The anime follows Hotaru Ichijou, who has just moved from Tokyo to some isolated village in the middle of nowhere. Here she meets the other four characters that are to become the main cast, and that is where the magic begins. They all attend the same school and the same class, because there are only like five kids in the entire village (not entirely true). This already creates a cosy atmosphere, because you have a definite set of characters that you can focus on without any distractions, and they are so masterfully written that their interactions with one another becomes a pure joy to follow. Besides the main characters there are also adults that are in some way connected to them, so there are already well-established relationships and ties, but some of these you won't learn until after a few episodes. As usual with my reviews I won't go into details about the different characters, because I believe that you should experience it yourself. You will most certainly come to love them, I'll tell you that.
As with all Slice of Life anime, there isn't any story present. It's all about capturing mundane everyday activities in an interesting and engaging manner, and Non Non Biyori gets full scores in this regard. The characters are all very well written, and they all contribute to the overall atmosphere and feel of the show with their own spice. The anime pays an equal amount of attention to all of them, so you're not stuck with Hotaru Ichijou only if you were worried about that, which is good because I personally find her to be the least interesting character. You get to see all the aspects of the different characters' everyday life, and it really helps you connect to them. And it's so cosy! I don't think I've ever felt this cosy while watching another anime before. There is something about the beautiful music, art, and characters that just does something to me that most other anime fail to. At times I don't know whether I want to laugh along with the characters or tear up from the sheer beauty of the show, so I find myself doing both. If I could put it one way, I would say that Non Non Biyori conjures some sort of powerful nostalgia that you didn't know that you had, so you instantly feel at home whenever you follow the girls along with their shenanigans.
Non Non Biyori is a wonderful show that is the embodiment of what Slice of Life is all about, so if you're looking for something fun and relaxing then I'd highly recommend it. I wholeheartely believe that this anime is a great example that anime can be taken seriously as an art form. I was almost starting to lose hope, phew. If anything, this show raised the bar too high, so now I'll have an even more difficult time finding good SoLs. Curses.
