The Rebirth of Buddha

The Rebirth of Buddha, released in 2009 by Group TAC, is an animated feature film produced for Happy Science, a Japanese new religious movement. It was created as part of the organization's outreach efforts to promote its theological tenets through mainstream media, following a tradition of high-production-value animation projects funded by the group to reach broader, younger audiences.

The film was directed by Takaaki Ishiyama, who worked to balance traditional anime aesthetics with the specific didactic requirements of the religious organization's narrative goals. While the animation benefited from the resources typically allocated to studio feature films, its reception was largely polarized, primarily finding its audience among members of the group and those interested in the intersections of Japanese pop culture and religious dissemination.