To be Christlike is to reflect the characteristics of God. As Christians seek to emulate Him, it’s all too easy, though, to forget about God’s creativity, about his power to inspire us to make art—to create something original. On Beneath the Tangles, however, this is at the very heart of what we do; we look at anime, an art form that inspires us, and use that inspiration to create writing, illustrations, videos, and other creative pieces. Whether we speak directly of Christ or not in these works, being inspired, enjoying beauty, and then creating are godly activities themselves.
One of the most inspiring anime of recent years (and I would say ever) is the fantasy series, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. I’ve explained in my reviews of the series that its major theme is that friendship can transform our hearts (a Christian theme if there ever was one!), most specifically shown in how Himmel the Hero’s kind nature changes the cold Frieren into a warm and loving woman.
Today, our artist, Zion, inspired by Frieren, presents a piece she drew, a monologue she wrote, and her reading of that monologue. We hope it in turn inspires you to continue the godly work of enjoying creation and perhaps to do some work of your own:
Full monologue:
I fear that I will forget you, as I am destined to do. It was you, and I, and then there was the world for us to traverse, endless the journey was, and could have been, but there was a date for you to die, as there will one day be for me. There is a time for final rest I draw nearer towards, a morning I will not arise from, yet my brief existence with you was a measurement of your lifetime.
To speak your name holds value in their ears, it rings as a church bell calling congregations to form. You could not have foretold what was to pass, but I am here in the flowery field of your fruition. Foolish boy, how you lived for a world you could no longer inherit, fruits of your labor, you’d never know how juicy the nectar. Human, that is what you are. Human, how you made this land your heaven.
I saw you as clay to be molded when fresh, as ash when your form was made final, destined to return as nourishment for the fields many feet will trample. But here now, without a voice or a soft presence, I see you…this awe that wells within me from the mirages of the man I knew. My life, as long as that fabric may be, is cut by the humans I have loved. Segmented patchwork of their stitching, embroidery sews these seasons together. Your spool threads me in blue…the softest blue that drips from the moon. What a foolish boy I knew, but what a man I see here now. Mine eyes, gaze upward glittering, fresh faces, resounding light. They allow me to walk through their dreams, a cloud of conquest pools in their minds, and from the desires of their heart, rain. Lasting nourishment to the land from which you cultivated heaven.
To Himmel, the Human
