VIDEO: The Anime Genre that Heals (Iyashikei)

Hidden beneath energetic battles and other-worldly fantasies is the healing series of Iyashikei anime. In them you will find breathtaking pastel landscapes and cozy rooms where characters study. But most importantly, Iyashikei provides comfortable spaces that help audiences find healing and peace. Here’s how:

Video Transcript:

The Birth of Healing Media in Japan

What if a told you there existed a space where you could exist away from the harsh realities of the modern world? A place where you can find yourself comfortably lost in country sides with sparkling landscapes, or nestled in cozy homes lit by talking fires, surrounded by objects that you love. All of these things exist in the world of iyashikei, literally “healing” media, which are brought to life in anime.

In these series you can explore complex topics like war, environmentalism, and even death from the safety of pastel worlds and with characters who gently guide you on healing journeys. But in order to find peace within these series we need to explore the philosophies that iyashikei anime utilizes to heals it’s audience.

Iyashi is a nominalization (a verb turned noun) derivative of the verb iyasu meaning “to heal or mend.” The term first appeared in use by an anthropologist Ueda Noriyuki, during a trip to Sri Lankan village, where he was studying the people there. The journalist interviewing him picked up on the term, later became used more in popular culture to describe the personality of public figures, actresses and celebrities.

But when the term really picked up popularity was during the healing boom of the 1990s, in response to tragic events like the Kobe earthquake and Aum Shinrikyo gas attacks in that era, as well as the ongoing decline of the economy in Japan at the time. Soon, the commercialization of calming products emerged, also known as Iyashi Guzzu (Healing Goods). Labeling everything from music to literature to art and even physical products as healing items, and eventually anime and manga followed suit, leading to the birth of the term Iyashikei, meaning “healing type.”

Iyashikei, unlike other anime subgenres and themes, isn’t as easy to identify. For example, an easy to define theme or subgenre that a lot of anime fans may be familiar with is Isekai, which is characterized by being reincarnated or spirited into another world, or Mahou Shojo, also known as magical girl, where a girl is granted magical powers to defend their world. Both of these subgenres are easily identified by the content within them. However, we can’t say the same for Iyashikei as the stories of Iyashikei range and blend across larger genres such as slice of life, supernatural and science fiction. To truly define Iyashikei or healing type animanga, we really need to view the many ways it has been described.

According to an article written by Marc Harrison, he describes Iyashikei as “Serving as an emotional refreshment for the stress filled viewer in need of an antidote to modern life.”

TV Tropes defines Iyashikei as “Alternative realities with little to no conflict, emphasizing nature, the mundane and the little delights in life.”

In a blog written by Zaria. They describe it as “It is ultimately a genre of safety, one that encourages exploration but always within safe bounds.”

Paul Roquet, writer of ambient literature and the esthetics of calm, describes Iyashikei in terms of literature as “A place that provides a space to think relatively free from outside effective manipulation.”

I would say Aashiqui embodies media that has an ambient and healing nature, forgoes overly structured narration, and uses familiar and calming settings found in nature, relationships and the everyday to create peaceful spaces for the viewer through separation from the anxiety inducing environment of the modern world.

At its core, Iyashikei embodies the sentiment of Mono No Aware. Which roughly translates to “a sensitivity to things”, but in truth, there is no real way to define the concept, as it is a concept just like Iyashikei that relies heavily on feelings and emotions rather than concrete notions. The idea of Mono No Aware ties back to Buddhism and the importance of Zen in Japanese culture, and is a concept commonly associated with Murasaki Shikibu story The Tale of Genji, a story focused on the life of a man who relied heavily on his looks, leading him to a notable life full of scathing love affairs and youth. But as he lost his beauty to age, he began to contemplate the reality and impermanence of life and change. The term itself was coined by Motoori Norinaga, an 18th century literary scholar who further broke down the meaning of the phrase to represent savoring the life more deeply in.

[Azumi Uchitani] “In this sadness or like sorrow. There is a kind of beauty of experiencing and celebrating fleeting moments of our life and the nature. Nothing is permanent. Everything is impermanent.”

