The advent of anime philosophy : Hayao Miyazaki and neighborness

アニメ哲学の誕生 : 宮崎駿とトナリ性

Creators Ogawa Hitoshi

In this article, first of all, I want to propose the possibility of “anime philosophy” as a new genre. When we hear the word “philosophy,” we usually think of reading difficult classic books. Especially in academic society, this is a mainstream idea. However, philosophy has more possibilities because it means seeking the essence through thinking. In that sense, we could philosophize not just by reading difficult books, but by watching anime films, as well. Indeed, some kinds of anime works are more philosophical than traditional philosophy books. Miyazaki Hayao's anime films are such examples because they always make me philosophize about his deeper thoughts behind his work. Second of all, in order to prove my hypothesis, I want to focus on the concept of “neighborness,” as the essence of Miyazaki's anime. One of my intentions is to propose neighborness as a global philosophy which was born in Japan and could be applied even in the global society. In the end, I want to broaden my horizons to world peace. The world is suffering from some persistent global issues, including wars, terrorist attacks, environmental problems, and poverty. I truly believe anime philosophy as symbolized by the concept of neighborness will solve those problems. We shouldn't face the problem directly all the time. We sometimes need to neighbor each other. This brings us to a completely new perspective.

[ISSN]0919-357X

[NCID]AN10403441