Sometimes I forget how shocking grace is. How unbelievable. How out of my common experience and the way I tend to live life it is. Mostly, I forget because in the day-to-day, I forget Jesus—who He is and what He’s done for us. But then, through a sermon, Bible reading, answered prayer, or a simple conversation, I’m reminded again of His amazing grace.
Sometimes I’m even reminded by manga.
In Secrets of the Silent Witch -another-, Part 2, which drops tomorrow, there’s a chapter near the end (minor spoilers ahead) that tidies up the tale through a story about grace. Louis’ friend was effectively strong-armed into a situation that ended up hurting him—and which almost led to catastrophic results. It was unintentional, but a situation that ultimately could have—should have—been prevented. Louis’ friend is ready to face the consequences when he is, instead, met by a fierce sort of forgiveness, the kind that won’t take his pleas of “I don’t deserve this” for an answer.
It’s a lovely little scene, but it feels somewhat incomplete. You see, even if he felt guilty, even if he was pushed into it, even if he fully regretted it, Louis’ friend still did it; he still made a choice and did something wrong. But he won’t bear the consequences of his decision; you see, Louis plans to lie to the authorities to save his friend, and, though the chapter doesn’t detail exactly what happens next, we can assume that the lies told will put all of the blame on the true antagonist of the story. All the consequences will fall on him.
And what’s wrong with that? The well-intended friend is spared, the villain gets even more comeuppance, and everyone goes home happy. The missing element, though, is that justice is not served. For it to have been, the friend would have to receive some sort of punishment. But that doesn’t quite serve the story; instead, Louis (and others) is shown to be merciful, his friend escapes legal consequences, and the readers feel happy.
The alternative would have been for Louis’ friend to receive a penalty, a heavy one that would have altered the entire course of his life. Or this—someone else could have willingly accepted the consequences of the actions. That would be a whole higher level of grace. And it’s the kind that Christ showed on the cross.
He took the punishment for our crimes, and because He is just, justice is served. Manga and anime rarely take gracious scenes to that level because someone innocent suffers. It feels too terrible. It feels wrong. It doesn’t serve the narrative—after all, who ever heard of going to such lengths for someone who doesn’t deserve it?
And so, an incomplete moment of grace like this in Secrets of the Silent Witch (“grace notes,” if you will) only gives a glimpse of the truest nature of love. Even so, when I read the chapter, my heart was filled with warmth for the characters of the book, for Louis does put himself at risk and still forgives his friend. And in a moment of grace, I remembered once again that Jesus’ love is even greater. He is the friend who laid down his life. And that his love, complete and full, is not for some fictional character—but for you and me.
Secrets of the Silent Witch -another-, Part 2 will be released by Yen Press on February 10.
I’m on athletics overload right now. The Super Bowl just concluded a few hours ago (or so it seems), and the Olympics began this past weekend as well. I love football, so the Super Bowl is a huge deal for me—we spend all day watching the pregame, prep a ton of snacks, and barely move from the TV for four or five hours. And the Olympics? I love the Olympics even more.
All this competitive glory got me wondering, is there a Super Bowl of anime? Or an Olympics of anime? Events that immediately come to mind are Anime Expo or Comiket, but those aren’t televised nor competitive (except for attendees getting tickets for rare finds or arriving early to line up for favorite guests and events—not exactly something as thrilling to watch as a game-winning touchdown). Or could it be the Crunchyroll Awards? That’s a competitive event (I guess…more on that in a later column), but it’s more like the Oscars than sport.
It would be really wonderful if there was something that united the anime committee in the way the Super Bowl or the Olympics does for sports fans. Perhaps it would involve streaming? I don’t have answers to offer, but I hope someone smarter than me might!
Do you have any suggestions?
My cell phone broke last week. Being without one for almost a week really changed the rhythm of my life (in other words, I struggled). Here’s what I learned from being cell-less:
- My cell phone sometimes makes me less available, not more. My wife told me a couple of days into my forced mobile fast that she liked me better without my cell phone. Ouch. Her point was that I paid more attention to the family during our evenings when I was looking down at a screen—I was more available to them. Such a little device can tie you down so much and prevent you from spending time on other, more important matters, if you let it.
- I can live without basic tools, but I need connection. It’s been difficult to adjust to life without a maps app, or checking this crazy Texas weather each day, or even browsing my work emails when I’m moving from place to place. But what’s been most difficult is the lack of communication. I want to reach out to loved ones and reply to those who have texted me, but all my messages are going out late or not at all. I feel so disconnected. I can’t wait to reopen these lines of communication.
- There’s a better way. It’s going to be easy for me to fall into the same patterns when I return to my cell, but I want to take this as a learning experience, knowing God is teaching me something through it. Perhaps this is an opportunity to rely less on my cell phone and spend less time on social media than I did. It’s sometimes been intolerable not having a mobile device, but certainly, it’s often also been just fine not being glued to it—and sometimes, life has been better.
Have a great week, friends. God bless!
