There’s “iyashikei,” or “healing” anime, “… created with the specific purpose of having a healing or soothing effect on the audience. Works of this kind often involve alternative realities with little to no conflict, emphasizing nature and the little delights in life.” In general I find these shows annoyingly bland. The few such that I like, I enjoy in spite of, not because of, their soothing nature.
On the other hand, there is what I think of as “convalescent” anime, shows to marathon when you’re starting to recover from an illness. Something invigorating with a good story and likable characters is what I want then, and the better efforts of Tatsuo Sato are perfect. Mouretsu Pirates has served me well in the past. A few days ago I watched Shingu yet again. It works every time.
I grabbed a few more screencaps along the way.
