Transgressing Death in Japanese Popular Culture

Contents

Introduction. 6

Death and Afterlife in Japan. 12

Japanese Secularisation. 14

Contemporary Discourses, New Media. 16

Japanese Popular Culture. 19

Chapters' Overview... 22

References. 26

Chapter I. A Genealogy of the EBT Conversation in Japan. 34

The Relevance of the Kojiki to the EBT Conversation. 35

Scholarly Approaches to the Kojiki 36

Post- Kojiki Conversations in Premodern Japan. 38

The Conversation in Modern Japan. 43

Contemporary Japan: Everything Solid Melts into Air 51

References. 64

Chapter II. Transgressing Boundaries: Exile and Loneliness. 70

Manga, Ontology and Phenomenology. 72

Methods for the Study of Manga. 75

The Story of Fullmetal Alchemist 78

Life and Death Transgressions in Fullmetal Alchemist 79

The First Scene. 79

The 2nd Scene. 84

The 3^rd Scene. 89

Discussion. 93

Alchemist in EBT Intertextuality. 93

Contemporary Debates in Alchemist's EBT.. 96

Civilization, Power and State. 96

The Individual and the Group. 98

Content and Medium... 99

Conclusion. 101

References. 103

Chapter III. Rebellion and Transgression in "Journey to Agartha". 108

Theory and Methodology. 110

Animating Transgression. 111

EBT Polyphony, Tensions and Confrontations. 113

Resurrecting Her 117

Discussion. 127

Conclusion. 131

References. 132

Chapter IV. Tragic Transgressions in Shadow of the Colossus. 138

Experiencing Transgression through Computer Games. 140

Analysing Transgression in Computer Games. 142

Transgressing the Boundaries of Life and Death in Shadow of the Colossus. 144

The Structure of Shadow.. 145

Playing the EBT in Shadow... 152

The Mechanics of the EBT.. 153

Shadow of the Colossus as Ethical Experience. 157

Conclusion. 166

References. 167

Conclusions. 170

Contributions of the Work. 172

Research Implications. 175

Final Words. 179

References. 179