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Islam in anime.


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Ggultra2764
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Joined: 21 Jan 2004
Posts: 3862
Location: New York state.
PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 1:47 pm Reply with quote
DuskyPredator wrote:
I think I remember some Islamic themes in Full Metal Panic, though I think the religous part is not very large and a lot of the country names are changed. I don't think it is put in a bad light


spoiler[In the FMP series, it's made clear that Sousuke is a Muslim from being raised in the Middle East. But he isn't a strict follower of the religion. One example of his Muslim roots is his refusal to drink alcohol which besides from the fact that he is underaged, it's considered a taboo for Muslims to drink it as alcohol is a form of intoxicant and the prophet Muhammad had encouraged his followers not to consume any intoxicants.]

Quote:
Wait I think there was some Judaism in anime, in the Full Metal Alchemist movie, which is set in Holland just prior to WWII. I know at least the director was suposed to be.


Conquerer of Shambala takes place in 1923 in Munich, Germany just five years after World War I ended. spoiler[The director that Ed meets with whom he mistook for Fuhrer Bradley was Fritz Lang, a real-life famous producer and director who was raised in what was once known as Austria-Hungary. While his mother was born Jewish, she converted to Roman Catholicism when her younger son turned 10 thus Fritz was raised as a Catholic. The movie itself uses actual historical facts on the beginnings of the Nazi regime such as the party's attempts to revolt against Germany at the time, use Jews as a reason to blame for Germany's losses in the first World War and the Thule Society being both the center of rumors concerning Nazi belief in the occult and being used to promote Nazi propaganda in its beginnings.]
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arachneia



Joined: 20 Mar 2009
Posts: 415
Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon
PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:46 pm Reply with quote
Well, I once saw a hentai about some Spanish sex slave owner in Constantinople or some such, but I don't suppose that counts.

On the other hand, I think Ishbal/Ishvar is a pretty blatant AU version of Islam.
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Beltane70



Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 3868
PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:24 am Reply with quote
RHachicho wrote:

I do agree however that yeah judaism seems to be markedly absent from anime in any shape or form i wonder why that is perhaps because all the themes from jewish history have pretty much been done to death already in western cinema


Judaism isn't totally absent from anime and manga. Granted, I don't recall any characters that are Jewish in anime, but there have been some symbols of Judaism present in anime.

One case that I can recall is that in Neon Genesis Evangelion, the Tree of Life from the Kabbalah appears on either the floor or ceiling (posibly both) of Gendou's office.

In X, the Star of David and Hebrew writing appear on both Kamui's and Fuma's swords.
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arachneia



Joined: 20 Mar 2009
Posts: 415
Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon
PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:07 am Reply with quote
Beltane70 wrote:
Judaism isn't totally absent from anime and manga. Granted, I don't recall any characters that are Jewish in anime, but there have been some symbols of Judaism present in anime.

Benny from Black Lagoon is Jewish.
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desolatesoul1123



Joined: 29 May 2010
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2010 11:05 pm Reply with quote
Though it is not very clear on religion when it come to anime, but to me one of the most known Muslim anime characters is Mamoru Chiba from Sailor Moon.
You can find proves by type in "Moonlight Knight" on google or Youtube.
Sailor moon have a wide range of religious context hidden inside it
Other religions in Sailor Moon includes:
Shinto: Rei Hino
Buddhism: Minako Aino
Christianity: Usagi Tsukino
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anijunk



Joined: 30 May 2008
Posts: 55
PostPosted: Mon May 31, 2010 12:10 pm Reply with quote
If you want reference of Islam in anime, think of the adaptations of 1001 Nights, the Arab bundle of fairy tales. (And a great source for animation, too).

Perhaps those were in the early days of anime, but take a look at Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad (Arabian naito: Shindobaddo no bôken), made in 1962.
It was made with respect of Islam, including a scene in a mosque.
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GloriousMaximus



Joined: 11 Nov 2009
Posts: 138
Location: North America
PostPosted: Mon May 31, 2010 5:14 pm Reply with quote
The only references to Islam I remember in anime is Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, when there was that 'controversy' in an episode of the anime where a character is reading book with text that turned out to be lifted from the Koran and it pissed off a bunch of people watching the Arabic fansubs on some pirate website.
Other then that all I can think of 1001 Nights by Tezuka and his Mushi productions studio, but no one should take that movie seriously lol. But I'd have to agree with everyone else's comments, it probably doesn't come up as much because it doesn't have the same history that Buddhism, Shinto or Christianity does.
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eyeresist



Joined: 02 Apr 2007
Posts: 995
Location: a 320x240 resolution igloo (Sydney)
PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:37 am Reply with quote
I haven't noticed any Islam or Judaism in anime, I guess because I haven't been looking for it. My impression is that if anime characters go to a desert land they may meet some Generic Arab Guys, but that's about it.

I suspect Japan has very little awareness of Islam, compared to their knowledge of and interaction with Asia and the West. Plus Islam doesn't have much interesting symbolism as compared to Christianity. I can't imagine an Islam-based version of Hellsing, for instance.

Plus, as previously mentioned, if anyone tried it, some nut might try to blow them up.


