After School Dice Club

Aya has just moved to Kyoto for high school and is trying to settle in when she meets Miki, a shy classmate who becomes her first friend. One afternoon they trail Midori, the committee president, to a specialty shop devoted to tabletop games called The Dice Club, and on a whim they play a German-style board game. What starts as a casual after-school pastime turns into regular meetups where the girls learn rules, test strategies, and laugh through unexpected results. The show follows their afternoons of play, the small routines around school life, and how a shared hobby slowly knits a group together without revealing any major plot twists.

Released in 2019, the series was created by Atsushi Maekawa and Hiroo Nakamichi. The animation is anchored by the voices of Saki Miyashita as Miki Takekasa, Marika Kouno as Aya Takayashiki, and Miyu Tomita as Midori Ohno, keeping the focus on character interaction and the mechanics of tabletop play.

Critically the series has had a modest reception, reflected in an average rating of 6.3/10 from a small number of votes. Reviewers and viewers who liked it pointed to its relaxed pacing, clear explanations of games, and friendly tone, while some wanted more dramatic stakes. Central themes include friendship, curiosity about new pastimes, and how leisure can form meaningful bonds during school years.

Among niche audiences the show helped boost interest in hobby board games, especially among viewers unfamiliar with German-style titles. It didn’t create a large mainstream splash, but it developed a steady fanbase who appreciate its slice-of-life warmth and often use it as a recommendation for friends curious about tabletop gaming.

The series didn’t collect major industry awards, but it found steady appreciation within its niche, especially from board-game communities and fans of gentle schoollife anime who value character-driven, relaxing stories.