While Non Non Biyori's artwork and character designs are bright and colorful, it doesn't take long to see that the series general tone is also infused with a tinge of melancholy, and that unique bittersweet tone is almost always there in the background. This is because every aspect of Non Non Biyori's design is made to evoke the Japanese aesthetic concept called Mono no Aware. Sounds weeby, I know, but I think this concept is vital to understanding why Non Non Biyori is so memorable and emotional. Mono no Aware is about the meaning found in things that are fleeting, about how things are beautiful because they don't last forever, and as sad as it is that things change, it was better to have experienced them at all and allow them to become memories. This aesthetic is a staple in Iyashikei anime, and many of these series are set in a location where its easy to convey this feeling. Anything involving the passage of time will do the trick, which is why most Iyashikei anime are either set in nature, or in a post-apocalyptic setting, and Non Non Biyori's setting allows the series to constantly be reminding us about the passage of time. Being set around a large, natural environment means that things such as the changing of seasons are always seen visually. As each episode passes, you will notice that more leaves are starting to fall off of trees, or the color palette changes as the sun shines in different ways. The characters activities usually relate to whatever season it is, and seeing how all of this changes over the course of the series evokes the bittersweet sensation of Mono no Aware.
Another big part of Non Non Biyori's tone is how run-down it is. Around all of the gorgeous nature, Non Non Biyori is set in a run-down farm town. Small, half-destroyed houses and shacks can be found in the background, and there is a sensation that there used to be far more people in this rural town then there currently are. The school the students use has broken floorboards, the signs have been written on and are cracked or off their hinges, and the place in general looks like its been eroded. Not only does this serve as excellent worldbuilding, filling this setting with odd details and making it feel lived-in, but it also helps to convey that it used to be very different, and that over time, it's changed. Though more obvious, a big thing that shows how this place has changed over time is the older characters. There aren't any high school students anymore, as they have all moved to Tokyo to go to school, only coming back to visit occasionally, all in episodes that further flesh out the history of the characters and reinforce the passage of time. Instead, it focuses on young children, or younger adults.
Most anime about cute girls doing cute things features high-school aged characters and light coming-of-age elements. Most of these characters face some hardships about their future, and their responsibilities in school. These stories can be engaging in their own right, and many times can form the crux of a very emotional coming-of-age story (see K-On), but that's not quite what Non Non Biyori is going for. Non Non Biyori ages its characters younger than most series, ranging from the First Grader Renge to the Eighth Grader Komari, with side characters who are all older with only a few exceptions. As young kids with much fewer responsibilities, their general personalities get more opportunities to come out, and they get to act their age: like children.
Each of the girls in this show feels like how a real child that age would act, and it makes them all more endearing and relatable. Hotaru is a 5th grader who moves to this rural village and adjusts to country life. At first, it seems she's mature and has it set, but as the series goes on we get to see her childish side come out more and more often. She idolizes the oldest girl Komari, she's gullible and falls for numerous tricks, she's curious about many things, and she gets clingy and overly whiny at times, especially around her mother. She acts differently around every character, and is in general a multi-faceted individual who feels like a believable child. The same is true for the tomboyish and troublesome Natsumi, and the wannabe adult Komari. The best example though, is Renge, who is the heart and soul of this series and a big part of what makes this series emotional core work so well. A bright and shiny first grader, Renge is overly curious and goes to explore everything she can find. She constantly asks questions, runs around on her own to find new things, takes advice from other characters way too seriously, and has an insanely random mind and will say the most insane things that almost make no sense. She's artistic, questioning, observant, and constantly taken aback by everything she experiences, looking at the world with a sense of wonder and fascination that only someone as young as her can see, as she is still learning about life and her surroundings.
The biggest appeal of this series is in watching each of these characters grow up, experiencing the milestones that come with going through childhood. Most of these are light-hearted and fun, with very simple life lessons and a look at those days we wish we could return to, but they are treated with care and emotion. For example, one episode is about Natsumi dragging her sister to run away from home after getting blamed for something she didn't do. The two go to a hideout they made and talk for a bit, before reminiscing about the last time they had run away like this. They eventually realize that they can't really do anything without their mom, and juxtaposed with a cat feeding her kittens, the two realize they were acting like idiots and return home. Expecting to get scolded by an angry mama, instead, the two get head-pats and treated to a warm, home-cooked meal by a mother who was worried sick about her kids. It's heartwarming, nostalgic, and something I think anyone can relate to. Each of the series various plots are like that, ranging from a young Renge making a friend and eventually having to see her leave, to everyone looking back at old toys and photos/videos and cringing at how dumb they used to be.
