For the last several decades, animated films and television series produced in Japan have captured the imaginations of global audiences. As exemplified by Studio Ghibli’s box office smashes (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away), Shinkai Makoto’s recent string of equally record-setting works (Your Name, Weathering with You, Suzume) and influential new series like Demon Slayer, some of the most internationally popular anime include recognizably “religious” content such as deities, spirits, shrines, and temples. But finding religion in anime is too easy. This talk instead focuses on the religion of anime, showing how key aspects of the animation medium can help us construct a generalizable theory of religion that applies far beyond the Japanese case.
Jolyon Thomas is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
This event will include time for Q&A, and we'll have light refreshments afterwards.
February 24, 2025