Season (Series) Overview

Non Non Biyori Nonstop (のんのんびより のんすとっぷ) is the third — and perhaps final — season of the Non Non Biyori anime. The manga just ended earlier this year after running for 11 years. And, I feel like I heard that this season finished adapting everything.

Of course, I could be completely wrong and there’s going to be another season. If that’s the case, it’s fine by me. I like Non Non Biyori, so I’ll always welcome more of it. But, for now, this is the final season of the series.

So, with that said, I guess I should explain the “order” of Non Non Biyori, in case anyone isn’t familiar with it. Now, this series actually isn’t chronological. I did include a chronological order in my review of the second season, but I’m not going to here. That would require too much effort.

Instead, what you need to know is that there are three seasons and a movie. The first season is simply Non Non Biyori. Season 2 is titled Non Non Biyori Repeat. This is followed by the movie, Non Non Biyori Movie: Vacation. And, finally, this season, Non Non Biyori Nonstop.

Back to the fact that this series isn’t in chronological order, each season is actually in chronological order. Each season starts at the beginning of the school year and concludes at the end. But, they all cover the same year — just different events throughout that year.

One other thing to know about this season, in particular, is that although it comes “after” the movie, the movie isn’t required in order to watch Nonstop. I mentioned this in my review of the movie, but the events and new characters featured in it are never brought up in the series.

New (and Returning) Characters

In this section, I want to go over the two new, and one returning, characters of this season. By this point, you should already know all of the main and supporting cast who appeared in both prior seasons. The normal cast is great, but these new characters are actually some of the best.

My favorite of the new characters is Shiori. Honestly, she might just be my favorite character of the series now. Before Shiori was introduced, my top three were probably Renge, Kaede, and Hikage, in that order. But, Shiori may have stolen the top spot.

Shiori is a kindergartner, making her a year younger than Renge. Because of this, she has an even crazier imagination and a worse understanding of things than Renge does. So, when the two of them are together, Renge is often the voice of logic and reason.

Akane Shinoda is the other new character introduced this season. She’s Konomi’s underclassman in her high school music club. I like Akane more than Hotaru, Komari, and Natsumi. But she’s still pretty plain. Her best scenes all involve Renge, so it’s probably just that Renge carries her character.

One character who’s not new, but whom I don’t think we’ve seen since the first season, is Honoka Ishikawa. I believe she was only in one or two episodes of the first season, but she’s back for another episode in season three.

If you don’t remember her (I didn’t), she’s another one of Renge’s friends who’s also a first-grader. However, Honoka doesn’t live around Asahigaoka, which is why she doesn’t go to school with the other characters. Her grandmother just lives there, so she plays with Renge when visiting.

Continuing the Trend

Surprisingly, there’s something that I and the masses of MyAnimeList agree on. That’s that every installment of Non Non Biyori is better than the previous one. Nonstop is the best, then the movie, then Repeat, and then the original.

I enjoyed the first season of Non Non Biyori, but I didn’t think it was anything special. Repeat was better because it focused more heavily on my then-favorite character, Renge. And the movie was even better than that because, well, it was a movie.

I’m not saying that there aren’t bad anime movies. However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an anime movie I would call bad. And generally speaking, I find them better than anime series because they have more time, budget, and other resources to use.

With that said, I do think Nonstop is even better than the movie. Why is that? Well, it’s primarily because of the two new characters, Shiori and Akane. The movie also had a new character, but I didn’t really care about her all that much.

With Shiori and Akane, not only are they good characters, but they bring out new dynamics with the old characters that we haven’t seen before. For example, since Shiori is the now-youngest character, we get to see Renge in a “big sister” role.

Yes, Shiori is great on her own. But the fact that she also elevates the other characters around her is even better. I didn’t feel that way about Aoi in the movie. She had a pretty good dynamic with Natsumi, but there was no lasting impact. Once the vacation was over, it’s not like Natsumi was a changed person.

And, speaking of Aoi and Natsumi, something I would have liked to see from this season is a reunion between them much like Renge and Honoka got. That would have made the movie feel a lot more meaningful.

Conclusion

Overall, Non Non Biyori Nonstop is a 7/10 from me. It’s a good, solid final season to a good anime. It’s still not my favorite slice of life comedy out there. After all, things like Yuru Yuri and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid exist. But, it’s good.

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Overview

Non Non Biyori Repeat (のんのんびより りぴーと) is a pseudo-second season of the slice of life series Non Non Biyori, which I first reviewed about a year and a half ago. So to say that this review is a little late is a bit of an understatement — but I did just recently finish watching it.

