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日常 (Nichijou) #1
Arki 1
Kumpi voittaa painiottelun - rehtori vai peura? Miksi lukiotytöllä on selässään valtava vieteriavain? Ja miksi nuorukainen saapuu kouluun vuohella ratsastaen? Näihin ja moniin muihin kysymyksiin, joita et koskaan ole edes uneksinut kysyväsi, vastaa hullunkurinen Arki. Sarja josta on arki kaukana.
178 pages, Paperback
First published July 26, 2007
82 people are currently reading
1563 people want to read
About the author
Keiichi Arawi
51 books79 followersKeiichi Arawi (あらゐ けいいち, Arawi Keiichi) is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator.
Arawi was born in the prefecture of Gunma in 1977. He started his comics career at age 19 and for about a decade he published short stories. His series Nichijou, a slice of life comedy manga, was first serialised between 2006 and 2015 in the magazine 'Shonen Ace', and collected in ten volumes. In 2011 Nichijou was adapted into a 26-episode anime directed by Tatsuya Ishihara, now considered a cult. From 2016 to 2021 Arawi worked on the comedy manga CITY. In 2022 he resumed the serialisation of Nichijou, as well as starting a new strip called Amemiya-san.
Arawi was born in the prefecture of Gunma in 1977. He started his comics career at age 19 and for about a decade he published short stories. His series Nichijou, a slice of life comedy manga, was first serialised between 2006 and 2015 in the magazine 'Shonen Ace', and collected in ten volumes. In 2011 Nichijou was adapted into a 26-episode anime directed by Tatsuya Ishihara, now considered a cult. From 2016 to 2021 Arawi worked on the comedy manga CITY. In 2022 he resumed the serialisation of Nichijou, as well as starting a new strip called Amemiya-san.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews
April 22, 2019
“I thought a Buddhist statue would be a good birthday present… Buddhit looks like I was wrong” - that crime against humanity joke flatly delivered by the mad principal followed by him wrestling a deer until his toupee fell off was the moment when Nichijou won me over. Up until then it was the usual demented shenanigans that I’ve come to expect from CITY creator Keiichi Arawi but that chapter had me genuinely laughing.
Unlike CITY, Nichijou: My Ordinary Life is a school-centric manga, though it’s no less hilarious or utterly silly. There’s a robot high schooler with a giant key sticking out of her back and her inventor is, of course, a little girl! Every time the robot girl tries to have her “professor” take the key out so people won’t know she’s a robot, the professor reveals secret hiding places in the robot’s body containing food items like swiss rolls, sweet buns and toast!
One girl gets a part-time job wearing a daifuku (Japanese sweet rice cake with azuki bean filling) mascot uniform but she does such a poor job the owner takes over. Then he starts dancing inappropriately and gets arrested - god, I’m laughing just typing that! It’s such a bonkers comic.
It starts off slowly so I wasn’t that taken with the early scenes - the food explosion, one character trying to figure out why another won’t talk to them - and the snooty pseudo-rich kid wasn’t funny. But the good easily outweighs the bad. And I learned a new move in Rock, Paper, Scissors - Rockersors!
I don’t know what took me so long to discover this creator’s work but I’m glad I did because dude’s a comedic jeenyus! Wacky, funny manga, thy name is Nichijou (and CITY) - you can’t go wrong with this first volume.
Unlike CITY, Nichijou: My Ordinary Life is a school-centric manga, though it’s no less hilarious or utterly silly. There’s a robot high schooler with a giant key sticking out of her back and her inventor is, of course, a little girl! Every time the robot girl tries to have her “professor” take the key out so people won’t know she’s a robot, the professor reveals secret hiding places in the robot’s body containing food items like swiss rolls, sweet buns and toast!
One girl gets a part-time job wearing a daifuku (Japanese sweet rice cake with azuki bean filling) mascot uniform but she does such a poor job the owner takes over. Then he starts dancing inappropriately and gets arrested - god, I’m laughing just typing that! It’s such a bonkers comic.
