A lovely slice-of-life show about life in a sleepy little town in the countryside. 5th grader Hotarun's parents have moved from Tokyo to a town so small, there's only one school, and five students (of varying ages) in the school's single class. If you're the type to long for a quieter existence than what the city has to offer, this charming series should be right up your alley (if that sounds absolutely awful to you, you might want to pass). There's no drama about Hotarun being too big for her britches or having trouble fitting in; she happily adapts to life in the countryside and the other characters happily accept her. Hotarun serves as an audience surrogate experiencing the slow, laid-back country lifestyle for the first time, but while she's continually surprised by how things are done in her new home, she's never scornful or superior about it.

None of the characters, Hotarun included, are particularly deep or complex, but they're likeable and engaging enough to keep you invested in their antics. It's generally a gentle show, but it does occasionally get genuinely emotional. It's not the type of show where the characters grow or change, and that makes it a little frustrating for me, especially after being introduced to this so-called "healing" anime subgenre by the extremely well-written and structured Laid-Back Camp, which features characters who do grow and change as the series progresses. Shows where characters remain static have their charm, I suppose, but I much prefer shows where the characters display growth and development, both in themselves and in the relationships with the people around them. Stuff like this, Lucky Star, or Yuru Yuri, to name a few, will never allow their characters to grow or change; the characters are the same people in episode 12 as they were in episode 1, which honestly can be a little boring.

Technically speaking, the show is solid. The backgrounds are stunningly gorgeous, and the score is wonderfully emotional and evocative. The animation is simple but effective, and the character designs are varied and charming. Visually there's not much to complain about.

If you want something gentle and soothing, you could do a lot worse than Non Non Biyori. The characters will never change, but in a way they reflect the setting of the town they live in. That can be reassuring, or the plot to a horror film, depending on your perspective.