So yeah, I watch Anime and read Manga, but should a Christian like me really do that?

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I own several manga series, Naruto, Megaman ZX, regular Megaman, the Legend of Zelda, Yugioh 5ds, etc.

I also sometimes watch Naruto on Youtube.

Should I really? I mean, I don't watch erotic stuff, even though I am an adult and technically legally I can, but the stuff I watch is usually pretty clean, but still...
 

Bramblewild

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I watch anime and read manga, and I have Christian friends who do, too. I can point you to some podcasts, such as Redeemed Otaku, where Christians talk about anime they've watched.

They're like lots of other things; you have to be wary, because there is some very inappropriate stuff, and you have to be careful of the messages even in the good series and movies, but there is no reason in themselves that anime and manga should be seen as bad.
 
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Bro. Dave Gardner

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I have a 33-year-old son who pretty much lives for the stuff. He was raised (largely) in church, but he is woefully behind in the understanding of Scripture and spiritual matters (and aren't we all?). I rue the day I brought home that 8-bit Nintendo system, but he has never given us the slightest bit of trouble with the law or other usual vices. He's advanced further than I in some ethical matters, I must confess. It's a strangely mixed bag for me. But he's a good young man in so many ways, beyond what I deserve. Same with my 32-year-old daughter.
 
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Bramblewild

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The website Speculative Faith has reviews for many different speculative stories (by speculative, they mean sci-fi, fantasy, spiritual, and similar types of stories), including some for anime series. This is one I wrote for the series The Promised Neverland. I tried to not only discuss the series (which is one of my favorites), but to bring the gospel into the review, too, like so...

In our demon-haunted world, we cannot escape our condition on our own, no matter how drastic the measures any of us may take. Only God can rescue us, only Christ could die as the sacrifice for our sins, and where our own efforts are worthless, only faith in Christ is required for this rescue.
 
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Ignatius the Kiwi

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Anime, like most other mediums of story telling can offer challenges to Christianity that we otherwise don't think about. You only mention you avoid the erotic stuff but the entire medium is saturated with fan service, like Naruto, even if it's only a minor joke element within the story. If you're a young, unmarried male Christian this could be a challenge because it's an obvious source of temptation. You need to take that into account.

I would say it's fine to watch anime, like it's fine to watch a lot of shows that depict immorality though your tolerance for how much of what's depicted may vary. I can't get into Game of Thrones because of the gratuitous use of sex myself. I can't get into that hyper violent anime that seems gleeful in it's unrestrained depiction of horrific violence. That's not to suggest there's no value in GOT though. I've listened to and can appreciate a lot of the lore and message of the series about power and corruption.

All I would recommend is that you don't limit yourself to stuff like Naruto but take on more challenging stories in not only anime but the classics of literature or cinema. You'll be surprised at what's there, your taste in art will develop as a result and you'll maybe think more about your own Christianity in response to what you see the artist commenting on.
 
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coffee4u

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To me that's the same as saying
"I watch movies and read novels, but should a Christian like me really do that?"


The answer would be, it depends. It depends on the movie and the novel, but I don't know if Anime and Manga is better or worse than movies or novels or if like movies and novels they are a mixed bunch ranging from G to R rated, from family friendly to blood, gore and inappropriate content. (I don't actualy know anything about Anime and Manga except it contains guys with spiky hairdos and its Asian? Yeah really, thats all I know about it lol)

 
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iamchance

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The conditioning of our heart when you consume any form of media is important. Where is your heart when you're reading manga? Do the characters become idols for you? Do they distract you from Christ? If not, I don't see any issue with it, but I will say I'm not aware of any scriptures that would negate us away from innocently watching anime or reading manga. If somebody has scripture that says otherwise, please bring it to my attention.
 
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Swan7

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God used Sailor Moon to try to get my attention and some games I played. I was very much into visuals as a kid, books were hard for me to sit still to read, but later as I got older preferred books.

There are some anime I used to watch that I can't anymore due to some of them not agreeing with my spirit. Listen to those convictions and you will do well. :yellowheart:
 
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samylakes

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I used to read a lot of manga and watch a lot of anime, but basically I pretty much got addicted to it. I bought a lot and consumed a lot of media (books,movies, etc). As such, I don't watch a lot of anime or read a lot of manga either. It was also my gateway to another addiction I had, which was inappropriate content.

I see consumption of media like eating food. You have good food and you have bad food. You can't eat bad food all the time. So be careful with what you eat and don't consume too much, that would be my answer.
 
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PizzaAddict

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I own several manga series, Naruto, Megaman ZX, regular Megaman, the Legend of Zelda, Yugioh 5ds, etc.

I also sometimes watch Naruto on Youtube.

Should I really? I mean, I don't watch erotic stuff, even though I am an adult and technically legally I can, but the stuff I watch is usually pretty clean, but still...

No and you alredy know it so why ask this question perhaps to find somebody who would slighty agree with you ignoring the rest who don't...
You will never be perfect but thats not the reason to stop trying , getting rid of stuff like these at least make you use your time in better way than you would wasting time reading stuff like that.

Think of it as an investment , you waste time for something which is useless while that time could be used to yield you rewards in heaven which will be eternal
 
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Alistair_Wonderland

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I own several manga series, Naruto, Megaman ZX, regular Megaman, the Legend of Zelda, Yugioh 5ds, etc.

I also sometimes watch Naruto on Youtube.

Should I really? I mean, I don't watch erotic stuff, even though I am an adult and technically legally I can, but the stuff I watch is usually pretty clean, but still...

Rule of thumb: if the Bible doesn't directly condemn something, then the only people saying it's wrong are people following man's rules, not God's.
Also, I apply my same rules of non-judgmental treatment to fictitious characters as well as real people. A good show will try and create realistic characters, and while Japan may have a lot of things that promote other religions, homosexuality, and other things that Christians disagree with, they are not overcome with the need to be "politically correct", nor are they theophobic, and can at times approach these issues with a realistic approach that covers the complexities of such things without promoting a certain viewpoint. My brother is a fan of an anime-esque game series which, in America, portrayed one character as a lesbian in an unquestioned positive light, but the Japanese version had a more complicated view where her father disagreed with her life choices, and neither side was villainized or adulated. So anime can actually be better for you to watch than some American shows.
Also, anime is an art style, not a genre, so just because a show has characters with big, pug-like eyes and severely over-dramatic personalities doesn't mean that they're in the same bucket with those creepy anime shows.

(Cue somebody debating that anime is a genre or something. Sorry, I don't watch a lot of anime, other than RWBY, Miraculous Ladybug, and Danny Phantom.)
 
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HadassahJoy

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I own several manga series, Naruto, Megaman ZX, regular Megaman, the Legend of Zelda, Yugioh 5ds, etc.

I also sometimes watch Naruto on Youtube.

Should I really? I mean, I don't watch erotic stuff, even though I am an adult and technically legally I can, but the stuff I watch is usually pretty clean, but still...
there are certain anime im not a fan of and throws me off, I do like Naruto, My hero academia and Full Metal Alchemist. I am watching Hunterx hunter right now. and no as long you are keeping yourself in check. when i started watching Fairy Tails something wasnt right idk why i guess i didnt like the zodiac stuff so i just switch to another anime. but yeah its ok :)
 
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