Need some Christian views on these anime

[Jeikobu]

i would agree. However, if you can\do handle Ai Yori Aoshi, then Sakura shouldn't either. Tina was alot more yuri'ish' than anything even hinted at in Sakura.

Tina's not gay though. She has a very disturbing hobby with greeting other girls, but she also seems to really like Kaoru "in that way".

have to say, Good for you for being so conscientious. I wish more christians were as discriminating as you, or at least would try to live up to the principles set forth in the Scriptures when they decide which anime to watch. Keep it up...

Arigato. ^^

I think it's vaguely funny how we're dancing all around this. Normally I'd just tell you, but in the interests of keeping these boards completely family friendly, the switch is "down there," if you know what I mean.

Holy moly... o_O

Inuyasha:
Aside from the fact that everyone is either Buddhist or Shinotist,and
I believe this occurs prior to the Jesuits arrival so there probably wouldn't be any reference to Christianity and what there might be would probably have been added in the dubbing process,there shouldn't be too much
objection.
Interesting in several eps.Kagome is mentioned as having a strong spirit.
Most notably when Kanna is unable to turn her into a zombie when using her mirror.
If Kagome were real I think she'd be close to being a Christian.
The only other objection people might have is the fact that Miroku,the
Buddhist monk,is a lecher.

Well exactly how much involvement does it have with Buddhism, Shintoism, etc.? Also, there are obviously demons in this. But are they portryed as complete evil as they should be, or is it like some other anime where some are supposed to actually be "good"? Does this series involve witchcraft, and if so, how much? Is this a series you think I would have a problem with?

[Debitt]

Well exactly how much involvement does it have with Buddhism, Shintoism, etc.? Also, there are obviously demons in this. But are they portryed as complete evil as they should be, or is it like some other anime where some are supposed to actually be "good"? Does this series involve witchcraft, and if so, how much? Is this a series you think I would have a problem with?

*takes a deep breath* Alright, going to try and address each of your questions here.

Yes, Inu-Yasha is heavy with Buhddism/Shintoism/eastern mysticism. The character Miroku is a Buhddist monk. Kikyo is a priestess. The Japanese culture is inextricably infused with Shinto and Buhddist influences, and they are very clear in InuYasha.

Now for the demons - the demons in Inu-Yasha are NOT the biblical demons. They are NOT fallen angels. They are more a piece of Japanese folklore - spirits that are based upon animals or forces of nature (IE, InuYasha is a dog demon, Kagura has power over the wind, etc.) Yes, there are demon characters that are portagonists, but on the flip side, there are demons who are antagonists as well. Just remember that again, these are NOT Biblical demons, and therefore shouldn't be viewed as such unless you feel that the ideal of a Japanese demon/spirit will lead you astray.

Yes there is "witchcraft", though it comes more in the form of Eastern mystical beliefs. Characters do not call upn hellish forces to preform their abilities, as people do to preform witchcraft in the real world. Again, if this bothers you, don't watch it.

[Jeikobu]

Yes, Inu-Yasha is heavy with Buhddism/Shintoism/eastern mysticism. The character Miroku is a Buhddist monk. Kikyo is a priestess. The Japanese culture is inextricably infused with Shinto and Buhddist influences, and they are very clear in InuYasha.

Now for the demons - the demons in Inu-Yasha are NOT the biblical demons. They are NOT fallen angels. They are more a piece of Japanese folklore - spirits that are based upon animals or forces of nature (IE, InuYasha is a dog demon, Kagura has power over the wind, etc.) Yes, there are demon characters that are portagonists, but on the flip side, there are demons who are antagonists as well. Just remember that again, these are NOT Biblical demons, and therefore shouldn't be viewed as such unless you feel that the ideal of a Japanese demon/spirit will lead you astray.

Yes there is "witchcraft", though it comes more in the form of Eastern mystical beliefs. Characters do not call upn hellish forces to preform their abilities, as people do to preform witchcraft in the real world. Again, if this bothers you, don't watch it.

