Nikolai Afanasov The Depressed Messiah: Religion, Science Fiction, and Postmodernism in Neon Genesis Evangelion Translation by Markian Dobczansky DOI: https://doi.org/10.22394/2311-3448-2020-7-1-47-66 Nikolai Afanasov — Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russia).
[email protected] The article explores the anime series “Neon Genesis Evangelion” (1995–1996). The work is considered as a cultural product that is within the science fiction tradition of the second half of the twenti- eth century. The article shows how the series weaves together ele- ments of Shinto and Abrahamic religious traditions as equally rel- evant. Through the use of religious topics, the science fiction work acquires an inner cognitive logic. The religious in the series is repre- sented on two levels: an implicit one that defines the plot’s originality, and also an explicit one, in which references to religious matters be- come a marketing tool aimed at Japanese and Western media mar- kets. To grasp the sometimes controversial and incoherent religious symbols, the author proposes to use a postsecular framework of anal- ysis and the elements of a postmodern philosophy of culture. The au- thor then proposes an analysis of the show’s narrative using the reli- gious theme of apocalypse. Keywords: postsecularism, postmodern, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shinto, Christianity, anime, science fiction, popular culture. Introduction MONG the many hallmarks that define mass culture are its uni- versality and versatility (Iglton 2019, 177). National cultural in- Adustries, which orient themselves toward an audience with spe- cific requirements, seldom become globally popular. The fortunes of Japanese popular culture1 at the end of the twentieth century, howev- 1.