On October 1, Yokohama City University’s COI-NEXT center Minds1020Lab and Dai Nippon Printing launched a proof-of-concept trial for “Anime Therapy” – an online counseling service that uses original anime characters to help young adults aged 18-29 who are currently experiencing life difficulties. As reported by ITMedia News, while the trial period is only until June 30, 2026, the goal is to eventually implement this new method of psychotherapy into society as a prescription for mental health care.
Currently, 20 participants are taking part in Anime Therapy. The study begins with participants selecting one avatar from six original designs created by Dai Nippon Printing in collaboration with Italian psychiatrist Dr. Francesco Panto (a visiting researcher at Yokohama City University). Each avatar has its own narrative background, which will help psychologists conduct online counseling based on the one each participant most identifies with emotionally.
Here’s the interesting part: the counseling itself is experienced in an interactive visual-novel-like format, which will let participants learn more about the lore and background of the character they chose. This is to help them get immersed in the fictional world while also providing an easier way to tackle the topics of human conflicts and physical, relational, and social suffering. To help gauge the effectiveness of the trial, participants complete a set of psychological indicator questions before and after counseling.
Minds1020Lab is an academic hub that is part of Japan’s Collaborative Innovation Support Program “COI-NEXT” – an initiative where several industries collaborate to advance research and development towards the vision of a better society. The academic hub was created specifically for researching mental health issues that young people experience and to develop solutions that enhance psychological resilience.
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