What I get from the concept of Mono No Aware is this; that it is a concept that focuses in on the aspects of life that are often accepted, but are often appreciated, as well as that the concept transcends words and relies heavily on feeling and emotions. And lastly, it relies heavily on the beauty of the fleeting and impermanent nature of life. For example, fall leaves, like the ones that are mostly gone around me, exemplify this idea that life is impermanent and fleeting and that times are constantly changing, which by itself is a heavy concept to deal with, but seen through the lens of Mono No Aware, allows you to focus in more on the beauty of the leaves falling, enjoying the moments that they are here, appreciating the present and expecting that they will return again in another year to show off their colors and be beautiful.

In a world where people are urged to work until death, give up any free time for the hustle and turn their hobbies into income. They’re constantly looking for a reprieve. It is in these small moments of life reflected in the art around us, including in anime and manga, that remind us to be present and grateful, that remind us to literally go outside and touch grass. Here are how several Iyashikei series represent the concept of Mono No Aware and how it leads to healing of its viewers.

Healing in the Apocalypse (Sci-fi Iyashikei)

It might be strange to hear that some of the most healing series in this genre tend to be centered around the apocalypse. Iyashikei science fiction takes that dreaded topic of the future and impending doom, and turns it into something much more comforting yet bittersweet.

The end of the world never looked more peaceful than in these shows with their barren landscapes and roaming characters who are strapped down and ready for a war that often never comes. Like in Girl’s Last Tour, which follows two girls who are assumed to be the last humans on their world desperately searching for other signs of life. Despite being ready for battle, brandishing weapons and traveling in a tank, most of their days are spent in relative peace, highlighted by remnants of humanity that they discover along the way. Or found in the rustic Futurism of Aria, following the daily life of a gondola tour guide as it highlights the beauty of its world, which is a futuristic replica of Italy’s Venice on the once uninhabitable Mars. But no apocalypse seems to embody the sentiment of healing more than Countryside Cafe.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, also known as Country Side Cafe (the first OVA is called this), is a post-apocalyptic story about an android named Alpha whose human left her in charge of a cafe deep in the countryside. Despite being an apocalyptic story, the OVA only indicates that the world is ending through small details in the background, though it’s fair to say that the background itself is often given as much, if not more, screen time than the characters.

With glimpses of a city underwater that Alpha keeps coming back to. The distances the characters have to go to reach places within civilization, and the fact that every android is strapped like, no, seriously, like she is ready for anything. But honestly, these details are secondary to the emphasis on serenity and peace, as important moments are often bathed in silence, broken only by the sound of the wind.

And though Alpha seems to be enjoying her life, there are many scenes that seem to make you want to cry. Like when Alpha makes a friend that has to leave her. When she is reminded of her life with her human, who no longer is with her. When she stares at the lights of a city that no longer serves a purpose, the thought that she alone might keep existing in this world where people are dwindling. The last remember all that once was. Until her own memory fails.

Countryside Cafe is a two part OVA for you to watch on YouTube that introduces the concepts of Iyashikei and Mono No Aware so simply and smoothly, that it is the perfect gateway to trying to get into and understanding Iyashikei series and how exactly they can heal you.

Nothing embodies the idea that life is fleeting, more than watching series that center on spirits and the dead. In American media, it’s common to only associate ghosts and spirits with horror. But in cultures like Japan, where the dead are respected and celebrated. Spirits who represent aspects of life and nature are often worshiped. It is somehow easier to view scary monsters like this one with pity and love.

Healing with Ghosts (Supernatural Iyashikei)

Supernatural Iyashikei are monster-of-the-week series, except the main characters are healing the monsters instead of fighting them. In these series, you find a vast, sometimes empty world where spirits and Yokai haunt every corner, yet you feel unafraid of their presence as they are embraced and comforted by the main characters.

This is the case in series like Mushi Shi, where Ginko travels an endless forest as he studies the mysterious Mushi – supernatural beings and spirits. Along his journey, he helps those who have found themselves entwined with Mushi and reveal the intricate balance between the spirits, nature and humans, that he meets with their friends. In Natsume’s Book of Friends, a lonely boy who can see spirits, finds himself in possession of his grandmother’s book, filled with the names of the spirits that come to haunt him. With this book, he creates bonds with these spirits to make his life feel less lonely. As he comes to understand the spirits stories and learn more about his family.

