Iyashikei Appreciation Thread

[Stardust262]

Don’t you love it when a show puts you to sleep? No not like that, I mean when a show is so immersing and calming that it relaxes you completely.

Iyashikei, healing story, pure slice of life, whatever you wish to call it, these shows manage to utilize their settings and backgrounds to create an atmosphere of pure bliss.

While often grouped into the “cute girls doing cute things” category, these shows don’t necessarily adhere to that structure. More importantly, it should be noted that many CGDCT shows are not Iyashikei due to lacking that crucial atmospheric element.

I’d like for this thread to help people understand and get into this pseudo-genre, and serve as a catalog of the fantastic shows that constitute it.

Some examples of Iyashikei series include:

Amanchu!
Aria
Flying Witch
Laid-Back Camp
Non Non Biyori
Sketchbook ~ Full Color’s ~
Tamayura
Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

Do you have any other examples to share? Discuss your experience with Iyashikei!

 

[Quatre47]

Laid Back Camp did that for me, finally decided to watch it earlier this year during one of the busiest, most stressful times at work. It was the perfect show to come home to every time.

 

[woody938]

This term is new to me, as one who doesn't go for any particular anime type I'll have a quick look see what I have seen.

Long Riders!
Silver Spoon
Asteroid in Love (probably my favourite to experience due to Mira always sounding excited)
If My Favorite Pop Idol Made it to the Budokan, I Would Die
Teasing Master Takagi-san

 

[GREAT2070]

What I like about these shows is how much the soundtrack stands out because of how laid back the anime are making them more memorable.

 

[Stardust262]

Here’s some more scenery to appreciate:

 

[Stardust262]

Just watched the 4 Yokohama Shopping Log OVAs. It has a bit of a reputation for being one of the earlier Iyashikei shows, and for being extra calming. It certainly lives up to that pretty well, as the episodes are cute and very chill. Especially the first two episodes with their hand-drawn animation really adding to the atmosphere. I’d certainly suggest it to any fan of these kinds of shows, even if I think it would have really benefited from having more episodes.

 

[woody938]

Yokohama Shopping Log, that's from the best period of anime art.

 

[chibkey]

Yuru Camp and Flying Witch are the ultimate comfy healing. They're at the very top for me.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée (Croisée in a Foreign Labyrinth)
Love the French settings, it's about a little Japanese girl serving in a 19th century Paris ironwork shop.

Mitsuboshi Colors
Spiritual successor to Ichigo Mashimaro. Cute girls doing cute things and the anime is basically a love letter to the city of Ueno.

Sora no Woto (Sound of the Sky) and Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (Girls' Last Tour)
These two runs along the same line. The end of the world seems pretty peaceful to the point it's sometimes eerie.

Tsuki ga Kirei
A very honest, pure, and straightforward romance between teenagers with no forced drama. I kept waiting for a twist but no, it's just very wholesome.

Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - The Animated Series
I have not watched the original, but the 2017 version could be considered iyashikei. It's about traveling to different countries and the rule is to never stay in the same place for more than 3 days.

Yotsuba&!
Never adapted into anime for whatever reason.

The others mentioned below are more plot heavy, but still have that iyashikei mood;

Hanayamata
Story about an ordinary high school students who become inspired to learn Yosakoi dancing. Strong theme of bonding and friendship, has very beautiful visuals and sounds.

Barakamon
A young calligrapher got sent off to rural Goto Islands when his narcissistic tendency made him lost his cool when his work received a veteran's critique. The peaceful island and wacky people he meets there help him to self reflect.

Usagi Drop
Pretty sure this one needs no introduction. Young bachelor's life thrown into a curveball when he suddenly have to take care of his granddad's illegitimate child who's only 6 year old.

New Game!
Workplace environment settings that always makes me happy. I wish my workplace is like this.

Sora Yori Tooi Basho (A Place Further Than The Universe)
Follows the captivating journey of four spirited girls, all in search of something great.

 

[Stardust262]

I watched Croisée in a Foreign Labyrinth over the past couple days; it ended up being a really cute little show. Decent amount of atmosphere, and I liked the late-1800s French setting. I’d enjoy a second season if it ever gets one, though it probably won’t at this point lol.

 

[Stardust262]

Among the ridiculous number of sequels coming out next season, we’ve got two big Iyashikei returning: Laid-Back Camp and Non Non Biyori!

 

[woody938]

Been meaning to go through my 8/10 shows to see what I could find among them.

Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club - made in the same year as LongRiders, it looks prettier but wasn't as well done, while LongRiders has almost zero sports anime-ness to it, Minami has a sport-like arc and a very competitive character, for the most part though they're both all about the joy of riding. I kinda feel like this could benefit more from a S2 than LongRiders, but a LongRiders S2 would be more popular given the comparative media released.
Bakuon!! - motorbikes, brought to you by Jesus! ** sings the Katana song ** piyou-piyou!~
Hanayamata - I'm not sure what I could say about this other than it's beautiful.
Hidamari Sketch - art school students (college/uni I think), 2 I believe are neighbours in an on-campus apartment complex, very quirky girls.
Strawberry Marshmallow - prepubescent girls and a young adult older sister, the origin of a few memes, lots of inappropriateness and childish banter. Once again quirky girls but to a lesser degree.

 

[Stardust262]

After 5 and 1/2 years since the second season, Non Non Biyori is finally back! Yes we did get an OVA and movie in the interim, but still!

Some really beautiful scenery in this first episode. Right at the beginning we get shot after shot of stunning backgrounds for the audience to slowly take in. Then towards the end we get a lovely sunset shot as well. The first segment with the tape dolls was hilarious, and the second with new character Akane just having no idea how to deal with Renge was a joy.

So happy this is back!

 

[Stardust262]

 

[WinterTundra]

BOOOORIIIIIIIIIIING

jk i just wanted to make this joke

 

[chibkey]

Yuru Camp coming back this season is a blessing

There's a new motorbike anime next season called Super Cub, trailer is giving impression it's gonna be iyashikei

 

[woody938]

It's short-hair Chitanda!

//recalls something about Super Cubs being super popular in Vietnam

 

[Stardust262]

If only those characters weren’t in CG lol

 

[Stardust262]

 

[Stardust262]

Today we get the closest thing to a fusion of this season’s two Iyashikei shows: the Non Non Biyori girls going camping!

 

[ed0tensei]

aria is my favorite

 

[Stardust262]

Aria the Benedizione Anime Project Announced

Anime to be final one in "Blue Curtain Call" project

www.animenewsnetwork.com

 

[Stardust262]

Season 3 of Non Non Biyori ended today, but I really don’t want to see it go. It seems that the last episode did adapt the end of the manga, so this very well might be the last season we ever get. I hope that isn’t the case, since there apparently is enough unadapted material to make another season out of, but who knows. The show already doesn’t present itself chronologically between seasons, so I don’t think it’d be weird to adapt the chapters taking place before the ending.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, so for now I’ll be glad to have even gotten 3 seasons, 2 OVAs, and a movie for this amazing show. Regardless of what’s in store for it in the future, Non Non Biyori will always be special to me.

 

[Stardust262]

Laid-Back Camp season 2 has now ended too. Much like the first season, it was very calming and sweet. You can really feel how the friendship between all the girls has grown, primarily through how they (especially Rin) worry about each other and the issues they might face while camping. And of course, the way this series crafts it’s winter-y scenery is breathtaking.

Looks like the movie finally has a release date for next year, so we all still have that to look forward to!

 

[chibkey]

I finished Yuru Camp△ SEASON2 today. Made me teary eyed. My favorite iyashikei of all time.

So this is what we're getting from the movie:

The TV animation "Yurucamp △ SEASON2" has finally reached its final episode from today, and the movie "Yurucamp △", whose production has already been announced and is awaiting release, has been decided to be a national road show in 2022. The director is Yoshiaki Kyogoku, the script is Jin Tanaka and Mutsumi Ito, and the character design is Mutsumi Sasaki. And animation production will be delivered by familiar members as C-station and the production staff will be the same as the previous series. To commemorate the decision on the release date, we released a concept visual using a part of the image board drawn by director Yoshiaki Kyogoku.Please look forward to the follow-up report of the movie "Yurucamp" while watching the atmosphere of the two people, which is a little different from the previous series.​

From the looks of it, we can guess it'll be about older Nadeshiko and Shimarin. That's totally unexpected, a welcome one. The last several episodes already felt like one big movie so this is going to a new direction.





Iyashikei for this season: Cute Girls Making Pottery

 

[Stardust262]

So I did watch the 3 existing episodes of Super Cub. I guess it isn’t all CGI like I thought from the trailer? Like of course the characters are CGI when riding their bikes in the distance (I’d be surprised if they weren’t), but they don’t appear to be CGI normally. Something still feels off about how the main character looks, so maybe it’s just hard-to-discern CGI? I honestly have no idea at this point. The point is it looks much better than I thought it would, but something about the main character’s movements still distracts me.

