Category Archives: Manga
Something More: Madoka v. Jesus, Kirino Acts Like a Christian, and Christ the Stampede
It was quite a week for spiritual and religion tinged articles in the anime blogosphere, headlined by Alexander’s still on-going series entitled, Madoka > Jesus. Here are his posts thus far:
- Human vs God
- The True Sacrifice
- Benevolence Given Freely
- Madoka Succeeded, Jesus Failed
- Madoka is More Plausible
Nick Calibey responded to Alexander’s post with his own article. [A Rather Silly Blog]
Stardf29 reviews episode 3 of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet and makes connections between the importance of “thank you” and life lived less legalistically. [A Series of Miracles]
D.M. Dutcher compares Kirino’s treatment of her otakuness in Oreimo to how Christians often treat their faith. [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
In another post, he makes some great comparisons between the humorous hero, Vash the Stampede, and Christ, as well as to scenes in Trigun: Badlands Rumble and the “problem of pain. [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
Dutcher also advises Christians in his reviews of Aoi Sekai No Chuusin De and season one of Oreimo.
Japes, who guest-blogged for us earlier this week, is off and running on his own aniblog, beginning with an introduction of his theology. [Japesland]
Japes also brings his faith into a defense of Vocaloid as an artistic expression. [Japesland]
Medieval Otaku points out Christian theology and themes in his review of several manga, including Superior and Vinland Saga. [Medieval Otaku]
So…the Jesus and Buddha characters of Saint Young Men are now being used to market fashion merchandise. Interesting. [Anime News Network]
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As part of the Something More 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.
Something More: Kenshin’s Journey Toward Mercy, Bad Catholics in Maoyu, and Dreams of a Christian Japan
This week has been full of great articles involving religion and spirituality! Unfortunately, I may have missed a few – the move from Google Reader to Feedly has been largely snag free, until this week, when I found that their latest update has omitted the search feature. RSS users beware.
Anyway, onto the articles!
Medieval Otaku posts his academic essay on how Kenshin’s journey in the first two OVA’s (Trust and Betrayal/Samurai X) parallel to St. Bonaventure’s steps leading to God in Journey of the Mind to God. [Medieval Otaku]
Lady Geek Girl has a real issue with how the Catholic Church is represented in some series and movies, and uses Maoyuu Maou Yuusha as an example. [Lady Geek Girl and Friends]
Justin notes an emphasis on religion in the Attack on Titan anime as compared to the manga. [Organization Anti-Social Geniuses]
Draggle draws connections between the act of a benediction and this week’s disturbing episode of Aku no Hana. [Draggle's Anime Blog]
Zeroe4 makes a distinction between his “calling to anime” and his dream for Japan. [Zeroe4]
D.M. Dutcher offers reviews of Another and Girls Und Panzer that are directed toward Christian viewers. [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
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As part of the Something More 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.
Attack on Titan: Straight from the Old Testament
I’ve been totally floored by Attack on Titan, the new series this season about GIANTS. Although our own Goldy wrote about the series’ potential, I wasn’t prepared for how riveting, exciting, and frightening this show would be.
Among other things I missed? The connection to religion in the first two episodes (what do I do on this blog again?).
Justin, who has been comparing the manga to the anime, pointed out connections to religion in episode two, particularly. Noteworthy is the street preacher who is entirely absent from the manga and the frightened people who call out to God as they witness the horrible events happening to their village.
The connection that stands out most though (and why shouldn’t they?) is the giants themselves.
Art by 大汐
Giants are the stuff of legend. They are the enemies in fairytales (“Jack and the Beanstalk“) and stuff of children’s nightmares (BFG).
Something More: AnoHana and the Holy Spirit, God Using Bakuman, and Nausicaa as Jesus
Lady Saika discusses Haiyore! Nyarko-san in her examination of the elder God, Cthulu. [Lady Geek Girl and Friends]
Tsunderin and MadameAce point out the Jesus allusion in a very critical review of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. [Lady Geek Girl and Friends]
Guardian Enzo mentions a number of religious connects in episode four of Red Data Girl. [Lost in America]
The Medieval Otaku, frequently featured in this column, celebrated both his 100th post and one year blogging anniversarythis past week. Congratulations! [Medieval Otaku]
There were a number of reviews posted this week that contained ratings and other information directed at Christian viewers:
- Samurai Champloo [Lobster Quadrille]
- Gaiking-Legend of the Daikyu-Maru [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
- Demonbane [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
Also, a little something more to something more – I missed a couple of articles (and maybe a lot more) the last few weeks as I’ve started to learn the ins and outs of Feedly versus Google Reader. Here are a couple good ones I missed out on:
Our own Zeroe4 comments on his personal experience, specifically discussing how his own relationship with the Holy Spirit relates to his viewing of AnoHana and Jintan’s experiences. [Zeroe4]
Kokoro Hane tells how God motivated her through Bakuman to work on storyboards. [Kokoro no Uta]
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As part of the Something More 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.
