Anime has such a wide variety of subjects that it explores. There are two animes, Deathnote and Neon Genesis Evangelion that have both subtle and obvious allusions to religion/spirituality. They both posses theological elements, which can be interesting to write about.
Think about these questions: How do they use various theological elements to add to the overall meaning of the anime?
What seem to be the most interesting symbols and why would you consider them as such?
Does one anime use the symbols in a more effective manner?
I was going to add as a suggestion. There's an older anime by Shinichirō Watanabe, the creator of Samurai Champloo, called Kids on the Slope. It doesn't suggest anything religious until the end. You find out that one of the kids becomes a Catholic Priest. It might be worth analyzing as well as the anime you've already mentioned. – Passerby4 years ago
Death Note's scene where L washes Light's feet is one of those scenes that actually is a great reference to Bible showing Light as a God. – eeshasharma4 years ago
The Promised Neverland is an anime and magna about a Dystopian society in which human survival is nearly impossible, until a few children at the orphanage figure out the secret of the orphanage and the world they live in. A bone chilling, yet allegorical tale of human nature, survival and the question of what is better living a short and happy life or living free and fighting for life? Isabella the "mother" of the children is a fascinating villain: warm, kind, but at the same time terrifying, cruel, and wicked. Yet, despite all this all the viewers are able to see the very human side of Isabella when they realize the truth about how the world they live in is run. Is Isabella really a villain? Or is she just a human that lived through trauma trying to make the best out of what she has in that world?
You could also go into depth about dualism tropes in film/tv/literature. I mean, what makes a villian anyway and who are we to judge? Was the Joker really a villian or a person who survived intense trauma and has many "negative" flaws and traits as a result of that trauma? – hilalbahcetepe5 years ago
Thanks that is a good idea ! – birdienumnum175 years ago
The third season of Netflix's series appears to take a big turn towards scenes of "violent" sexuality in its most recent season, almost contrasting that of it's previous two seasons where there is minimal to no scenes of sexuality. Nonetheless, they do have significance for individual character arcs.
Is this what audiences demanded? Are audiences taking it well, or will it turn off some of its core viewers? How does Castlevania's video game community react to Season 3? And how do these scenes of sexuality change our previous understandings of characters?
This is an interesting topic to explore. This was something I also noticed when watching the 3rd season. I felt that this was a drastic shift compared to season 2. I think that we will have to season how these characters stories progress in season 4 to fully see whether these scenes were effective/necessary. Alucard's scene seem to hint at a dark road for him ahead, so we may have to wait til season 4 to see if those scenes provide to be critical. – Sean Gadus5 years ago
Existentialism is often seen as a depressing philosophy, but I ultimately see it as a hopeful response to absurdity–a struggle for meaning and maybe a better life, whatever shape that may take. On that line of thought, popular shounen series with their various "never give up!" themes and questioning of humanity, morality, religion, and so on, seem to fit right into it. Naruto in particular reads like a bonafide Kierkegaardian Knight of Faith.
Does shounen anime/manga seem existentialist? If so, what kind of specific existentialist themes are in play? Does this help readers coming of age prepare for life by giving them a taste of having to figure things out in the face of adversity (and absurdity)? Or does it exceed itself and become naivety?
More broadly, what's the relationship between philosophy and fiction? Does fiction “play out” the ideas of philosophy, or does it create its own philosophical ideas?
Interesting topic. Shonen is all about existentialism. In any Shonen anime, especially those like Bleach, Naruto and Fairy Tail, willpower goes a long way. Whoever has higher will has higher power. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
This is a really cool topic -- if I knew more about existentialism I would write it. I think it's important to take into account Japanese philosophy and culture and how that affects the writers of shonen manga and anime. – Chris9 years ago
I would love to read this article!!! – Abie Dee4 years ago
Analyse both the contemporary and past trends in anime and decide whether representation of different race of people is required or not considering the fact the amount of liberty an anime creator enjoys. Also, if representation in anime is a need of the hour as many people believe the sheer ridiculousness in shonen anime character style does not require characters to resemble real life human beings.
