Kawaii aesthetics in the Japanese popular culture: updating the mythological heritage

The study considers a new stage of updating the mythological heritage within contemporary Japanese popular culture. An analysis tool is represented by kawaii aesthetic category as the main characteristic of popular culture, which is defined by a number of both domestic and international scientists. The research reveals the basic features of the emotional response of kawaii (inner affinity - passionate veneration, mood elevation - liking) and the visual aspects of its expression (the style of manga comics). In accordance with the identified characteristics, the paper reviews the certain case studies of updating myths as a series of manga, Kojiki online-map, and a new version of the children’s game caruta. It is established that the myths clearly fit into the kawaii aesthetics in a natural way and by the order of the state.