Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere
There are only a couple of links this week, but they’re good ones:
Last week, I mentioned that Zeroe4 was beginning a series musing on death from a Christian perspective and in association with anime. His post in the series sets up context, giving his feelings about life and death. His next post in the series is really terrific, using anime like Code Geass, Death Note and particularly Gundam series to talk about war and more emphatically, the “war for our lives.” [Zeroe4]
Landon’s post about Samurai Pizza Cats is really a lament about college, including a section on an “evangelical atheist” professor who not only drove him crazy, but challenged his beliefs. [Mecha Guignol]
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As part of the Spirituality in the Anime Blogsophere series of posts, each week, Beneath the Tangles links to writings about anime and manga that involve religion and spirituality. If you’ve written such a piece or know of one, please email TWWK if you’d like it included.
The Art of Being an Anime Girl (or Boy) in a Hospital Bed
No hairbrushing in my room...or giant dog costumes. (Image from Sekirei Wiki)
Since we know that everything we see in anime accurately represents Japanese culture, I can make this statement with confidence: long hospitalizations are far more common in Japanese health institutions than in those in America. I bet most anime fans can count off the number of shows featuring characters who are on bed rest in hospitals. In America, though, we generally try to get people out of hospitals and back home, unless they’re in critical condition.
The thing is, this trope is quite charming. Bedpans, IVs, and injections be darned – there’s nothing more pleasant than a teenage girl or boy quietly reading a book in a hospital with visitors in tow.
Of course, it’s a little different when you’re the one in that situation. Read the rest of this entry
Princess Mononoke: Ashitaka and the Fruit of Peace
平和. 평화. שלום.
Heiwa. Pyonghwa. Shalom.
Peace is a beautiful word, but an agonizing one as well. It’s something we desire, something we feel should be, but like Mayuri Shiina reaching up toward the sky, it’s impossibly out of reach. World peace is a dream. Inner peace may be, too, but that doesn’t stop many of the world religions from making this a (or the) focus of their faiths.
However, peace doesn’t instantly come to mind when thinking of some religions. Islam carries the weight of a violent connotation associated with its religion. I’m reading a book (when I say reading, I mean I’ve read about a chapter a year for the last 7 years) about how Islam is really a peaceful religion; the fact that such books even have to be written tells us something about how nonbelievers feel. The same can be said of Christianity, which has been forever stained with violent events like the Crusades and the Inquisition.
Nonetheless, the actions of people in the name of religion often tell us more about them and their society than about their faith. And in that vein, I’m here to say that in a significant way, Christianity is all about peace – within ourselves, with other people, and most of all (and all trickling downward from), peace with God.
When I think about peace in terms of anime, one character rises in my mind above all – Ashitaka, the noble prince from Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, Princess Mononoke. In his journey, Ashitaka makes peace in each of the three ways mentioned above. Hit the jump to read more about the third fruit in our “Fruits of the Spirit” series: peace.
Ashitaka's calm exterior hid inner pains (Art by レンキ＠ついった)
Pain, Prayers, and Posts
I was hoping to put the finishing touches on the latest post in the Fruits of the Spirit series, which was supposed to go up today. But lying here in a hospital bed, I’m thinking the series may have to wait until next week to be continued.
Without going into too much detail, a lingering problem led me to get an MRI, which revealed something unexpected and alarming. For the short term, I’m avoiding a risky surgery, but I remain hospitalized. I do expect to go home tonight, after about two days in the hospital.
To those readers of the of who are Christian, I solicit your prayers in the following areas:
- Pray that my family finds peace during this time. My wife is stressed out and my two children are very young.
- Pray that God may heal my body (I have an artery issue in my neck).
- Pray that our family will be able to weather the expenses of this visit financially. Medical costs are very expensive and to top it off, we just paid for major repairs on my car.
- Pray for strength and resolve on my part. Besides physical strength, I feel the burden of lost work time, family support, and aforementioned finances. And on a lesser note, I’ll be giving myself injections for the next week and frankly, that freaks me out.
I’m thankful for the kind readership of this blog and I know your thoughts and prayers are with me. I expect my life (and the blog along with it) to return to normal, more or less, in the next week or two.
