Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2006-02-17]
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HyweinKioko4031
 Posts: 5 |
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Yeah, that's what I've been doing too (  ;; the analyzing, I mean) But it was really interesting for me when my friend loaned me her 'Advent Children' DVD because of some of the ideas they used like spoiler[When they were able to cure the Geostigma disease with the water from the church Cloud was living in] Which kinda popped out at me as an allusion to a 'babtism'-esque idea (and the idea of forgiveness got tossed around a few times during flashbacks). Hehe, but then again I have no clue if that's what Tetsuya Nomura was thinking ;;
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AuraShadow
 Posts: 242 Location: Texas |
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O.O The first 4 vols of Deathnote as well!? *dies*
Away from the contest, I've never understood why Christan manga was made in the first place (not religious either) I laughed when I saw the article last year because I thought I had seen it all. I read a little of it on its site (keeps comments about that to self) As you mentioned it's pretty hard to strech away from the basic "Christ is Lord" line so it really is hard to develop a good story. The manga Angel Sanctuary (which I remember someone telling me it was more based of Catholic beliefs if anything else) is a religious manga, but not church approprite religious. Those types of mangas that stick close to the traditional style of manga but have relgious undertones are truely the only really successful types in this genre. (And most likely not going to be allowed in church) So what do you get when you take the manga out of a religious manga? A manga that probably won't sell well. |
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shadow_guyver
 Posts: 307 Location: Tokyo, Japan |
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Oh, you got my there AkiraKaneda. I looked into the names, and they seem to have come into use in the West around the 7th Century. Thanks for correcting me. I' not much of a Christian scholar, heck I know the names better from Chrono Trigger than christianity.
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JackBassV
 Posts: 241 Location: Coventry, England |
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Christian themed Anime:-
Patlabor - E Obor quotes the bible extensively - even the project is the Babel project. No Christian morality though 
Maria-sama Ga Miteru - The stories take place at a RC girls school - no sex (two of the girls kiss, but thats about all in two series), and a fantastic story about the relationships among the school council. A great manga too. Neon Genesis Evangelion - God is in Heaven - All is right with the World. The NERV motto shows how much the bible is threaded into this story about humans defending themselves from Angels. None of these teach about Christian morality - though Maria-sama does touch upon the subject several times, especially the Sei/Shiori storyline. And we mustn't forget Oh My Goddess. In Oh My Goddess, Beldandys' father is God. Add to that, the fact that Bel and K1 haven't had sex in the 22 volumes currently available in English, makes it more moralistic than almost any other manga. JBV^_^ |
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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Ah My Goddess is based on Norse mythology more than anything else. Christianity isn't the only religion that believes in a God you know.
As for Evangelion, that is NOT Christian. It uses a lot of symbolism from Kabbalah, a mystical sect of Judaism. But the so called "Christian" imagery is just flavoring. It has no meaning and it certainly isn't Christian. As for Maria-sama ga Miteru, I haven't seen it, but I am under the impression that the lesbianism is definite. No sex, but definite lesbianism. Oh, and "God is in [His] Heaven, All is right in the World." does not come from Christianity. It comes from some poem I believe and it wasn't a Christian poem. Look just because someone quotes the Bible, doesn't make it 'Christian.' Christianity is a very foreign thing to most Japanese, so using references to it or imagery based on it gives it flavoring. |
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redcomet15
 Posts: 42 Location: I just don't know anymore. |
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Quite Right.
And there you have it. |
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deathbringer
Posts: 276 |
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Well then stop buying it for her you dink! God, why do people find parenting to be such a hard concept? If there's something you don't think your daughter should see, then don't show it to her! I think that letter should have been the flake of the week. |
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Pop-Art Samurai
Posts: 62 |
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Good Friday of what year? Last I checked, March 25 was the Annunciation. (Granted, I don't have a copy of Return of the King here for me to double check what you say.) That aside, yes, LotR has many definite parallels with Christianity and it's a dang fine work of literature. |
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Dorian
 Posts: 111 Location: Houston |
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Anime and manga are poor places to find ones theology.
