Mythological narratives of Japanese animation: the memory of the collective unconscious in the culture of consumerism

Abstract

The article explores the use of mythological narratives in Japanese animation as part of collective memory in the context of consumer culture. The author analyses symbolic and archetypal images in popular animated works such as Spirited Away, Gyakkyō Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor, Death Note and Death Parade, which reflect the transformation of values, the crisis of freedom and the loss of authenticity in the context of the modern consumer society. Particular attention is paid to the idea of consumption as a new religion that creates a cult of material wealth and status, and its impact on the formation of public consciousness. The article examines how Japanese animation uses ancient mythological motifs and archetypes of the collective unconscious to criticise consumerism, but at the same time these motifs are often integrated into the system of consumption, becoming part of it. The work aims to explore the dual role of mythological narratives: as a means of criticism and as an element that reproduces consumer culture, and their significance in the philosophical understanding of the modern world.