G
Y_G
Abstract
“Creating My Own Cultural Bubble”:
Cultural Consumption of Japanese Spirituality in Anime
This paper attempts to account for the cross-cultural phenomenon of the popularity of
anime, Japanese animation, among the younger generation in the U.S. It focuses on the
religious aspects of the “cultural difference” accounts of the phenomenon considering
audiences’ cultural consumption of the media as the process of integration of cultural
resources into their everyday (religious) lives. This study argues that anime’s cultural
manifestations of “integrative spirituality” of Japanese culture well correspond with the
young spiritual seekers who are characterized by the subjective, autonomous, reflexive
construction of religious identity from a variety of sources instead of a religious
tradition. Their cultural consumption of anime, which is based on their dismissive
attitude toward both organized religions and American popular culture, contributes to
the construction of their alternative religious identity.
Key Words: Anime (Japanese animation), spiritual seekers, audience research, identity
construction, American popular culture
Convention