Anyway, aside from that it’s very relaxing. The whole first episode shows how much you can do and convey with very little dialogue. And the episodes went by super quick as well (which I suppose is good and bad, but point being the pacing is nice).

Looks like we have potentially another great Iyashikei on our hands!

 

[Stardust262]

This is becoming the show I look forward to most each week

 

[chibkey]

Just started watching Super Cub. On ep 4 now. LOVE IT! So relaxing. So healing!

 

[Stardust262]

Laid-Back Camp Anime Gets New OVA on July 28

3rd BD of anime's 2nd season to include OVA // The official website of the Laid-Back Camp anime revealed on Friday that the third and final Blu-ray Disc of...

www.animenewsnetwork.com

Laid-Back Camp gets an OVA!

 

[Stardust262]

Laid-Back Camp Anime Gets New OVA on July 28

3rd BD of anime's 2nd season to include OVA // The official website of the Laid-Back Camp anime revealed on Friday that the third and final Blu-ray Disc of...

www.animenewsnetwork.com

Laid-Back Camp gets an OVA!

Looks like it’s actually 2 OVAs! One this Wednesday, the other July 28th!

 

[Stardust262]

I’m gonna be real sad when Super Cub ends in 2 weeks. Loved this week’s episode with all the snowy scenes.

Spoiler

Shii’s accident wasn’t that surprising given the characters discussing the icy roads prior, but it was definitely a massive shift tonally. Wonder how that’ll carry over into next week’s episode.

 

[chibkey]

That episode was pure bliss! Winter is my favorite season and I love snow so that episode made me happy. Also love how the super cub got modded so much based on needs, it looks nothing like when Koguma first got it.

Spoiler

I did have a hunch something might happen when Koguma saw Shii going past the barricaded road but thought nothing of it at the time.

 

[Stardust262]

The Cub’s been growing little by little just like Koguma lol

Seeing the pure, blissful fun her and Reiko had in the snow put a huge smile on my face; Koguma’s changed so much from episode 1. Though I’m not sure how safe it was for them to ride their Cubs without helmets, even with the snow to cushion them lol

 

[Stardust262]

This week’s Super Cub episode went by incredibly quick. I had paused it at one point, thinking it was maybe 8 minutes in or so, and it 2/3 of the way over!

Lots of emotions here, as the episode moves through moments of concern, recovery, realization, sadness, and potential hope. Can’t help but feel bad for Shii, but it looks like next week will help to revitalize her spirits.

Spoiler

The end of today’s episode was a nice way to show the girls are a trio of friends now, rather than Shii being on the outside looking it on Koguma and Reiko. Granted she still doesn’t have a Cub of her own to match theirs, but we still have next week to see her potentially get one. Can’t have her riding the Granny Bike after all!

I’ve seen a decent amount of complaints over how Koguma and Reiko handle Shii’s accident (ie not calling an ambulance), and while I get it, I think people are getting too bent out of shape over it. Of course they should’ve called one, as even though Shii didn’t have any injuries, she could’ve had hypothermia. I think the show’s intention was to clear away concerns over her immediate condition when Koguma rescues her, and instead focus on preventing her from getting sick from any continued exposure to the cold.

Besides, an episode with Shii at the hospital probably wouldn’t have been as enjoyable as the interactions we got with the 3 girls at Koguma’s apartment.

Next week we’ll presumably get to see some beautiful cherry blossoms, and sadly the final episode of a fantastic series.

 

[Stardust262]

Well it’s here, and the final episode of Super Cub really incapsulated what it means to be an iyashikei series.

One long, scenic trip (4 days for just the way there!) with tons of varying scenery. The girls get the chance to just ride their bikes over new roads, visit some cool stores and rest stops, take in the sights, and ultimately reach the very edge of Japan to seize their Spring.

And of course:

Spoiler

Shii finally gets her own super Cub. I honestly started to think she wouldn’t get one as the episode progressed, but she thankfully got to ring in her Spring with the symbol that brought her, Reiko, and Koguma together.

A minor moment, but I also really liked that Koguma pushed to travel a specific route so that Shii could check out some tea shops and cafes as inspiration for her Italian cafe at home. It shows that whatever uneasiness Koguma felt towards Shii (from her always passing her on her bike before Koguma gets her Cub) has definitively faded.

I’d adore a second season if we ever get one; we could even see the girls go to that Cub convention over the Summer! I don’t know how likely that’ll be, but I’ll hold out hope for a return to these locations, to these characters, and to their Cubs.

