Fantasy Religion

Animated films or anime in Japan are a fascinating part of pop culture that attracts a huge audience of fans. As part of a global leisure industry, anime can offer an imaginary space not only to entertain, but to explore key questions about spirituality, religion, and the sacred. By viewing anime like Anno Hideaki’s Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shiro Masume’s Ghost in the Shell, and Miyazaki Hayao’s My Neighbor Totoro, this class will explore topics as the nature of the gods (kami), Shinto as nature religion, Christianity Japanese style, apocalyptic (end of the world) themes in anime, evil and the demonic, and so on.