Healer Girl made me smile, and that's more than enough of an endorsement as far as I'm concerned. A show that takes on the genre of musical theater in a serious way, it has just enough depth to keep it from being entirely light and fluffy - though it yearns to find its full voice.

You will know if you want to go through the rest of the show by the time the opening of Episode 1 ends. The theme of this show is there in the title - "healing" - which is also representative of its specific anime subgenre, Iyashikei. Not only does the story revolve around the healing power of music, it's meant to make you feel good above all else. This does unfortunately mean that it holds back on dramatic and powerful exploration of its mixed medical-magical setting.

Being neither a comedy nor a drama, the characters of Healer Girl are mostly defined by their likes and goals, which are fairly well realized. I never felt that any of the main cast was a pure archetype and the tight web of relationships says a lot of subtle things about each of them. It's a testament to why Iyashikei stories are popular, despite not having traditional forms of conflict. The director of this show also directed Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood so you know he has the chops to make a lot out of a little.

The show's look is very appealing, though there are few incredible moments of animation. What it is able to do is wring out a lot out of the climactic musical sequences, even if they are a bit held back by the frame count. Magic truly feels magical and actual spontaneous singing - integrated into the story - is given a directorial care, pulling you into the moment. It's effective musical theater that's only able to use spectacle occasionally, but very well.

What's clear about Healer Girl's story is that it's more about themes than plot. This is a real shame because there's a lot of world details that are calling out desperately for more exploration. The relationship between healing and the sciences, the various forms which Healers are able to observe as they sing, and why unpracticed healing needs to be regulated. All of these details are only lightly touched upon, creating a certain intrigue but begging for proper development. What we get instead is learning about the building blocks with the main girls, why they got into the profession, and the nature of their friendships. The depth is used to make the little details and interactions shine more than the core narrative.

The overall theme of healing begets perhaps the biggest narrative theme: passing on knowledge. Learning is at the center of every episode in some way or other. There's experimentation, problem solving, formal and informal training, mentorship, and inspiration. These only hint at what's possible if the show took a more dramatic tone. If the songs were more tailored to explore that it would have better reinforced that theme, they would be much more integral. Instead, even though the show leads you to believe that the lyrical content is important, they tend to be broadly uplifting rather than targeted to the moment - a few cases aside.

Each song is enjoyable on its own, though best played in context. My favorite two tracks are the comedic Run! Run! Run! and the adventurous Yama ni wa Suteki na Mono ga Aru. Both are presented out of the usual context of songs in this show, used as emphasis rather than plot development. This makes them vehicles for the characters, which works very well.

Healer Girl does a lot with the concept of a musical anime that people who like musicals will love. There's always a unique song in each episode, all interestingly placed with their own unique narrative purpose. It makes me relish the potential of melding anime and the musical, while also acknowledging that what we were given was plenty enjoyable by itself. Taking Healer Girl on its own terms, I do truly think it's worth your time. In the same breath, I acknowledge the biggest flaw of the show is the tepidness to go further with its best aspects and leaning too hard into its genre staple. I've never wanted a sequel or spiritual successor to something more than this show.

Side Note: This anime was also made under very amiable circumstances, according to the director. While it doesn't have the 'oomph' presentation of something like Bocchi the Rock! or even Flip Flappers by the same studio I can still see the love put into the production and I think it's important to relish ethically-made shows even if they aren't the most impressive. A big thumbs up to management on this one.