 

[Stardust262]

As you have perhaps seen from the Music thread, I’ve been watching Encouragement of Climb this past week. While it’s formatting is a little unusual, and no one ever talks about this show, I really ended up liking it.

What I mean by the format is this:

Season 1 is just 12 episodes with a length of 3 and a half minutes (along with an OVA of about 5 mins), so you only have around 40 minutes of content here in total once you take out the 30 sec Ending these. While these shorts are cute and, naturally, important for setting up the story and characters, they probably won’t knock your socks off. Well, maybe the OVA with the unexpected fanservice.

The we have the second season with 24 episodes (and 2 OVAs), which ups the runtime to 13 and a half minutes with regular length OPs and EDs. This is where the show starts to really give you the atmospheric style you’d expect from an iyashikei, with the longer episodes allowing for longer scenery shots and a more chill pacing.

It does, oddly, take a bit before they really get the atmospheric scenes down to an art form. At first I noticed a number of the scenery shots lacking any background music, which caused me to realize just how much a role that plays in crafting that sense of relaxation. But as the season goes on, they figure it out and give us some really nice moments of mountain climbing with the characters.

Then we have the only regular length episode in the whole series, a 27 minute OVA released in between seasons 2 and 3. It probably could’ve been cut into two half-length episodes since there are two stories here, but regardless both of them are very sweet. The second especially gives us some important backstory for Aoi and Hinata that we didn’t know the full story of prior.

And finally (for now) we have the 3rd season of 13 episodes, retaining the 13 and a half minute length. This was by far my favorite part of the show. By now they have the atmosphere down-pat, and we get some really endearing character moments for Aoi and Hinata. I wish this had gotten to be 24 episodes like season 2, but I shouldn’t complain with how great what we got was.

And luckily, a 4th season was confirmed in March! There’s still a lot for the show to cover story-wise (since the 3rd season stops in early November, but they can’t even climb Mt. Fuji again until the following Summer), so hopefully we’ll get even more seasons after that.

With the formatting as it is, there’s only the equivalent of about 22 and a half regular-length episodes here. So it’s certainly not a long watch, and I for one and glad I took by time appreciating it. It may take a little to get its stride going, but I do fully recommend it. It definitely scratched that atmospheric slice of life itch in my case.


Also Aoi best girl

 

[Stardust262]

Found this on Twitter:

 

[gsilver]

Very nice. I love a good anime sunset.



I'm a big fan of the Yokohama Shopping Log manga.
The only series where I've owned the Japanese version in multiple editions + I bought the artbook and postcard book

 

[Stardust262]

Been making my way through Hidamari Sketch recently; still got 18 episodes left to go. I’m gonna write about it here because I’ve seen others consider this to be an iyashikei, though I don’t think I quite agree.

While the show is undoubtably super chill and laid-back, it lacks the sense of atmosphere and focus on scenery that you’d expect to see. It’s got a lot of that Shaft stylization going on, which I don’t think really lends itself well to those missing elements to begin with.

So it’s kinda partway there for me, but personally I’d exclude it from a list of iyashikei shows. I think it’s more in-line with standard SOL shows like K-On and Is the Order a Rabbit instead (though I’ve also come across people who view those as iyashikei as well, so it’s all in the eye of the beholder).

It’s interesting to think about how people’s personal views and criteria for this genre can vary like this. Makes for interesting discussion on how each person defines what Iyashikei means to them.

Anyway, I’ll probably post other thoughts on the show when I’m done. Even though I don’t fully see it as iyashikei, I’m still liking it for what it is.

It’s also a treasure-trove of cool gifs:

 

[woody938]

10 years ago I made that into an icon

I also did this

 

[Stardust262]

Wrapped Hidamari up tonight. I am sadder than I thought to see it go; it was nice to just chill each night with some low-stakes episodes like these. It may not have elicited the same feelings as a full-on iyashikei would have for me, but I’m glad to have watched it for the feelings it did draw out of me.

Notably, I had considered watching Hidamari Sketch a few times in the past. Around September of last year I almost did, but a couple clips I had watched on YouTube kinda put me off it then. Obviously in hindsight it’s silly that that happened; I’m glad I eventually gave it a fair-shake.

I think Yuno is my favorite of the characters, which maybe isn’t surprising since she is the MC. She’s cute though, so points to her regardless.

Hiro’s the runner-up, since I admire her responsibility and caring demeanor.

