So rather drastic change for Hiromu Arakawa going from Fullmetal Alchemist to Gin no Saji but if you were to consult her wikipedia page you would see that something like this is right up her street.

A story about a boy who moves to the countryside to attend an agricultural high school does seem to fall exactly into the slice of life category but this manga is somewhat different (just like Bakuman).

The surprising mix of technical vocabulary or discussions, ethical issues such as euthanasia and a look at agricultural life from a teenager's perspective give the manga something new alongside the usual slice of life elements (romance, dreams and friendships).

The characters themselves are likeable and funny in their own ways, especially the protagonist Hachiken.

Call it Arakawa's insane reputation or genuine popularity (or both) the first volume sold over 170,000 in 2 weeks and the second sold over 260,000 (in Japan).