The interesting thing about Non Non Biyori Repeat, or Repeat as I’ll be referring to it from now on, is that it isn’t really a second season of the series. I mean, it is, because it’s the season which came out second. But it’s not a chronological second season.

Instead, Repeat takes place over the same one year time period that the original series did. They both start out at the same point in the year, and while I don’t actually remember the ending of the original series, I assume they both end at the same time as well.

The best way to think about Repeat is that it tells extra stories which were skipped over in the original series. In that regard, both seasons of Non Non Biyori work in the same way that the Kiss x Sis TV and OVA series do — they compliment each other with an interwoven chronology.

But the important thing to keep in mind about Repeat is this: If you enjoyed the original series, then you’re going to enjoy Repeat. And the same is true for the opposite. If you didn’t enjoy the original series, you probably won’t enjoy Repeat.

It’s just more episodes of the same thing.

Difference From Non Non Biyori

There’s really only one difference between the original series and Repeat, and that’s who the “main character” of the series is. Yes, you could argue that Renge, Hotaru, Natsumi, and Komari are all the main characters of the series, and that’s right, but there’s still a protagonist.

In the original series, I’d argue that Hotaru was the protagonist. Although both seasons begin at roughly the same point, that one starts off the series with Hotaru transferring into the school. And she’s the main focus of the majority of the episodes — although the other girls also get their time to shine.

Repeat, on the other hand, focuses much more heavily on Renge. And to be fair, this is the reason why Repeat is better than the original series. Rather than starting with Hotaru’s transfer, Repeat begins with Renge becoming a first grader at the school.

This focus on Renge also means there’s more of a focus on the other characters who are more closely associated with her. Natsumi, Komari, and Hotaru are definitely still main characters of the series, but Renge’s older sisters and Candy Shop (Kaede) play more of a role this time around.

Also, I don’t know about you, but I was never all that interested in Natsumi, Komari, and Hotaru to begin with. Natsumi and Komari’s older brother, Suguru, is entertaining for his small part in the series though, and luckily he’s still around.

But Hikage, Kazuho, and Kaede are much more entertaining. There’s also Konomi, who I didn’t remember at all from the first season — she’s pretty good too.

How Should You Watch This Series?

Since Repeat doesn’t chronologically come after Non Non Biyori, there are a few different ways in which you could watch the series. So let’s start off with the ways in which I think you shouldn’t watch the series: Repeat first.

As the better of the two seasons, it may be tempting to simply skip over the first season and watch Repeat if you haven’t seen either of them yet. Or, you may tell yourself that you’ll watch Repeat first, and then if you like it, you’ll go back and watch the first season.

The problem I see with this method is that although they cover the same time frame, repeat does expect you to already know the characters and the general background of the series. So without that knowledge, I expect that you would miss out on why the characters interact and act the way they do.

So, does that mean you should watch Non Non Biyori first, and then Repeat second? Not necessarily.

That’s how I watched this series, but I don’t particularly think it’s any better than watching the series in chronological order. The only real difference between these two orders is whether you go through the school year once in 24 episodes or twice in two sets of 12 episodes.

And just in case you’re wondering what the chronological order looks like, refer to the chart below.

Non Non Biyori Chronological Order

I Became a First Grader	Season 2 Episode 1
A New Transfer Student Came	Season 1 Episode 1
We Went to the Candy Store	Season 1 Episode 2
We Went to Look at the Stars	Season 2 Episode 2
We Got Motivated During the Holiday Break	Season 2 Episode 3
I Ran Away from Home with My Sister	Season 1 Episode 3
I Made a Teru-teru Bouzu	Season 2 Episode 4
We Ate Okonomiyaki	Season 2 Episode 5
We Made Friends With Fireflies	Season 2 Episode 6
Summer Vacation Started	Season 1 Episode 4
We Bravely Dove In	Season 2 Episode 7
I Pretended I Forgot My Swimsuit	Season 1 Episode 5
I Became a Ghost and Tried Hard	Season 1 Episode 6
My Rice Crackers Turned Into Curry	Season 1 Episode 7
I Took Lunch Duty	Season 2 Episode 8
We Looked at the Moon Together	Season 2 Episode 9
We Cooked Rice at School	Season 1 Episode 8
We Tried Having a Cultural Festival	Season 1 Episode 9
I Practiced Really Hard	Season 2 Episode 10
I Became a Pampered Child	Season 2 Episode 11
We Watched the First Sunrise of the Year	Season 1 Episode 10
We Made Snow Houses	Season 1 Episode 11
Spring Came Again	Season 1 Episode 12
A Year Passed	Season 2 Episode 12

Conclusion

Although I think Repeat is better than the first season of Non Non Biyori, I have to give it a 6/10 just like the first season. It’s an enjoyable watch, but it’s never really something I wanted to go out of my way to watch. That’s why watching Repeat took me 5 months from start to finish.

