Thursday, February 9, 2012

Anima in Anime

Anima in Anime: the nature of the soul in Japanese animation.

I just thought that would be a fun essay to read. It would discuss Ghost in the Shell, The Spirits Within, Paprika, maybe... what else do you think would be good?
I read a book about Ki (the Japanese symbol for breath and spirit) when I was trying to learn Kanji while living in Nagoya. Since my English reading material at the time was so limited, I have an almost supernatural memory for anything I read at the time.
Edit: I've just finished watching the anime series Mushishi. In these stories, the spirits are more like insects or fungus. They are a natural phenomenon that sometimes affect people when their lives intersect. I highly recommend it. 

2 comments:

  1. I would definitely include +Anima in the essay, if only for the title. In that story, endangered children cry out to the animals, who lend them part of their souls to give them super powers that allow them to survive in a harsh world.

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  2. I'll have to check that out. The Japanese have an interesting view that a mountain or a waterfall can have a spirit. A robot having a spirit is in a way the same thing.

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