I think any attempt to discuss racial diversity in anime needs to take into account that the Japanese have their own ideas about what constitutes "diversity." Japan isn't a very racially-diverse nation, so when Japanese anime and manga attempt to depict diversity the discussion tends to center more around things like social and cultural class, or, in some cases, the few minority ethnic groups that exist (like the Ainu, who feature prominently in "Golden Kamuy," for instance). One anime that's rather famous for exploring the various forms of diversity in Japanese culture is "Samurai Champloo." Obviously anime that don't take place in Japan need to be more conscious of different races and cultures than those that do. I also think cultural provincialism is a bigger problem in a lot of anime than racism as such. I've seen anime that were set in "white" nations and featured white characters that still struck me as very insensitive, because the creators make everyone whose opinions matter (and even some who don't) behave and react the same way a Japanese person would. – Debs4 years ago
It could be helpful to examine how genres treat race. For example, historical anime would likely have a limit on which races will be depicted. Also, stereotypes can be a problem in anime. – Jiraiyan4 years ago
I've seen topics where people look at yandere games, financial success, etc. However, I don't think anyone's taken a good look as to why yandere is so popular. What is so appealing about psychotic stalking girls? As someone who is still very new to anime (even after 18 months!), I'd like more of an explanation about yandere, whether you can be a boy to be a yandere or if it's strictly a girl thing, and whether yandere characters like Yuno Gasai have had a negative impact on adolescent and teenage girls. This would be a very fun article, especially as, again, Yuno Gasai remains one of the more popular anime girls because of her yandere status.
What lies in a yandere's past? What drives a yandere to become psychotic? What was the turning point or defining event that decided her future as a yandere? Every villain(ess) has a past and a backstory. It might also be worth considering that a yandere could actually has a positive influence on the life of an adolescent/teenage girl - by effectively offering her an avatar through whom she can explore her own darkness without resorting to violence or mayhem in real life. We all have shadow selves, whether we choose to accept them or not. – Amyus4 years ago
I agree, exploring the yandere trope from a female perspective would be very enlightening. I myself am not super well-read in it, so I can't offer any insight there, unfortunately. It probably also has to do with gender roles in Japanese culture, and a male fantasy of being desired and needed--even if it's excessive and dangerous. – Tylah Jackowski4 years ago
I can say for a fact that the yandere archetype is in no way exclusively female. I've seen plenty of male examples. That said, it does seem to me that the male version of the character is more likely to be treated as an outright villain and less likely to actually get into a relationship with the love interest (unless it's one of those weird stories about romanticized abuse). Another interesting angle to explore may be the distinction (if there is any) between a yandere as such and a character who just happens to get into or seek out a toxic relationship, without it being a defining aspect of the character. How central to a character's personality and arc do their mental problems and relationships with others have to be before they can be called a yandere? – Debs4 years ago
In the Shokugeki no Soma anime, we can see a diversity of delicious dishes from around the world with exotic ingredients, in one chapter they prepared "Causa Limeña" a famous Peruvian dish prepared with potatoes and seafood. Do you think this anime encourages you to cook and learn about international cuisine?
Whoever writes this should compare the "exotic" foods, as well as look at who the chefs are (are they international chefs? Why did they choose this dish?). Also, see if any interest in international cooking was sparked in Japan when this anime aired. – OkaNaimo08194 years ago
Because Hayao Miyazaki has been the most well known renowned figure of studio Ghibli, many people sometimes forget that he's not the only ingenious individual at work. Isao Takahata the co-founder of studio Ghibli has also made many good films amongst them some are on a par with Hayao Miyazakis work and some of them even greater than Miyazaki features. Don't you think?
I think if anyone is taking this topic, they should explain who Hayao Miyazki and Isao and Takahata are as not a lot of people know the Ghubli studio.
Indigenous films should be talked about more.
Can't wait to see how this article goes. – Amelia Arrows5 years ago
For anyone thinking of taking on this topic suggestion, I'd recommend first reading an article published in the Artifice on 1st April 2018, written by Matchbox: https://the-artifice.com/isao-takahata-retrospective/ It addresses the issues raised above. On a personal note - I'd love to see more written about Isao Takahata. A fascinating character in his own right. – Amyus5 years ago
