Iyashikei Explained

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

Iyashikei 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."

Examples

Reception

Journalist 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]

Notes and References

  1. Hairston . Marc . 2008 . A Healing, Gentle Apocalypse: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō . Mechademia . en . 3 . 1 . 256–258 . 10.1353/mec.0.0036 . 120440099 . 2152-6648.
  2. Book: Nozawa, Shunsuke . 2016 . On Two-Dimensional Cute Girls: Virtual Idols . Galbraith . Patrick W. . Karlin . Jason G. . Media Convergence in Japan . Kinema Club . 978-0-692-62995-6 . [United States] . 156 . 952520172.
  3. Web site: Orsini. Lauren. 8 Soothing Anime To Help You Relax In Quarantine. limited. Forbes. September 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20200529000745/https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenorsini/2020/04/27/8-soothing-anime-to-help-you-relax-in-quarantine/#3dd1cb93612c. May 29, 2020. April 27, 2020. live.
  4. Garrity . Shaenon K. . October 2021 . Rozi in the Labyrinth . . 23.
  5. 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 . 10.1353/jjs.0.0050 . 143601802. 1549-4721.
  6. Web site: Anime girls can finally chill . https://web.archive.org/web/20210817210930/https://www.polygon.com/22629147/anime-girls-iyashikei-shows . Crusch . Marley . . . August 17, 2021 . August 17, 2021 . September 5, 2021 . live.
  7. Web site: Iyashikei: Let Anime's 'Healing' Genre Soothe Your Pandemic Stress . November 25, 2020 . CBR.
  8. Web site: Bartender vs. Love is Like a Cocktail: Which Gourmet Anime About Creating Cocktails Is the Best?. CBR. September 17, 2022.
  9. Web site: 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.
  10. Web site: Lum. Patrick. In praise of iyashikei: why we love soothing anime where nothing happens . . April 25, 2022. April 10, 2024.
  11. Web site: What is Iyashikei and Why Should You Care?. Sentai Filmworks.
  12. Web site: Dennison . Kara . September 21, 2020 . The Anime Genre Dedicated to Relaxation . Otaku USA Magazine . en-US . February 16, 2021.
  13. Web site: The Spring 2021 Preview Guide: Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House . https://web.archive.org/web/20210427230742/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/preview-guide/2021/spring/kiyo-in-kyoto-from-the-maiko-house/.170875 . . Moore . Caitlin . Beckett . James . Silverman . Rebecca . Dupree . Nicholas . Loveridge . Lynzee . April 1, 2021 . April 27, 2021 . September 5, 2021 . live.
  14. Web site: Episode 20 - Mushishi: The Next Chapter. December 21, 2014. Chapman, Jacob. Anime News Network. August 14, 2023. January 12, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160112031741/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/mushishi-the-next-chapter/episode-20/.82490. live.
  15. Web site: Bridges. Rose. Episode 10 - My Roommate is a Cat. Anime News Network. March 15, 2019. September 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211029012902/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/my-roommate-is-a-cat/episode-10/.144570. October 29, 2021. live. 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..

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