It starts off slowly so I wasn’t that taken with the early scenes - the food explosion, one character trying to figure out why another won’t talk to them - and the snooty pseudo-rich kid wasn’t funny. But the good easily outweighs the bad. And I learned a new move in Rock, Paper, Scissors - Rockersors!
I don’t know what took me so long to discover this creator’s work but I’m glad I did because dude’s a comedic jeenyus! Wacky, funny manga, thy name is Nichijou (and CITY) - you can’t go wrong with this first volume.
July 5, 2019
I began reading Nichiou because I am just trying to get the flavor of a lot of different manga, had read a bit into Keiichi Arawi’s City series, thought it pretty goofy, and heard this one was better. Nichijou is about a large cast of of characters in Tokisadame, mainly girls like high energy Yuko or cheerful Mio, but once you meet the anxious robot Nano Shinonome (I’m missing my shoes! I’m missing my bag! I’m missing my arm! They’re going to find out I’m a robot!} and a talking cat named Sakamoto, you begin to see the absurd edge of the silly comedy Artemy tells us is written by one of the “Holy Trinity” of Japanese high school comedy, also including Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star. I like Arawi best because he has these surreal touches.
It’s mostly silly or surreal or slapstick comedy, not plot driven, just quick stories, going for the laughs, some of which I didn’t quite get, possibly a translation issue, possibly a cultural one, though I did laugh out loud at times and often smiled.
Here’s an anime version of a key incident in the fist volume, where the principal battles a deer, to get the weird flavor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Et0...
If you want to try it out, here it is:
https://mangarock.com/manga/mrs-serie...
It’s mostly silly or surreal or slapstick comedy, not plot driven, just quick stories, going for the laughs, some of which I didn’t quite get, possibly a translation issue, possibly a cultural one, though I did laugh out loud at times and often smiled.
Here’s an anime version of a key incident in the fist volume, where the principal battles a deer, to get the weird flavor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Et0...
If you want to try it out, here it is:
https://mangarock.com/manga/mrs-serie...
June 27, 2018
Nichijou is Simply The Best.
This anime/manga is a member of the Holy Trinity of Japanese high school comedy, together with Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star. Azumanga is the OG straight take on the genre and is rightfully considered a classic; Lucky Star is more meta, Japanese pop-culture centered show/book; and Nichijou's thing is comedy through exaggeration. Needless to say, it's one of my all-time favourite anime, and now that I'm finally able to read the manga, I can say it's just as great as the show.
Ever seen Scrubs? Nichijou's humour is kinda like JD's daydreaming sequences. It takes regular everyday life events and shows them not as they objectively are, but as they are emotionally experienced by characters themselves, and it does that in absolutely hilarious, creative and brilliant ways. Here's a couple of prime examples of the show's humour, and some of my favourite gags from the whole thing (there are so many to choose from!):
Exhibit A, the Sausage incident
Exhibit B, Yukko goes to a coffee shop
If you think these are funny, you are in for an absolute blast, whether you choose to watch the anime or read the manga (though, once again, I would recommend anime first because it's GORGEOUSLY animated and the music is so lovely). Having seen the anime a while ago, I am now thoroughly enjoying revisiting the characters and the stories once again in the manga, but either one is an excellent choice for when you're feeling particularly down and could use some solid laughs in your life.
This anime/manga is a member of the Holy Trinity of Japanese high school comedy, together with Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star. Azumanga is the OG straight take on the genre and is rightfully considered a classic; Lucky Star is more meta, Japanese pop-culture centered show/book; and Nichijou's thing is comedy through exaggeration. Needless to say, it's one of my all-time favourite anime, and now that I'm finally able to read the manga, I can say it's just as great as the show.
