An Adolescents First Insight: On the Infiltration and Manifestation of Buddhist Four Noble Truths in East Asian Animation Works

Abstract

Animation, as one of the genres of cultural products that East Asian adolescents born in the 1980s and thereafter are most exposed to in the initial stages of their lives, plays an important role in their contact with the outside world and formation of their worldview and value judgment. While Buddhism, as one of the most popular religions among East Asian countries, has an undeniable influence in the creation of literary and artistic works, as well as a strong penetration in the process of constructing the worldview and outlook on life of East Asian teenagers. As the basic doctrine of Buddhism, the core of the Four Noble Truths has constantly been manifested in many East Asian animation works. By analyzing the Buddhist elements and the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism in the three most influential animation works for East Asian adolescent audiences from the 1990s to the present, namely One Piece, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Jujutsu Kaisen, this paper then describes the insights and reflections on the sufferings of life, the ultimate goal of life, and the paths of life cultivation that are produced by adolescent audiences when watching the animation, and then analyses the important influence of these animation works on their way of thinking.