The Shinto imagery and iconography in Shinkai Makoto's film Kimi no Na wa appears to be used to add to the portrayal of a furusato in order to aid the film’s aesthetical countryside town and...Show moreThe Shinto imagery and iconography in Shinkai Makoto's film Kimi no Na wa appears to be used to add to the portrayal of a furusato in order to aid the film’s aesthetical countryside town and ultimately aiming to evoke feelings of nostalgia for a “traditional” Japan. The film, which shows a definite two-split of the Japanese landscape, gives a very stereotypical view of urban Tokyo as a fast paced city, and with Itomori as the furusato poster child, playing into nationalist views of a traditional Japan as opposed to a western influenced Japan. This Thesis explores these topics as it aims to answer the question of; How are religious and spiritual beliefs of Japanese Shinto portrayed in the animated film Kimi no Na wa, how does this portrayal help shape the film’s story and how does this play a role in the discourse on the urban-rural divide in Japan?Show less
This thesis discusses how Paul Schrader visualised Mishima Yukio's distinct notions on beauty and death in the 1985 film 'Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters'.
In this thesis I examine how cross cultural exchange between mainland China and Japan has influenced the Chinese video game industry. I use the Chinese game Genshin Impact as a case study to...Show moreIn this thesis I examine how cross cultural exchange between mainland China and Japan has influenced the Chinese video game industry. I use the Chinese game Genshin Impact as a case study to examine how the developers have been influenced both by the history between the two countries as well as how modern flows of media and media consumption habits have shaped the perception of modern Japan through its fictionalized depiction in the game. Of note is how the despite the negative historic relations between Japan and China there is still a great deal of respect for modern Japanese popular culture to be found in the game. As such it gives an insight into the complex relationship between the two nations as cross cultural exchange has led to a warm reception of Japanese popular culture despite general negative views towards Japan being common in the PRC.Show less
