It
is always nice when animated films can teach us a lesson in comparative
religion. Take for instance, Fugen Bosatsu, a Bodhisattva (an enlightened one,
who defers Nirvana to help point us crass mortals in the right direction) and
one of the eight Buddhist zodiac guardians. He will play a significant role in
Siddharth Ahluwalia’s animated short film Bosatsu—Year
of the Dragon, which screens during this year’s Action on Film Festival.
The
Chinese zodiac is represented by twelve animals, but there are only eight guardians,
so some will have to double up. Fugen Bosatsu has responsibility for Snake and
Dragon. As it happens, Jake was born in the Year of the Dragon, so his
connection to the Dragon Guardian makes some kind of sense. Under Fugen Bosatsu’s
guidance, he is pursuing a quest through what looks like a Southeast Asian
pyramid.
Bosatsu essentially plays
like a proof-of-concept superhero origins story, but with considerably more spiritual
significance. There is no question Ahluwalia’s concept could be expanded to
support a feature or series treatment. With a visual style clearly inspired by
anime, it should be quite accessible to genre fans, even if they are completely
ignorant of Buddhism.