How Catholic and Protestant Reviewers Scored The Secret World of Arrietty
Anime movies in U.S. theaters are typically released on so few screens that most major movie critics don’t review them. However, Studio Ghibli films, released by Disney and bolstered by Hayao Miyazaki’s 2002 Oscar win for Spirited Away, buck that trend. With a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the Ghibli film, The Secret World of Arrietty, has been held in higher regard than even a number of movies nominated for “Best Picture” at next week’s Academy Awards. On that note, I’m going to say it here – I believe Arrietty will receive a nomination for “Best Animated Picture” at next year’s Oscar’s.
With major reviewers having to sit up and notice Arrietty, an interesting subset of movie reviewers has likewise done the same: Christian/Catholic film critics. Not only do these critics focus on the quality of movies, many also discuss the moral implications of films – in fact, some emphasize the latter over the earlier. Last Friday, when Arrietty was released, I wrote a post on how Christianity Today gave the film a very positive rating, not something entirely expected. Don of Zoopraxiscope offered links to a few other reviews and with these in hand, I decided to select five major “Christian” review outlets and three “Catholic” ones, to see how they scored The Secret World of Arrietty. Read the rest of this entry
When Our Opinions Run Counter to the Culture (Otherwise Titled: K-On! and Hunger Games Suck)
Whenever an anime or other piece becomes enormously popular, there’s generally a reaction against it. In the case of mediocre or poor works (is it too easy to use Twilight as an example?), the backlash can be overwhelming. In the anime community, there’s inevitably at least one strong blogging or reviewing voice speaking out against almost every popular show. And possibly no show had as many vocal detractors (and fans) in recent years as a certain group of musical girls.
Art by Stephie915
K-On! is Really, Really Awful…
At least that’s what many viewers think. As for myself, I simply found the show boring, though I loved the music and animation (re-watching the Christmas episode was an absolute chore). But I wonder if those that speak so strongly against this really, really inoffensive show are fighting more against the phenomenon of K-On! rather than the show itself. Read the rest of this entry
Christianity Today Reviewer Calls Arrietty a “Beautiful, Wondrous Film”
Today, Studio Ghibli’s latest release, The Secret World of Arrietty, hits American shores. Disney is giving it a surprisingly wide release; as with Ponyo, I was delighted to see commercials for the movie during regular (and popular) programming on television. As such, it’s being reviewed as any typical U.S. studio created animated film might be.
Art by 矢毒蛙
Todd Hertz of Christianity Today is among the film’s reviewers and like the majority (92% at Rotten Tomatoes), enjoys the film:
The Secret World of Arrietty is a celebration of the vibrant life surging all around us—a declaration of the countless stories being told all at once.
Hertz admires the film’s lush artwork, but also raves about the story, particularly the relationships reflected within it.
One of my favorite publications, Christianity Today reviews aren’t as conservative in their viewpoints as some other outlets. Yet, the publication remains focused on issues important to American Christians, such as the importance of family:
But overall, it’s hard to find many family films so authentic, so earnest, so supportive of family, and so honest about life’s joys and hardships.
I’m very glad to see a positive review of an anime film from such an important online Christian medium – it’s just another sign that Christianity nowadays doesn’t necessarily fit that prickly stereotype that many have of the faith and its practitioners.
Read the entire article at Christianity Today.
Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere: Pokemon and Priests, Dreams of Crusading Anime, and Superflat Artist Tackles Buddha in Qatar
It appears to be Catholic week here at Beneath the Tangles, emphasized by a couple of blog posts relating Catholicism with anime:
I am not arguing that the Church is a lot like the Pokemon world. (Alright, I am.) But more than that: The natural cry of the human heart — as best shown in the desires of children — is answered by the life of the Church.