Besides there is always Davy and Goliath. |
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Dorian
Posts: 111 Location: Houston |
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[No double-posting. Use the Edit button, please. -Nagi]
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Septeus7
Posts: 88 |
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Ironically this idea that every Christian artist should smuggle or force "Jesus is Lord" message into everything they write is a misunderstanding of what a good Christian artist writer is obligated to do as a Christian. If you are called to be writer your first obligation is to be the best writer you can be and if forcing a "Jesus is Lord" message down evey storyline is hurting the quality of the art then you've actually failed to do what you were called to as a Christian. Too bad so many Christians don't understand the value of art for its own sake is actually a good thing even if "Jesus" isn't on every page. I think Zac's mention that general "Christian" morals can be found in much manga and anime but I prefer not to think of it as "Christian" morality. C.S. Lewis wrote about what he called the "Tao" or basic morality of civilized cultures. The Tao is shortly: 1. The Law of General Beneficence (Do unto others) 2. The Law of Special Beneficence (take care of loved ones) 3. Duties to Parents, Elders, Ancestors (respect for Elders) 4. Duties to Children and Posterity (Parents are to care for their Children) 5. The Law of Justice 6. The Law of Good Faith and Veracity. 7. The Law of Magnanimity. I think many stories in manga and anime have this Tao and thus beneficial to a Christian (and anyone else) and not something to be feared. Hunter X Hunter interestingly enough I think is a very good morality play and Gon is a very positive character to emulate morally. In closing, parents should always review what their children watch beforehand as often as possible. To do otherwise is just plain irresponsible and you shouldn't put the blame on anyone else. Using the Tao is good standard for judging if you want to show to a child if you are concerned about moral messages. If the Hero of the story isn't an good example of the Tao or isn't learing that he should follow the Tao then you shouldn't show a younger kid the program if you are afraid that the Character will influence the child. For example, Gatsu is NOT a good role-model for children or anyone else therefore a seven year old shouldn't be watching Berserk. See, its not that hard people. [/url] |
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Sam-I-Am
Posts: 121 Location: Midwest US |
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I'll give you points for associating 'Melchior' with the three wise men, instead of NERV's supercomputers. And you're quite right, it's Melkor in The Silmarillion. I was thinking that Melkor had had some sort of name shift after being cast down, and Melchior was what came to mind. ACDragonmaster, I'm not familiar with Frank Peretti, so I have no opinion to voice on his work. As for Orson Scott Card, the degree of Mormonism in his work depends both on the story and where he intended it to be published. Things like Folk of the Fringe were originally intended for some of the LDS church's internal magazines, whereas Ender's Game was intended for the national market. Tales like the Worthing Saga use some of the situations, but not the religion, Alvin Maker is turning into an alternative history of the church, and Homecoming volume five is perhaps the most powerful religious fiction I have ever encountered, but is beyond any one faith. I had a chance to read, but not respond to, some of the comments over my supper break. Gon from Hunter x Hunter had come to mind as an example of a character that embodies many christian (and other religion's) values, but I see Septeus7 has beat me to the punch. Lewis's Tao is quite interesting, btw. |
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shadow_guyver
Posts: 307 Location: Tokyo, Japan |
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For the record, Melkor had several names after his fall, the most common being Morgoth, so you were probably trying to think of that. |
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Dune
Posts: 223 |
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I should have mentioned this, but it's not the liturgical date I was referring to. There was a long-held belief, started atleast in the third century and carried throughout the Middle Ages, that Christ was historically crucified on March 25. Sources: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/arts/al0161.html http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03158a.htm (These are very lengthy articles that discuss this briefly, so the Ctrl+F function helps out greatly). Although it's likely not an accurate date, it is a date of significance to those with a keen eye on Christian history, and Tolkien no doubt was aware of this. I should also add wrt this thread: Even as a Catholic I too think it can be counter-productive to have the literal Jesus as the crux of oh so much fiction. Afterall, Jesus himself was a storyteller who conveyed his teachings in parables. That being said, I think there should be a distinction made between Christian-made fiction that is intended specifically for the Christian audience and fiction meant to appeal to a broader audience, as these two are often unfairly lumped together. The latter usually works best with undertones of Christian thought, as is the case with LotR. With the former, though, I would think it be more acceptable for them to center their stuff upon Jesus, the religious life, or whatever they want. For example: I haven't read Serenity or know much about it, but it seems like an experimental comic aimed primarily towards Christians, by Christians, and set in a Christian environment. So there are probably going to be plenty of Christian references. If that is indeed the case, I think it would be a bit too harsh for someone outside of the target audience to say that it is the sort of work which beats one's head over with Christianity; that's almost akin to saying that Spirited Away beats one over the head with Shintoism. (Having not read Serenity, though, I could very well be wrong. I'm assuming solely for the sake of discussion that it gets flack from being based in a heavily Christian environment. Perhaps the protagonist pronounces Jesus-is-Saviour every five sentences.. In which case, it would be beating-over-the-head, even if directed toward the Christian audience). Lastly- Rurouni Kenshin is a good example of an anime/manga that, by following certain aspects of that Lewis-version Tao, is unintentionally very similar to certain Christian values of redemption (that, no matter how much blood Kenshin has on his hands due to his past, his life still possesses intrinsic value and the capacity to bring good into the world through acts of atonement). So, to whoever is looking for Christian-esque anime (and these people do exist, there is a cluster of them over at animeangels.net for instance), it just takes a little time and research to find shows which share certain values. This can be done easily enough nowadays with the internet and databases such as this website. |
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Dernhelm
 Posts: 76 Location: Southeast Asia |
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i applaud your point about anime being a medium and not a genre. too many people are ignorant of that fact and are misled into thinking it is the latter (and that usually being, something for kids) that it gets so frustrating. i'll be pimping that line around.
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