Forum

Is anybody familiar with the term iyashii-kei when used in the anime fandom? From what I hear, it is supposed to mean "healing-type" in Japanese, and it often associated with shows like Aria and Bincho-tan. Having seen Aria, I can definitely understand how it might be described as such a calm, relaxing show in general.

Though I'm not sure if the term can extend to, say, the whole moe fascination in Japan (to a Japanese otaku, wouldn't a character that is drawn moe be considered an object of healing?).

Please... iyashikei, not iyashii-kei. That extra i-mora makes all the difference between "healing" and "vile"... Sad

Yah, you hear the term iyashikei used to describe many of the slow-paced, feelgood shows like Aria, YKK, etc. -- many of the same shows that used to be called (and still are) yuushou ("beautiful, quiet scene").

New jargon comes along all the time, often describing with a new phrase something that already had a descriptive name. Probably just to show that the fans are hip to the latest fashions.

And no, iyashikei is functionally independent of moe, though it is of course possible for the two areas to overlap (e.g. Aria).

I'm not exactly sure I'd label Binchou-tan in with iyashikei, though... but what do I know? I'm an old fogey who still says yuushou.

- abunai

Some linguistic notes about iyashikei --if you don't mind straying away from anime for a bit. . .

The root verb is iyasu, which means variously to heal, cure, quench (as in thirst), relieve (pain or stress), and hence to calm or relax. The word has become popular over the course of the last two decades or so as the focus (in the post bubble '90s) has shifted from the accumulation of material wealth to finding a better spiritual balance --or at the very least, seeking means of even momentarily escaping from the strains of the every day.

Hence anything from an herbal drink or a beautiful mountain view or even a visit to a hot spring resort can be described in this way: one bather at the hot spring might say to another, for example, "Iyasareru née," ("This is so relaxing,") to which the other would nod and reply, "Hontoni née" ("You said it!").

The suffix -kei ("type of" or "variety of") is used to describe a genre or class of stories, movies, publications, etc. So for example anime, manga, books, and movies featuring pretty, young girls (bishôjo) could be described as bishôjokei.

Apart from its use in describing anime (and I agree with abunai's anime choices in applying the term) the most, uh, eyebrow raising use of the word in recent years has to be in reference to nude gravure models. The first and as far as I can tell most notable instance of this was in 2005 when aspiring actress Miura Atsuko came out with her second photo book ("Sanctuary"), which broke some sales records and was widely hailed for its "iyashi"ness.

She came out with several more books and a few straight-to-video ("v-cinema") films in quick succession, but her acting career never really went very far and, in perhaps the most dramatic move of her life, she suddenly announced this year that she was marrying and giving up the public life altogether. Well, it's nice to know that at least she is a font of "iyashi" (or whatever) for her lucky husband. . .

Some up-and-coming models (some choosing to remain clothed and others not) continue to be described as being iyashikei, but these days the term has lost a bit of its punch simply because of its age. Still, and perhaps thanks more than anything to continuing economic woes and the very human desire to seek release from the rat race, iyashikei has demonstrated admirable staying power.

Of course when you think about it, whatever might be "iyashi" to you might not be for the next guy --it's completely subjective. But it tells you something about the way in which Japanese at least like to perceive themselves as living in a homogeneous society, where they can come up with an entire class of subjective experiences and group them together --as if everyone is somehow expected to have the same reaction to them (or at least keep quiet about it if they don't!).

On a more personal note, while I much appreciate the restorative powers of the herb tea, the view, and the hot spring, not to mention the, er, invigoratingly soft charms of Ms Miura, I have to admit that Aria put me to sleep. I'll take my anime "iyashi" in small doses, please Wink

Thanks for the help you guys. I especially learned a lot from kornpone's linguistic notes about the phrase. Smile

And I agree that the whole 'iyashi' element is totally subjective - one person can enjoy the slow-paced feel of such a series, while another person will simply doze off depending on their mood and how they are willing to view the series. A recent show that I am watching called Sketchbook ～full color's～ seems to have that iyashikei feel to it that I find relaxing in a series, but I am certain that many would find it boring as a result.

I'm not sure if explicitly adding 'iyashi' elements in anime is entirely a new thing, one that possibly made YKK or Aria ground-breaking among Japanese (and American otaku) in the first place.

I suppose after a busy or stressful day, one would watch an iyashikei title simply to relax or fall asleep, and not merely to be entertained. Wink

My pleasure failsafe!

Yeah, "Sketchbook ～full color's～" is another one that sent me into the arms of Morpheus quicker than a tall glass of hot milk Wink

--It's funny, given that they're both about art students, but "Hidamari Sketch x365" never had that effect on me. One man's iyashiis another man's. . .

[ -- completely OT alert -- ]

Oddly enough the word "iyashi" has made it into the news headlines in Japan this week, with a mini scandal involving a late night variety program ("Yorosen!") that aired last Thursday on TV Tokyo. The program features girls from various 'idol' groups in a classroom setting, teaching each other trivia.

During a history segment, Nakajima Saki (age 14!) of the group ℃－ute gave a presentation about "iyashi no Hitler-ojisan" ("healing uncle Hitler") in which she absolutely bizarrely described the arch despot's speeches as having an "iyashi" effect --among other things too un-PC to mention.

A few days later TV Tokyo posted an apology on their website, but it remains to be seen whether anyone will be seriously taken to task for this fiasco.

So far I haven't seen mention of this anywhere in the Western press, but I'm sure it'll turn up eventually. Just remember, you read it here first Wink

Thus is explained another of PaniPoni Dash!'s many many injokes. Behoimi is called a iyashi-kei (healing-type) magical girl. Her supposed magical power actually is healing, but this description makes it punny. Thanks for the thorough explanations, Abunai and kornpone Smile

abunai wrote:

... but what do I know? I'm an old fogey who still says yuushou.

Im unhip enough to use the english -- slice of life. Razz

Eruanna wrote:

abunai wrote:

... but what do I know? I'm an old fogey who still says yuushou.

Im unhip enough to use the english -- slice of life. Razz

Oh no, yuushou is not necessaily identical to slice-of-life, though they certainly overlap. In yuushou, the focus is on the emotional stirring caused by the gentle magnificence of the scenery, whether natural or man-made, with the characters playing a somewhat reactive rôle in relation to the landscape. Slice-of-life, on the other hand, is largely character-driven, focussing on the daily lives of the characters.

- abunai

yes, but in english we dont really have a word for what your talking about, so with the lack of Japanese terminology, it would probably be filed as slice of life. My point was that Im not "hip" enough to use the Japanese words at all, I stick to english.

Eruanna wrote:

yes, but in english we don't really have a word for what your talking about, so with the lack of Japanese terminology, it would probably be filed as slice of life. My point was that Im not "hip" enough to use the Japanese words at all, I stick to english.

Ah, I see what you mean. Yes, it is hard to find an English equivalent... I've been looking for le mot juste for years, viz. this post from 2004.

- abunai

Eruanna wrote:

yes, but in english we don't really have a word for what your talking about, so with the lack of Japanese terminology, it would probably be filed as slice of life. My point was that Im not "hip" enough to use the Japanese words at all, I stick to english.

Using "slice of life" can be quite misleading, as most popular titles in that genre are comedic e.g. Azumanga Daioh. For the record, while Yotsuba&! is somewhat iyashi-kei, it is still far from yuushou (except one specific panel).