Although the anime adaptation of The Girl from the Other Side is more so praised for capturing the esthetics of the story rather than being a faithful adaptation of the manga, I believe that the artistic development of the story emphasizes Mono No Aware in the bond between Shiva and Teacher, with Teacher struggling between his present identity as a curse, being beyond redemption which is disrupted by the presence of Shiva, a young human girl, and how she draws out the reminder of what he once was and longs to be again.

With main characters like Ginko, Natsumi, and Shiva doing their best to honor the legacy of the spirits that seek healing, connection, or simply to be seen and remembered. These series often center on healing monsters and spirits and ghosts in a way that touches on death within a nurturing space that brings a sense of profound peace to a topic that is often looked at with despair and sadness.

But Iyashikei not only explores heavy topics like the end of life, but also emphasizes the beauty in the mundane and everyday through comedy and simplicity.

Healing with Simplicity (Slice-of-Life Iyashikei)

Slice-of-life is exactly as it sounds, stories of characters as they live their average lives. Though no all slice-of-life are Iyashikei, Iyashikei is often slice of life. Iyashikei slice of life often evoke healing atmospheres through comedy and a focus on the intricacies of human relationships, with an emphasis on the ordinary rather than extraordinary.

The most prominent slice of life Iyashikei you might stumble upon is the Cute Girl’s Doing Cute Things kind of theme or sub-genre. It is literally a group of mostly teenage girls who are starting clubs, going on adventures, or just being silly with each other and their friends. There is also the reverse of this, Cute Boys and Cute Things where they do similar things.

In Cute Girls Cute Things, we see characters who go camping, who make art, make music, and even make anime. And most of the healing in these series lies in comedy, cuteness, and non-linear storytelling. For the most part, these series never take themselves too seriously, and they end up relying on fans being invested in the relationships between the characters and what they are doing, rather than an overarching plot and no Cute Girls Cute Things series embodies Mono No Aware more than Laid Back Camp.

It might surprise you that a series about a group of high school girls experiencing the joys and struggles of sleeping outside in winter in a tent has had many a think piece written about it. But in the show, the girls appreciation of reconnecting with nature and one another creates a peaceful environment to come back to. It reminds fans of the power of literally going outside and touching grass, or maybe leaves, or just being outside like I am in this clip.

There are also plenty of Cute Girl, Cute Things series that are just nestled firmly in their comedy and the extraordinarily ordinary lives they live. I think of series like a Asobi Asobase, Non Non Biyori, Azumanga Daioh among others. But not all slice of life Iyashikei are cute, bubbly girls living their daily lives. It also focuses on the struggles of high schoolers and the impermanence of youth, as seen in Kyoto Animation works.

Kyoto Animation’s dedication to turning the most mundane moments into stunning works of art puts their slice of life series in a special place within Iyashikei . In Sound! Euphonium, which is technically more of a drama than a healing series, there are many moments that highlight everyday things with beauty and calm. Simple scenes of a faucet dripping water in a schoolyard or an instrument bathed in golded light bring a sense of calm and Mono No Aware to this drama series. Or in the anime Tamako Market, which is a less dramatic story about a girl whose family owns a mochi shop and is one day visited by a talking bird who wants to take her back to his mochi kingdom to be the Queen, but ends up being unable to fly back due to his addiction to her family’s mochi.

Emphasis on this story is more acute and bubbly, with characters getting into ridiculous but not too extraordinary situations. Or there’s also Hyouka, which literally feels like the season of autumn because most scenes are bathed in this like gorgeous golden hue that makes you want to cozy up and watch it every single year.

And by you I mean me. Because Hyouka is one of my favorite cozy Iyashikei anime. Anyway, it follows the story of Oreki who is a lazy and unbothered teenager and who accidentally becomes part of a club headed by the ever curious Chitanda as they spend their high school days solving mostly ordinary and unexciting mysteries. By just taking a glimpse at each of these series, you can tell there’s a deep sense of Mono No Aware that highlights the fleeting experience of high school life, friendship, and romance in the most subtle ways possible. Often showing the bittersweet feelings of youth without ever having the characters openly address them.

