The cozy season is soon upon us. For many of us, that means time with family and friends. However, if work, personal circumstances, or distance prevent you from seeing loved ones during the holidays, don’t spend those long nights feeling cold and lonely. You can get a solid fuwa-fuwa fix with these cozy animes. Whether you pace or binge them, you’ll surely get a dose of warmth and fluffiness from the following titles.
Non Non Biyori — Small Town Joys
In Japan, they refer to anime meant to bring harmony to the viewer as iyashikei. Filled with peaceful scenes and lovable characters, these anime promote well-being in watchers. Few shows do this better than Non Non Biyori. The show is a definitive cozy anime based on the manga by Atto (art and story). Boasting three anime seasons, several OVAs, and a movie, Non Non Biyori is one of Silver Link’s most-loved shows. You can see the care and affection the staff placed into every breathtaking scene.
When Hotaru Ichijou moves from hyperactive Tokyo to the rural village of Asahigaoka, it seems like she’s in for a rough transition. There’s nothing to do in Asahigaoka and there are so few kids that her class consists of four students of different grades. Yet, with the new scenery comes a sense of peacefulness. Hotaru quickly integrates into the close-knit community. As she and her newfound friends, the elementary schooler Renge Miyauchi and middle school sister duo Komari and Natsumi Koshigaya, grow close, their adventures spread far. By seeing and appreciating the company and country sights in a way that only a kid can, Non Non Biyori brings comfort. It shows you that appreciating the little things results in earnest joy.
Sakura Quest — The Power of Friendship Helps You Thrive
The cozy anime Sakura Quest is about finding familial bonds outside of family.
Sakura Quest is an original P.A. Works anime (with a follow-up manga adaptation) that follows Yoshino Koharu. Bored of rural life, she moves to Tokyo for exciting and glamorous opportunities. But that endeavor goes as well as the maiden voyage of the Titanic. When it seems she’s as lucky as a dodo, an odd job offer comes along. Should she want it, she can become the queen of the “Kingdom of Chupakabura,” a rural town’s attraction. And, in that capacity, she needs to help revitalize the town. While initially she disheartedly agrees, after forming deep bonds, Yoshino helps Manoyama bloom.
Minami-ke — Nothing Is Stronger than Family
Having siblings is a confusing endeavor; that bond will cause overwhelming joy and severe anger throughout your life. But once that love is firmly established, there’s little that can take the bond of brother or sisterhood away. Anime makes a huge deal about siblings, yet a spark’s always missing. It’s like the shows only ever focus on surface-level affection and love. On the other hand, the cozy anime Minami-ke explores the intricacies of these bonds in one of the most beautiful ways one can witness. This show gives you that indescribable tight feeling in your chest and makes you want to pick up the phone to call the people you love and tell them you love them.
Boasting several OVAs and four TV anime seasons (by Studio Daume, Studio Asread — for seasons 2 and 3, — and Studio Feel), and an upcoming fifth season, Minami-ke is a must-watch for slice-of-life fans. The anime focuses on the daily lives of the three Minami sisters: Chiaki, Kana, and Haruka. And it perfectly encapsulates the purest form of love there is. I’m not a parent but what I felt watching this show is what I assume parents feel when they watch their kids get along and support each other. Seeing the interactions between the sisters made my heart grow warm. While it’s the longest watch on this list, it’s well worth it. Everything about the show is heals.
Yuru Camp — Peak Cozy Anime
There’s cozy anime, and then there’s Yuru Camp (Laid Back Camp). A show so influential it inspired millions of weebs to go out and touch grass. Responsible for a camping boom that’s still thriving six years after the show’s debut, Yuru Camp is a show that understands how healing nature can be. This show did for me what years of therapy couldn’t; it reminded me that wanting another tomorrow is a good thing. This anime opened the world for me. Yuru Camp is what I run to when I have a crappy day, and that’s a sentiment thousands of people would back up.
With three seasons (two by C Station and the latest season by 8-Bit), a movie, a live-action, and several short forms and OVAs, Yuru Camp got more people outdoors than all of Patagonia and Northface’s campaigns combined. Based on the manga by AFRO, Yuru Camp follows Nadeshiko Kagamihara, a pink-haired glutton who falls asleep on the roadside on her first day in her new town. Waking up after dark and realizing she can’t get home, she panics and follows the solo camper Rin Shima to her campsite. Enamored with the idea of camping, Nadeshiko rushes into camping and the outdoors like the HTS rushed Damascus. When Nadeshiko reunites with Rin a few days later, she gets a boost to head into the wild and we’re treated to a level of comfort that shouldn’t be possible.
Cozy Animes Are The Best
Hopefully, a show or two on this list brings you the fuwa-fuwa this holiday season. After all, even if you have nothing weighing on your mind, everyone benefits from some coziness now and then. So, whether you’re celebrating Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Christmas, or nothing at all, may it be a wonderful time.
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