Recovering Coronavirus Patient Shares Story of How Anime Helped Heal Him

The coronavirus is a full-blown pandemic following its global spread, and there are thousands of recovering from the illness today. As countries come up with strict plans to keep the disease from spreading, many who have contracted coronavirus already are recovering from it. And thanks to one brave survivor, a story from China has gone living detailing how Tiger Ye relied on anime to get him through treatment.

The story was published by The Guardian not long ago, and it documents the entire story of Ye’s experience. From the time he began feeling ill to his recovery, the Chinese native said he began feeling ill in mid-January and thought little of it at the time.

“On 17 January my muscles became sore all over. I may have had a slight fever, but it wasn’t strong enough to notice. Looking back, it is a little scary, because my house and the language school where I study Japanese are within a 5km radius of the Wuhan seafood market (where the virus is believed to have originated),” the report relays for Ye.

“By 26 January getting up had become extremely difficult and I was shivering with cold. I felt I was having a high fever, and I was: 39C. Reports later said that the situation could develop extremely fast in the middle stage, but before I knew it, by that evening the fever was gone. It felt like having been to hell and back. That period from 21 January to the 26th was the worst time. I coughed so bad my stomach was hurting and my back ached. Those were some of the worst days in my life.”

When things got to hard on Ye, the man said he sought spiritual support from his favorite things. It was then the man turned to anime as he was meant to fly to Japan in February to meet his favorite voice actress Ayaka Ohashi.

“I thought everything might be cancelled. I had attended her solo performance last year, and after watching her I had decided I wanted to make a career out of managing voice actors,” Ye said. “So watching the show, I thought: I must make it if I want to see her next concert alive. This really encouraged me and gave me some relief, along with the medicine. I dreamed twice that week that I met her.”

Of course, anime fans and seiyuu enthusiasts can understand where Ye is coming from here. Ohashi is a beloved actress in Japan who has made a name for herself singing. She has also worked on numerous anime series like Eureka Seven AO, The Idolmaster Cinderalla Girls, Magia Record, and more. Now that Ye is one of many who’ve recovered, the fan can hopefully rest easily and watch his favorite anime in comfort.