I have a “type” of anime that I like. Broadly, I especially enjoy iyashikei (癒し系) anime and especially leaning into yuri (百合). Or rather, I believe that Iyashikei most accurately describes the kind of anime that I most enjoy and watch most frequently.

Roughly speaking, I would define Iyashikei/my type of anime as that which does not have a “plot”, specific antagonist, interposonal conflict, or adversity-driven character development, instead relying on atmosphere, “vibes,” and representations of peace. Most people would not enjoy such a genre.

These include the following.

I love the idea that their power levels are already maxed out. These worlds/characters have no need for the trivialities of shounen -style fight scenes, “passing one’s limits,” revenge, spite, etc. These characters have conquered the evil in their own hearts.

I also really like the following propositions:

  • A book such as Lord of the Flies argues that if one places “normal” (insofar as everything in their lives are predicated on violence, typical of the European style mental disability that is the angloid brain) boys on an island, they would brutalize eachother in a fascistic power struggle. Anime like Non Non Biyori argues that such a worldview is very much a “you” problem. And some people can live good lives without tyranizing eachother.
  • Humans are effectively gods, but for the wisdom. We have the power to destroy ourselves and the entire world. What does one do when they are a god but for the wisdom? According to anime like Kobayashi-san chi no Dragon Maid, you chill as a lesbian maid to be around one that you love. Tohru can teleport, fly, breathe fire, conjure food, etc. She, much like us, is, for all intents and purposes, all-powerful. And she chooses to be a maid. Because of Kobayashi-san. That is some next level shit.
  • One either believes that imperialism, colonialism, “might makes right,” and solving one’s problems are the expense of others are good/righteous modes of being, or one believes, as Tolstoy did, that “Little girls are wiser than men” . And all of the homies hate imperialism.

I have read enough history to see blood where others see rivers. Sometimes I look at my hands and see blood. Iyashikei serves as a daily reminder that another kind of humanity is possible. Iyashikei is probably one of the few things that has kept me afloat in a sea of cynicism. I think this is the core of why I enjoy Iyashikei; the lust for and valorization of violenice is a choice. Humanity has agency with respect to war, ethnic cleansing, arms dealing, and all of the other wretched aspects of industrial life. No one will ever convince me that the current state of the world is the optimal state of humanity, insofar as we can choose peace. Of course, one cannot unilaterally choose peace.

I know the linking of Yuri and iyashikei is mostly misguided, as I have seen especially middle school girls be absolutely brutal. I have seen a girl no older than 12 bring a 250+ pound man nearly to tears by berating him for his weight. Regardless, no one will ever take away Konohana Kitan from me.

Iyashikei never has any fan service and unlike many other kinds of anime, it never sexualizes minors because the focus is on “peace.” Despite the lack of plot, there is a real point to be made, leaving little time for “fluff.”

For those willing to give it a chance, I would most recommend Non Non Biyori. If you dont like the first season and the movie, then the genre is probably just not for you. But to dislike Renge is to reject one’s own inner child. Such a consciousness is truly pathetic, as such a position means that one has allowed capitalism to consume one’s soul.

I think I sometimes fantasize about being “acceptable just as I am,” rather than being treated merely as a productive agent. Maybe capitalism has just beaten me down enough to push me into the Iyashikei pipeline…

But we live in a world of spiritually dead people who will rape civilizations without a second thought and until that changes, I will do what I must to survive and thrive in this world. 60% of humanity is simply neither ready for, nor capable of the peace described in the Iyashikei genre.