Christian Anime?

[ryanrussell2020]

After seriously watching anime for about 1.5 years, I wonder if anyone knows of a high-quality, non-blasphemous Christian anime. However, considering the nature of this medium, such a thing may be more taboo than even Christian metal. I'm open to whatever insight y'all may have.

 

[1rreducibly Complex]

Windaria (1986)

Rave Master (2001)

...

I don't remember either well.

Off the top of my head, this is all that comes to mind.

 

[Ironhold]

After seriously watching anime for about 1.5 years, I wonder if anyone knows of a high-quality, non-blasphemous Christian anime. However, considering the nature of this medium, such a thing may be more taboo than even Christian metal. I'm open to whatever insight y'all may have.

Superbook - Wikipedia

The original 1980s "Superbook" cartoon is anime, with Pat Robertson's group the Christian Broadcasting Network commissioning legendary Japanese animation studio Tatsunoko Pro to produce it as part of an effort to bring a more mainstream Christian message to the Japanese public.

The Flying House (TV series) - Wikipedia

During the gap between the two seasons of the show, CBN and Tatsunoko Pro worked on "The Flying House", a companion series.

Additionally, many classic works of literature, such as "The Wizard of Oz" and "A Dog of Flanders", have been adapted into anime, both as TV shows and movies. In fact, the latter is more popular in Japan than in The Netherlands.

 

[muichimotsu]

Many Toho adaptations of fairy tales are available with English dubs, though in terms of legitimate access, I'm less sure versus the VHS rips of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and some others, including one I grew up with that melds Puss In Boots with Around the World in 80 Days (and has a prequel I'd like to watch, since it explains stuff they mostly allude to in the one I watched about cats that don't like how he refuses to eat mice and chase him around)

 

[ryanrussell2020]

Superbook - Wikipedia

The original 1980s "Superbook" cartoon is anime, with Pat Robertson's group the Christian Broadcasting Network commissioning legendary Japanese animation studio Tatsunoko Pro to produce it as part of an effort to bring a more mainstream Christian message to the Japanese public.

The Flying House (TV series) - Wikipedia

During the gap between the two seasons of the show, CBN and Tatsunoko Pro worked on "The Flying House", a companion series.

Additionally, many classic works of literature, such as "The Wizard of Oz" and "A Dog of Flanders", have been adapted into anime, both as TV shows and movies. In fact, the latter is more popular in Japan than in The Netherlands.

This captivates me quite a bit. It's interesting how some anime really tried to hone in on Christianity for a while but got lost in a market now saturated with nihilism, among other beliefs (i.e. Attack on Titan). Thanks for the information.

 

[muichimotsu]

This captivates me quite a bit. It's interesting how some anime really tried to hone in on Christianity for a while but got lost in a market now saturated with nihilism, among other beliefs (i.e. Attack on Titan). Thanks for the information.

You realize even the TBN and such was engaging in the market right? Supporting what you espouse personally in terms of faith doesn't make that somehow superior to other faiths and perspectives being given acknowledgement.

AoT is hardly nihilistic, it's pointing out problems that we can address with the present perspective and acknowledging the vicious cycles.

And honestly, you can find decent stuff out there, even if it's like a needle in a haystack. I remember Vatican Miracle Examiner was pretty good in terms of showing Christian faith in the context of dealing with the supposed miracles and fraudulent nature of the people involved. Amazon Prime Video only, afaik, but it's something.

And there's the manga adaptation of the bible by NEXT, which I finally got the final volume of (much smaller, it's just Revelation)

 

[Ironhold]

And honestly, you can find decent stuff out there, even if it's like a needle in a haystack. I remember Vatican Miracle Examiner was pretty good in terms of showing Christian faith in the context of dealing with the supposed miracles and fraudulent nature of the people involved. Amazon Prime Video only, afaik, but it's something.

Check HiDive.

It was available via Anime Network on Demand earlier in the year, which is currently run by Sentai Filmworks. They're using ANoD to push their HiDive streaming service (each episode of a given show is only available through ANoD for four weeks), so it could be that they have it on HiDive on a subscription tier.

