Why is Anime immoral?

[DigiDigi]

NOTE: THIS IS A LOGICAL DEBATE, NOT SOME TROLL INFESTATION.

I want to know your personal opinion on whether or not Anime can possibly hold any significant truth(s) to it. Let it be from Politics to Philosophy to Moral truths. Is Anime Immoral? If so then why is this so? Be detailed in your answers please.

My opinion to this: anime holds many truths to enlighten an individual. Let it be a new world view, a point of view for you to examine and embrace perhaps. There are many taboos in anime that are exploited and often visualize the potential consequences of the taboo (For example the anime KissXSis, Onegai Twins, School Days, True Tears, and Yosuga no Sora, oh and the current sensations Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai and Onii-chan no Koto nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!!)

Open-Minds are strongly encouraged for this thread.

 

[Qyöt27]

No more or less than any other form of fiction can. That is to say, there being series that deal with things in a mature, deep matter clearly exist and just because a subject may be uncomfortable, doesn't mean that watching the show is immoral.

I actually have watched nearly all of the series listed in the OP, sans Yosuga no Sora and Onii-chan no Koto (True Tears and School Days have been waiting in queue for years). I also follow the original manga for Kiss x Sis* and both the light novel and manga for Ore no Imouto. Onegai Twins was actually one of the first two shows I watched during their original airing through fansubs, way back in 2003 (I still prefer Onegai Teacher, though).

*I'll admit this is more because I love Bow Ditama's artwork. Mahoromatic is one of my favorite series.

As far as the most controversial thing I read, though, that title easily goes to Kodomo no Jikan. Shocking, yes (albeit perhaps not quite as much in the latest chapters than about 20-30 chapters ago and prior), but it's one of the most honest and accurate portrayals of its subject matter I've ever seen. It's not something people want to acknowledge or talk about, but the drama and character interactions are extremely relevant. Definitely not something for the faint of heart, though.

 

[TWWK]

I agree with the user above, though I think sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to get truths and important themes and lessons out of anime that are related to Christianity. I, er, feel awkward plugging, but I actually blog about the connection between anime and Christian spirituality, if anyone's interested: beneaththetangles DOT wordpress DOT com.

 

[Lord Herdsetk]

Well, from what Anime I do watch....... I really don't see it being inherently immoral. Its like saying sitcoms are all morally wrong. Some are great shows, some push the lines. I've watched Death Note (great great show), Monster (also great, but I haven't finished it yet), Hell Girl (season 1, its repetitive but the ending 6 episodes were worth it) and heck even School Days. Boob and panty shots galore aside, I thought it had a good story and enjoyed it. The ending shocked me =p.

The anime I'm into right now (well its not an anime as it is a VN) is Umineko Chiru. I can't wait for the episode 8 english translation to come out. xD

I will say this though. If you're looking for people to agree with you, they're going to come to this topic. If you wanted to have an actual debate, most people are just gonna roll their eyes and pass on this topic. What I mean is, I don't think you'd agree with someone that thinks anime is immoral even if they made a strong case against it. Not that that's bad, just pointing out the obvious here.

That said, Anime is good. I see it as another form of entertainment.

 

[J.B.]

I wish there was some sort of middle option between the first and second poll choices. I don't think anime is completely immoral, as a great deal seem to emphasize some good, moral qualities (the actions of the heroes/protagonists, for example). Likewise, there are also immoral qualities to anime. Anime though, is deeply rooted in Japanese conventions, which includes everything from culture, morality, the story, mythology, fashion, and music. For that matter, there are immoral aspects of American and other western countries' cartoons, as well as positive ones. Some anime series are "worse" when it comes to morality, than others are, for instance, too.

My advice is to not take anime too seriously, to the point of trying to emulate every single detail in your day-to-day lives. Christianity, after all, has a large place in your lives as well. Anime can be a hobby on the side, I don't see how that's a bad thing, as everyone has hobbies. I think it's OK to take in the positive elements of anime though, and applying them a bit to your life, if it includes moral sensibilities that are compatible with Christianity.

 

[Antari2012]

With any media, there will be extremes. Movies, as well. Anime as a whole is certainly not immoral. Immoral would be watching an echhi.

On the other side of the coin is the positive things found in anime, such as lyrics to openings or endings, which often have amazing value to me, and hit you hard.

As I said up top, this is the case with any form of entertainment. Take American DVD. There are many great stories on each one, but there are also dvds that contain nudity and sexual elements.