Are You Deaf (to Real Love)?!
I claim that this blog covers anime and manga, but in reality, we do little of the latter – mostly because I don’t read much manga. But yesterday, my attention was drawn to a captivating gif on Tumblr for a manga that I just had to check out. Entitled Koe no Katachi, the one shot focuses on a middle school transfer student with a hearing disability through the eyes of the class bully.
Art by ループ
On the opening pages, the side editorial claims that there was a lot of discussion about whether or not the manga would be published because of its controversial subject matter. We east Asians are prone to exaggeration, and I assumed this to be the case in this instance, but…no. The 61 pages were full of painful moments – the kind of cringe-worthy pain only middle schoolers can cause to each other.
But in the midst of suffering, Nishimiya, the transfer student, stands as a beacon. Throughout all the bullying she faces, she remains almost impossibly kind, even to her greatest tormenter, Ishida. He breaks her heart (and her hearing aid) by his utter ruthlessness. But he’s simply the leader; all of Nishimiya’s classmates join in the tormenting.
Without giving too much away, the climax of the tale occurs when we realize just how patient and loving Nishimiya has been all this time, even after she has been removed from the story. The climactic gesture she makes is not over-the-top (surprise!), but it’s powerful in as a sign of sacrifice and selflessness.
Something More: Giant Christian Robots, Jesus Anime App, and The Curses of Magi and Little Busters
What do mecha tells us about the Christian faith? Quite a lot, actually. [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
Ty-chama addresses Old Testament generational curses, and how Little Busters and Magi demonstrate that we can overcome our lots in life. [Watashi wa Bucho!]
Tsunderin points out Hindu allusions in her review of the 3 x 3 Eyes manga. [Lady Geek Girl and Friends]
“My Last Day,” the anime short about Jesus, is now available through the YouVersion Bible app. [Examiner]
Inushinde discusses the lack of subtlety in the portrayal of the church in episode 9 of Maoyuu Maou Yuusha. [The Cart Driver]
D.M. Dutcher includes notes that my be of particular concern to Christians in his review of Venus Versus Virus. [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
Something More: Hello Kitty in Space, Christian Manga, and Shuffled Spiritual Stories
Erin Straza reports on a 7th grader who sent a Hello Kitty doll into space, and hopes to use her passions to stir joy in others, too. [Christ and Pop Culture]
The Cajun Samurai jumps into the harem tale of gods and demons known as Shuffle…and then wishes he hadn’t. [The Cajun Samurai]
D.M. Dutcher gives a brief rundown of Christian OEL manga, particularly those distributed by the now defunct Realbuzz Studios. [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
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As part of the Something More 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.
Habemus Papam! A Manga About Pope Benedict XVI
With Pope Benedict XVI’s sudden resignation on Monday, any good anime and manga fan would ask the natural question: Has anyone made a manga about Benedict XVI’s life?
The answer is, of course!
In all seriousness, a treatment of his life in manga format does exist. Originally developed by Gabrielle Gniewek and Sean Lam as a 16-page one shot for World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain, Regina Doman expanded on Habemus Papam! with Lam to create a full-length original English language manga. Doman even provides some insight into the process on the blog for Manga Hero, the company that creates and distributes this manga and other original series.
I have not read Habemus Papam!, but I have read Manga Hero’s other OEL releases. The company has done the unlikely and created captivating and well-crafted series based on Catholic principles and Bible stories. I’ve enjoyed all of their works, though Many Are Called stands out as a favorite.
If Habemus Papam! is anything like Manga Hero’s other works, it’s one that’s definitely worth your consideration – and it’s certainly a timely OEL manga to read in these days of significant activity in the Catholic world.