Ever seen Scrubs? Nichijou's humour is kinda like JD's daydreaming sequences. It takes regular everyday life events and shows them not as they objectively are, but as they are emotionally experienced by characters themselves, and it does that in absolutely hilarious, creative and brilliant ways. Here's a couple of prime examples of the show's humour, and some of my favourite gags from the whole thing (there are so many to choose from!):
Exhibit A, the Sausage incident
Exhibit B, Yukko goes to a coffee shop
If you think these are funny, you are in for an absolute blast, whether you choose to watch the anime or read the manga (though, once again, I would recommend anime first because it's GORGEOUSLY animated and the music is so lovely). Having seen the anime a while ago, I am now thoroughly enjoying revisiting the characters and the stories once again in the manga, but either one is an excellent choice for when you're feeling particularly down and could use some solid laughs in your life.
July 10, 2019
This may be the most surreal thing for tweens I've ever read. It's crazy in both the small-child, never-mind-making-sense way, and in a more adult, bizarro way, and also there are manga effects that appear to actually happen sometimes, but not others. (Like, you know, when characters are embarrassed they metaphorically explode? Except the guy's clothes were actually shredded and had to be replaced.)
So the one girl being a robot with a giant (useless) wind-up key her back and an internal device that produced baked goods are not the weirdest thing about this story. If it is a story. Things just happen. The teachers don't seem to notice anything wrong, which is maybe realistic, although there's that one story where the principal wrestled a deer. Like, WWF-wrestles, with leaps and body slams. Or did the girl imagine that?
I didn't love it but I feel compelled to get the next volume.
So the one girl being a robot with a giant (useless) wind-up key her back and an internal device that produced baked goods are not the weirdest thing about this story. If it is a story. Things just happen. The teachers don't seem to notice anything wrong, which is maybe realistic, although there's that one story where the principal wrestled a deer. Like, WWF-wrestles, with leaps and body slams. Or did the girl imagine that?
I didn't love it but I feel compelled to get the next volume.
May 24, 2016
Just not feeling it. It's neither funny enough nor strange enough to keep my interest. It's not exactly Azumanga Daioh, but it's in the ballpark.
September 3, 2025
this was ok but I preferred The Daily Lives of Highschool Boys.
May 12, 2016
Some of this book had me chuckling but other parts had me scratching my head. The parts that were confusing could've just been jokes lost in translation though. If you like either Azumanga Daioh or Yotsuba&! I think you'd enjoy this slice-of-life weirdness. I'm hoping after this volume that the characters' personalities will be built up more instead of just more panels of the running jokes in this book.
Not anywhere near my favorite manga, but at least it wasn't the worst!
Not anywhere near my favorite manga, but at least it wasn't the worst!
May 28, 2021
This was bonkers, weird, and fun all in one.
With series like this you have about 18-20 different stories so the vary in quality. Some didn't hit the mark (The ones with the guy always not focused on his studies was lame) but most of them were cute/funny. The three best being the one about the principle fighting a deer, the robot girl acting like she's not a robot, and my favorite probably was the principle's speech to his student with terrible puns.
I don't know if this series was trying anything more than giving us some funny gags but for the most part it successes. I bought volume 1-4 since I got a good deal (About 24 for all 4) I'm interested to see what comes next.
A 4 out of 5.
With series like this you have about 18-20 different stories so the vary in quality. Some didn't hit the mark (The ones with the guy always not focused on his studies was lame) but most of them were cute/funny. The three best being the one about the principle fighting a deer, the robot girl acting like she's not a robot, and my favorite probably was the principle's speech to his student with terrible puns.
I don't know if this series was trying anything more than giving us some funny gags but for the most part it successes. I bought volume 1-4 since I got a good deal (About 24 for all 4) I'm interested to see what comes next.
A 4 out of 5.
August 26, 2021
A great remedy for when you're feeling down. The humor here is unlike anything I've seen before. Whether it's the manga or the show, please give this a chance.
October 5, 2014
Absolutely outrageous , zany, insane, ridiculous, over the top, absurd and weird, this manga is awesome!
