Anime Hajime Review: Non Non Biyori Nonstop

Original Run: January 9, 2021 - February 27, 2021
Number of Episodes: 12
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life
Based on the Series Created By: Atto

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Non Non Biyori Nonstop. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Welcome back to the small peaceful town of Asahigaoka. Here the sky is vast, the air is clean, and the school is small.

• Renge Miyauchi (voiced by Kotori Koiwai) remains curious about the oddities of life and is starting to appreciate the larger world around her.
• Hotaru Ichijo (voiced by Rie Murakawa) was once awed by the unfamiliar atmosphere of small-town living but has grown quite accustomed to it.
• Sisters Natsumi and Komari Koshigaya (voiced respectively by Ayane Sakura and Kana Asumi) try to serve as role models for their younger friends. Still, they tend to fall into some childish behaviors themselves.

The seasons come and go, and everything seems to stay the same, as well as change in an instant.

Series Positives

In a year filled with anticipation (Attack on Titan Final Season, Dr. Stone – Stone Wars, Re:ZERO Season 2 Part), no one can say 2021 was a shortage of excitement. Still, it wasn’t the high-action series, the thrilling mysteries, or the epic conclusions that had me most hyped. No, it was a simple, down-to-earth show set in the quiet Japanese countryside. 

Non Non Biyori is among my all-time favorite anime. Season one and its follow-up, Repeat, are what I consider to be masterpieces. Both installments hold up amazingly, and I am always happy to return to them when I need something to relax to at the end of a long week.

Therefore, you best believe I was looking forward to Non Non Biyori Nonstop (Nonstop).

I am aware of Non Non Biyori Movie: Vacation, and (as of the posting of this review) I regret not having gotten around to watching it yet. Regardless, between Nonstop and Repeat, six years came and went. I honestly believed this continuation was never going to happen.

Granted, Non Non Biyori isn’t the type of series that needs sequels, but thus far, more has not hurt.

Despite the over half a decade wait, as soon as episode one started playing, it was like no time had passed. I mean this in the most sincere/corniest way possible; it was like coming home again. Without missing a beat, Nonstop was every bit as phenomenal as its predecessors.

Let that sink in. A season three that has not lost an ounce of what makes its series so great. Hell, if anything, Nonstop landed more solidly than anything that came before it.

Indeed, something can be said for this season’s brilliant visuals. It would not be wrong to highlight the same outstanding characters we have grown to love, including the fantastic addition of Akane Shinoda (voiced by Aimi Tanaka). I would not be exaggerating if I told you my face began to hurt due to how much this series made me smile.

All those elements are valid points to give anyone more than enough reasons to watch Nonstop. The thing is, those points alone could also easily describe seasons one and two. What allowed this installment to bring Non Non Biyori to its highest level was its ending. I say that because we got an honest-to-goodness, heartfelt, heartwarming, slightly tear-inducing ending.

Non Non Biyori has never had an overarching story, and Nonstop was no exception. Therefore, it is hard to apply the concept of spoilers since this series has only ever relied on the natural passage of time. Children will always grow up; sooner or later, people will need to move on; nothing can ever truly stay the same forever. Good-byes can be sad, yes, but sometimes when we say those words, it means the next chapter has come at long last.

Imagine it. You were there when a child was born – be it a sibling, a cousin, or a dear friend. You helped change this child’s dippers; you saw them learn to walk; you heard their first words. Then, before you know it, this child is getting taller; they’re crafting a personality; they’re graduating. It may seem unbelievable, but it was always inevitable. This is how things have been, are, and will be.

I must warn you. Nonstop tapped into this feeling.

I won’t pretend that a season four is impossible. I think one is unlikely since the manga reached its conclusion (February 2021), and this installment could not have tied a more perfect bow. I’ll gladly eat my words if a sequel comes since I won’t say no to more Non Non Biyori.

However, knowing this is one of my absolute favorites, I could not be more satisfied.

And now, I’m about to do something I’ve already done with this series. I don’t like doing this because it feels too easy, and it will cause logic problems once the Anime Hajime Highlights season comes around. Still, I’m drawing a blank.

I can’t think of a damn thing to say against Non Non Biyori Nonstop. This series came, this series won, and this review is over.

Final Thoughts

I want to believe I went into this series open to the possibility that it might stumble. If there is an issue you have with either this installment or this entire franchise, please let me know.

However, I got everything I could have wanted from this show.

The same great animation, characters, atmosphere, humor, and comfort that has defined this series returned with a vengeance.

Non Non Biyori Nonstop has earned a colossal recommendation.

But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise Non Non Biyori Nonstop? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.

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For Anime Hajime, I’m Odyssey, and I’ll see you next time.