Some anime are renowned for their action-packed storytelling or their sophisticated and complex themes. But sometimes fans just need something relaxing, comforting and accessible to watch -- and there are plenty of wholesome options to choose from, such as Laid-Back Camp and Flying Witch.
These two particular series are among the best at what they do, helping the viewer unwind and take things easy after a long day, almost like a hot meal and soothing bubble bath for the mind. Both Flying Witch and Laid-Back Camp have a lot to offer and have much in common, but one of them has a slight edge on the other as both comfort food and entertainment.
The Everyday Magic Of Flying Witch
Flying Witch is a bit obscure in mainstream anime, but for fans looking for a comforting iyashikei series to spend an evening with, this title is bound to come up sooner than later -- and for good reason. The anime may only have one season and the manga publishes new volumes slowly, but even so, Flying Witch makes for a great introduction to the relaxing iyashikei subgenre.
This is the story of the young trainee witch Makoto Kowata, a charming girl in her late teens who has fun practicing her benevolent witchcraft in an everyday setting in Aoimori Prefecture with her friends and family. Flying Witch isn't a spooky Halloween anime -- it's more like a slice-of-life story with magic and black cats added in, and Makoto is perfectly relatable as a protagonist.
She is a gentle and kind girl who just wants to help people, and is working hard to make something of herself and become someone her witch sister Akane can be proud of. Even if Makoto's spells sometimes go awry, Flying Witch doesn't have any serious conflict or drama in it, nor any supernatural battles. It's all about the joy of everyday life and the value of family, all with gentle witchcraft flair and innocent humor.
Laid-Back Camp Explores The Great Outdoors
Laid-Back Camp is a bit more mainstream as a slice-of-life seinen series; it counts not just as iyashikei, but also as "cute girls doing cute things," another beloved anime subgenre. The pink-haired protagonist Nadeshiko and her high school classmates have formed an outdoor exploration club, and they'll scrape together every dime of their allowances to buy the right tents, sleeping bags and cookware to build the perfect camp and learn something along the way.
Nadeshiko and the crew tour the entire country, one campground to another, and behold the nation's most dazzling natural features, landscapes and vistas. It helps that their new kuudere friend, Rin, is a veteran camper who can correct their mistakes and show them how it's really done.
Laid-Back Camp also has some serious edutainment value, showcasing dozens of real-life natural features and locations found all over Japan, almost like an animated National Geographic. Nadeshiko and the viewer alike will also learn the ins and outs of camping, which is more complex than merely pitching a tent and roasting marshmallows. Piece by piece, Nadeshiko and her friends come to appreciate what it really means to get away from it all and explore the great outdoors as self-sufficient campers. It may even help them grow as people and grow closer as friends.
Flying Witch Vs. Laid-Back Camp: Which Is The Ideal Relaxing Anime?
Both Flying Witch and Laid-Back Camp have immense value as relaxing, high-quality iyashikei anime titles, and they strike even on many counts from animation quality to wholesomeness and sheer charm. In the end though, Laid-Back Camp has the edge in a few key ways.
For one thing, Laid-Back Camp simply has more material -- including a live-acton adaptation -- than Flying Witch does. Anyone seeking a comfort food anime can savor the flavor of Camp for more than twice as long. What is more, Laid-Back Camp takes place mainly in the great outdoors; the natural world is nearly always a calming, comforting form of escapism, whether a person is actually there or just looking at a photo or realistic painting of natural vistas. This may also tie in to the Japanese concept of "forest bathing," or refreshing the mind by spending time in nature, and forests in particular.
Finally, Laid-Back Camp has better and more charming music than Flying Witch, and it also has some of the most thematic music in all of anime. Camp has a lively soundtrack of American country-style music, complete with cheerful whistling, upbeat banjo twanging, fiddles, harmonicas and the upright bass. At times, American anime fans in particular might feel like they're watching an extended, anime-style ad for a wilderness outfitter store, and for all the right reasons. After hearing that music, any charmed viewer will want to rush out and buy their own tent, go hiking and try some forest bathing for real. It's a real-life iyashikei waiting to happen.