Miya and Sae fill their roles well. I like that they didn’t push Miya to the extreme like they easily could have. Sure she’s out-there, but a different show would’ve gone all-in and made her a total chaos factor.

Nori and Nazuna are kinda just there, which is mainly due to them just not getting the same level of focus as the others (which is somewhat unavoidable with them being in two fewer seasons). They get a little at least, but I would’ve liked to see them fledged-out a bit more. As it is, Nori’s kinda just the straight-man, and Nazuna’s just a shyer Yuno.

Maybe that’ll change if another season ever comes about. I know the source material goes beyond where the show stops (and is still going to this day), so it’s always a possibility. Plus, it’d be a shame to never see Yuno’s graduation.

Overall, happy to have finally watched this chill series, regardless of however you choose to classify it.

 

[woody938]

I think I've been somewhere in season 2 for a while, though I think I have 3 seasons and a set of OVAs on DVD. There's not much to draw and animate so I guess it's a naturally lower budget show.

The moment I remember most was when I think Miya impersonated the principal.

 

[Stardust262]

I think they put more into the animation budget for the later seasons. Especially for the OP/EDs.

Or at least it seemed like it lol

 

[Stardust262]

Watched One Off, a short OVA series. Only 4 episodes of 15 minutes (or 2 episodes of 30 depending on where you watch it), so it doesn’t have a lot of time to flesh things out.

It does contain a lot of rural, mountainous scenery to look at, and I think it leaves you with a good message about chasing your dreams despite how hard it might seem. I like how the main character does experience meaningful growth over only an hour of total runtime as well.

Motorbikes/cycles feature heavily as well, so it has that in common with shows like Super Cub and Laid-Back Camp (Honda had a hand it in after all).

Just a short little ride at the end of the day. Not amazing, but it’s not a bad way to spend and hour. Probably could’ve worked as a full season if they wanted it to, but it is what it is.

 

[Stardust262]

Non Non Biyori Nonstop Anime Gets New Episode Bundled With Non Non Biyori Remember Manga

OAD to ship with compiled volume of manga that launched in May

www.animenewsnetwork.com

A new Non Non Biyori OVA is coming!

 

[Stardust262]

I could maybe see this Slow Loop show premiering in January being an iyashikei. Has the potential for nice visuals, but it seems so similar to Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater (which I don’t consider to be iyashikei) that I think it’ll need to prove itself. Here’s the preview though:

 

[Stardust262]

Aria the Crepuscolo is out! Truthfully the story isn’t the most noteworthy thing in the world, but the film looks absolutely stunning. I do think the message of the movie is a nice one, but only having an hour to tell it did restrict the scope of events a bit.

The style is a bit different from before due to the studio changing over to JC Staff, but they still made Neo Venezia feel rich and beautiful. It looked to me like they used this opportunity to stick in subtle cameos to some Amanchu characters in a couple of scenes. Characters who look an awful lot like Futaba and Pikari are riding in Alice’s gondola in once scene, and characters looking like Ai and Makoto are seen getting off of a ride on Akari’s as well. Some neat Easter eggs I didn’t expect to encounter, but are very fitting.

I don’t think this was as good as The Avvenire OVAs, but it still gave me the relaxation and bliss I was looking for from more Aria. Having modern animation backing the series now really elevates the beauty of the world in a way even the original seasons couldn’t match (not that I’m trying to put down the pre-Avvenire/Crepuscolo content of course).

Looking forward to The Benedizione!

 

[Stardust262]

We got the first PV for the 4th season of Encouragement of Climb just a few hours ago! It also confirms it’ll release sometime in 2022, though we don’t yet know the exact date or season (my guess would be probably Spring or Summer).

Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit TV Anime's Teaser Unveils More Cast, 2022 Debut

I hope this new character Koharu doesn’t disrupt the dynamic. It’s kinda strange to add a 6th character when Honoka already got added at the end of season 2, but I guess she does only show up occasionally.

 

[Stardust262]

New visual and information for the Laid-Back Camp movie releasing next year:

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ne...summer-2022-opening-new-teaser-visual/.178304

The article does confirm that the characters will be “a little bit older” and the movie will be anime-original content.

 

[Stardust262]

New PV is out for Aria the Benedizonie. Most of it is just old footage from the show, but at the end we get new footage:

 

[Stardust262]

Finally got to watch the two Laid-Back Camp season 2 specials. They’re only around 5 minutes long, and mostly just silly comedy, but hey at least they’re subbed after like 6 months.