i really agree with your last point. people think the story is bad or underdeveloped, but it is far from that. yes, the PLOT points aren't too detailed or complicated and the way of unlocking SOME of the plot was done poorl, but the actual depth can be found when you think about the game as a whole. its just a different kind of storytelling that what were used to from zelda. you dont even have to know all these specifics about real life religions, you can feel the changes in the world and the impact you aa a player make and i think thats what the zelda devs are going for. i mean aonuma literally said he doesnt want to create a complicated plot that says nothing, and doesnt want to be too restricted by the official timeline
The look and feel of this game is majestic I have never seen in a while. Botw was great but this game feels overwhelmly different and much more complete
Thank you so much for using the term Miasma! It’s really the most accurate term. And yes, Buddhism and Shinto are heavily referenced in the entire Legend of Zelda series anyway, but ESPECIALLY with the Zonai!
This game helped me reconnect with my buddhism roots. Literally the first thing i did after completing the first shrine was to wear my buddhist bracelet that I've had for a long time but keep forgetting to wear and meditate with.
My theory is the tribe of humans that become what we think of as the Shiekah were originally a highly spiritual tribe and were the ones to introduce the not-quite-Buddhism and the Light force to the zonai when they descended from above to the surface. The proto-Shiekah would worship the three golden goddesses at the sites where Rauru and Sonia would eventually make the shrines to seal away the monsters in the Depths.
Oh, also! Don’t forget that the Zonai Secret (should’ve been Sacred) Stones are literally Shinto Magatama! You’re absolutely right, I think, about the game being a message for us to allow in some spirituality. I myself am developing personal spiritual practices based on the things we see in the Legend of Zelda series, heavily inspired by Shinto and Buddhism :)
@@sylvanstrength7520 oh yeah good call. And people have drawn connections between Zelda and Amaterasu, and they both were Magatama (secret stone) on their necklaces. That’s cool about your spiritual practices, funny you say that because I started doing the same thing
@@Gabeora And yes! Not Zelda herself, but Lady Hylia is definitely based closely on Amaterasu Omikami, but also has functions similar to Inari Ōkami and the bodhisattva Jizo-sama!
It's a Japanese game, most of their media contains heavy influences from shinto and their ancient art. Even the Zonai runes on the shrine gates (and other surfaces) are inspired by ancient Asian script. Quite common for Japanese anime, manga and games to include these motifs. The ouroboros isn't Japanese, the enzo is just a calligraphic representation of the circle, not really a reference to the ouroboros.
Indeed, a Japanese media that doesn't have ties to their prominent religions would be like western media that didn't have Christian ties. I know people tend to complain when they notice a "Jesus Figure", but that piece of media came from the west, what did you expect.
