and how it draws a smile on my face whenever I see the glimpse of Renge in the background. I'm always surprised at how cute Komari can be and how Natsumi can be so cute and funny despite the generic characters similar to her always end up being annoying.

I love how the anime manages and build relationships between all the characters and its ability to make you love and care about these characters even with some of them having very little screen-time like Honoka and that other new cute little girl. The character depth is great and they do feel much more realistic than most shallow generic characters in some other SOL anime.

ALSO, CHILDISH HOTARU!! Man, this anime really needed that. Seeing Hotaru actually acting her age and being spoiled has been a highlight I wait for every season AND IT HAPPENS TWICE in this one!!! TWICE!! 10/10

The flow of time in the anime is great and the fact you feel the characters growing up is something done very well that it just feels natural and you recognize it specially when they are put in similar situations and how they changed the way they act and started showing more care to the situations. This can be seen easily with Renge tho I won't go in on that so as to not spoil the greatness of it.

The sounds, art, animation and overall directing were great and combined with wonderful voice acting, it led to a fantastic anime and one of my all time favorites.

Overall, I would give Non Non Biyori Nonstop a 10/10. A really wonderful conclusion to one of the greatest SOL ever made. 9/10 for the whole series as well.
Would recommend the whole series tho I would advice anyone to try to go power through season 1 as it may not be something many would like.

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Over two and a half years ago in 2018 we watched the daily life of our friends for the last time in the movie "Non Non Biyori Vacation", where they traveled together to Okinawa during the summer holiday. It's been almost six years since the entire second season aired, but all the wait was more than worth it in the end. In the winter season 2021 the studio "SILVER LINK." gives us hopes for better times with the long awaited third season "Nonstop". Welcome to the most idyllic anime series in history: "Non Non Biyori"!

The exciting everyday life of our four friends Renge, Komari, Hotaru and Natsumi continues “nonstop” in their small village Asahigaoka. Living in the countryside, what kind of interesting things can happen there? Indeed, the answer is: not much. There are no amusement parks, cinemas or any other attractions for children. But that is exactly the point that makes "Non Non Biyori" so special and that magically casts us all under its spell. Despite the few options, our friends manage to think up something new every day and have a lot of fun. They use their creativity and invent funny games themselves. They are always happy and satisfied with the opportunities they have.

We know and love all of our four main characters very well. Everyone loves "Ren-chon" and her personality. She is very curious, but always considerate of her friends. With the introduction of the new girl Shiori, Renge can finally feel like a big sister. In Renge she has found a friend who helps her and always plays with her. Together they have a lot of exciting little adventures.
The rest of the supporting characters are also very well known to us. I mean who doesn't like the real MVP of the series: Komari’s and Natsumi's older brother: Suguru. A real man with zero words but extremely important actions. That’s why I just want to point out the relationship that is extremely evident this season: Kaede aka "Candy Store" and Renge. Our 20-year-old owner of the local candy shop appears significantly more this season. In most cases, her appearance is associated with Renge. Sometimes she brings her sweets or at another time Renge visits her in the shop. Despite the age difference of more than ten years, it's heartwarming what a beautiful background story these two have in common. Although Kaede sometimes comes across as listless, inside she is always happy to see Renge. Already during her high school time, she reluctantly would care for baby Renge in place of her feckless onee-chan, Hikage. Renge always tells her about new discoveries. While Renge grows and has new experiences, Kaede watches closely over her.

When it comes to art, "Non Non Biyori" is not necessarily about the characters, but rather the environment. It's perfect to see where all of this is happening. Everything is beautiful and peaceful. The idyll can be felt by every viewer. Their school is modeled after a real elementary school from Ogawa, Saitama. If you compare the photos with the animation, you are simply amazed. But even e.g every other crab, no matter how small, has been shown in detail. You can really only say that everything fits perfectly: The characters and the landscape, together they make up our beloved "Non Non Biyori".

Everyone who has already watched the other seasons of "Non Non Biyori" will surely have their type of music in the back of your mind. In "Nonstop" we hear songs that are in the same style. “nano.RIPE” is back with their OP song "Tsugihagi Moyou". A song which gives you the feeling that a new day is going to start and new beautiful things are being experienced. The ED "Tadaima" is sung again by our four main characters. It's very pleasant to listen to. The music is relatively slow and relaxed, there is no rush like in the big cities. Everyone lives peacefully and happily with each other. This idyll is unique.
But not only the songs have been selected perfectly, also the background noises from the small animals or trees can be heard clearly. Everything is so natural and beautiful. Together with the voices of the characters, it’s truly a masterpiece!

"Non Non Biyori Nonstop" was certainly the seasonal anime I was hyped the most. It’s wonderful to see our beloved characters again after all this long time. Nothing has changed, everything stayed the way we know and love. The series offers us relaxed daily life adventures with even introducing a new girl. The deepening of the background stories was a heartwarming success. Life in Asahigaoka can definitely go on like this!
I really recommend this anime to every slice of life fan. In case you haven't seen the previous parts, start with those first. The whole series of "Non Non Biyori" is a must watch!
Finally, of course, I hope that one day we'll see a fourth season again. Hopes never die!

