Anime has always served as a form of escapism by drawing people into colorful worlds filled with vivacious characters and engaging plot lines. With Coronavirus spreading around the world, many of us are stuck indoors and fighting cabin fever and general anxiety from dire news stories. To fight this, we've put together a list of the most relaxing anime to help comfort people who are feeling stressed or isolated from social distancing.

We wouldn't normally condone using anime to become a shut-in but desperate times call for desperate measures! Many of these anime fall within the Iyashikei genre, which is a subset of anime meant to heal and soothe the viewers with minimal conflict and emphasizing the small pleasures in life. Note that by stress-free anime, we don't mean that these shows are boring -- just that they don't cause any emotional distress to the viewer and provide a light, yet fulfilling experience.

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Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

This anime is a wonderful combination of slice of life and magic. The main character is a nondescript computer programmer named Kobayashi (her surname) who meets a dragon named Tohru one drunken night. Tohru becomes Kobayashi's maid and learns about the joys and hardships of a normal life.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid has a magical and nonmagical cast of delightful characters and explores the idea of forming connections during adulthood. Never has watching someone else's mundane activities been depicted so well and watching the episode feels like hanging out with good friends. The smooth animation, cozy colors and gentle storyline will warm you up like a cup of hot chocolate and soothe away the isolation you might be feeling from being stuck inside.

Watch all 14 episodes on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Netflix.

Sweetness and Lightning

An image from Sweetness and Lightning, an anime that combines family and food.

Cooking anime and mukbangs have always had a place in entertainment as we're oddly fascinated with watching other people eat and cook. Sweetness and Lightning hits the right spot by combining the two into a story about a teacher named Kohei Inuzaka learning to cook homemade meals for his five-year daughter, Tsumugi, with the help of a high school student named Kotori. The premise is simple and allows us to quietly enjoy watching the characters grow closer over beautifully animated dishes.

Watch all 12 episodes on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

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My Roommate is a Cat

Haru and Subaru looking at each other in My Roommate is a Cat.

You don't have to be a cat lover to enjoy this heartwarming anime that tells a story about a writer and a cat he adopts. Subaru Mikazuki is a mystery writer who has recently lost his parents and adopts a cat called Haru and the story is told from both of their perspectives to help us understand how they grow closer.

While the premise is pretty grave, it's beautiful to see the two unlikely friends become family and fill the empty spaces in each other's lives. My Roommate is a Cat about learning to connect and to love, which is more important than ever in times of fear. The anime has low stakes, as many slice of life anime do, and has a purity to its emotional warmth that smooths out your rough edges.

Watch all 12 episodes on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

Flying Witch

flying witch anime

If you're a fan of Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service, Flying Witch is a must-watch as it brings back the idea of a witch moving out to seek independence. In this magical tale, the heroine of the story is Makoto Kowata and she moves with her black cat familiar (Chito) to Aomori, a magical hotbed, to study witchcraft while living with her relatives.

Normally, magic anime are ostentatiously flashy but Flying Witch takes a subtler approach to exploring witchcraft. The whimsical storyline has no conflicts, happy characters and a pleasant atmosphere that makes this anime a truly calming watch.

Watch all 12 episodes on Crunchyroll.

RELATED: Why Kiki's Delivery Service Is The Perfect Coming of Age Story

Aria

This anime is one of the oldest entries on this list and has stuck around in the public consciousness for good reason. Aria takes place on a terraformed Mars during the 24th century and revolves around a girl named Akari Mizunashi. Akari is training to be an apprentice gondolier, otherwise known as an Undine, in a utopian, futuristic city called Neo-Venezia (the city heavily resembles Venice).

The landscapes and music are absolutely beautiful while the relaxed pacing and optimistic worldview allows viewers to leisurely enjoy the stories. In a time where we feel trapped at home, Aria is the perfect anime to escape into for some much-needed positivity.

Watch the first season on Crunchyroll and the other two seasons on Viewster.

Usagi Drop

Daikichi carrying his daughter in Usagi Drop.

Usagi Drop is another anime with a sad premise in which, despite the cute name, the main character Daikichi Kawachi loses his grandfather in the beginning. But, like My Roommate is a Cat, he finds unexpected solace at the funeral by finding Rin Kaga, his grandfather's illegitimate six-year-old daughter whom everyone shuns.

Daikichi adopts the girl in a compassionate move and what follows next is a realistic tale of the trials and tribulations of single parenthood. Each episode is animated so warmly and Rin's considerate personality coupled with Daikichi's growing openness leads to an adorable anime that will give you the sweet fuzzies.

Watch all 11 episodes on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

Barakamon

If you need a change of scenery from your suburban/city setting, dive into Barakamon, which takes place in the countryside. The plot begins with Seishuu Handa, a talented yet arrogant calligrapher who takes violent offense at a critique and is exiled to the Goto Islands. There, he meets a cast of quirky middle school children and elderly men who refuse to let him concentrate yet bring him out of his self-absorbed shell.

Seishuu learns to open up to the beauty around him, finding inspiration and relaxation everywhere, and we, the audience, can learn that lesson as well. This anime has energetic humor and watching Seishuu become a part of the rural community while slowing down to enjoy life day by day will coax a smile from you.

Watch all 12 episodes on Funimation and Amazon Prime.

Non Non Biyori

Non Non Biyori Characters Having Picnic

High/middle schools are common settings for anime as they provide the perfect background for characters to bond in. Non Non Biyori turns this trope on its head by taking place in a small rural village in Asahigaoka and decreasing the class size to five. The dynamics are shaken up by Hotaru Ichijo, a mature fifth-grader who transfers in from Tokyo, but the smaller class size allows the anime to properly develop each character. The exquisitely detailed rural backgrounds and ambient soundtrack provides a relaxing backdrop to the brightly colored moe girls having fun together.

Watch all 12 episodes on Crunchyroll.

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Squid Girl

Remember how every single anime has to have that beach scene with jiggling oppai and slow-motion running through the water? Well, Squid Girl takes the iconic beach concept and runs with it by centering the story around the titular Squid Girl character as she vows to take over the world as retribution for polluted oceans.

This seems like the beginning of a shonen anime but Squid Girl actually ends up working as a waitress for Lemon Beach House. The episodes are filled with laughter and charming humor as Squid Girl tries to adapt to her surroundings amidst quirky characters and golden sunshine. This is a great anime to binge to recall those summer vibes and to remember that warmer days are coming.

Watch both seasons on Crunchyroll.

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