Blog Archives
Something More: Jesus and Buddha Talk Evangelion, Buddhism in Paprika, and Haibane Renmei’s Purgatory
I took a break last week from Something More, so today’s links are for articles posted over the last fortnight. Enjoy!
Nami gives her thoughts on Trigun, including how Vash and Wolfwood’s beliefs mirror or disagree with her own Christian ones. [BookLoversUnite]
Rocklobster gives Haibane Renmei a 10/10 and in his review, mentions the possible Christian allusions in the series. [Lobster Quadrille]
In his Secret Santa post, dliessmgg closes by mentioning the possible Buddhist ideas underlying Paprika. [Inflating the Tokidoki Balloon]
Hervé St-Louis gives an unfavorable review of the Happy Science anime film, The Mystical Laws. [ComicBookBin]
Teaser trailers for the Saint Young Men film are up and apparently satire Evangelion (someone fill me in?). [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: Haibane Renmei Reviews, Aniblogging Sins, and Buddhist Bye-Bye in Natsuyuki Rendezvous
The religious-themed Haibane Renmei was released as an inexpensive box-set last week, and a number of outlets have since reviewed it. ANN’s Theron gives it an “A” and comments on the purposely vagueness of religious aspects of the series, but how many will comment on these themes (us). [Anime News Network]
Stig Høgset, a big fan of the series, mentions that is include “a rather loosely based belief system.” [THEM Anime Reviews 4.o]
Alexander also enjoyed it, and finds that the characters are perhaps not seeking “redemption or spiritual cleansing, but a journey of rediscovering their true selves.” [Ashita no Anime]
Stephanie also comments on the religious themes in Haibane Renmei in her review [Lilac Anime Reviews]:
There are many religious themes involved, however, it’s more of an allegory then a strict following of a certain religion. Because of this, the themes and symbols of this series not only shine, but make you think and question your own beliefs.
Now on to other anime/spiritual links for the week…
Anime reviewer Rocklobster describes his reasons for being a Christian on another of his blogs. [Aspie Catholic]
In Yippy’s response to the Aniblogger Interrogation Game, he asks the question of which of the seven deadly sins does the responder most commit? [Sekijitsu]
Monsieur LaMoe describes burial customs of various religions in his unique dissection of Natsuyuki Rendezvous‘ final episode. [Anime Diet]
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As part of the Something More series of posts (formerly Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere), 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.
Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere: Godless Haibane, Saints for Anime, and Faith in Madoka
This has been an exemplary week for religion/spiritual/Christian themed post in the blogosphere. While I usually post links to articles that sometimes only briefly mention connections to spirituality in anime, there are a number of well-written post this week fully dedicated to the topic.
Alexander, whose no stranger to blogging about his transition from Christian to atheist, takes an interesting approach to Haibane Renmei, departing from his usual episodic posts to explain how the the series rather espouses his Humanist beliefs. [Ashita no Anime]
Nick Calibey uses hermeneutics in writing a wonderful essay to Orthodox Christians explaining the value that can be found in watching anime. [A Rather Silly Blog]
Nick also begins a series on Madoka Magica, introducing the series and particularly defining faith and discussing it in terms of Madoka’s relationship with her mom. [A Rather Silly Blog]
Draggle outlines Inaba’s confession and redemption scene in episode 10 of Kokoro Connect, comparing it to Paul’s gospel message in the Book of Romans. [Draggle's Anime Blog]
Ladybacula examines how clergy are portrayed in anime, using Justin Law of Soul Eater and Apocryphos of D.Gray-Man as examples. [Lady Geek Girl and Friends]
John Noel has a fascinating post comparing Sword Art Online to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave; he also mentions Christian symbolism in the show. [chaostangent]
Landon dives into the, er, “[messed up] theology” of Hells. [Mecha Guignol]
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As part of the Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere 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.
And the Winner of the Haibane Renmei DVD Set Is…
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Haibane Renmei DVD giveaway contest! I appreciated all the promotion, follows, and especially the wonderful comments.
I gave numbered “digital tickets” to the entrants based on when each person entered. The first tickets (starting at 001) went to readers who subscribed by email prior to the contest and the last went to the final tweeters and others right before the deadline. There were a total of 301 tickets in the raffle.
I used an app to randomly select three tickets – the winner and two alternates in case the winner refused the prize. A good thing, too, because the winner did decline!
The first runner-up, then, receives the prize. Congratulations, Geetah, who gave the word, “calculate,” as his haibane name.
And thank you to everyone for entering!
Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere: Fairy God Mother, Sinful Anime Characters, and Religion in Haibane Renmei and Kids on the Slope
Processr shares his background with religion as he explains the criticism of the topic in episode ten of Humanity Has Declined. [Anipulse]
A number of other bloggers also touch on “Watashi as God” in this episode, including Tenchi, Draggle, and Guardian Enzo.
