Christmastime is a season of anticipation and celebration, of looking forward to an event that already happened, one which brought hope to the world, and rejoicing in the Savior’s birth for what it was, why it matters still, and of what is to come. Advent, which focuses on these themes, is a far cry from how Christmas is pictured in anime, which often revolves around humor and romance (perhaps not that different from how it’s represented on Hallmark or virtually any other way in the west). Still, as we continue our tradition of the 12 Days of Christmas Anime, through which we discuss a Christmas anime episode, manga chapter, or light novel selection each day through the 25th, we hope that you’ll keep in mind why this time is holy and deeply significant.
So stayed tuned through the coming days, and consider watching along with us! We’ll tell you the next day’s offering at the end of each day’s post to give you a little time to watch the Christmas episode before reading our thoughts on it. But as a primer, I’ll give you some hints for the days ahead: We’ll discuss the theory of Santa as a government employee; see what elf brides have to do with Christmastime; dive into the sequel of a beloved crossover game; and see how high school heroes celebrate the holiday. But you can just start with the anime we’re covering tomorrow—Jeskai Angel will give his take on what may now be considered a classic among anime for the season: episode three of Sword Art Online. So go watch, and join us beginning tomorrow as we count down to Christmas!