Summary
Anime has brought all sorts of bombastic stories to life. A robot boy has to prove his humanity inAstro Boy. Magical girls protect the world from aliens inSailor Moon. Musclebound monkey men shout angrily and throw energy beams at each other inDragon Ball Z.What else could match that hype? How about a show about four girls going camping around Japan?
Laid-Back Camp, orYuru Camp, doesn’t have explosions, heart-pounding drama, or near-death experiences. It’s just high schoolers Rin, Nadeshiko, Chiki, and Aoi recording their time traveling cross-country via Japan’s different campsites. It’s part of the iyashikei genre, where cozy slice-of-life tales are the name of the game, including plenty ofrelaxing anime likeLaid-Back Campfor fans to check out.
8Yama no Susume
MyAnimeList Score: 6.83
Just because iyashikei stories are soft doesn’t mean they don’t have drama. The term means “healing,” so their stories often involve a lead recovering from something, even if it’s as simple as loneliness, adjusting to a new location, or a fear of heights as Aoi, the protagonist ofYama No Susume(or “Encouragement of Climb”), shows.
She used to love climbing as a kid, but after she had an accident, she became more introverted and focused on indoor hobbies. But when she reconnects with her old climbing friend Hinata, she gets back into the hobby, makes new friends, and comes back out of her shell as she overcomes her fear. Aoi’s recovering from her hardships, just as the reader may escape into iyashikei to recover from their own.
7Tamayura
MyAnimeList Score: 7.35
If fans want a series that’ll keep them busy,Tamayurahas multiple OVAs, seasons, and a movie series (though each movie ranges between 50–60 minutes). If fans are lucky, they can track down the original four-episode OVA made when its source manga was still new. But the anime they’ll want to track down areTamayura: Hitotose,Tamayura: More Aggressive, and theTamayura: Sotsugyō Shashinmovies.
They cover Fū’s journey to get to know her late father more, from her move to his old hometown to her growinginterest in photographyvia her dad’s old camera. She’s particularly interested in capturing speckles of light, or “tamayura.” From there, she makes a variety of friends, from the aromatic romantic Kaoru to the pastry enthusiast Norie. The series follows them through their school years, right up to graduation, bringing Fū’s story full circle.
Flying Witchspices up the girl-goes-to-the-countryside story by throwing some magic into the mix. Literally. Makoto is a witch-in-training who moves from her home in Yokohama to the comparatively quieter Hirosaki in Aomori in the north. She’s got a lot to adjust to, particularly when she gets lost easily.
Luckily, her friends and relatives are there to help her out, like her surprisingly unflappable aunt Nana, and herbrash gyaru elder sisterAkane. That, and her cat familiar Chito. She even manages to impress her younger cousin Chinatsu enough for her to become her apprentice. Together, they explore Hirosaki and its supernatural side, and end up going on funny, gentle adventures.
For a sci-fi twist,Aria: The Animationtakes viewers to the 24th century, where humanity has not only gone to space but has terraformed Mars into a new planet called Aqua. It’s lush with a breathable atmosphere and plenty of water. Enough to build Neo Venezia, a space-age city modeled after Venice with gondolas and canals.
It’s become quite a tourist attraction, and the Aria Company is one of the best at providing guided tours via its Undines (tour guides). The series follows Akari, a new Undine from Manhome (Earth) who gets as acquainted with Neo Venezia as her tourists do. It makes foran upbeat seriesthat, with its beautiful art and soundtrack, never fails to put a smile on the viewers’ faces.
4Hakumei And Mikochi
MyAnimeList Score: 7.69
If fans prefer more fantasy in their iyashikei, they might like to giveHakumei and Mikochia go. It’s akin to stories likeThe SmurfsandThe Borrowers, as it’s all about tiny people who live in the woods. Two of whom, the peppy carpenter Hakumei and the calm tailor Mikochi, live in a house they built into a tree. Their personalities are as different as they can get, but they’re the best of friends.
Together, they get into all sorts of adventures as they go about their day-to-day life. It would sound almost as kiddy asThe Smurfsif it didn’t have the odd grown-up element, like Sen’s workforce of animated skeletons, or the two resting up at Kobone’s pub. But from stories about singing contests to repairing stone walls,Hakumei and Mikochiis about as gentle as the genre gets.
The problem with being easy-going is that life isn’t always sunshine and roses. There’s always something that’s going to require some effort to get around. But, inTanaka-kun is Always Listless, the titular Tanaka would rather keep things as simple as possible. With his sleepy looks, lack of attentiveness, and ability to doze off anywhere at any time, Tanaka would prefer to keep his life as uneventful as possible.
Some of his classmates find his high amounts of chill inspiring, like Miyano, or even appealing, like Shiraishi. But Tanaka’s listlessness keeps him from noticing things like love or romance. If anything, he’d rather marry his best friend Ohta just because he takes care of most of the heavy-duty stuff. Either way, he does his best to breeze through life, no matter how much his classmates try to excite things.
K-On!isn’t strictly part of the iyashikei genre, though it’s still a sweet, light-hearted comedy that makes for a relaxing watch. It began life as a four-panel comedy manga, which caught on so well that it would get two spin-off manga (one about the main cast at college, another about a different cast inspired by the originals), a series of rhythm games made by Sega, and an anime series and movie.
It’s about four girls who join their school’slight music clubto keep it from being disbanded, even though they’re its only members. They’re not particularly accomplished musicians either, as Yui has trouble playing instruments. But by practicing regularly and working hard, they gain new members and end up becoming a musical tour-de-force.
Based on the manga by Atto,Non Non Biyoriis perhaps the most similar show toLaid-Back Camp, as it also involves a group of girls getting by in the countryside. Only it isn’t a holiday. It’s where they live. City slicker Hotaru gets transferred to the rural town of Asahigaoka, where the nearest stores are miles away, and the schools are so small they have one student per grade.
Nonetheless, she manages to make friends and adjust to a calmer pace of life. The only intense scenes on offer here are comedic ones, like Hotaru’s friend Natsumi teasing her elder sister Komari about being taller than her, or her other friend Renge speaking with cat-like mannerisms and phrases. On top of receiving thirty-six episodes and an OVA, the series also got an animated movie inNon Non Biyori Vacation.
