I’ve been waiting months to link to the this three part series about Christian symbolism in My Little Pony. Taylor Ramage, who once did a guest post about Haruhi Suzumiya for this site, has written some thorough and interesting essays about the recent hit series. Though not anime related, the series has certainly garnered attention in the American animation arena, and Taylor herself generally writes about anime and manga. She’s a terrific blogger, and I hope you’ll check out her work.
In the first post, Taylor writes about two characters – Celestia and Luna. She comments on the dualist and Christian natures of their story and really digs into this analysis.
Taylor’s second post in this series focuses on the character, Pinkie Pie. She discusses the ways in which that pony fits the characteristics of a Christian, including the grace-filled way a Christian should act and the negative and fear-mongering way many Christians have acted throughout history. Taylor also puts her own spin on what is apparently an already much-discussed aspect on an episode, in which faith and science take the forefront.
The final essay, posted last week, focuses on the idea of “Cutie Marks.” Taylor argues that these marks not only symbolize physical maturity, but a spiritual mile marker as well. Following along ideas reminiscent of those in Rick Warren’s Purpose-Driven Life, Taylor writes about how Apple Bloom finding her purpose is similar to a Christian’s own path.
I hope you’ll check out these posts. And while there, read some of Taylor’s other terrific work!
Revision: Links have been fixed.
Thank you for sharing this. I really enjoyed her perspective on Pinkie Pie, most specifically the Gilda episode, since it’s one of my personal favorites. I honestly hadn’t thought of that through a Christian lens and it’s an interesting and enjoyable perspective to read.
Thanks again! ^ ^
No problem. And thank you for commenting on my blog! 😛
Thanks for linking to these! My favorite was the article about Pinkie Pie. 🙂
No problem! 🙂
Hey, thanks a lot for this post! I’m glad you and your readers enjoyed what I had to say.
No problem – I’m glad a few more people, who might not have otherwise known, read your wonderful posts.
the links don’t work, and i am vay skeptical. sounds like confirmation bias to me
The links have been fixed (Taylor moved her site to WordPress; it was previously on Blogspot). I would suggest you read the articles before making a judgement call. I haven’t seen any part of the series, but I will say both that the first post discusses beliefs that are not necessarily her own and that others have also pointed out religious symbolism in the series. Regardless, if the analysis shoe fits, it isn’t a problem, as Taylor never suggests that this is the “correct” or “only” interpretation and neither is she above criticizing Christians.