Revisioning the spiritual through selected archetypes in the Manga X/1999

• Main Authors: Lim, Belle Winchelle T., Mata, Karen Anne D.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2005
• Subjects: Comic books, strips, etc. > Japan; Comic books, strips, etc.—Religious aspects; Japanese Studies
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/5005
• Institution: De La Salle University

This research illustrates that manga, as a means of conveying the Japanese culture to other countries, not only conveys popular culture but also conveys their spirituality. It shows that in this particular manga, X/1999, the writers make use of other instruments, like the tarot cards, in order to express their spirituality. Of the 18 tarot cards found in the manga – Volumes 1 – 18, only four are selected. These are the Magician, the High Priestess, the Hanged Man, and the Death card. These selected tarot cards are then used to explain the characters’ attitudes as well as their spiritual and human journey throughout the story. The selected tarot cards also represent the certain aspects of Japanese personalities, like the honne and the tatamae. It also represents the duality of life as shown by the meaning of the tarot card itself. And it also shows the Persona and Shadow theory of Carl Jung that are being shown in the personalities of some of the characters of certain tarot cards.