There’s also a subset of Iyashikei, a slice of life that makes children in the central healing focus, such as in the anime Barakamon. Senshuu, a calligraphy artist, searches for inspiration and finds himself on a rural island surrounded by locals like Naru, who is a rascal child that fills his days with endless shenanigans. Or Gakuen Babysitters, also known as High School Babysitters, which is an adorable series that literally feels like eating the sweetest dessert you can find as we follow high school boys who volunteer for their school’s babysitting club, watching the adorable and sometimes mischievous kids there.

Healing with Ghibli Films (Ghibliosophy)

I think there’s no other video that really encompasses Iyashikei, Mono No Aware, and other important concepts that lead to healing, connection, and rejuvenation then Studio Ghibli and specifically Hayao Miyazaki’s works. They kind of embody all the other genres that I’ve talked about. They take elements of slice-of-life, cute girls and cute things and the supernatural in order to create timeless classics that can be talked about and have been talked about for decades. Ghibli films also have been held up on a golden pedestal for decades now.

I mean, it seems that the studio’s works have transcended their media and kind of become a sort of philosophy for people who have watched them as sort of Ghibliosophy, if you will. Now, I didn’t come up with this term. I randomly found it on Pinterest by this user who is kind of the only person using it. Ghibliosophy embodies a lot of different elements, and a lot of different philosophies found in Japanese culture, and kind of found all over the world. This is often seen in the evergreen discussions on the films and impacts on fans who have watched and rewatched them countless times, gaining more profound lessons as they grow. And it’s easy to see that there is something everlasting and universal in these stories that depict the fleeting lives and journeys of its characters.

The first we’re going to focus on is cozy, simple living. These concepts are shown in the rooms of characters stacked with books and papers and things they’ve created, showing the characters literally surrounded by the objects they love in a way that feels less consumerist and more appreciative of what you’ve gathered. I think the best example of this is shown in Arrietty’s room in The Secret Life of Arrietty, as the stuff in her room is all stuff that she has had to gather because she is literally a tiny little person living in the world and she can’t go and just buy stuff.

Or in *Yoshifumi Kondō’s Whisper of the Heart, we see Shizuka sitting at her clear desk, full of books and papers as she writes her novel. This is also the literal inspiration for the lofi girl. And again, Shizuka is surrounded by books and things that she obviously loves and that she has collected because throughout the movie she goes to the library, she reads books, she collects books, she’s writing a novel.

Another cozy room that comes to mind is Howl’s room, though that man is obviously clearly hoarding. I mean, we all know this meme. Even though he’s hoarding, it does still feel like a cozy kind of mystical, magical environment to be in his space and see all the things that he has collected, and surrounded himself with this. This sparks trends of people all over TikTok and Instagram who have decorated their rooms and their spaces too, because they embody comfort and joy in creating your little abode within your house or wherever you may live. And that’s kind of the inspiration for my backdrop over here.

There’s also, of course, the fact that Ghibli movies tend to give souls to animals and objects. Through the charismatic fires, giant buoyant spirits and talking cats, the films add whimsy but also reiterate the idea that every being deserves respect. **This is a concept that may come from the Shinto belief of Animism, which is the idea that a soul or reikan lives in all things.

**Update About Animism in Ghibli Films: I mistakenly said that Animism is a Shinto belief when it’s actually a term used to describe religions that worship or respect nature and objects.

If Chihiro didn’t acknowledge No Face, he wouldn’t have come to the inn and eventually befriended her. Or there’s Sophie being upfront with Calcifer and how that becomes the key to saving Howl’s heart. And in Princess Mononoke and My Neighbor Totoro, there’s heavy themes that revolve around the forest and spirits of the forest having souls and the forest itself having a soul. Which is a common theme in Miyazaki movies as he pushes the sentiment to treat nature as its own entity and acknowledge its existence alongside that of human beings.

The most beautiful thing I think about Ghibli films to me, and how it embodies Iyashikei, is that they aren’t afraid to emphasize quiet moments, dedicating several long seconds to characters appreciating their environments in relative quiet and therefore making the audience appreciate them. This is seen in the minutes spent animating characters sharing food or tea with one another, or in quiet scenes where a character contemplates life while staring out at the sea.

