Gin no Saji

Gin no Saji translates to 'Silver Spoon', and it is definitely one of the best animes I have ever watched recently. To think that I almost couldn't be bothered to watch it - after all, how interesting could a kid joining an agricultural and farming school be?

I was wrong. The first episode alone captivated me, and now the anime is under my "treasured anime list" - those that I reserve for gym sessions (good animes distract me more, which is good when I am using the elliptical trainer). I can't bear to watch it at home.

Anyway, the anime is about a boy named Hachiken. Despite getting excellent grades in school, when he graduates, he opts for Yezo Agricultural High School, a boarding school with a farm. The anime doesn't explain upfront on his decision, but as the show progresses, bits and pieces of information are released, and we slowly gain more insights into Hachiken's life. 

Hachiken learns how life as a farmer is, and how studying alone is insufficient to get us through life. And since I am personally quite interested in animals, I found the anime rather intriguing; it was also a learning experience for me as I learnt about how piglets are resigned to fate shortly after birth, the sensitive nature of horses, and more importantly, how the farmers struggle with showing love and taking care of their animals, while knowing that one day they would need to kill them with their own hands.

I haven't watched such a good 'slice of life' anime in quite a long time; the others I could call to mind are Honey and Clover and Nodame Cantabile. I am at episode 8 currently.

A horse taking a liking to Hachiken's... hair and spectacles

An egg coming out of the chicken's anus cloaca

You can't get chicken that is fresher than this.