Jolyon Baraka Thomas is a PhD candidate in religion at Princeton University.
關鍵詞
Aum Shinrikyō; manga; “evil cult” trope; Believers; Death Note; Saint Young Men; Twentieth Century Boys
摘要
After the 1995 Aum Shinrikyō オウム真理教 sarin gas attacks, influential commentators suggested that enthralling apocalyptic narratives characteristic of manga (illustrated serial novels) made Aum members prone to extremism and violence. This article inverts this interpretation, showing that popular manga published after 1995 have exhibited—and reflected—morbid fascination with the sensational fodder provided by the Aum incident itself. Early manga responses advanced variations on a horrific “evil cult” trope in which marginal religions modeled on Aum were graphically depicted as hotbeds of sexual depravity, fraud, and violence. Over time, equally chilling—if less sensational—psychological thrillers appeared that interrogated the aspects of human nature that allow for “cult-like” behavior. Finally, one very recent manga has sublimated the formerly popular “evil cult” trope by divorcing “religion” from “cults” and rehabilitating the former through mildly irreverent comedy.
目次
Fanatic Delusion: Believers 131 A Terrorist Plot: 20th Century Boys 134 Judgment, Day after Day: Death Note 139 Comic Relief: Saint Young Men 141 Framing Post-Aum Manga 144 Conclusion: Horrific “Cults” and Comic Religion 146
