Film

Nichijou: My Ordinary Life Episode 0

Nichijou is a high-energy comedy anime that subverts its own title by treating the absurd as mundane. It ricochets between genuinely bizarre moments—a principal fighting a deer, a robot hiding pastries—and relatable school situations, all rendered in gorgeous, expressive animation. It's for anyone who loves surreal humour, visual gags, and the particular joy of animation doing things live-action simply cannot.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love absurd comedy that treats its strangeness with a perfectly straight face, where a deadpan rhythm and surreal throwaway gags land harder than any plot.

Skip it if you want a story that builds toward something, since this short episode is a loose run of unconnected bits and its randomness may feel more scattered than charming.

What it asks of you: It is a short, brisk twenty-four minutes, with quick cuts between small scenes, so you can keep up easily but should stay alert for jokes that arrive fast and move on.

If you liked this

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu2006

A foundational anime that also plays with genre expectations and the relationship between ordinary school life and the fantastical. Sharp, meticulously crafted, with that same sense of anything could happen at any moment.

But The pacing can feel uneven, and the heavy fan-service moments will feel dated to modern viewers. Some arcs drag.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu poster

Azuki-chan1995

Early comedy anime that embraces visual absurdism and silly sound design to get laughs. Fast-paced, inventive gags, and a warmth toward its characters despite all the chaos happening around them.

But The animation quality fluctuates wildly between scenes. It's very 90s in ways that might feel rough compared to Nichijou's polish.

Azuki-chan poster

Kill la Kill2013

Shares Nichijou's commitment to wild visual gags and the idea that animation should be joyfully over-the-top. Also features absurd action sequences treated with complete sincerity in a school setting.

But It's genuinely loud and aggressive in a way Nichijou isn't. The fanservice is much more foregrounded and won't be for everyone.

Kill la Kill poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Nichijou: My Ordinary Life Episode 0

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World2010

Both treat genre rules as physical law within a world that looks mundane from the outside. Both find humour and heart in the collision between how things should work and how they actually do.

Edgar Wright's live-action film about a Toronto slacker wrestling video-game logic and comic-book rules into reality. Uses editing, sound design, and visual effects the way Nichijou uses animation—as a tool for comedy and emotional truth simultaneously.

But The indie rock aesthetic and romantic comedy plot aged in specific ways. The whimsy can feel exhausting if you're not already charmed by the reference density.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World poster
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Mob Psycho 1002016

Another series about a fundamentally ordinary character in an extraordinary world. Uses animation inventively for comedy and emotion. Character-driven but never sacrifices the visual energy that makes scenes sing.

But It takes itself more seriously overall. You come for the humour but stay for the deeper emotional arcs, which shifts the energy partway through.

Mob Psycho 100 poster

A Certain Scientific Railgun2009

A spin-off that finds warmth and humour in its school setting despite the supernatural powers. Great character chemistry and a willingness to stop plot dead for a comedy episode about laundry.

But The main plot threads can feel generic. If you're looking for sustained narrative tension rather than episodic joy, this underdelivers.

A Certain Scientific Railgun poster

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story2020

Like Nichijou, it presents a normal school setting that harbours something much stranger. The tonal shifts are deliberate and earned. A masterclass in subversion and visual storytelling through animation.

But It pivots hard into darkness. If you want comedy throughout, this will eventually betray that contract with you.

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story poster

Barakamon2014

Slice-of-life comedy with genuine heart and laugh-out-loud moments. Uses its rural setting and quirky cast for both humour and surprising emotional depth. Beautifully animated and feels lived-in.

But The comedy is gentler and more grounded. It won't hit you with the rapid-fire absurdism or visual surprises Nichijou specialises in.

Barakamon poster

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica2018

School comedy that builds genuine stakes and character growth while maintaining a lightness of touch. Funny, sweet, and visually engaging without becoming relentless about either.

But It leans more toward sincerity as it progresses. The comedy is a seasoning rather than the whole meal.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica poster

Cromartie High School2003

Pure comedy chaos set in a delinquent high school where nothing makes sense and that's entirely the point. Gloriously stupid, rapid-fire jokes, and animation that's willing to be weird for the sake of a laugh.

But The humour is very specific and repetitive. It trades on bits working better the more you watch, but that can feel thin on first viewing.

Cromartie High School poster

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story2022

Both understand that absurdity played completely straight is infinitely funnier than winking at the audience. Both find genuine warmth beneath the chaos.

A biopic that completely abandons biopic logic in favor of surreal, increasingly unhinged comedy. Treats preposterous situations as though they're the most serious thing in the world, which is precisely where the humour lives.

But It's aggressively silly and commits to a tone that will alienate anyone wanting a straightforward story. The humour requires you to surrender to its logic completely.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story poster

Ping Pong The Animation2014

Both are animated projects that treat the medium as primary—not bound by what's realistic or expected, but what's visually and emotionally truthful. Both find profound joy in formal experimentation.

A sports anime where every episode looks completely different. Each director brings their own visual language to table tennis matches. Dynamic, expressive, constantly surprising you with what animation can do, sometimes within the same match.

But The experimental direction means consistency takes a backseat. If you want a polished, cohesive visual style, this deliberately fractures that. Some episodes work better than others.

Ping Pong The Animation poster

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