I thought Inu Yasha wasn't supposed to be part demon, but rather youkai, a mystical creature.
If you ask me, demons are demons, and none of them are good. I saw one of the demons in a commercial for Inu Yasha, and it sure looked like a typical demon to me.
I feel about the same on this witchcraft thing. Even if they don't call apon anything or anyone, it still sounds like they are using witchcraft, having mystic powers over elements like wind, etc.

Based on all of this, I'll sadly have to skip this one. I really wanted to try it, but if the content is this extreme, I'll have to give it up.

[CDLviking]

I believe this occurs prior to the Jesuits arrival so there probably wouldn't be any reference to Christianity and what there might be would probably have been added in the dubbing process,there shouldn't be too much
objection.

Just a historical note. I believe the series is set in the time period contemporary with the arrival of the Jesuits. Oda Nobunaga was mentioned in one of the early episodes, and he was one of the people who provided protection for the early Christians (not that he was Christian, he just wanted to take power away from the Buddhist temples).

[CobaltAngel]

I hope this has been of some help to you. I think Fruits Basket is one of the best animes out there and it really exemplifies a ton of great values, like accepting people in spite of their faults, unconditional love, sacrificial love, etc. I think if Tohru were real, she would probably be a Christian. Anyway, if you have any more questions or need some more detailed summaries, please PM me and I'll be happy to share.

Its true. Reading Fruits Basket has really helped me, because I think of Tohru as sort of the 'perfect christian'. Whenever I find myself in an situation where I just don't know what to do, I try to do what Tohru would do.

[avec_merci]

I thought Inu Yasha wasn't supposed to be part demon, but rather youkai, a mystical creature.
If you ask me, demons are demons, and none of them are good. I saw one of the demons in a commercial for Inu Yasha, and it sure looked like a typical demon to me.
I feel about the same on this witchcraft thing. Even if they don't call apon anything or anyone, it still sounds like they are using witchcraft, having mystic powers over elements like wind, etc.

Based on all of this, I'll sadly have to skip this one. I really wanted to try it, but if the content is this extreme, I'll have to give it up.

Inuyasha (manga, not anime) is one of my old favorites, so I'll rush to its defence. Admittedly, it seems that you have stricter standards than I do, but one of the main problems here is translation.

Inuyasha IS a youkai. This is the original Japanese term used in the manga/anime, and a whole lot of fan sites will refer to him as such. The English translators decided to use the word "demon," but it's not exactly the same--there are good youkai and bad youkai; as some people have pointed out, they're really more folklore-type creatures. So I think the whole demon thing is a non-issue.

However...there IS a lot of Japanese religion, if you don't like that sort of thing. One of the main plot points is that the heroine is a reincation of somebody. (There's also a lot of funky stuff with souls getting stolen and taken back and eaten and whatnot.)

As far as magic goes, most characters seem to have power because (a) spiritual status--Kagome has demon/youkai-fighting powers because she's the reincarnation of a priestess, and Miroku has powers because he's a Buddhist priest; or (b) they're magical creatures (i.e., youkai). It's notable that only bad guys try to bring the dead back to life or gain super-stupendous powers by stealing Shikon jewel fragments. (Inuyasha wants the jewel at first, but then, he's still kind of working on the "good guy" thing.)

Overall, I'd say it's a good manga if you don't mind an episodic plot, the abovementioned content, and occasional bits of bathroom nudity/sexual references. (Miroku is always groping girls and asking them to bear his child.) But, well, YMMV.

[Gypsy]

Don't get me wrong, I love Tohru to death, and her character has many, many admirable qualities. I've actually found myself wanting to be a better person after reading/watching her in FB. However, (although it's a little strange to speculate) I don't know if I can say that Tohru would be a Christian. She has many Christian-like qualities, but she strikes me more of one of those "nice people" that are sometimes harder to lead to Christ because they are simply kind hearts who believe that the truth is found in yourself - from within. If you believe in God, then He's God to you, but if you believe in another way to heaven, then that's also true for you. Sorry, that might be a little too critical. Anyway, Tohru often seems to pray to her mother. I do think it's good that any inspiration that Tohru gets from her mother is actually from memories, and that her mother's spirit isn't actually helping her. Woo, I am such a kill joy. I'm going to shut up now.

Edit: Hey there, avec_merci. Welcome to CAA.