Last edited by eyeresist on Tue Jun 01, 2010 2:35 am; edited 1 time in total
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hissatsu01



Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 963
Location: NYC
PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:47 am Reply with quote
Can't believe no one's mentioned the first half of Yugo the Negotiator. So far the only depiction of Islam I've seen in anime that was neither completely superficial nor a caricature.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 2:16 am Reply with quote
Wait I just remembered that there was a character in Ladies vs Butlers, her name was Ayse Khadim. I don't know if she was actually Islamic, but she did cover her entire body.
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kiddtic



Joined: 04 Dec 2009
Posts: 309
Location: Kitwe, Zambia
PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 3:24 am Reply with quote
I cant remember clearly but im preety sure there was either a mention or a theme of Islam in CANAAN. Mustve been vague or minimal for me not to remember clearly.
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Straight Pride



Joined: 12 Jan 2012
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 4:47 pm Reply with quote
hissatsu01 wrote:
Can't believe no one's mentioned the first half of Yugo the Negotiator. So far the only depiction of Islam I've seen in anime that was neither completely superficial nor a caricature.


http://postimage.org/image/qwv54158t/ - (Prayer)

http://postimage.org/image/plrz9az0t/ - (Reference to Muhammed PBUH (Actually a riddle))
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wanderlustking



Joined: 18 Jun 2008
Posts: 449
Location: Bozeman, Montana
PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 6:06 pm Reply with quote
arachneia wrote:
Beltane70 wrote:
Judaism isn't totally absent from anime and manga. Granted, I don't recall any characters that are Jewish in anime, but there have been some symbols of Judaism present in anime.

Benny from Black Lagoon is Jewish.
This is what we call an informed attribute. The fact that he is Jewish is brought up once, in a conversation about neo-Nazis.
I used to get the weirdest looks from people because of the Star of David tattoo on my left shoulder; well, my tattoos in general, but people actually mentioned the Star of David (they probably thought I had no clue what they were saying Laughing ). As has been mentioned before, both Judaism and Islam are almost nonexistent in Japan, so most people had only seen one in the form of transmutation circles and the like (I'm pretty sure there were a couple in FMA, and I've seen it in a lot of other magical settings too); my step-parents thought it was a pentagram for a while, which was kind of hilarious in hind sight.
Interestingly, the only place you come across a real familiarity with either religion is in the military, since the SDF spent two years in Iraq as part of the reconstruction effort (and there are still units stationed in the Golan Heights). I've met grunts that seem to know a lot more about Muslim culture than college graduates.
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Errinundra
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Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6516
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 6:27 pm Reply with quote
kiddtic wrote:
I can't remember clearly but im preety sure there was either a mention or a theme of Islam in CANAAN. Mustve been vague or minimal for me not to remember clearly.


The characters Canaan and Alphard are middle-eastern. Canaan is a Jewish word for land west of the Jordan and, by extension, the Promised Land. Alphard is an Arabic name that refers to the brightest star in the constellation Hydra. It literally means "the solitary one" and can be inferred to mean "the heart of the snake". She is, of course, the Big Bad. You can draw your own conclusion about the two main rivals having a Jewish and Arabic name, respectively.

Director Koichi Mashimo had a Catholic education and pretty much all of his anime are loaded with Christian imagery and narratives. He occasionally adds in some Islamic flavour. Episode 7 of Noir is set in a Middle Eastern country. I like this image from The Weathering Continent:



Remi's dream in GoShogun: The Time Étranger appears to be set in an Islamic country. There are scenes of multitudes of Muslims praying towards Mecca and there are others where the protagonists fight large numbers of people who are inferred to be Islamic.

EDIT: I've just realised how old a disinterment this thread is. Embarassed
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:26 pm Reply with quote
Interesting topic. I've mentioned this in other threads, but it's worth bringing up here:

1. The most engaging and true-to-life manga with Judaism as a major element is Adolf by Osamu Tezuka (or Letters to Adolf as Vertical is re titling it when they release it soon). It's about two kids named Adolf who grow up in Kyoto, near the longstanding Jewish community there. One boy is Jewish; the other is half-Japanese and half-German. The story tells a fictionalized account of the very real rescue efforts made by the Jewish community in Japan and sympathetic Japanese officials to transport Jews from Eastern Europe to Japan and Japanese occupied Shang-hai in order to save them from the Nazis. Many Jews were saved this way, including the entire Mirrer Yeshiva from Poland (who still have branches in New York & Israel today).

Tezuka doesn't get all the details of Judaism right, but it's an incredible manga overall.

2. I'm pretty impressed by the Kabbalistic Tree of Life on The Door of Truth in FMA: Brotherhood, complete with transliterated Hebrew phrases!

3. Blue Exorcist is how religion is typically portrayed in Japan, imho. A big mix of Christian, Buddhist and Shinto practices, mixed and matched based on what is "cool" and interesting to the plot. I don't think the average Japanese would understand a monotheist's reluctance to mix and match religious practices because of the concern against practicing idolatry. For instance, the Catholic Church would probably never team up with Shinto and Buddhist priests to exorcise demons.

From a Western Monotheistic perspective, Blue Exorcist's religious hodge podge is ridiculous. I find it very funny! (Not to mention a girl who works for the Vatican walking around in a bikini top and denom shorts!)
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