I can’t say I expected the finale of Nisekoi to turn out quite like it did, in all it’s corniness, and spotlighting each of the characters mostly through a heavily revised version of the first 1/4 of Romeo and Juliet. The episode reminded me of the series itself – back and forth, up and down, with a lack of focus.
Perhaps part of this back and forth has to do with the tightrope the series tries to walk. While Chitoge appears from the beginning to be the “meant to be” girl, the show tries very hard to make you feel that Onodera and others could also really compete for Raku’s heart, and so momentum, story lines, and feelings shift from episode to episode. Unfortunately, when you move around like that, you’re liable to make mistakes and fall off of that thin rope.
That idea is no different from daily life in the real world. If we’re juggling too many things, we, too, could make errors in our lives, dropping the ball on promises and responsibilities, minor and major. This all might simply be a matter of time management. For Christians, though, it can go deeper when we consider our relationship with God as one of the pins we’re juggling.
I’ve seen in the lives of many Christians, and certainly in my own, that as busyness comes, we neglect our times with God. But this is more than a matter of adjustments; it’s important to realize that haven’t just made some small error, we’ve made a fundamental one, having relegated God to one portion of our life. No matter how big that portion is, it’s never enough unless it’s 100%, an entirety that permeates our lives. If our spiritual life is struggling, so should all of it if we’ve put God at the center of everything, and visa-versa:
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
– I Corinthians 10:31
For many of us, the danger in our lives is not in becoming apostates or otherwise leaving the church in pursuit of wealth or some other gain, but in taking the Almighty God and in our lives, lowering Him down to a position within our world, as if He’s not above it. That may demonstrate a misunderstanding of the gospel and of who God is, or worse, a choice to ignore it.
And so, we look toward a harem comedy, of all things, and see where we fall short. Nisekoi could be a really good series with better focus on the goal, like Clannad did with Nagisa, never straying too far from the heart of the story. Our Christian lives will be better, too, as we live transformed lives focused on Christ. And even more importantly, this “better life,” filled with more of God, will further be more in line with what God desires of us.
Man, God really uses you to bring out a message of Christ in anime. I couldn’t do that lol. Actually, I will be starting a blog similar, where the focus will be video games/Christianity and comparing the games to God. Reading your blog gives me inspiration and ideas, thanks Charles! God bless you man, thank you for doing what you do.
You’re too kind, Michael. I try my best to craft content that I hope is Holy Spirit-led and that is truthful to what God would have me do. The final product certainly isn’t always that.
Good luck with your blog – be sure to let me know when you’ve started it.