Science, Folklore, and Ecology of Knowledges in Aoyama’s Detective Conan Anime

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.353637

Keywords:

mass media, folklore, detective fiction, Japanese animation, Detective Conan, ecology of knowledges

Abstract

During the Anthropocene, science and folklore have been efficient explanatory models of the world. However, numerous studies suggest a convergence of both perspectives in contemporary mass media productions, being Japanese animation a clear example. The aim of the research presented here was to analyse how science and folklore are integrated and opposed in Aoyama’s Detective Conan, an anime where cases often happen in rural Japan and where folk references confront Conan’s detective reasoning. To reach this objective, a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative study of the presence of folklore in this work—through aspects such as characterisation or narratives—was conducted in 75 cases and over 155 episodes which include references to folklore in their background, plot, or characters. The analysis revealed that, when folklore and science interact, rational thinking is usually preferred over folk beliefs; characters are stereotyped according to their genre or origins; and, more importantly, supernatural beliefs can be included in detective fiction without being ridiculed by the most rational characters.

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Author Biographies

Alba Quintairos-Soliño, University of Vigo

PhD in Translation & Paratranslation, Department of Translation and Linguistics, Universidade de Vigo, Spain.

alba.quintairos.solino@uvigo.gal

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0064-1695

Francisco Miguel Ojeda-García, University of Granada

PhD candidate in Social Anthropology, Department of Social Anthropology, Universidad de Granada, Spain.

ojedagfran@ugr.es

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8068-9239

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Published

2024-01-31

How to Cite

Quintairos-Soliño, A., & Ojeda-García, F. M. (2024). Science, Folklore, and Ecology of Knowledges in Aoyama’s Detective Conan Anime. Íkala, Revista De Lenguaje Y Cultura, 29(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.353637