I actually found this manga because I saw a screen shot of the anime series of the same name and immediately like the MOE art style, I did some digging and found out it was a slice of life comedy and I was in. It's hard and easy to describe Nichijou because it is at once so,etching you would expect and also something you would not:
World: Japanese high school this is the world, but it's hyperactive and insane, it's over the top and absurd it's ridiculous and it's awesome. To describe this world I would also need to talk about the art, it's MOE and clean and over the top, you'll see a goat in the school, a kid carrying a bazooka, an android girl yeah it's cool. The world is nothing new, merely there for the insanity of the story (or lack thereof) to happen and that's the highlight of the series.
Story: This isn't sketch absurdist comedy, it's over the top stupid and insane. There is barely any story progression other than for the sake of the gag. Chapters can range from 3 pages to 20, it's everywhere. Normally I'm not really a sketch type of reader, but there are some series in the past that I have read because such a good job at it it makes it hard to resist, Yotsuba and Azumanga Diao are two off the top of my head. If you like this two series, Nichijou will be awesome for you. Highlight of this volume I think is the principal fighting the deer...hehehe.
Characters: Weird and fun, they are the archetypes one sees in MOE and it's done well. There is the studious student that's a goody, the lazy slacker friend, the genius with a hidden weird side, a rich boy with a goat for a bike...yes he commutes to school via goat. It's awesome! Of course I have a soft spot for Nano.
It's a fun series and if you want a good laugh and enjoy absurd comedy that's light hearted you will enjoy this one.
Onward to the next book!
I actually found this manga because I saw a screen shot of the anime series of the same name and immediately like the MOE art style, I did some digging and found out it was a slice of life comedy and I was in. It's hard and easy to describe Nichijou because it is at once so,etching you would expect and also something you would not:
World: Japanese high school this is the world, but it's hyperactive and insane, it's over the top and absurd it's ridiculous and it's awesome. To describe this world I would also need to talk about the art, it's MOE and clean and over the top, you'll see a goat in the school, a kid carrying a bazooka, an android girl yeah it's cool. The world is nothing new, merely there for the insanity of the story (or lack thereof) to happen and that's the highlight of the series.
Story: This isn't sketch absurdist comedy, it's over the top stupid and insane. There is barely any story progression other than for the sake of the gag. Chapters can range from 3 pages to 20, it's everywhere. Normally I'm not really a sketch type of reader, but there are some series in the past that I have read because such a good job at it it makes it hard to resist, Yotsuba and Azumanga Diao are two off the top of my head. If you like this two series, Nichijou will be awesome for you. Highlight of this volume I think is the principal fighting the deer...hehehe.
Characters: Weird and fun, they are the archetypes one sees in MOE and it's done well. There is the studious student that's a goody, the lazy slacker friend, the genius with a hidden weird side, a rich boy with a goat for a bike...yes he commutes to school via goat. It's awesome! Of course I have a soft spot for Nano.
It's a fun series and if you want a good laugh and enjoy absurd comedy that's light hearted you will enjoy this one.
Onward to the next book!
April 25, 2016
I can't express how smitten I am with this. Extremely quirky with dry humour and subtle wit while the outrageous is happening. Not what I had expected from Japanese humour, at all. It's a slice of life high school story where most, though not all, of the characters, are girls. Not so much of a plot other than recurring day to day school issues. This is off-beat, strange humour and just the thing that tickles my funny bone. I adored it! The best part was when the principal goes at it with a deer in the school yard. One girl is a robot made by another girl who is a bit of a mad scientist. Another girl is quite normal but when she gets angry she takes out imaginary guns and shoots people in the head. There is a boy who is the eldest son of his family "The House of Something" and he dresses like an Edwardian man, comes to school with a manservant, riding upon a goat, but is really only the son of a farmer. There is a smart, book-reading girl who doesn't see the point of games and how she takes the fun out of it for everyone when forced to play makes me love her, as I feel the same way. LOL. Looking forward to reading the next volume.