[Hikari]

I am careful about what I let myself watch, not due to fragile faith, but due to the fact that I try to associate myself with more spiritually clean material.

I am just like you, avoiding the same kinds of anime (with bad religion/spirituality) for the same reason.

[Mangafanatic]

Its true. Reading Fruits Basket has really helped me, because I think of Tohru as sort of the 'perfect christian'. Whenever I find myself in an situation where I just don't know what to do, I try to do what Tohru would do.

He he. . . that's so funny. I've done the same thing. I had this job I HATED, and everytime I was about to just SCREAM I said "Now, Tohru wouldn't do that. She wouldn't complain. So I won't allow for sadness, either." And there is one girl I know who I REALLY have a hard time loving, but when I'm frustrated with her-- I think of all the people Tohru has to get along with. For some reason, that makes it easier. Weird. . . (And the other day, my ONLY manga fan was looking at a picture and she said to me "Hey! You look like Tohru there!" That just made my day.)

[Crossdive]

I don't know wether this has been asked or not, but can someone tell me more about Knight Hunters?? I don't understand much about it, and some pictures seem okay, but others I see give me bad spiritual feelings... can someone please give a Christian based review on it? Thanks...

incase you don't know, this is Knight Hunters:

[uc pseudonym]

Knight Hunters... aka White Cross, aka Weiss Kreuz.

In my opinion, it is to generally be avoided, more due to stupidity than anything else. If you really want its content, speak to user Mave, as she's the only person I know who has real information about it.

[Gypsy]

I've never seen it, but UC is right - Mave will probably be able to tell you.

[Crossdive]

okay, thanks... I'll check with her, maybe I should post whatever my result was here so it can give a guide for other people who don't know about it.

[Gypsy]

That would be kind of you, yes. Sorry I couldn't help more.

[Crossdive]

no, that's fine. I'll do that, and actually, you did help, by getting reference to Mave to me, that helps alot. ;D

[Vyse]

ok, let me ask you this: why are you even watching anime??? O_o

I'm sorry but that was flat out rude.


I personally think as Christians we should admire Jeikobu for wanting to watch anime as a Christian

About this thread, I really don't know what to say but Banner of the Stars/Crest of the Stars, deals very little with religion, though its said that the Ahb's don't belive in God, its not forced really. .Hack//Sign also is a really clean anime, though there is a moral objection, I'll let you read that in the review I have up in the reviews section ^_^

[Crossdive]

I personally think as Christians we should admire Jeikobu for wanting to watch anime as a Christian

I agree... everyone in our family is very careful about what we do and don't watch.

[Mave]

Wow, I'm being referred. I don't know whether this is a good or bad thing.

Ok, where do I begin? From what I understand, Weiss Kreuz is about a group of underground assassins who supposedly gets rid of top criminals who escape the criminal justice system. I would say it's a great idea, that was unfortunately ruined by poor presentation and marketing strategy. WK was meant to appeal to bishonen fans (and also unfortunately to the angst and yaoi fandom). I won't go in depth for now (unless you still want to know the details) but I regretfully report that the general crowd finds the storyplot weak (pathetic and cheesy, by the less forgiving community) and the animation, disappointing.

Now for the question, does this title have anything to do with the Christian faith? From what I recall, absolutely nothing. The cross is just for show, fashion...just to make it look cool. I partially find the blatant usage of the cross in such a manner annoying. But, I don't recall any references to religion or the Christian faith.

Why the name then? Don't quote me on this, it's been a while and I never got the chance to confirm it for myself. But, I heard that "Weiss Kruez" was an actual name of some underground assassin team during the WWII on the German side. Perhaps that is why there are many German references throughout the show such as "weiss kruez," "schwarz", "schuldich", "toto" etc.etc. But personally, I think it's all for show, just to make it sound 'cool' by using foreign terms.

Would I recommend it? To be honest, not really. I think you'll be more disappointed with the quality of the presentation of this title, rather than by the content from a religious point of view (if any). It wasn't easy for me to sit through the whole series. ^_^;; The only redeeming factor of this show was watching the villains "Schwarz" do a cool job beating up our heroes. Oh the irony of it!

I heard they did a better job with the other season/series, Weiss Kruez Gluhen though but I haven't watched that yet.