As it is, "Superbook" and "The Flying House" aren't the only times foreign organizations have outright commissioned anime and manga projects for various ends. For example, sports franchise "Eyeshield 21" was commissioned by the NFL to help push North American-Rules Football in Japan, which hasn't caught on like baseball or professional wrestling. And Pizza Hut infamously had a representative sit in on the planning meetings for the first season of "Code Geass", which is why so many sequences involved pizza; the original plan was to have Pizza Hut logos on everything as product placement.

 

[ryanrussell2020]

You realize even the TBN and such was engaging in the market right? Supporting what you espouse personally in terms of faith doesn't make that somehow superior to other faiths and perspectives being given acknowledgement.

AoT is hardly nihilistic, it's pointing out problems that we can address with the present perspective and acknowledging the vicious cycles.

And honestly, you can find decent stuff out there, even if it's like a needle in a haystack. I remember Vatican Miracle Examiner was pretty good in terms of showing Christian faith in the context of dealing with the supposed miracles and fraudulent nature of the people involved. Amazon Prime Video only, afaik, but it's something.

And there's the manga adaptation of the bible by NEXT, which I finally got the final volume of (much smaller, it's just Revelation)

Yeah that first part wasn't what I was trying to get across but you right. I'll check those out. Thanks.

 

[muichimotsu]

Yeah that first part wasn't what I was trying to get across but you right. I'll check those out. Thanks.

As for the first 2 recommendations, I've only seen a bit of Rave Master, but...1, the original manga it was based on hadn't concluded, so I think it was an incomplete ending in the anime's run and also, it's by Hiro Mashima, he's generally known for having female characters be...shall we say, inappropriate by most Christian standards, in their behavior. You need only look at Fairy Tail or even Edens Zero to see his general aesthetic there.

And the other one is older, but Japanese notions of what's appropriate are generally different and the further back you go, the more likely there will be a disconnect there.

 

[muichimotsu]

Check HiDive.

It was available via Anime Network on Demand earlier in the year, which is currently run by Sentai Filmworks. They're using ANoD to push their HiDive streaming service (each episode of a given show is only available through ANoD for four weeks), so it could be that they have it on HiDive on a subscription tier.

As it is, "Superbook" and "The Flying House" aren't the only times foreign organizations have outright commissioned anime and manga projects for various ends. For example, sports franchise "Eyeshield 21" was commissioned by the NFL to help push North American-Rules Football in Japan, which hasn't caught on like baseball or professional wrestling. And Pizza Hut infamously had a representative sit in on the planning meetings for the first season of "Code Geass", which is why so many sequences involved pizza; the original plan was to have Pizza Hut logos on everything as product placement.

You're right, I just checked. It's rare a series is entirely exclusive, but sometimes it is, I think, like...Duke of Death and His Maid, funimation exclusive

The Pizza Hut thing is a meme that I didn't get until you bring that up.

And I have to wonder how that pitch meeting went with Inagaki and Matsui-sensei. Feel like they would've wanted to do it anyway and maybe the NFL was part of the anime committee, because that would allow them to cross promote through that visibility (plus the manga is available in English as of 2011 in full)

 

[1rreducibly Complex]

As for the first 2 recommendations, I've only seen a bit of Rave Master, but...1, the original manga it was based on hadn't concluded, so I think it was an incomplete ending in the anime's run and also, it's by Hiro Mashima, he's generally known for having female characters be...shall we say, inappropriate by most Christian standards, in their behavior. You need only look at Fairy Tail or even Edens Zero to see his general aesthetic there.

And the other one is older, but Japanese notions of what's appropriate are generally different and the further back you go, the more likely there will be a disconnect there.

I haven't seen much of the Rave Master anime. The manga is a cute story (above). Which is why I would recommend it.

Windaria is a classic story of ambition, envy, temptation and children inheriting the sins of the ancestors. Which seems like a christian story to me in that there is a moral to the story and lessons which might be learned.

