#sltcaslte

[forsapphics]

Nomoto & Kasuga's first kiss

SHE LOVES TO COOK, AND SHE LOVES TO EAT (作りたい女と食べたい女) (2022 - 2024) · S02, E20: Episode #30 — directed by Yui Matsusaki, Hiroyuki Nakata

[waitmyturtles]

I know that you’ve been singing the praises of Misaeng basically since we started connecting personally — I MUST watch that, along with Go Ahead. WDYEY and SLTCASLTE are seriously two of my all-time faves. I love this list. Thank you, Shan!

Shan! What are your favorite slice of life shows, BLs and non-BLs?

Ooh, a hot topic! I do love a good slice of life drama. Let's start with defining what we mean, because the internet is just full of confusion on this particular issue. Slice of life stories:

Are generally about mundane every day experiences

Do not have a specific overarching plot with a clear end point--the story could just go on forever (and I often wish it would)

Do have very clear themes and usually solid character and relationship arcs across episodes--just because there is no big plot doesn't mean characters stay static

Generally have strong episodic structure, with each episode giving you a contained plot with a theme/conflict and resolution aka a "slice" of the characters' lives (sometimes you will see a format where a slice plays out over a few eps, but the point is there are clear and contained mini arcs)

So with that said, here are a few of my favorite dramas that use this storytelling technique.

Hospital Playlist

What Did You Eat Yesterday?

Misaeng

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat

Go Ahead

Reply 1988

These are by no means the only good slice of life dramas out there, but they are my favorites. I highly recommend every single one of these--truly a collection of bangers with meaningful themes and amazing characters and relationships. All of these shows are designed to burrow deep into your heart, get you deeply invested in a set of characters, and become addicted to just seeing them live their daily lives to the point where you are truly devastated when the episodes stop coming. And that is the point of slice of life: these are emphatically not stories about nothing. It's a genre that sets out to find deep meaning in the mundane. Slice of life stories are a study of the human condition, unpacking complex moral and philosophical questions via relatable people and situations that feel of a piece with our own experiences. They are meant to make us think, engage our emotions, and provoke reflection on our own lives. And I love them. ;)