OT: Vyse, I think you misunderstood Elric-kun. Knowing him, I don't think he was trying to be rude.

[true_noir_chloe]

I'm sorry but that was flat out rude.

Vyse, why pick on my son when his comment was answered and waivered comically by Ren Sama three pages back?

Jeikobu, you say you want to be picky on anime, and yet you seem quite enthralled by an ecchi title like Ai Yori Aoshi, and then say you can handle a show like "Ninja Scroll" which is not only blasphemous but very, very violent. Then you turn around and say that InuYasha has demons which you would never watch. Basically, I think it boils down to this. We all pick and choose what we approve of and don't approve of according to OUR OWN RULES.

Rev. Doc even picked out a few clean titles that I could find something wrong in.

This is why:

Anime is made by non-believers - NOT CHRISTIANS, like movies and books that we read here in the U.S.. They are all stuff we pick and choose according to our own barometers and the way the Spirit speaks to us.

For you to make such sweeping judgments, as if anyone likes Hellsing or NGE, something that you find wrong, they are not faithful or have a walk outside of God. You say you are very careful of what you watch and people praise you for this. I mean, who here isn't careful of what they watch?

We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We all go before God the same as you.

Why did my son say, "why do you even watch anime?" Is because you seem to say that you have some higher calling that you can watch certain animes and then indiscrimanately say that they are ok, but then others aren't.

You pick and choose like everyone else.

My goodness, I wish my son was more gracious, but please, you be gracious and stop throwing stones at every anime according to your rules. If you don't like it for yourself, then fine. You can happily watch Ai Yori Aoshi, I even liked that show, but Tina was rather yuri'ish.

Basically, all anime has something if you look deep enough. I mean even Little Snow Fairy Sugar has a world of fairies. Shoot, where was that in the Bible?

Yes, I am being a bit over the top, and that is what I mean, we can all push that envelope. We need to worry about ourselves and stop throwing stones and start caring about what we watch, and stop looking over at what everyone else watches.

[uc pseudonym]

This discussion should end approximately now (not the thread, but the most recent subject). true_noir_chloe, this isn't the place. Vyse, I would suggest that if you feel someone is being rude you address them personally as opposed to in the thread. Everyone, please don't continue this tangent.

More positively, thanks for responding to the summons, Mave.

[JesusFreak84]

For what it's worth, I'm really picky about the moral content of anything I watch, not just anime, and I have found Witch Hunter Robin, InuYasha, and Wolf's Rain, (others, too, but these three seem to be the ones in question,) all morally OK. However, if even animated blood will make you pass out, I would not recommend Wolf's Rain. Robin Sena, the main character in WHR, was raised in a monestary, and she does pray in a few episodes. One of the early ones, I don't recall which, shows her praying in a church near where she works, and she says she does so every morning. As far as religion goes, WHR is probably the least questionable. [/$0.02]

[Jeikobu]

Jeikobu, you say you want to be picky on anime, and yet you seem quite enthralled by an ecchi title like Ai Yori Aoshi, and then say you can handle a show like "Ninja Scroll" which is not only blasphemous but very, very violent.

Unless I made a typo, you read wrong. I said Ninja Scroll is one I NEVER WANT TO TRY due to the content.

[Ren_sama]

From what I know, I think you should watch AzuManga Daioh. It doesn't seem to have any violent content, or anything that really bashes Christianity. Pure comedy. ^__^

[Vyse]

From what I know, I think you should watch AzuManga Daioh. It doesn't seem to have any violent content, or anything that really bashes Christianity. Pure comedy. ^__^

I dunno, I found the big cat thing pretty scary

[Cap'n Nick]

Speaking of Inuyasha, I once saw an excerpt that implied that Kagome is a Christian, or at least knows a bit about the Old Testament. It was a second-hand account, and I'm not sure if it was from the anime or the manga, but the person described Inuyasha asking Kagome if he was implicitly damned because he was a "demon." Kagome went on to explain that he was not a demon in the biblical sense, or even a half-breed or Nephilim. It would seem odd for Kagome to believe in the Bible if she lives in a Shinto shrine, but the way this was related to me, she spoke of these things as fact and not legend. Can anybody that's seen the part I'm talking about tell me more about it?