The term "christian" anime is very broad. I think of it in terms of morals and values. Stories which emphasize: hard work, delayed gratification, loyalty and love. I would consider christian. Naruto and dragonball might be somewhat christian using that definition?

Would be interested to hear others views on the topic.

 

[muichimotsu]

I haven't seen much of the Rave Master anime. The manga is a cute story (above). Which is why I would recommend it.

Windaria is a classic story of ambition, envy, temptation and children inheriting the sins of the ancestors. Which seems like a christian story to me in that there is a moral to the story and lessons which might be learned.

The term "christian" anime is very broad. I think of it in terms of morals and values. Stories which emphasize: hard work, delayed gratification, loyalty and love. I would consider christian. Naruto and dragonball might be somewhat christian using that definition?

Would be interested to hear others views on the topic.

There are some things that are more immature rather than suggestive, like the Jiggle Butt Gang's silliness, like similar characters in Mashima's later works.

Where does Blue Exorcist fit in, given the subject matter there literally involves a son of Satan fighting demons and being basically the hero in spite of how everyone sees him as a monster, as I recall? And that's just one example among probably several others that aren't even subtle in the idea of devil and demon not implying evil as the Western vernacular entails.


Defense Devil, a somewhat obscure manga by a South Korean author that lives in Japan, has devils divided up a bit, some willing to help people (and a revelation that was a cliffhanger where a hybrid of angel/demon is a thing, since demons and angels have different origins in that universe versus a traditional interpretation of demons as fallen angels)

 

[1rreducibly Complex]

There are some things that are more immature rather than suggestive, like the Jiggle Butt Gang's silliness, like similar characters in Mashima's later works.

Where does Blue Exorcist fit in, given the subject matter there literally involves a son of Satan fighting demons and being basically the hero in spite of how everyone sees him as a monster, as I recall? And that's just one example among probably several others that aren't even subtle in the idea of devil and demon not implying evil as the Western vernacular entails.


Defense Devil, a somewhat obscure manga by a South Korean author that lives in Japan, has devils divided up a bit, some willing to help people (and a revelation that was a cliffhanger where a hybrid of angel/demon is a thing, since demons and angels have different origins in that universe versus a traditional interpretation of demons as fallen angels)

I think its natural for people to be curious about basic questions relating to whether the supernatural, God, demons, spirits, aliens or an afterlife exist.

Even centuries ago, there were works like Dante's Inferno which attempt to explore the nature of hell within a literary context.

Today we have Hellboy, John Constantine. I think there was a Lucifer TV series with a high rating on imdb. For hundreds or thousands of years, there has been a market for this type of content which people watch (I think) to satisfy their curiosity. It could serve as a type of therapy. It may also mislead people and give them false expectations and ideas about the nature of things.

Would God want people to indulge their curiosity. Or isolate themselves. I think its a personal choice.

I wouldn't recommend others do what I do. My approach is to read and watch whatever I feel like. To try to educate myself I have watched documentaries on people like Aleister Crowley, which is some dark and depressing content. Read and watched some of the negative things out there. Don't know if its a good thing or bad thing, honestly. I think it can influence people to a degree. But the overall impact it has for better or worse, is difficult to measure.

 

[Ironhold]

You're right, I just checked. It's rare a series is entirely exclusive, but sometimes it is, I think, like...Duke of Death and His Maid, funimation exclusive

If Sentai has the rights, check HiDive first.

If FUNimation has the rights, check Crunchyroll or whoever else they go through.

Both companies have their reasons for keeping their licenses exclusive to their own streaming platforms.

It's the other companies like Discotek, Digital Rights, Nozomi, and such that are willing to work with mutual platforms like RetroCrush and Tubi.

And even *if* a show makes its way to Cartoon Network, expect it to be completely butchered for broadcast and the streaming version to be uncensored. For example, Cartoon Network had to make *significant* edits to Food Wars so that it could air on US television, but Anime Network On Demand had the first three seasons go completely uncut.

 

[anon anon]

God bless