These scenes, I think, mostly embody the concept of Mono No Aware, but it is in these quiet moments that the characters, and therefore the audience, are allowed time to reflect on change, acceptance and coming to terms with the concepts of life and death. But there are also many quiet scenes that aren’t only made for reflection. Instead, there are some scenes that are literally meant to feel like a breath of air. And this is a philosophy known as Ma, which is simply described as a pause in time or an emphasis on empty space. I think Kiki’s Delivery Service best exemplifies the philosophy of Ma, or the concept of Ma, as it is full of quiet moments, where Kiki, and therefore us as an audience, are quietly kind of being in the in the present moment of whatever scene she is in, whether it’s Kiki eyeing a pair of shoes she wants in a shop window, or sighing into her bedsheets when she’s exhausted or even staring out at the sea with Tombo.

It’s also even talked about within the story itself. When Ursula, the artist that Kiki meets in the forest, gives her advice on how to get her magic back, saying the quote “Stop trying. Take long walks, look at scenery, doze off at noon, don’t even think about flying. And then pretty soon you’ll be flying again.” Which reminds us that if we are just simply living, allowing ourselves to simply live, rather than over focusing on the things that we have no control over, give us time to recuperate and come back to what we need to do.

Can Anime Actually Heal Us?

Though these series on the surface may generate feelings of peace and calm, we haven’t really discussed how Iyashikei series can heal you. Beyond Iyashikei being avenues of escape from the stresses of the world and daily life. Healing series also address stressful topics and concepts in simple but nurturing ways. Roquet, who talks about ambient literature, talks about how the novel Hoteru Moru or Hote Mole creates an incubatory space for healing and nurturing, stating quote, “A reader can venture forth into areas physical and emotional that might otherwise be too unfamiliar or too frightening.” As the comfort of these worlds set in vast Japanese country sides or in cozy, maximalist spaces, and with characters we come to trust over episodes and seasons and runtimes allow audiences to simply exist in the space and feel comforted. And of course, one of my favorite aspects of Iyashikei anime manga is reminding me to go outside and enjoy nature, and how the simplicity of nature can ground us.

In the wake of everyday atrocities around the globe, and the idea that progress is slipping through our fingers, something as simple as watching anime and reading manga is not going to completely heal us or our world. Especially at the end of the day, we have to also consider that anime and manga are objects for consumption, and because they are made for consumption, it is easy to want to over consume this type of content to kind of placate our busy, stressed, worried minds.

I mean, after all, that is how Iyashikei became popular in the first place as the healing good products came to light in order to heal the anxious minds of people going through stressful situations. It’s also easy to look at Japanese philosophies and look at media like anime and manga and think, why do countries like Japan have it all figured out? But everywhere else in the world, maybe where you’re from, it feels like everything is falling apart. But also remembering that Japan is its own country with its own issues and its own people who have their own problems as well. And their way of coping with it is by creating art. The point of this video wasn’t to say that media and consumption, and even philosophies and ideologies alone, can heal us or help us heal our situations, or our world.

But when perceived with intention and healing in mind at the forefront, I do believe that healing series can start to create an intention to heal ourselves. It can simply give us space and time to address uncomfortable things, so that we can eventually be able to tackle deeper issues within ourselves, our communities, and our world. Ghibli films and other Iyashikei remind us that as the characters struggle through their stories, they also take time to rest, recuperate, and recharge so that they can be ready to face their situations head on.

Bravery and fighting and resistance, as well as rest all go hand in hand, and that’s what I’m taking with me going forward, using these concepts in the current situation of our world. I deeply, truly believe that stories are more powerful than we like to admit they are, and that is why I have such a deep connection with them. And that is why I think it is so important to look deeply into them in order to kind of find answers within ourselves. And if you are also someone who is looking for a moment of peace in your own life, depending on what situations you are you’re in right now, then I hope this kind of provided and like a gateway for you to find series that could possibly help you find healing within yourself. Hopefully. That was my intention.

Thank you so much for watching. Consider checking out another video that pops up on the screen here. And of course, remember to find a series that eases your mind and inspires you to look at life a little differently. And yeah, I’ll see you in the next one. Peace!