Iyashikei is derived from the Japanese word for healing, iyashi. Iyashikei anime are a sub-genre of slice of life anime, designed to heal the audience through calm, peaceful environments and atmospheres. In an iyashikei anime, expect to see a lot of panning shots and focus on the setting and scenery. Most iyashikei anime lack serious, life threatening conflict. The tension that is there is brief or accompanied by something more peaceful.
It’s a sub-genre very unique to Japan. I’d like to go through its unique qualities and what makes it stand out as a sub-genre. I’d also like to provide some examples that I encourage anyone that’s interested to watch.
Low Stakes Conflict
Iyashikei anime are some of the most peaceful media you’ll ever see. The conflict most of the time boils down to the mundane things in life, like applying for college in Hidamari Sketch or going camping with friends in Laid Back Camp. It gives the shows a very grounded, relatable atmosphere, beyond life threatening wars and intense love stories. Some exceptions like Mushishi or Natsume’s Book of Friends do have more intense conflict caused by the mushi and yokai respectively. However, this conflict is balanced out by heartwarming character moments and extended peaceful scenes of admiring the natural world.
One of the best examples of this low stakes conflict is Non Non Biyori. The series revolves around four girls of various ages living in the Japanese countryside, and the conflicts are very normal scenarios that allow for character interactions to flow. The girls are trapped at their school during a snowstorm. They clean their school’s pool. These are the kinds of conflicts that happen in every episode, and it works for the show’s tone and atmosphere. Iyashikei as a whole have this peaceful, low conflict vibe that makes them very unique.
Appreciation And Reflection
Another big theme of iyashikei anime is that the characters learn to appreciate and reflect on themselves and the world around them. For example, Usagi Drop revolves around a bachelor named Daikichi adopting a young girl named Rin. Over the course of the show, Daikichi learns to appreciate the responsibilities and joy that comes with raising a child. It brings meaning to his previously bland and meaningless life. In Aria the Animation, the main character Akari learns about the history and culture of Mars based Neo Venezia through her job as a tour guide. She comes to appreciate the beauty of the city, and develops close friendships with her colleagues and other tourists. It’s a very gradual growth that takes place over the entire series, instead of one or two single moments that completely flips her personality.
People like to talk about character development as one of the most important parts of a story. Iyashikei anime have that in spades, but as a much more gradual, reflective process. Alongside Aria and Usagi Drop, there’s Barakmon. The main character Seishuu starts the series by punching someone critical of his caligraphy strokes. He’s sent to a village in Okinawa, where he learns to temper his narcicistic, hot-headed personality by interacting with the locals. He learns to have fun again, and gains genuine friendships in the process. This kind of reflection and character development gives iyashikei a kind of character focus you don’t see in more plot focused works. It’s one of the reasons why I enjoy iyashikei anime so much.
The Scenery Takes Center Stage
When you think of a setting, usually it’s in combination with world building. How the world itself contributes to the world, story, and characters. Think of examples like Attack on Titan with the wall or how Jujutsu Kaisen’s curses create an industry to fight them. But in iyashikei anime, the setting takes on a completely different role. They’re almost like a character of their own.
Iyashikei anime have extended, repeated shots of the scenery, from the titular Hidamari Apartments in Hidamari Sketch to the Japanese countryside of Mushishi that the main character Ginko explores throughout the series. They’re designed to give the viewer a sense of familiarity and comfort. The settings explore natural beauty and the calming effect it provides. This applies to every setting, as well. Girls Last Tour takes place in a post apocalyptic wasteland. However, the varied landscapes in each part of this mega city tell stories of different civilizations and cultures. It’s a more educational and sentimental atmosphere than horrifying.
Iyashikei anime find the beauty in the world, from the canal filled streets in Aria the Animation to the Japanese countryside of Non Non Biyori and how it changes across the four seasons. It’s the same kind of feeling as walking through the forest. It clears the viewer’s mind and fills them with a sense of peace. When it comes to the healing effect that iyashikei anime are known for, the scenery is one of the most integral yet simultaneously least talked about elements in that formula.
Conclusion
What makes iyashikei anime so special is that it has a peaceful, healing atmosphere that no other media, Japanese or otherwise, really capture. It’s my favorite sub genre in anime, and I hope that you check out some iyashikei anime as well.
