Source: http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=21889571

For the past few months back, life has been nothing but work, work, and more work. My life got desensitized and I became less emotional to a lot of things, especially anime. Rarely crying and laughing through even the funniest and saddest of anime, I lost my “suteki-vision”, positive aspect on life, so to say. I thought there was no more hope for my situation and I was doomed to lose my laughter altogether, forever being silent while my friends laughed at stuff I deemed unfunny.

And then I watched Nichijou.

The first few episodes weren’t that impressive. There were over the top reactions everywhere, which didn’t make sense at times. There were no smooth transitions between episodes, leaving me to wonder why there were static backgrounds playing while one scene moved to the other. I wondered why some people were calling this funny. KyoAni must have screwed up again, after the mixed opinions of K-ON and its later seasons.

One thing I failed to notice is the OP/ED. Since I read that the cast and singers are fresh to the scene, I didn’t pay it much notice. On closer inspection, I noticed it was quite catchy. And fresh. And refreshing, energetic. Soon, I fell in love with Hyadain and his dynamic openings as well as Sayaka Sasaki’s soothing ED and her nice voice. One point for Nichijou’s music.

I barely notice the OST or if there even is one, but just like K-ON, you have to look at it from another perspective. Do you want a plot filled comedy and eat it too? Probably not for you. Do you want a simple comedy with so many jokes that you’d have to find one funny? Then this is for you.

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=22005005

Nichijou is based on the premise that it has tons and tons of jokes. Sure, there are tons of characters and fresh new actors, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. In fact, I might say that having the energy and determinism of fresh new voice actors might even be better. I couldn’t really even notice that they were new voice actors even though I had read the information before (or it might be the power of audio editing). Since it has so many tricks up its sleeve, it fires each one in rapid succession each episode, hoping it’ll make you laugh at one.

Boy, did it exceed expectations with this.

"Mio-chan!"

No show can make you laugh 24/7 as a comedy, otherwise you would be laughing mockingly at it, since it’s so bad it’s funny. But that’s not the memorable type. Have a few truly funny moments and have a solid cast, and you’re set. And since the manga itself is pretty funny on paper, animate it and its golden. And you can watch it drunk, and things might even be funnier, who knows. Watching it at the end of a depressing day, however, does wonders. There were times where I was waiting for next week’s episode to come out, and at times I forgot altogether, having worked through a tiring day. Either time, I still found some parts very enjoyable.

I know, I haven’t been making regular posts on Nichijou, but that’s because I couldn’t find good topics to blog on (not good enough, I guess, since it can obviously be done), leaving me with making somewhat of a review.

You don’t really need everything to go in a straight line, or a linear comedy. Other shows haven’t been quite as linear and still did quite well (Aria). Throughout more and more episodes, things gradually became funnier, leaving me laughing until it hurts (something an anime rarely does). And there;s not much to say, really. Screencaps from the episodes themselves might spoil the comedy, which is why I will never watch Nichijou/comedy series raw again and wait patiently.

The animation was great. I didn’t like the graphics at first, but they really showed their skill and made some scenes shine. That and sometimes, simplicity is best. Sure, it can be hit and miss for some, but the hits really hit the spot, while the misses and still give a nice chuckle or two. The ending wasn’t as spectacular in terms of comedic relief, but the way they tied up some parts of the anime at the end was great, leaving the rest to your imagination.

"It spins when you're happy."

Nichijou isn’t all about comedy. You have different segments that are clever, romantic, and even touching. Namely, Hellvetica Standard and Like Love. I  learned to treasure things like living daily life to the fullest again and how precious friends are through this, even though my daily life isn’t as over the top as Nichijou’s.  I slowly developed Nichijou syndrome as well, laughing crazily at the most random of things. Life lessons, bro!

To sum it up, Nichijou can be life changing. Even if it isn’t the best comedy show out there, Lucky Star got nothing on this. In before rage/hate, watching through the show before any final opinions, but 12 episodes in and still nothing. It’s certainly changed my perspective on life, even if by just a tiny little bit. And now that the show is finished, what else but to live toward that over-the-top standard?