When I first saw anime containing Japanese folklore, I passed it off as fantasy content. I didn’t think about the youkai much differently than I would about fairies. I didn’t even notice that the word “youkai” was being used most of the time, as translators muddled along with words like “spirit” and “demon.” But over… Read More Annalyn’s Corner: On Folklore, Natsume, and Nature
This is the third in a series of Aniblogger Testimony posts, where select writers will discuss their personal faith. Today’s post is by Niko of Anime Savvy. The previous posts in this series were written by Lauren Orisini and R86. I’ve always been fascinated with belief. I even went to graduate school to study folklore and… Read More Aniblogger Testimony: Hard-Wired for Storytelling
Over at Mania.com, Niko Silvester presents a concise and well-written essay on the use of mythology, often associated with religion, and folklore in anime. The brunt of it focuses on context, including the definitions of these terms, which I find very interesting. I want to add that the connotation of folklore is often old and ancient… Read More Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere: Folklore and Mythology