Highlights
- Iyashikei manga provides a soothing and relaxing escape from intense series, focusing on interactions between characters.
- These manga often fall into genres like slice-of-life, romance, comedy, and family-themed stories.
- Grab a warm cup of tea and enjoy these heartwarming and light-hearted reads that offer a different kind of escapism.
While most anime and manga fans will never tire of the non-stop adrenaline rushes certain series provide, sometimes they need a little break from a particularly intense one. Iyashikei, or ‘healing’ manga exist for that very reason. These series lack any overt conflict and are more of a different kind of escapism, one where the reader can relax and enjoy the interactions between the characters.
9 Short Manhwa You Can Read In One Sitting
These manhwa are ideal for readers searching for interesting reads that won’t require much time to finish.
As expected, most of these manga fall into the slice-of-life and the ‘cute girls doing cute things’ genres. There are also plenty of romances, comedies, and family-themed stories. Readers may want to grab a warm cup of tea for these, to enhance their experience.
12 Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon and Mu
MyAnimeList Score: 7.41
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Release Date |
2007-11-26 |
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Creator |
Junji Ito |
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Number of Volumes |
1 |
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English Publisher |
Kodansha USA |
It seems legendary horror manga artist Junji Ito created this comic just so fans can cleanse their palette after reading his more terrifying offerings. A sort of memoir, Junji Ito’s Cat Diary follows the mangaka as he, a dog person, grows more affectionate towards his fiancée’s two cats.
Even though this is a comedy, it certainly isn’t immune to Ito’s surreal art style and weirdness, especially regarding his hallucinations about Yon and Mu.
11 Cheerful Amnesia
MyAnimeList Score: 7.49
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Release Date |
2016-06-27 |
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Creator |
Tamamushi Oku |
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Number of Volumes |
6 |
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English Publisher |
Yen Press |
Most ‘amnesiac lover’ plots are fairly serious, but Cheerful Amnesia plays this common trope for light-hearted chuckles. Mari Satou is afraid her girlfriend, Arisa Suzuki, has fallen out of love with her after her memory loss. Luckily for her, Arisa is ecstatic to find out she and Mari are lovers. And so begins the couple’s journey to rekindle their romance.
While most yuri stories are fairly angsty, this one is more laid-back and comedic, with Arisa and Mari trying to slowly rebuild their relationship and recover Arisa’s memories.
10 Today’s Menu For The Emiya Family
MyAnimeList Score: 7.78
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Release Date |
2016-01-26 |
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Creator |
TAa |
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Number of Volumes |
Ongoing |
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English Publisher |
Denpa |
Fate/stay night is a gigantic franchise and has some of the most delicious-looking food in anime history, so it comes as little surprise that there’d be a food-focused spin-off. Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family works as a palette cleanser after the action and drama-focused main series.
Set in an alternate universe, this series focuses on various characters from the franchise cooking for each other and creating bonds throughout the four seasons of the year.
9 A Man & His Cat
MyAnimeList Score: 8.32
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Release Date |
2017 |
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Creator |
Umi Sakurai |
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Number of Volumes |
Ongoing |
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English Publisher |
Square Enix Manga |
It seems kitties and relaxation go hand-in-hand, and it’s not hard to see why. A Man & His Cat has a simple setup – an elderly man visits a pet store to adopt a cat, but instead of choosing a cute kitten, he picks a chubby adult cat.
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The growing bond between the man and the cat is truly heartwarming, and the manga’s success speaks for itself. The series was a runner-up at the Next Manga Awards, and it was even adapted into a live-action series in January 2021.
8 Fly Me to the Moon
MyAnimeList Score: 8.19
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Release Date |
2018-02-14 |
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Creator |
Kenjiro Hata |
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Number of Volumes |
25 |
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English Publisher |
Viz Media |
Possibly one of the cutest romances in manga, Fly Me to the Moon follows Nasa Yuzaki, a teenager bullied for his strange name, and Tsukasa Tsukuyomi, a mysterious girl wh7o agrees to become Nasa’s girlfriend, but only after they’re married.
Nasa spends the next two years searching for Tsukasa to no avail, until his 18th birthday. Tsukasa unexpectedly shows up at his doorstep with paperwork to legalize their relationship. And so begins their journey as a newly married couple.
7 Sasaki & Miyano
MyAnimeList Score: 8.54
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Release Date |
2016-02-26 |
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Creator |
Shou Harusono |
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Number of Volumes |
Ongoing |
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English Publisher |
Yen Press |
There’s no shortage of cutesy, lovey-dovey titles in the boy’s love genre, and Sasaki & Miyano is no exception. Sasaki Shumei, an upperclassman, saves Miyano Yoshikazu, another high-schooler who’s also a fan of BL manga, from having to deal with bullies. Sasaki and Miyano form a special bond when the latter starts lending his BL to the former.
Instead of any overt angst, the two decide to communicate their issues and grow closer as a result, with an ‘aww’-inducing relationship dynamic.
6 Sweetness & Lightning
MyAnimeList Score: 8.13
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Release Date |
2013-02-07 |
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Creator |
Gido Amagakure |
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Number of Volumes |
12 |
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English Publisher |
Kodansha USA |
A story about a hardworking single dad and his five-year-old daughter? Seems like the perfect recipe for an Iyashikei series. Speaking of recipes, Sweetness & Lightning follows high-school teacher and widow Kouhei Inuzuka and his daughter Tsumugi as they share meals with each other.
With the help of one of his students, Kotori Iida, Kouhei takes it upon himself to cook for his daughter at Kotori’s mother’s restaurant. And thus, the three of them share many sweet moments through the power of cooking.
5 Non Non Biyori
MyAnimeList Score: 8.21
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Release Date |
2009-09-26 |
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Creator |
Atto |
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Number of Volumes |
16 |
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English Publisher |
Seven Seas Entertainment |
A classic ‘cute girls doing cute things’ manga, Non Non Biyori follows fifth-grader Hotaru Ichijo as she moves into the countryside from the city due to her dad’s work transfer. Hotaru then has to adjust to her new life and a school consisting of only five students.
The manga and anime have no overarching plot, meaning most of the series’ charm and humor come from the interactions between its colorful cast of adorable characters, making it perfect for readers who just want to relax.
4 Komi Can’t Communicate
MyAnimeList Score: 8.13
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Release Date |
2016-05-18 |
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Creator |
Oda Tomohito |
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Number of Volumes |
Ongoing |
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English Publisher |
Viz Media |
The manga series that took Twitter by storm, Komi Can’t Communicate instantly charmed readers with its relatable female lead. Shoko Komi, despite being the popular girl at her school, has terrible social skills and no friends. Hitohito Tadano, Komi’s classmate, reaches out to her, promising to help her befriend a hundred people.
With a cute premise and an accurate depiction of social anxiety, readers will easily take to the characters and root for Komi to succeed in her goal of making friends.
3 Girls’ Last Tour
MyAnimeList Score: 8.70
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Release Date |
2014-02-21 |
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Creator |
Tsukumizu |
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Number of Volumes |
6 |
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English Publisher |
Yen Press |
An Iyashikei slice-of-life in a post-apocalyptic wasteland? It’s a combo that shouldn’t work, but it does. The protagonists, Chito and Yuuri, two survivors of an apocalypse, roam around the city of Kettenkrad looking for food and supplies, other survivors, and hints of any existing civilizations.
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The world may be gray and barren for now, but as long as the main characters have each other, there may yet be a little bit of color left. After all, it’s the end of the world as they know it, and they feel fine.
2 Laid-Back Camp
MyAnimeList Score: 8.40
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Release Date |
07-2015 |
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Creator |
Afro |
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Number of Volumes |
Ongoing |
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English Publisher |
Yen Press |
Camping is an inherently relaxing activity, so, of course, there’s a manga about it. Nadeshiko Kagamihara invites her friend Rin Shima to join their school’s camping club. Together with their classmates, Chiaki Ogaki and Aoi Inuyama, they travel around Japan exploring the great outdoors.
Nominated for an Eisner Award in 2019, Laid-Back Camp has inspired many readers to go camping even if it is something they wouldn’t have done otherwise. The anime adaptation even led to several campgrounds experiencing a significant increase in visitors.
1 Yotsuba&!
MyAnimeList Score: 8.89
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Release Date |
2003-01-21 |
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Creator |
Kiyohiko Azuma |
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Number of Volumes |
Ongoing |
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English Publisher |
Yen Press |
Created by the same person behind Azumanga Daioh, Yotsuba&! is a similarly cute, slice-of-life manga about a preschool girl and her daily life. There’s no plot continuity; it’s literally a series about how five-year-old Yotsuba discovers the world around her. And perhaps that’s why this is the best series for a relaxing read.
Readers will be able to escape back into the comfort and warmth of childhood through Yotsuba&!, and the cast of quirky characters will be more than enough to keep their attention across several volumes. Along with its commercial success, the manga has also received several awards and critical acclaim.
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