Category Archives: Religion
Attack on Titan, Episode 07: Grace, Guilt, and Good Ideas
Another week, another terrific episode of Shingeki no Kyojin. But at this point, everything still feels like setup and context – when do we find out about some of these secrets (looks like very soon)? When will the troops start fighting back with ferocity (other than Mikasa)? When do we start getting to know the other characters?
I should sit back and just enjoy the series and all the build-up, I suppose, but my anxiety is that the series will conclude without finishing the run of the manga, and I’ll be left out in the cold. Well, if that’s the case, at least we got to see some real development for one of Attack on Titan‘s terrific characters, Mikasa Ackerman.
This week, Mikasa addresses the remaining squads with a speech that half inspiring and entirely condemning. The characters, some reticently, follow Mikasa into battle, but with different reasons in mind, and resulting in different consequences.
Art by へび
Note that more than once it’s mentioned that if the troops just stay there, they’ll eventually die. It’s simply a rational and good idea to take their chances. There’s also a feeling of guilt – those in the supply depot are trapped and dying, and Mikasa is running into battle by herself, so these elite cadets should at least help, right? But when reality strikes again, in the form of the ominous giants (and an out-of-commission Mikasa), many of the soldiers begin to crumble, particularly the guilt-driven Jean, who stands frozen in fear while his comrades die.
However, one soldier stands out by being brave, and perhaps it’s a surprising who it is. Read the rest of this entry
Something More: A Certain Problem With Evil
Only one post this week, but it’s an interesting one! Japes discusses the problem of evil as he examines a scene from A Certain Magical Index. [Japesland]
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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.
Whisper of the Reality-Struck Heart
Of all the great Studio Ghibli works, my favorite is probably Whisper of the Heart. Smaller in scale than almost any of the others, it’s a very personal story about a young girl, a boy, and their dreams. Because most of us remember well the days we were young and had dreams as big as the skies, this little story makes the heart stir for many of us.
Art by きいじ
As you get older, first bursting into the confusing time of adolescence and then into the world of adulthood, you realize that dreams and reality don’t usually meld well together. Even for those that pursue their dream relentlessly, the results don’t always match their hopes.
For me, I’ve seen most of my childhood dreams fade away – some because of what you might deem as circumstance (though I would call it divine intervention) and some because of my personal choices. And though I admit I sometimes feel a sense of loss when I think of what might have been, I’m quickly brought back to reality – to a good type of reality, knowing that I’m meant to be where I am right now, and that I wouldn’t exchange the circumstances of my life for a chance to live the dream.
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (OreGairu), Episode 06: Life is a Redo
As episode six begins, Hikki has effectively broken up his friendship with Yui, because he thinks she’s only being nice to him because she feels guilty about her role in his delayed entrance into high school. And in episode six, when it looks like bridges could be built, Yui finds Hikki and Yukino together on a pseudo date as they shop for a present for their friend.
In many an anime, an entire angsty arc could have been made of this. SNAFU, however, resolves the problems by the episode’s end in really the most rational way. Whatever the two are feeling, they agree to put the past behind, evening the score, as it were, and starting over.
Their relationship becomes a redo.
Art by 刃天
I used to often think about how I’d redo my life. Even though most of us would probably say that ultimately, we wouldn’t change a thing, because what we did led us to who we are now, my past mistakes were so ridiculous and so fixable, that I dwelt upon them often and really wanted to change them. All that changed when I became older, married, and had children – but still, regrets remained.
And although I can’t relive the past, I can have a redo – a new starting point. Read the rest of this entry
Call Out to Our Readers: Let’s Connect!
There are a lot of ways to describe my purpose behind this blog, but maybe the best way is by saying it was to develop relationships. I’ve hoped that the blog has edged more toward community than website (though it has a significance ways to go) as time has gone by. In an effort to further this goal, I’d like to ask you, the readers, to share with us your digital information – how can we get in touch with you and how can other readers get in touch?
So please, share as much info as you’d like in your comments below. Give your blog URL(s), Twitter name, Tumbler URL, Facebook link, etc – any information you’d like to share with us. Let’s connect across mediums and maybe get to know each other a bit better.
