Iyashikei (癒し系) is a genre specific to Japanese works, primarily manga and anime. It is a sub-genre of slice of life, portraying characters living out peaceful lives in calming environments, and is intended to have a healing effect on the audience. The word iyashikei could mean "healing type" or just "healing" in Japanese.[1][2][3] Shaenon K Garrity of Otaku USA wrote that in iyashikei works, "the focus is less on character and plot, more on worldbuilding and creating an immersive visual setting".[4]
Origins
editIyashikei originated in the late 1970s, but it emerged as a distinct subgenre in 1995, in the wake of the Great Hanshin earthquake and the Tokyo subway sarin attack. These traumatic events, combined with the economic recession, would lead to what scholar Paul Roquet calls the iyashi trend, or healing boom.[5] The trauma suffered by the Japanese public provided "the emotional context for the emergence of calm as a lucrative and marketable feeling."[5]
Examples
edit- Adachi and Shimamura[6]
- Aria[1][7]
- Azumanga Daioh[6]
- Bartender[8]
- Boku no Natsuyasumi series[9]
- Flying Witch[3][6][7][10]
- Girls' Last Tour[11]
- Hakumei and Mikochi[11]
- The Helpful Fox Senko-san[6][12]
- K-On![10]
- Kiyo in Kyoto[13]
- Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear[6]
- Laid-Back Camp[6][7][10]
- Magical Emi, the Magic Star[2]
- Mushishi[14]
- My Neighbor Totoro[6][10]
- My Roommate Is a Cat[3][15]
- Natsume's Book of Friends[7]
- Non Non Biyori[6][11]
- Super Cub[6]
- Tamayura[6]
- Wakakozake[3]
- Yokohama Shopping Log[1][7]
Reception
editJournalist Patrick Lum of The Guardian has written an article on the genre titled "In Praise of Iyashikei: why we love soothing anime where nothing happens" commending the genre. In it, he explained that even if works in this genre can be considered "boring" where not much happens in them in regards to plot, they have an appeal where it's simply cozy. The fact that nothing much in them other than wholesome activity could make a rather comforting watch from their point of view. He even recommended a few anime, such as My Neighbor Totoro.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c Hairston, Marc (2008). "A Healing, Gentle Apocalypse: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō". Mechademia. 3 (1): 256–258. doi:10.1353/mec.0.0036. ISSN 2152-6648. S2CID 120440099.
- ^ a b Nozawa, Shunsuke (2016). "On Two-Dimensional Cute Girls: Virtual Idols". In Galbraith, Patrick W.; Karlin, Jason G. (eds.). Media Convergence in Japan. [United States]: Kinema Club. p. 156. ISBN 978-0-692-62995-6. OCLC 952520172.
- ^ a b c d Orsini, Lauren (April 27, 2020). "8 Soothing Anime To Help You Relax In Quarantine". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ Garrity, Shaenon K. (October 2021). "Rozi in the Labyrinth". Otaku USA. p. 23.
- ^ a b Paul Roquet (2009). "Ambient Literature and the Aesthetics of Calm: Mood Regulation in Contemporary Japanese Fiction". The Journal of Japanese Studies. 35 (1): 87–111. doi:10.1353/jjs.0.0050. ISSN 1549-4721. S2CID 143601802.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Crusch, Marley (August 17, 2021). "Anime girls can finally chill". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Iyashikei: Let Anime's 'Healing' Genre Soothe Your Pandemic Stress". CBR. November 25, 2020.
- ^ "Bartender vs. Love is Like a Cocktail: Which Gourmet Anime About Creating Cocktails Is the Best?". CBR. September 17, 2022.
- ^ "怖すぎる！ 「ぼくのなつやすみ」幻の"8月32日"を知っていますか？". ITmedia.
- ^ a b c d e Lum, Patrick (April 25, 2022). "In praise of iyashikei: why we love soothing anime where nothing happens". The Guardian. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c "What is Iyashikei and Why Should You Care?". Sentai Filmworks. Archived from the original on 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ Dennison, Kara (September 21, 2020). "The Anime Genre Dedicated to Relaxation". Otaku USA Magazine. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ Moore, Caitlin; Beckett, James; Silverman, Rebecca; Dupree, Nicholas; Loveridge, Lynzee (April 1, 2021). "The Spring 2021 Preview Guide: Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Chapman, Jacob (December 21, 2014). "Episode 20 - Mushishi: The Next Chapter". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 12, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ Bridges, Rose (March 15, 2019). "Episode 10 - My Roommate is a Cat". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
My Roommate is a Cat is classic iyashikei, healing in the way that it explores real life, but through a rosier and cuddlier version of it than reality.