But perhaps the biggest reason for the success of this series nostalgic and bittersweet tone is in the side characters. Like I said, this is a series about watching these children grow up, and the children themselves can't really see how much they're growing. But the older characters sure can, and in seeing their relationships we get a look into how things have changed. This is most apparent in the relationship between Renge and Kaede, aka Candy Store. Having been made to raise Renge when she was only 2, the two have formed a special, inseparable bond, and many of the series most emotional moments come when Renge goes to Candy Store for certain things. As Renge's own parents are constantly working in the rice fields and her sister is always sleeping and lazy, she experiences many of her own childhood milestones with Candy Store, such as learning to ride a bike. Candy Store is watching the young Renge grow up right before her eyes, and there's a bitter-sweetness to this, knowing that while Renge won't have that sense of adorable childlike wonder anymore, she's moving to better things. Really, Renge is an encapsulation of the emotional core of this series, and I can go on about how fantastic of a character she is and how she embodies everything I love about this series (a certain episode about tadpole shrimps comes to mind). Just suffice it to say that watching her grow and learn about life was satisfying and beautiful.
I may make it sound kind of emotional, but really Non Non Biyori is light-hearted and funny. Actually, it's hilarious. Non Non Biyori has some of the best comedic timing I've seen, and basically every punchline hits and hits hard. What I love about its comedy is how restrained it can be. The series will often utilize long pauses before the characters react to something, and that reaction will usually be a bit more relaxed or deadpan than whats normal for cute girls. Beyond that, the characters are wonderfully expressive, with adorable facial expressions and specific body language that makes them a joy to hang out with beyond feeling like realistic, multi-faceted child characters. Much of the comedy also plays into the feeling of nostalgia the series emits. I remember getting way to serious about games involving school supplies as a kid, and making random games out of stupid things. It's both hilarious and nostalgic then, to see a game of "flip the ruler" morph into a super hype sports anime, or one of the older characters tease Renge by pretending she removed her thumb. Some of the comedy can be random, usually involving Renge's wondering thoughts, and there's even room for A MUTHAFUCKIN JOJO REFERENCE!!!! The series is silly and child-like, and it brings me back to that wonderful little time in my life.
Supporting all of this, is Non Non Biyori's absurdly gorgeous background art. From cracks and rust in buildings, to the various colors of the four seasons, to the various memorable locations throughout, Non Non Biyori's setting is filled with details that bring it to life, and its lighting, color design, and layouts are absolutely beautiful. While the actual animation can be a bit janky at times, and never really impresses, it didn't really have to for this series. For something so focused on tone and setting, the background art and color design is paramount, and this series succeeds on that front better than most. There's very little I can say to do it justice, watch the first scene of the first episode and that should do the trick. Adding equally to this immersion is the excellent OST. It's surprisingly varied, featuring an array of both beautiful, melancholic piano tracks, and child-like comedic tunes with lots of recorders, bells, and whistles. Both OP's and ED's are excellent. The OP's depict the girls playing around in the country, with a tunes by Nano.Ripe that sound comfy, "country," and fun, and the visuals keep the motif of the changing seasons, with the second OP even featuring a segment where the girls march with the music as the seasons change around them. The ED's are where the series music shines most in my eyes though. A fun, catchy song with a hint of melancholy sung by the series voice actors, set to a slide-show of them having fun together. A perfect fit, and I listen to both tracks whenever I need a dose of this show.
Non Non Biyori is the essence of experiencing life in its purest form, sometimes literally, as the camera has a tendency to linger in the same position for long periods of time and allow things to just play out, as if it were turned on and just left on the tri-pod with no one manning it (btw, this series has some excellent direction and cinematography to boot). It makes a point to highlight all of the beautiful things that can be found all around us every day, and tells us to treasure those things, and not take them for granted. While I'm not sure if this was the intention, my interpretation of the decision to repeat the same year in Non Non Biyori Repeat is to inform us of how much we can miss; that within a single year, there is a lot that we take for granted, and we shouldn't forget about any of the wonderful moments that made that time special. If you want a light-hearted, hilarious, Slice of Life about a group of girls experiencing the milestones of growing up, with an emotional undercurrent and a few moments that will tug at the heartstrings, you really can't do much better than Non Non Biyori. Life is a beautiful thing, and this little show wrings a lot of feelings out of reminding us of that. It's a simple message, but sometimes, that can be resonant, and here, it definitely is.