You read it right – a post at Bad Catholic connects Pokemon, of all series, to the Catholic Church. But the blogger doesn’t stretch to fit a point – Marc’s post is a thoughtful one about order and hierarchy, which makes the argument given in the quote above. He is an excellent writer and I encourage you to read the entire post. [Bad Catholic]
Ghostlightning tells his readers what kind of anime he’d love to see produced (and invites us to to join in with our suggestions) – his would heavily involved Catholicism. If you know Ghostlighning, you’ll know that he’s knowledgeable about a world of things, including the Catholic Church. [We Remember Love]
Ash Brown, a librarian, reviews Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche, an English translation of noted Japanese account of the Tokyo sarin gas attack predicated in 1995 by the religious cult, Aum Shikryo. Ash is a terrific writer and his site is well worth a visit. Also of note is that this book was frequently referred to in The Untold Story of Altair and Vega’s excellent colloquium series on Mawaru Penguindrum. [Experiments in Manga]
The always entertaining Monsieurr LaMoe definies chuunibyou and gives a variety of examples of chuuni, anime and otherwise. Among his models are a number related to religion, including Christ himself, with the writer modifying scripture with the following verse [Anime Diet]:
“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a chuuni will never enter it.”
Artnet reports that famed artist, Takashi Murakami, who is known among other things for artwork that explores “sexual complexes of otaku culture” (Wikipedia), explores Buddhism in a new show in Qatar, just in time for Buddha’s birthday (February 15). [Artnet]
Zeroe4 introduces a series of post on death, in which he’ll muse on the subject from a Christian point of view while also relating anime to it. [Zeroe4]
Finally, although I’m a few weeks late on this one, it’s worth mentioning Cytrus’ post on a Yui-centered episode of Angel Beats. He discusses a bit about the joyful aspects of the afterlife. [Yaranakya]
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As part of the Spirituality in the Anime Blogsophere series of posts, each week, Beneath the Tangles links to writings about anime and manga that involve religion and spirituality. If you’ve written such a piece or know of one, please email TWWK if you’d like it included. Special thanks this week to Don of Zoopraxiscope for the link to the Bad Catholic article.
Fruits of the Spirit: Sasami and the Two Joys
Last week, R86 kicked off the “Fruits of the Spirit” series here by talking about the first fruit, love, and how Honda Tohru of Fruits Baskets shines with that trait. Today, I’ll be discussing a fruit that often connected with love, the second fruit: joy.
Joy is a vibrant word, not only because of it’s meaning, but because it looks and sounds, well, joyous. I’ve heard it defined in a couple of different ways. There’s the the first definition, the typical one of an overwhelming sense of happiness. But there’s also a second definition, the Christian connotation that describes it as a lasting happiness that often comes with knowing Christ. The idea is this – life is going to throw curveballs at us, but deep in a Christian’s heart is joy (I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart…) that comes with knowing that no matter what happens, God is unchanging. The two definitions are connected; if one finds reliance on God’s grace, that person may exhibit great delight.
The idea of joy, like almost any other thought that can come from our minds, is found in anime. It’s often young girls who exhibit this trait, which seems to go hand in hand with childlike innocence. The first such character who came to mind when thinking about joy was Sasami, the young princess from Tenchi Muyo! and her own spin-off magical girl series.
Art by 岱武
Nothing Compares – Steins;gate, Chat Rooms, and Real Love
Art by X布
One of my favorite songs about heartbreak and love is “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Sinead O’Conner’s striking voice rings beautifully in the simple chorus of a song that was oh so 90′s. I was a child when it came out, and the song now additionally carries that nostalgic feeling that is often associated with love.
Nothing compares
Nothing compares to you
“Nothing Compares 2 U” reminds me of first loves and of newly born love, and of the powerful and exciting feelings that accompany new relationships. Even today, revisiting past memories about such love can be emotional and intense.
I’m reminded of my sophomore year in high school, weeks before this boy from the desert southwest made his way to New York City on his first unaccompanied trip to visit the university he longed to attend – NYU.
I had taken a break from the Internet for one reason or another and returned to find that my best online bud had joined a group of individuals who regularly met in an AOL chatroom named “Witless.” It was a charming place and one I remember fondly; the regulars included the likes of the older curmudgeon/leader; the witty and kind standup comic; the drowsy and cool older girl; the aggravating younger adolescent; and my pal, the voice of reason.
There was also another person that frequented it – a young woman a couple of years younger than myself. I’d been told that she was very cool, but in the days following my first visit to “Witless,” I hadn’t encountered her – not until I received this instant message (screen names changed to protect the innocent…also because I don’t remember them):
Liz71483: SPLAT!
Liz71483: runs away
I’d been soaked by a digital water balloon. As the gentleman I am, of course, I retaliated. And thus started a sweet little romance. Read the rest of this entry