I also don’t remember the OP/ED for the first season, but I’d imagine they weren’t all that different from the Repeat OP/ED. So I’ll just say that the OP/ED for Repeat are just as good as the ones from the first season.

If you enjoyed this review, or found it to be helpful in any way, remember to click the like button ❤ down below. Also follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And, come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

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My review of the Non Non Biyori Movie: Vacation is available.

Overview

Non Non Biyori is a slice of life anime which follows the daily lives of four girls, much like many other series in this genre such as Yuru Yuri, Lucky Star, Gabriel Dropout, etc. However, while these other series generally take place in either urban or suburban locations, Non Non Biyori takes place in rural Japan.

In fact, the town the girls live in is so rural that their school only has five students spread between first through ninth grade. The fact that the girls live in the country is something they struggle with daily, always dreaming of what it must be like to live in a city like Tokyo.

As with most slice of life series, the characters are the primary focus, so we’ll just move onto that section now.

Characters

Renge Miyauchi is the youngest character in the series and youngest of the Miyauchi sisters. She’s in first grade and is really the main reason anyone should watch this anime. She likes to play her recorder, take care of the school’s rabbits, and do anything else she feels like doing.

While the older girls want to know what it’s like to live in a big city, Renge seems to be in denial about living in the country. She often asks the other girls if they live in the country, and points out things around them as potential proof that they do, in fact, live in the country.

The next youngest girl is Hotaru Ichijō, a fifth grade transfer student from Tokyo. Despite only being in fifth grade, Hotaru is the most physically developed of the students which is often used in contrast with one of the older girls, Komari.

Since she’s from the city, Hotaru has a distinctly more fashionable sense of style than her peers. She also has a crush on her upperclassman, Komari, and even has a collection of stuffed Komari dolls.

Natsumi Koshigaya is the seventh grade student and youngest of the Koshigaya siblings. She’s a tomboy who tends to get into trouble with both her teacher and her mother due to her performance in school. It seems that Renge is conflicted about whether or not Natsumi is a girl.

Komari Koshigaya is in eighth grade and is both the older sister of Natsumi as well as the middle Koshigaya sibling. Despite being the oldest of the four main characters, she’s the second shortest (Renge is shorter).

As the oldest of the four girls, she tries to appear mature and often attempts to show off her mature tastes in things such as music or fashion. However, she doesn’t have mature tastes and is usually overshadowed by Hotaru.

The oldest student in the school is Suguru Koshigaya, the eldest Koshigaya sibling. He’s also the only recurring male character, but doesn’t have any dialogue. He appears to be an otaku, but that’s really all we know about him.

Hikage Miyauchi is the next oldest character and is the middle Miyauchi sibling. She goes to high school in the nearby city, and although it isn’t as modern as Tokyo, it’s definitely a step up from the town the rest of the cast lives in.

After Hikage there’s Konomi Fujimiya, a high school student who goes to school nearby. She lives next door to the Koshigaya’s and that’s all the necessary information about her.

Kaede Kagayama is the second oldest of the recurring characters and runs the local candy store. Because of this, she’s referred to as “candy store” by the girls instead of by her actual name. She used to babysit Renge when she was younger.

The oldest character is Kazuho Miyauchi, the older sister of Renge and Hikage. Kazuho is the only teacher at the local school, but since each of the students is in a different grade and so work separately, she doesn’t really need to teach. Instead, she takes naps while the students work.

Conclusion

The first season of Non Non Biyori was a 6/10 and although I won’t be watching the second season for some time, I don’t really expect it to be rated any higher. Like most slice of life series, there isn’t too much going on and so it really depends on having good characters.

Unfortunately, I really care for most of the characters and found the series lacking in the comedy it needed in order to be considered good. Renge, Hotaru, and Kaede were my favorite characters, but I found Natsumi and Komari to be a bit annoying.

If slice of life anime are for you, then you’d probably enjoy this one. If not, then you aren’t really missing out by skipping it.

My review of the second season is available here.