What draws us into slice of life anime, when the content initially seems to mundane? I believe the answer lies in tension. Tension is at the heart of any story, and the best slice of life use it wonderfully, even when you don’t realize it is pulling you into the show. This video examines the narrative structures of The Simpsons, to provide a familiar baseline, and then of K-On and Shirobako to show three ways of organizing a narrative, and three approaches to delivering tension.

00:00 Introduction
0:56 The Simpsons: A plot and B plot
3:30 K-On: A part and B part
5:21 Shirobako: A unique approach
7:37 Conclusion

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