Amid many iconic anime series in the slice-of-life anime genre, an upcoming top contender is Mono, which will be adapted by studio Soigne. While it shares similarities with one of the genre’s kings, Laid-Back Camp, Mono’s own strengths have given the series its own personality, and, more importantly, a structure that may improve upon what Laid-Back Camp began. Fitting, since both come from the same author, Afro.
Mono is a comedy-focused story, focused on a group of school girls who go out hiking, but it differs in how the club members have a tangible long-term goal that more visibly affects their actions.
This could provide a sense of dynamism and proactiveness that some viewers may want if they feel Mono’s predecessor is, in fact, too laid-back for them.
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Mono Changes Focus From Camping To Photography
Original manga published in Manga Time Kirara Carat; anime adaptation to be directed by Ryota Aikei
Afro’s newer manga focuses on the members of a school photography club and a cinema club, who agree to combine into a “Cine Photo Club”, and help an aspiring artist, named Haruno, find inspiration for her manga by taking photos of tourist hot spots across Japan. While it is set in the same world as Laid-Back Camp, complete with sly hidden cameos, Mono uses a four-panel formula akin to a comic strip, so its pace tends to be quicker, as it jumps from scene to scene, or set-ups that cut straight to punchlines, while saving larger, scenic artwork for special moments.
However, common slice-of-life elements are still there, with the girls exploring a specific hobby in-depth; in this case, the hobby being photography and cameras. There is also Afro’s recurring interest in outdoor exploration, which Laid-Back Camp expressed with cold weather camping. The major distinction, however, exists thanks to Haruno as a character. By providing a tangible goal for the hobby – creating photo references for a manga – the cast is more motivated to engage with and explore Japan, making the cast more interesting to follow. Laid-Back Camp‘s, meanwhile, tend to be more lackadaisical in pace, having little in the way of stakes to excite new viewers.
Mono Updates the Slice-Of-Life Genre
Between Afro’s two slice-of-life series, the mangaka is evolving the genre for the better
Ultimately, Laid-Back Camp‘s camping scenes had no higher goal or narrative purpose throughout the series’ run. Mono‘s focus on cameras, meanwhile, has a tangible end goal. Even the tourism might feel more immersive, as the club members are explicitly seeking them out for the scenery, while the former manga’s visitations to camp sites may feel a little artificial in motivation. Laid-Back Camp, for all its strengths, does feel part of a greater trend of intentionally aimless hobby shows. Afro’s follow-up, meanwhile, may be the pushback the genre needs, by presenting something as simple as a long-term goal to provide a framework Mono can hang from.
