Christmas is just under a week away? In terms of aniblogging, that means lots and lots of reflective posts – and a good number of them involving religion. This is likely the last post in this column until next year, so enjoy your quota of terrific articles about anime and spirituality!
Trigun’s traveling preacher, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, provides us a lesson about tithing and the heart of giving. [Old Line Elephant]
Christmas Eve deaths in Log Horizon symbolize the dark before the dawn. [A Series of Miracles]
Check out the comments on a Reddit board discussion about anime and religion this past week. [TrueAnime]
The Pokemon games and religion go hand in hand – did you know? [Did You Know Gaming?]
Among the many symbols anime has adopted from Christianity is use of the cross, specifically in crucifixion scenes. In the mood for a review of such scenes? Be warned, you might find it offensive, or really funny, or both. [Isn’t It Electrifying?]
D.M. Dutcher is through with visual novel-based anime, in large part because of how Christians should view suffering as entertainment. [Cacao, put down the shovel!]
Though explicitly mentioned religion seldomly, Angel Beats is full of theology from various religions. [Lady Geek Girl and Friends]
Kit ruminates on a number of titles for a series of reflective posts, including one on the Shinto-inspired Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha. [Study of Anime]
Actions of the cast of the new arc of Sword Art Online resemble Christian thought of keeping the eyes on the prize. [Christian Anime Review]
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As part of the Something More series of posts, each week Beneath the Tangles links to writings about anime and manga that involve religion and spirituality. If you’ve written such a piece or know of one, please email TWWK if you’d like it included. Thanks to Seasons for pointing us toward the Reddit article and to Alexander for the Pokemon one.
I have heard stories from missionaries about Pokemon. In African villages with no previous exposure to Pokemon are able to name the monsters and their abilities because they are demons that they know. This is the reason i don’t play pokemon.
That’s a very interesting claim…I’m going to search to see if I can find out some more about this.
That seems unlikely, but technically possible. Some cultural associations are Older Than Dirt, and thus exist in multiple cultures. Even cultures that have had very little syncretism and contact. It’s why Heroes always look like the average person and Villains are typically either monstrous or affluent and exotic. Why pretty much every culture has a Hero’s Journey story, no matter how remote. Why Tricksters exist.
Regardless of your religion, it has been proven that we are all born from the same place— Cut from the same cloth. It seems less likely that Pokémon represent true demons and more that their images strongly evoke archetypes passed on for thousands of years. Hobbes’ Leviathan still has power even in a global world.