In the West, people don’t believe animals have souls, do they? That’s not true in Japan, though. I myself believe that dogs and cats have souls — but that has nothing to do with a specific religion. Children have similar feelings about dolls — if they love a doll enough, they feel that it’s alive. That feeling is universal. It’s not something they’re taught — they just feel it somehow. It’s not connected with any religious belief. —Mamoru Oshii, Japanese director
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