Transgressing Death in Japanese Popular Culture

ContentsIntroduction. 6Death and Afterlife in Japan. 12Japanese Secularisation. 14Contemporary Discourses, New Media. 16Japanese Popular Culture. 19Chapters Overview... 22References. 26Chapter I. A Genealogy of the EBT Conversation in Japan. 34The Relevance of the Kojiki to the EBT Conversation. 35Scholarly Approaches to the Kojiki 36Post- Kojiki Conversations in Premodern Japan. 38The Conversation in Modern Japan. 43Contemporary Japan: Everything Solid Melts into Air 51References. 64Chapter II. Transgressing Boundaries: Exile and Loneliness. 70Manga, Ontology and Phenomenology. 72Methods for the Study of Manga. 75The Story of Fullmetal Alchemist 78Life and Death Transgressions in Fullmetal Alchemist 79The First Scene. 79The 2nd Scene. 84The 3rd Scene. 89Discussion. 93Alchemist in EBT Intertextuality. 93Contemporary Debates in Alchemists EBT.. 96Civilization, Power and State. 96The Individual and the Group. 98Content and Medium... 99Conclusion. 101References. 103Chapter III. Rebellion and Transgression in Journey to Agartha. 108Theory and Methodology. 110Animating Transgression. 111EBT Polyphony, Tensions and Confrontations. 113Resurrecting Her 117Discussion. 127Conclusion. 131References. 132Chapter IV. Tragic Transgressions in Shadow of the Colossus. 138Experiencing Transgression through Computer Games. 140Analysing Transgression in Computer Games. 142Transgressing the Boundaries of Life and Death in Shadow of the Colossus. 144The Structure of Shadow.. 145Playing the EBT in Shadow... 152The Mechanics of the EBT.. 153Shadow of the Colossus as Ethical Experience. 157Conclusion. 166References. 167Conclusions. 170Contributions of the Work. 172Research Implications. 175Final Words. 179References. 179