December 15, 2017
One of my favourite anime, the manga doesn't disappoint. Far too short though, I need to buy a batch of them next time.
January 31, 2017
This review is for the first three volumes, since they're all about the same in tone and content.
This series is a combination of short stories and strips centered around a group of students in a Japanese school. It's very strange, even surreal, throughout. I really liked how unusual it is, but I felt like I didn't get a lot of the jokes. I couldn't tell whether or not it was because they were related to Japanese culture, or because they just weren't funny. There's a lot of slapstick-type humor here and well, and whether I would laugh or not was kind of hit or miss. It was kind of a more bizarre, less funny iteration of Azumanga Daioh. I would be reading and get to a point where I was like, "Why am I still reading?" and then something would make me bust out laughing and so I'd keep going.
This series is a combination of short stories and strips centered around a group of students in a Japanese school. It's very strange, even surreal, throughout. I really liked how unusual it is, but I felt like I didn't get a lot of the jokes. I couldn't tell whether or not it was because they were related to Japanese culture, or because they just weren't funny. There's a lot of slapstick-type humor here and well, and whether I would laugh or not was kind of hit or miss. It was kind of a more bizarre, less funny iteration of Azumanga Daioh. I would be reading and get to a point where I was like, "Why am I still reading?" and then something would make me bust out laughing and so I'd keep going.
June 29, 2016
This manga is called "Nichijou: My Ordinary Life." By the cover, I'm sure you can tell that there's nothing "ordinary" about this series.
It's a slapstick slice of life comedy that pretty much is every anime stereotype in a nutshell, but somehow original all at the same time. All the chapters are one shots, but occasionally gags carry over from chapter to chapter. You'll pretty much know if this is for you from the first chapter. The jokes change, but the same humor carries throughout.
If you like strange humor, you'll probably get a laugh out of it. Not much knowledge of Japanese culture is needed for this one, either, so if you know a newbie to manga that has a weird sense of humor, this would be good for them.
It's a slapstick slice of life comedy that pretty much is every anime stereotype in a nutshell, but somehow original all at the same time. All the chapters are one shots, but occasionally gags carry over from chapter to chapter. You'll pretty much know if this is for you from the first chapter. The jokes change, but the same humor carries throughout.
If you like strange humor, you'll probably get a laugh out of it. Not much knowledge of Japanese culture is needed for this one, either, so if you know a newbie to manga that has a weird sense of humor, this would be good for them.
August 2, 2016
The first chapter was laugh out loud funny, but after that I didn't get any of the humor. Does the humor not translate or is the translator failing?
August 31, 2016
It was a bad idea to read this book.
May 1, 2019
Recomendadisimo a todo aquel que quiera reirse un rato. Perfectisimo😻😻
July 20, 2019
funny gag manga it’s goofy and fun i like it
November 25, 2024
This manga follows the "ordinary" lives of a bunch of high school weirdos, including:
Mio - a girl who secretly enjoys creating BL manga
Yuuko (or Yukko) - Mio's best friend, who often forgets to do her homework and copies Mio's
Nano - a robot who thinks she is successfully masquerading as a regular high school girl (literally everybody knows what she really is)
Professor - Nano's creator
Misato - a girl who inexplicably has lots of explosive weaponry
Sasahara - a guy who acts like the son of a wealthy family
And various other characters, including a nervous guidance counselor, a principal who makes bad jokes and fights deer, and more.
I'd seen out-of-context scenes of the anime adaptation before but didn't otherwise know much about this series. It reminds me of Azumanga Daioh, except weirder. Also, context doesn't really make those anime scenes make much more sense. I still have no idea why the principal was fighting a deer.