I look forward to interacting with you wherever your online presence dwells!
Something More: Modoka > Jesus Concludes
After last week’s barrage of spiritual articles, this week has been much slower. Still, a few terrific articles were posted, as Alexander of Ashita no Anime concluded his Madoka > Jesus series.
Alexander claims that Jesus creates some kind of co-dependency as a savior, which Madoka does not. [Ashita no Anime]
He concludes by emphasizing that God is tyrannical, which Madoka is not. [Ashita no Anime]
I highly recommend you read through Alexander’s series, which is quite thought-provoking. His tone may be off-putting (I’ll admit, I didn’t comment on a number of posts because I felt too emotional to leave comments due to how Alexander references Christ at times), but it’s one that has led to some good debate. And as such, I recommend, also, that you read the comments following the entries as closely as the post themselves.
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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.
God’s Pursuit in The 12 Kingdoms
The Twelve Kingdoms is an in-depth anime that explores 12 countries in a parallel dimension to the real world filled with characters from Japanese mythology. The main character, Yoko Nakajima, is sucked into this world after a storm and, through a random series of events, becomes the leader of one of the countries, which is called Kei.
The anime really goes into the politics in the countries and explores what it means to be a good leader, the consequences of a bad leader, and the way different leadership styles shape each country. One of the most prosperous kingdoms in the parallel world, which is actually just called Twelve Kingdoms, is the kingdom of En.
That prosperity is due in large part to the kingdoms king, Shouryu, a laid-back, confident former feudal lord. Shouryu is always aware of whats happening in En, rarely loses his cool, shows mercy whenever possible and exacts justice when necessary. Out of all Shouryu’s qualities, the one I noticed the most was his desire to make a place for all of his people. Not just some, not just most, but each and every one.
After squashing a rebellion that had risen up in the kingdom, Shouryu met one man, Kouya, who was insistent on the impossibility of himself fitting into En.
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.
OreTsuba: Finding Something Good Beneath the Bad
I recently re-watched Oretachi ni Tsubasa ha Nai with some friends. The first time I watched, I was impressed with it, but the second time, I could really appreciate just how amazing this anime is at times. So why have so few people seen it, even fewer people enjoyed it, and even fewer recommend it? Well, because it’s an anime that’s pretty bad at first glance. And second glance, and third glance. In fact, you could watch half the episodes and still think it’s absolute trash, and for good reason. This show is filled with fan service and not just your normal amounts of fan service, but levels that make you forget there is any semblance of plot.
Wait, what plot?
If there was plot, then maybe people would put up with the absurd amounts of fan service, but a show with no plot and pure service is bound to only attract a certain kind of audience. Indeed, its reputation is overall quite negative, and I honestly can’t deny it.
OreTsuba follows the lives of 3 different male protagonists and divides the screen time between them. While slowly showing their daily lives with multiple girls, you get all kinds of fan service from panty shots to half naked girls, and an extra side of obscene sexual jokes. It doesn’t help that the dialogue is quite random and other than even more random asides that make little sense, there is little hint of any logical plot. It goes so far as to even have sex. Magic forest sex, in fact. There are no dolphins here. But don’t worry; you’ll drop it before then. Truly this show takes fan service to a whole new level (granted, it wouldn’t be the first to do so) and thus you get a show which would never be worth your time, in addition to just having content that can leave you feeling anywhere from annoyed to disgusted, depending on your tolerance.
And yet despite the obscene levels of fan service and sexual tendencies, despite the initial lack of any logical plot, despite everything that would stop someone from continuing to watch, OreTsuba, at its core, is one of the best storyboarded anime in recent times and one of the most impressive VN to anime adaptations. I can’t say anything without spoiling it, but after that second watch, I could really see how much thought was put into making this anime, and it was incredibly well done. There are a surprising number of relevant things that you would normally never notice amidst the cesspool of content and to see it all slowly come together in a way that is truly extraordinarily done made the watch worth it, at least for me.