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This review is spoiler-free but make sure you've finished the previous entries of the Non Non Biyori series so you'll be able to understand what am I talking about.

I don't know why, but Repeat, the previous season, wasn't as enjoyable as the first one. After finishing it, I felt like it wasn't funny and deep enough. I felt robbed. I'm not saying Repeat was bad—it was quite good. But the level that was set by the first season wasn't reached by Repeat, for sure. Non Non Biyori is a masterpiece that may be considered the eternal classic, but I wouldn't say the same about Non Non Biyori Repeat.

This impression left me thinking Nonstop might be a fairly doubtful idea because the Biyori atmosphere had already been a bit lost by Repeat. Fortunately, I was wrong. Non Non Biyori Nonstop is a heartwarming comeback of the series.

Being a slice of life comedy, its plot is truly unique and funny. Time flies and never stops, and 'Nonstop' in the title ironically reminds us about it. Nonstop shows us that time changes everything around itself as it flows by, even in the fictional universe. Given that, we see the characters grow up like we do.

As always, Non Non Biyori represents the daily lives of the Japanese countryside folk in the modern era. With new characters being introduced, Nonstop never fails to be funny, even though sometimes the outcomes are predictable right from the start. When this happens, the anime mostly relies on visual humour, and I don't see anything bad about this.

Some people tend to think that the SOL comedy isn't required to have any depth in it. Nonstop IS about fun but not ONLY about fun. It is also about different characters interacting and sharing their points, opinions. That makes this anime a seinen. It's not silly and plainly simple. It represents the value of the people surrounding you—your family, your friends, your neighbours, and so on. It's a tale about both childhood and adulthood and the symbiosis of them, that's why there are characters of nearly every relatable age group possible.

The characters are magnificent. I love them for what they are being. Even though the cast is mostly full of girls, Nonstop isn't moe, I believe. It's cute, but we'll talk about it later. Now, the characters. As I mentioned before, the new ones have arrived. At first, I was sceptical about this, but, as the series was going forward, I loved them and their interesting stories more and more. They're perfect for the setting.

As for the old characters, I think they've gotten really much development even under these twelve episodes. Nonstop was able to handle this big cast and don't flatten their personalities, traits, etc. It says a lot about how talented and experienced are the people that have produced this anime.

The visuals have improved, and it is what I expected from the 2021 unwritten standards. The backgrounds have got a large amount of desktop wallpaper potential and sometimes they're even close to photorealistic. The characters have their own individual designs, images, expressions—in other words, what makes them unbelievably rememberable. The transition scenes between the segments of the episodes are imaginative. I've seen some mistakes in a bunch of scenes but am sure it's forgivable, and they're going to fix this on the BD. That's a 10/10.

The soundtrack rocks. The OP and ED are gonna be my favourites of all Biyori series if the sequel isn't coming out anytime soon. It's all thanks to nano.RIPE, whose notable works include the OPs for Jintai, Citrus and the previous seasons, and to the seiyuu of the main cast. The BGM matches the atmosphere all the time. It's very good. The VA is also amazing.

I've enjoyed Non Non Biyori Nonstop. Yes, it's not perfect, however, it's definitely a step forward compared to S2, plus it is certainly not worse than S1, if not better than it. Nonstop is a gem and a major improvement since Repeat—that's a win.

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Few series can truly capture the feeling of childhood, the innocent wonder and curiosity children have towards everything, the refreshing feeling of every situation being new and exciting, and of course the hilarious antics children get up to with their friends. Non Non Biyori is one of these few series, and its latest season continues to deliver on some of the most enjoyable slice of life experiences that remind you of the simpler days.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Story: 8

If you are watching this season then you generally have an idea of what the story is going to be about. Like previous seasons, it is the same old story of a few kids living their day to day lives in rural Japan. These girls find pleasure in their day to day activities which may appear boring at first glance, however the girls manage to keep it lively with their creative antics, competitive sprit, and the absolutely hilarious situations they always wind up in. Most if not all of the situations in the show feel realistic and completely believable, yet at the same time the situations are exciting in a way that really captures how powerful new experiences are to young people. Small mistakes like breaking a potted plant, which adults would normally apologize for are covered up hastily until they finally implode, someone restraining themselves with a pair of toy handcuffs and knowing where the release button is, confusing a friend with a ghost during a camping trip, these are all situations that are quite realistic yet are very effectively depicted in a way that is exciting and dramatic to the cast.

The show is heavily focused on childhood activities with a rural flavor, the girls go to a small school with mixed aged classes, enjoy summer festivals, help with gardening, and spend time camping. Nothing much of consequence happens in this series, but that’s fine, Non Non Biyori is about exploring the enjoyable moments in the course of ordinary life in a very relaxed atmosphere. Nothing about the story is extraordinary and that is the charm of Non Non Biyori, just sit back and enjoy reliving your childhood, all the antics and embarrassing moments included.