Extras:
A couple full-color pages.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Mio - a girl who secretly enjoys creating BL manga
Yuuko (or Yukko) - Mio's best friend, who often forgets to do her homework and copies Mio's
Nano - a robot who thinks she is successfully masquerading as a regular high school girl (literally everybody knows what she really is)
Professor - Nano's creator
Misato - a girl who inexplicably has lots of explosive weaponry
Sasahara - a guy who acts like the son of a wealthy family
And various other characters, including a nervous guidance counselor, a principal who makes bad jokes and fights deer, and more.
I'd seen out-of-context scenes of the anime adaptation before but didn't otherwise know much about this series. It reminds me of Azumanga Daioh, except weirder. Also, context doesn't really make those anime scenes make much more sense. I still have no idea why the principal was fighting a deer.
Extras:
A couple full-color pages.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
July 30, 2025
I won’t lie. This one was difficult to get into. The jokes are the plot and definitely a hit or miss. I might also find them more entertaining if I did attend high school in Japan. Though, there were plenty of jokes that referenced tropes in anime that I did understand or word play. I did find some of the characters difficult to tell the difference between. But the characters were still enjoyable and the jokes/chapters were pretty good. It’s not bad but maybe something I would recommend someone getting the first book from the library to see if they would like it.
April 8, 2020
Nichijou by Keiichi Arawai is a slice of life manga about the life of a group of friends, one of whom is a robot who was built by a child professor. I bought this manga years ago and have only just got around to reading it. The "slice of life" nature keeps it entertaining, and the gags littered about the manga keep you enjoying the seemingly random pieces of the friends' lives. I particularly enjoyed the head teacher's character as he seemed quite senile and outdated, and always behaving randomly when he is shown. I also enjoyed the guidance councilor being quite shy as it made for some hilarious chapters.
However, I did wish to see more of Nano, who seemed to be a very under shown character in the manga, despite being one of the best characters. Nano wishes to be a normal schoolgirl and thinks that her friends don't know about her being a robot despite the windup key on her back. I would have also liked to see more of the professor and what she is really like as she was only shown with Nano in a small amount of scenes.
However, I did wish to see more of Nano, who seemed to be a very under shown character in the manga, despite being one of the best characters. Nano wishes to be a normal schoolgirl and thinks that her friends don't know about her being a robot despite the windup key on her back. I would have also liked to see more of the professor and what she is really like as she was only shown with Nano in a small amount of scenes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2021
Erittäin ennalta-arvaamatonta kohellusta, vaikea muutoin kuvata tätä kokemusta. Kiinnostavin hahmo on robottityttö, jonka selästä törrättää vieteriavain. Hänet rakentanut professori virittelee (lupaa kysymättä) tytön robottikehoon mitä kummallisempia ominaisuuksia, joista suurin osa liittyy ruokaan.
December 21, 2021
The anime adaptation of this manga is one of my all-time favorites. Reading this in English is kinda weird though. Not all of it translates well but it's alright. But the anime in Japanese VO and English subtitles are just better. I hope they can make a sequel one day. But for now, I am gonna continue reading the manga series.
December 2, 2020
2020 Read #711
The humor doesn’t translate well as it is, but even if I had been able to read the original Japanese I still don’t think it would have been very funny or memorable. I’ll stick to Azumanga Daioh, thanks.
The humor doesn’t translate well as it is, but even if I had been able to read the original Japanese I still don’t think it would have been very funny or memorable. I’ll stick to Azumanga Daioh, thanks.
August 4, 2025
Read this because it was suggested by Storygraph based on what I've been reading. This was weird and I probably would've liked it more if it felt more cohesive. It just was very random, even for slice of life.
September 30, 2018
Strange but boring. DNF after 1.5 chapters.
August 4, 2019
It's super cute, and the bad jokes made me laugh.... A lot.
May 9, 2021
I can see why this is loved and why a friend recommended Nichijou as a good place to jump back into manga... It’s adorable but just too surreal for me
February 8, 2022
Surrealism is apparently not my jam and unfortunately I struggled to follow this story.
Read
July 1, 2024finally got around to restarting and finishing this… literally so funny it hurts. So clever and charming and the translation is awesome
Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews