Just like you sometimes want to watch a comfy, sweet slice of life anime series, sometimes you just want to listen to a relaxing anime theme song as well.
A song that is pretty, sweet and light, and just makes you want to lie back and smile as the music flows over you.
But with so many anime theme songs released every year, it can be hard to sort out the ones that hit just that type of spot.
That is why I have chosen these 11 relaxing anime theme songs as some of the prettiest written over the last few years, with the hope that you will love them as much as I do.
‘Chiisana Hitotsubu‘ (‘A Small Grain‘) by Kiyono Yasuno (Restaurant to Another World Season 1)
Not only one of the most relaxing anime theme songs released in the last few years, but one of the prettiest anime theme songs as well, the ending theme to Season 1 of Restaurant to Another World is beautiful.
Called ‘Chiisana Hitotsuba‘ or ‘A Small Grain‘ and sung by Kiyono Yasuno, the Restaurant to Another World ending theme song is a pretty song with superb vocals that musically illustrates a wonderful anime series.
The ending theme also comes with a gorgeously delicate ending animation featuring waitress Aletta that is just the perfect ending to what is the loveliest fantasy slice of life anime.
Kiyono Yasuno, who voices Sarah Gold in the series, also sings the opening theme song for the second season of Restaurant to Another World, and it is equally as lovely.
‘Urar‘ by Chima (Hakumei and Mikochi)
One of the most beautiful anime theme songs ever released — ‘Urar‘ by Chima — musically illustrates the opening of this wonderful fantasy anime featuring two tiny women living out in the forest — Hakumei and Mikochi — one of my all-time favorite anime series, and one that desperately needs a second season.
The Hukumei and Mikochi opening theme song — ‘Urar‘ by Chima — also came with an equally lovely music video featuring the singer out in the forest singing and playing guitar, as two children wearing fur hats cavort nearby.
Everything about this one is mystical and enchanting.
‘Fuyu Biyori‘ by Eri Sasaki (‘A Sunny Winter Day‘) (Laid-Back Camp Season 1)
The ending theme from Laid-Back Camp, my all-time favorite anime, is ‘Fuyu Biyori‘ by Eri Sasaki.
A relaxing guitar-driven, soft-vocal track that immediately makes you think about sitting around a camp fire with friends, enjoying streaming baked potatoes and butter, piping hot soup and a fresh mug of coffee.
The chill song is from an entire soundtrack of similarly relaxing music. A soundtrack I must have listened to over a hundred times as I speedwalk my way around Vienna.
‘Chīsana Bōken-sha’ by Sora Amamiya, Rie Takahashi, and Ai Kayano (KonoSuba Season 1)
The ending theme song for Season 1 of KonoSuba has to be one of the most relaxing anime theme songs ever released.
The song is called ‘Chīsana Bōken-sha’ and it is sung by the anime’s voice actresses Sora Amamiya (Aqua), Rie Takahashi (Megumin), and Ai Kayano (Darkness).
It is one of those songs you imagine yourself listening to while lying in a field of tall grass, the wind softly blowing and a picnic basket full of warm mulled wine and rustic food by your side.
‘Freesia‘ by (K)NoW_NAME (Sakura Quest)
The beautiful Sakura Quest ending theme song will always be on my list of relaxing anime theme songs, as it begins with a lovely, mellow guitar intro and sweet vocals.
‘Freesia‘ is also a wonderful theme song to illustrate the relaxed feel of that fabulous slice of life anime and its protagonist.
An anime that follows out of work Yoshino Koharu as she finds herself suddenly employed to become Queen of Manoyama and to help put the small town on the map — a place in the middle of nowhere that seemingly has little going for it when it comes to attracting visitors.
Until she meets its residents, and begins to realize how much they love the place where they live.
A superb anime, by the way, that never did get the attention it deserved.
‘Amadare no Uta‘ by Inori Minase and Yurika Kubo (Girls’ Last Tour)
The piece of perfection that is at the top of just about any song playlist I could ever make, anime or otherwise, Girls’ Last Tour’s ‘Amadare no Uta‘ is not a theme song but an insert song.
Bite me, because it is still going on my best relaxing anime theme songs of all time list.
From an anime that ends with you so in love with the two protagonists, and desperately hoping they will not experience the doom that seems to be waiting for them, Girls’ Last Tour’s ‘Amadare no Uta‘ by voice actresses Inori Minase and Yurika Kubo is not only one of my favorite relaxing anime theme songs, it is simply one of my favorite chill songs of all time.
Related: Girls’ Last Tour opening theme song — ‘Ugoku, Ugoku‘ — belies sadness of this superb anime
From its simple, constant beat that sounds like the water dripping from the dead buildings of the ruined civilization the girls are trapped in, to its sweet and almost angelic vocals and ridiculously catchy sweet melody, ‘Amadare no Uta‘ is one of the best anime songs of all time from one of the best anime series of all time.
It is as simple as that.
‘Hikaru Toki‘ by Hitsuji Bungaku (Heike Monogatari)
One of the best and most relaxing anime theme songs of 2022, the Heike Monogatari opening anime theme song ‘Hikaru Toki‘ by Hitsuji Bungaku (aka When the Light Shines) is not only a wonderful song for any playlist, it is also touching and sad.
Especially when you know the full story of the utterly epic Heike Monogatari. and its protagonist Biwa, and how all of this relates to an important time in Japanese history as everything began to change.
Heike Monogatari is stunningly written, beautifully animated and with the most gorgeous artwork of any anime in recent years.
Its soundtrack too is brilliant, including its opening theme song.
‘Atashi ga Tonari ni Iru Uchi ni‘ by Chiai Fujikawa (The Rising of the Shield Hero)
The beautiful second ending theme for The Rising of the Shield Hero — ‘Atashi ga Tonari ni Iru Uchi ni‘ by Chiai Fujikawa — reminds me of the lovely relationship between protagonist Naofumi and his demi-human ‘slave girl’ Raphtalia.
A girl who had nothing in life, no future and no hope, until Naofumi came along and saved her.
‘Atashi ga Tonari ni Iru Uchi ni‘ (aka While I’m Next to You) is a powerful ending theme song, but still a mellow, chill offering that makes you think about the relationships you have and why some of them are so important to you.
‘Fukashigi no Carte‘ by Asami Seto, Yurika Kubo, Nao Tōyama, Atsumi Tanezaki, Maaya Uchida, and Inori Minase (Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai)
The mellow jazz-influenced Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai ending theme song’ Fukashigi no Carte‘ is just one of the things that is so fabulous about this comedy, romance, supernatural anime, and its story of Mai Sakurajima, a teen actress suffering from ‘Adolescence Syndrome’.
A syndrome that means, while protagonist Sakuta Azusagawa can see her, nobody else can.
‘Fukashigi no Carte‘ has a sweet melody, and seraphic vocals by the anime’s voice actresses, that cause it to stick in your head long after it has finished playing.
‘Daydream Café’ by Petit Rabbit (Is the Order a Rabbit? Season 1)
The Is the Order a Rabbit? Season 1 opening theme song — ‘Daydream Café’ by Petit Rabbit — is like just about every song from this wonderful slice of life anime — upbeat, relaxing and sweet.
Just like the entire anime that takes place at Rabbit House, a cute cafe staffed by the adorable Chino Kafū — a young girl who spends her life walking around with a fluffy angora rabbit perched on her head.
Is the Order a Rabbit? also has some of the cutest cute girls in all of animeland, as you can tell by the way they all sing ‘Daydream Café‘.
‘Nanairo Biyori’ by nano.RIPE (Non Non Biyori Season 1)
Just like Laid-Back Camp, every season of Non Non Biyori features the most chill and mellow anime opening and ending theme songs, including the Non Non Biyori Season 1’s opening theme song — ‘Nanairo Biyori’ (aka ‘Rainbow Colored Weather’ )performed by nano.RIPE.
A series that follows a group of young country girls as they go about their daily life in an area of Japan where nothing much happens, and yet everything important does.
The soundtracks of all three seasons of Non Non Biyori are worth downloading to your phone as, let me tell you, there is nothing more calming and stress-free than walking around with these gorgeous sounds flooding into your ears.
Listen to these 11 relaxing anime theme songs in the videos above.
You will also find many of them, and thousands more on Spotify, as anime production companies all over Japan are now realizing fans love the songs from their favorite anime as much as the anime themselves.