Existentialism and death education in anime: A micro and macro analysis of Cells at Work!

Iwasaki, Irene

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/113400 Copy

Description

Title

Existentialism and death education in anime: A micro and macro analysis of Cells at Work!

Author(s)

Iwasaki, Irene

Issue Date

2021-11-29

Keyword(s)

• educational anime
• existentialism
• pandemic
• terror management
• Cells at Work!

Abstract

As the 2020 global pandemic has demonstrated with new force, we continue to struggle with managing primal, existential fear, even during the ongoing struggle to understand and combat a deadly infectious disease. As this paper reveals, multimedia popular culture texts can provide us with tools, knowledge, and avenues to help us better express, empathize, and educate one another during trying times. In particular, this paper aims to form part of a larger discussion on how we can better face the task of looking at death during a moment of human history where doom may seem ubiquitous. Although it is not possible to separate ourselves from our dependence on information that links us as individuals to the outside world, we can engage with media that provides knowledge in a more palatable or entertaining way and in so doing, support the development of better coping skills for apprehension about an unknown tomorrow. This paper analyzes the 2018 Cells at Work! as an example of anime that is both educational and entertaining, and discusses its implications for terror management and the promotion of well-being.

Series/Report Name or Number

Journal of Anime and Manga Studies, vol. 2

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113400

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21900/j.jams.v2.806

Copyright and License Information

• This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
• Copyright 2021 Irene Iwasaki

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