Audiovisual narratives and mythology

the mythical quaternity applied to animes

Abstract

Considering studies on ritualistic consumption in cinema and the presence of mythical content in contemporary narratives, this article applies the mythical quaternity theory proposed by Canevacci in three anime with use of the film analysis methodology proposed by Vanoye and Goliot-Lété. By examining archetypal representations in Card Captor Sakura, Code Geass, and The Seven Deadly Sins, we conclude that such elements underlie the anime diegesis through a structure that moves the narrative by perpetuating and resignifying content present in the collective unconscious. Thus, Canevacci’s ritualization of the archetypes deals with unconscious structures not only specific to one culture, but also consolidated in the individual and constantly re-presented with different guises in the media narratives.