 

[Azureknight 773]

Well, from what Anime I do watch....... I really don't see it being inherently immoral. Its like saying sitcoms are all morally wrong. Some are great shows, some push the lines. I've watched Death Note (great great show), Monster (also great, but I haven't finished it yet), Hell Girl (season 1, its repetitive but the ending 6 episodes were worth it) and heck even School Days. Boob and panty shots galore aside, I thought it had a good story and enjoyed it. The ending shocked me =p.

The anime I'm into right now (well its not an anime as it is a VN) is Umineko Chiru. I can't wait for the episode 8 english translation to come out. xD

I will say this though. If you're looking for people to agree with you, they're going to come to this topic. If you wanted to have an actual debate, most people are just gonna roll their eyes and pass on this topic. What I mean is, I don't think you'd agree with someone that thinks anime is immoral even if they made a strong case against it. Not that that's bad, just pointing out the obvious here.

That said, Anime is good. I see it as another form of entertainment.

Well, I agree with you there. I just come into a conclusion that anime is not immoral but it is the content that it has over the past 50+ years. In fact, I found several animes worth to praise, one of them is Angel Beats which apparently may sound ridiculous due to rebellious men VS God in a High School AU purgatory (Wait a minute! Oh man! I just used a trope here!) where in the end, it is implied that God used one of the characters to show the way. Though, we do have a lot of things to be covered in disecting the genre bit by bit such as the context and the underlying message in it.

 

[skcin7]

LOL.... anime is not immoral. Hentai maybe. Definitely not anime.

 

[Mankin]

It's a medium, not a genre. There is nothing inherently immoral about a medium. Heck, there's an anime short someone made about Jesus crucifixion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIDYvg73RuM

That being said, it appears we have a fellow Haruhiist in this thread. Mi mi mi ....FIRING THE LAZA

 

[SonOfTheWest]

I wholeheartedly agree. I think sometimes even with the non visceral anime and other non hentai stuff that people forget that it's often made by people from a culture very different from their own.

 

[Sabbath-Keeper777]

As this world is temporal and infinite (meaning creation can and must expand in all possible directions) none of it is immoral per say, but certain actions that are out of context with godly ways are. Though it is infinite, it is all dualistic. Eternity is the finalization of the angel or demon that we have become.

 

[ssandy]

I agree with the user above, though I think sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to get truths and important themes and lessons out of anime

 

[walkingxshadow]

some of them are bad but not all. they shouldnt be grouped into and all or nothing category

 

[jw203]

Really, it depends on what you watch.

 

[korvus]

Because the eyes are drawn big and are an Illuminati symbol, which controls the media, which controls our poor children!
/joke.

As everyone else already covered, just like any other fictional medium, there is always morally 'good' and 'bad' shows for Christians to watch. I take the 'watch everything' route where I, whatever the content, watch anything that catches my fancy.

I know who I am and I'm not going to become an atheist sinner heretic for watching something that has violence/sex/drugs/language/etc, especially when the show has a deeper meaning that can teach great lessons about life, who we are as humans, and what we should do to spread love in the world and not hatred and confusion.

 

[Tirgithin]

No more or less than any other form of fiction can.

This sums it up. It isn’t specific to anime. Any form of fiction can be immoral or moral. I don’t think anime as excels more in it than other forms of entertainment. It simply depends on the story elements.

 

[Bristecom]

LOL, the last answer in the poll made me think of this video: (Warning: minor cursing and weirdness)

The World of Cosplay Part 2 - YouTube

But yeah... as with most things, there is some good and some bad. And I think at least with older anime, they generally taught good morals. The key is to be a mature enough Christian to discern when something is not right and to not make an idol out of it or replace it with reality.

 

[Maka]

LOL, the last answer in the poll made me think of this video:

The World of Cosplay Part 2 - YouTube

But yeah... as with most things, there is some good and some bad. And I think at least with older anime, they generally taught good morals. The key is to be a mature enough Christian to discern when something is not right and to not make an idol out of it or replace it with reality.

Lol!! That video!!

 

[Bristecom]

Lol!! That video!!

LOL, you've seen them? I love the expressions the guy makes. It cracks me up every time.

 

[Tirgithin]

"Technically I was susposed to be missing a arm, but..we're not going to worry about that" - Sesshomaru

I love how he said that very relaxed and paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about how he could correct the "mistake" of having two arms. And then decided to just brush the concern away, because he didn't like the implication of how he could fix his arm