Scamp’s post on last week’s episode of the same series examines the meaning behind the “religions are invented” quote from the show. [The Cart Driver]
In his analysis of You’re Under Arrest, Medieval Otaku relates the complexity of characters to human sinfulness. [Medieval Otaku]
Draggle continues to delve into Christianity as he blogs Kokoro Connect, pointing out the idea of repentance as expressed in episode nine. [Draggle's Anime Blog]
Sweetpea participates in the Aniblogger Interrogation Game and includes an answer related to her personal spiritual beliefs. I wonder who posed the question… [Paper Chimes]
Alexander provides some analysis of the religious theme of Haibane Renmei in his sparkling review for the series. [Ashita no Anime]
Speaking of positive reviews, Sweetpea gives a strong final rating for Kids on the Slope, though she bemoans how religion is used in an on/off manner in the show. [Paper Chimes]
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As part of the Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere 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.
Haibane Renmei Available for Purchase Today!
Once upon a time, a young man watched a series that moved him profoundly. He immediately went to the web to seek it out and purchase it, even though he rarely bought DVDs anymore. Finding that it was out of print, he began a quest to find a copy at a reasonable price. He scoured the Internet and spent a good chunk of time at his first anime convention simply searching for the DVDs. Unsuccessful and discouraged, he nevertheless continued as he read or heard stories of lucky boys and girls who’d found copies on the cheap.
One day, this man received an email from one of the most interesting writers in the aniblogosphere. Out of the kindness of his heart, this gentleman among gentleman offered to send him the DVD collection – for free. Overjoyed, the searcher beamed for near a week or more at both his coming receipt of this gift and at the generosity of the giver.
That DVD was Haibane Renmei. And the man on that quest was Clint Eastwood. Er, okay, it was me.
A short time after I received the copies, FUNimation announced that it was going to first stream the series, then release it on DVD. They recovered Geneon’s license of the show after that company floundered, and had gotten around to processing it.
Today, the very reasonably priced collection is officially available. It is a stunning series and one that pierced my heart. Go show FUNi some love and buy it – I think you’ll find that it’s more than worth the money.
But maybe before that, try to get it for free. You have until midnight tonight, central time, to enter to win a free copy of the collection.
Related articles
- Thirty Days of Anime – Day 23 – Anime you think had the best, or most intriguing art [Pirates of the Burley Griffin]
- Twenty Days of Haibane Renmei – Day 20: Looking back at Haibane Renmei [Pirates of the Burley Griffin]
- Off Scheduled Anime Backlog List Complete! Sort Of… [KaminariAnime]
Win a FREE Copy of Haibane Renmei!
The fine folks as FUNimation (really, they’re awesome!) have provided us with a free copy of Haibane Renmei. It’s a show whose religious imagery is so strong (and according to ABe, intentional), that I couldn’t help but discuss it here on the blog. It’s also simply a wonderful series.
Art by Gorilla(1844〜)
Since I already own a copy of the series, a gift from the amazingly kind Don, this what I’m going to do with this unopened copy. I’m going to just give it away!
You can enter to win raffle style. You “buy” your tickets by doing any of the following:
Subscribe: 5 Tickets
Subscribe by email by click on the follow button on the right of the screen and entering your email address. All individuals who have already subscribe to this blog receive one extra ticket for a total of six.
Tweet: 3 Tickets
Tweet the contest by hitting the “tweet” button at the bottom of the post. Make sure to include @thetangles, so that I can keep track!
Comment: 2 Tickets
Comment below by answering the following question:
There’s a heavy emphasis on names in Haibane Renmei, with each haibane receiving a new name (<— SPOILERS) upon their birth into the world. Their names are symbolic and based upon dreams, with meanings including falling, air, sleep, and river fish. Reflecting on a frequent dream you have, or one that sticks out to you, what might your haibane name be?
RSS Feed: 2 Tickets
If you subscribe to Beneath the Tangles via RSS, mention it in the comments below for a couple of tickets.
Follow: 1 Ticket
If you’re a WordPress user, you can earn one additional ticket by hitting the “Follow” button at the top of the screen. Previous followers will get an extra ticket, for a total of two in this category, but only if you also comment. Not that I don’t trust that all of you followers are also regular readers. 
And that’s it! Do any of the above or any combination! You can get up to 13 tickets for the contest, or if you’re a super duper Beneath the Tangles follower, up to 15! You may enter until midnight, September 4, which is the day FUNimation’s DVD set for Haibane Renmei comes out. I’ll announce the winner of the drawing shortly afterward. The contest, by the way, is limited to the U.S. and Canada.
Make sure you’re checking your blog, email, Twitter account, etc. next week. I’ll notify the winner. If I can’t find a way to reach you, or if you don’t respond within three days, I’ll move on to the next ticket drawn.
Good luck!
Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere: Tsuritama’s Hindu Conch, Tokyo Cathedral Cafe, and Destined to be a Shuu
Mira unpacks the Hindu and Buddhist implications of the conch shell in Tsuritama. [Hachimitsu]
Lacybacula tells us all about a cafe in Tokyo with a unique spin – it’s designed to resemble a Catholic Church [Lady Geek Girl and Friends]
Zeroe4 calls us the “Shuu’s of the world” as he muses on God-given destinies, including his own while in Japan. [Zeroe4]
A Day Without Me provides background on the Angra Mainyu from the Zoroastrian religion in her breakdown of Fate/zero, episode 25. [GAR GAR Stegosaurus]
Jason Morehead appreciates the themes in Haibane Renmei as a meaningful series full of spiritual content. [Christ and Pop Culture]
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As part of the Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere 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.
