One of my favorite anime genres is iyashikei or wholesome sliceoflife which is all about appreciating the smaller things in life. And what better way to do that than with a story about two poor sisters struggling to make it through each day? With a title like Binbou Shimai Monogatari Poor Girls Story you might expect some dark gritty drama. But despite the first episode being a little melodramatic about the sisters situation the show isnt really about suffering. If anything its strength lies in the contrastthese two sisters are barely scraping by yet they appreciate what little they have and most importantly they cherish each other. Thats what makes this one of the most underrated wholesome sliceoflife shows Ive ever watched. The story follows Kyou 15 and Asu 9 who live in a rundown cheap apartment. Kyou is the breadwinner delivering newspapers instead of attending school while Asu takes care of cooking cleaning and attending school in her sisters place. Its a surprisingly fair and wellthoughtout dynamicyou can tell they worked it out themselves because they love each other and want to contribute equally to their simple but harsh lifestyle. If youre interested in seeing how people who are poorbut dont necessarily hate their liveslive day to day this anime offers a great perspective. I have a distant relative who has talked a lot about her experiences growing up poor and watching this show made me feel like I got a glimpse into the mindset of someone in that situation. Some people even when given the chance for a better life might hesitate to leave what theyre used toeven if its objectively more comfortable. To me thats the beauty of this show. It takes a premise that might seem depressing at first but writes it in a way that makes you appreciate a different perspectivepeople who might not have material wealth but still find ways to live with gratitude and warmth. The sisters themselves are fantastic characters with a great dynamic but the side characters are also surprisingly charming. Their oldman landlord is a kind and friendly presence in their lives and the Echigoya sisters serve as interesting foils to Kyou and Asu. Since the story is mostly told through Asus eyes we get to see how she perceives her schoolmate Ginko who comes off as much haughtier and less kind than Asu but has a complex relationship with her own older sister. While I really love this show and its premise its biggest strengths are also its biggest weaknesses. The focus on appreciating the small things in life is great but theres only so much you can do with that theme before things start feeling repetitive. Some episodes feel like slight variations of previous ones just with a different scenario or minor dialogue changes. The few moments of melodramaespecially in episode 1sometimes feel a little out of place. The occasional reflection on poverty is interesting but when the drama is just about characters getting frustrated or mad at each other it doesnt feel like it adds much to their development or the story or lack thereof. That said if you can somehow find a way to watch this super niche series seriously I barely know anyone whos even heard of it I think Binbou Shimai Monogatari is worth checking outespecially if youre looking for a unique iyashikei sliceoflife experience.