[Yeshua-Knight]

Speaking of Inuyasha, I once saw an excerpt that implied that Kagome is a Christian, or at least knows a bit about the Old Testament. It was a second-hand account, and I'm not sure if it was from the anime or the manga, but the person described Inuyasha asking Kagome if he was implicitly damned because he was a "demon." Kagome went on to explain that he was not a demon in the biblical sense, or even a half-breed or Nephilim. It would seem odd for Kagome to believe in the Bible if she lives in a Shinto shrine, but the way this was related to me, she spoke of these things as fact and not legend. Can anybody that's seen the part I'm talking about tell me more about it?

i have no idea how to explain that, i don't even recall it being in the anime, although all ive seen of the anime is what is shown on tv, as far as an explanation as to how she could have known about that, perhaps the bible, or at least portions or taught in schools over in japan, at least for its historical and literary value if nothing else, i seem to recall that in many anime when they show a school, westminister chimes, a tune very much associated with the presbyterian church, is played almost like a school bell, perhaps missionaries at one point started schools in japan and the chimes rubbed off or somethin', who knows

[CDLviking]

I know that many events from Genesis are popular topics for anime, like the flood, the Tower of Babel, and other such events. They most likely view them as a sort of mythology.

[Yeshua-Knight]

as far as the whole thing about the titles of various types of beings in anime you must keep in mind that not every word in the japanese language has an exact english counterpart, just like there are 4 words for 4 different types of love in greek, but in english, we just have love, the "demons" in inuyasha i pretty much put in the catagory of "talking animal", that's right, just like mickey mouse, donald duck, etc.., so if you were to break the story down, inuyasha would be the story of a girl, a dog, and their adventures together and with their friends and the conflict between the girl and the dog and a spider, as far as wolfs rain, well, the only religious thing i saw was at the very end of the series, and i can only assume that was the end 'cus after that they started the series over on tv
[spoiler]at the very end of the last episode, the whole world starts over like they were all reincarnated as themselves, they all lived in the same city, even jezza the flower girl, was there as a flower[/spoiler]
but that's pretty much what you have to do in order to disect these stories, just break it down into its basic parts,

if you feel the holy spirit telling you stay away from a certain program, trust it, God knows what He's doing, he wouldn't lead you astray,
if you have issues with blood and that kind of thing, then read the details on the back of whatever video or dvd it is your lookin' at viewing, usually they have a rating and they will explain it down around where they have the length of the show, just pay attention to details of the packaging, they have to give disclaimers for any questionable content anymore 'cus they might get sued,
but in any case, let God prompt you in your viewing choices and you wont go wrong

'nuff said

[Jeikobu]

Well said Y-K.

[Arnobius]

Speaking of Inuyasha, I once saw an excerpt that implied that Kagome is a Christian, or at least knows a bit about the Old Testament. It was a second-hand account, and I'm not sure if it was from the anime or the manga, but the person described Inuyasha asking Kagome if he was implicitly damned because he was a "demon." Kagome went on to explain that he was not a demon in the biblical sense, or even a half-breed or Nephilim. It would seem odd for Kagome to believe in the Bible if she lives in a Shinto shrine, but the way this was related to me, she spoke of these things as fact and not legend. Can anybody that's seen the part I'm talking about tell me more about it?

The Japanese do have a habit of being syncretists (joining together a bunch of unrelated beliefs into one system), so just because there are Christian trappings, does not mean there is an acceptacnce of Christian beliefs. Rumiko Takahashi has a habit of sometimes borrowing varied religious references without having any real understanding of what it means (See One Pound Gospel for example). In Urusei Yatsura (a comedy) and a few other minor works, she has distinguished the difference between Western and Japanese devils, indicating each must be dealt with a different way.

Now that I think of it, Akira Toriyama's Sandlands also made use of this, where the main character laughed off an attempt to exorcize it because western techniques wouldn't work on a Japanese devil (I only saw one or 2 chapters in Shonen Jump before abandoning it, so what I saw may not be representative of the series as a whole. However, with that series, I thought the representations of demons was a bit repellant for my tastes.)