#####This is my first time writing an actual review. I struggle coming up with words so I really tried my best with this one. I apologize if there are any weird word choices used.
2023 was the year I first started watching anime, which was probably the best time for me to start watching because we got so many good shows that year; we have the emotional adventures of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, the mysteries that lie beyond The Apothecary Diaries' storytelling, Oshi No Ko - where lies are your best weapon, and so many more shows that I might reach the minimum characters required for this review just describing each and every one of them. But there was one show that stood out from the rest in it's own way, a show so endearing that I have watched it a total of 7 times as of making this review. (2025-07-29)
##Introducing to you, Farming Life in Another World.
/anime/146850/farming-life-in-another-world
#####Slight spoilers ahead...
The story starts out with a man given a second chance at life, and instead of being sent on some grand adventure, he’s dropped into a forest with a magical farming tool and told to live however he wants. Stories like this are oddly satisfying since you're just watching someone build a life from scratch, it's quite similar to sandbox games like Minecraft or Terraria where you spawn in a random world starting from nothing - as you progress further from the game, you get a lot more satisfaction from seeing how far you've gone thanks to your hard work. What follows is just a long, fun and uninterrupted slice of life fantasy story, but surprisingly it never gets boring - for me at least. Watching Hiraku cultivating the land, slowly building his home and future village, and eventually meeting new people along the way is really entertaining in the most relaxing way possible. This isn't an anime that tries to grab one's attention by using drama to hook the viewer or making hype action scenes to make you feel the thrill, instead it does the complete opposite. Farming Life in Another World is just a calm, simple, and sometimes silly, but it's charm is never taken away by such ludicrous things which makes it so watchable.
One thing that really stood out to me is how monologue-heavy the show is, as Hiraku pretty much narrates everything he does. Normally people would see this as a problem due to the "show, don't tell" storytelling which I don't really have issues about, but for this anime it really works well. The monologue for this show is very light, easy to follow and understand, and it is also educational. Sometimes it's just entertaining to listen to him explain farming principles or narrating whatever is happening at the current moment. It helps that it's combined with such clean animation and beautiful visuals, particularly with the cute chibi-style reactions that provide humor and fun without completely ruining the atmosphere. Every episode flows smoothly as you learn to appreciate the worldbuilding, and the pace is fairly steady as nothing feels rushed whatsoever. And speaking of worldbuilding, the worldbuilding for this anime is another thing that stood out to me. At first glance, it only appears to be a guy with a hoe in the middle of the forest, but as every episode ends, the world expands as well - new specimen enter his territory, a slight bit of politics is introduced, such as regional trades, and relationships from faraway lands.
The characters are another reason as to what makes this show very enjoyable. Everyone who joins the village brings a different type of energy, and while they feel like the standard fantasy tropes with no seriously written thing about them, the chemistry between them is really fun to watch. There's a ton of teasing, teamwork, and wholesome moments that calms your heart. It's that kind of dynamic where no conflict is needed to grab your attention, you just want to know how it plays out. And now, there's the music - probably one of my favorite OSTs in all of anime. It's straight up warm, pleasant and fits the mood and elevates every scene without ever needing to stand out. One of my favorites soundtracks is this one that played during Episode 1 and 6.
But maybe the most unexpected part of this anime is how quietly reflective it can get. Beneath all the farming, the village construction, and casual narration is a very comforting message about the value of small but simple interactions. The way people talk to one another, support each other, share a meal, build things as a group - it reminds me of how much weight simple words can carry. There's no need for anything grand or sentimental, all it needs is just your basic soft, everyday kindness to make your day, and that is why I'm hooked with this show.