Art: 9

The background art for this series is always spectacular, every single time a background of the countryside is shown it’s a wallpaper worthy art piece that blows you away with how detailed it looks. The audience gets to experience the countryside in all its splendor, from natural views such as pristine rivers, beautiful plants, and farmland to intricately detailed rooms and houses that were drawn with a lot of research, everything related to the scenery has so much love and care put into it. The animation itself is not anything super special but its fluid enough that it doesn’t hurt the show, the background art though is what really makes the visuals in this series.
Character design is as solid as ever, the girls all look unique and they all have their own moments of expressive facial animation and eye effects to convey their emotions. As usual they also have a variety of outfits as needed depending on occasion and everything they wear is colored excellently and suits the cast perfectly.

The sound: 8

The opening and ending, along with the entire OST and the nature themed background sound effects are all just so relaxing and pleasant. The sound direction in this series has one purpose, to further immerse the viewer in a relaxing country side and fill them with a feeling of calm, this purpose is more than achieved, it is exceeded in every way. The rain noises, the sound of the river, the sound of a gentle breeze, Non Non Biyori has achieved some of the most relaxing sound direction available in the slice of life anime genre. Throw in the vibrant OP to get the audience interested and relaxed ED to cool down after the episode, there are no complaints about the sound, overall 8/10 sound direction.

Characters: 10

It is the same lovable cast as always, Natsumi is as hilarious as she always was, Renge still being absurdly random, Komari still getting mistaken for being younger than she really is and of course Hotaru defying people’s preconceptions of her age and maturity. Expanding on the previously mentioned character points, Natsumi gets into trouble a ridiculous number of times this season and every single time its hilarious, the rare sort of hilarity that makes one pause the video they are watching because they cannot focus on the show due to uncontrolled laughter. Renge harassing another character with a frog and discussing spheres with a friend may be some of the most random discussions I have seen in anime, ignoring absurdist comedy anime, Renge truly reflects the spontaneous and nonsensical behavior present in kids. This season also had a lot more secondary character driven interactions with the main cast, Hotaru had her family show up, Natsumi and Komari interacted a lot more with Hikage who brought out some entirely new sides of our main cast and even the mother of the Koshigaya household got some decent screen time.

There were also some welcome changes to the overall cast that improved character dynamics further. One major change to the cast involves the addition of 2 new characters, this addition has been for the better and these 2 characters add a lot of value to the show overall. The first is Akane a shy high school student who visits the town so she can hang out with Konomi who she looks up to, Akane adds an adorable Kouhai to the cast and helps explore the older characters in the series and gives the audience a depiction of how a normal city resident high school student would react to the countryside. This additional dimension is excellent for rounding out the cast with a shy girl who struggles to make friends, she adds an element of uncertainty whenever she interacts with the main cast since you never know how they will surprise her.

The second addition to the cast is Shiori, the youngest girl in the show and a playmate for Renge. Renge for most of the series has had to interact with kids older than her or with Kaede who is an adult, it feels like Renge has been missing out on a proper childhood friend and getting along with someone who is around her own age. Shiori fills this void and gives Renge somebody who looks up to her, someone Renge can be a role model for and somebody who Renge can teach life lessons to. Allowing Renge to fill a reliable older sister type role adds a whole new perspective to Renge’s characterization and allows for a lot of new dialogue and exploration on how Renge would interact with somebody who has less life experience than her. Their interactions are absolutely hilarious and the odd philosophical discussions they have really remind the audience of curious kids can be and how they might see a bigger picture than many adults do.

Overall, the cast is truly the highlight of this series, every character is well fleshed out and does not fall into a basic character type, instead they feel like real people with their own unique and often unpredictable thought processes. It is a joy to watch these characters grow, explore their world, and live their day to day lives, the cast solidly earns a 10 score for achieving a level of depth and development not expected of a relaxed all girls slice of life series cast.

Enjoyment: 9

Non Non Biyori is one of the most pleasant slice of life series available, if you enjoy peaceful slow paced series where the focus is on cast interactions and the world is peaceful and immersive, then you will almost certainly enjoy this series. This particular season lives up to its predecessor movie and season 2 quite easily, it even exceeds the previous seasons in terms of cast due to the wonderful new additions and the expanded character interactions for side cast members. If you have not seen previous seasons, just go for it, almost everyone can enjoy this series and it is intended for all age ranges. As for fans of the series, if you haven’t watched it yet, you’re definitely in for a treat.

Overall: 9

This is probably the best slice of life anime around and is representative of everything great about a slow paced episodic series. With its exceptional cast, amazing background art, enjoyable story and for exceeding expectations once again this season, Non Non Biyori Non Stop definitely gets a 9/10 score.

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