We used to post a weekly, and later bimonthly, column called Something More (not to be confused with our new video series, Something Genuine). Back then, I was deeply involved in the aniblogging community, and it was easy for me to craft this link round-up of posts related to anime and spirituality, Christian or otherwise. I loved that column; it was so much fun for me to read those posts and then often connect with those who wrote them.
These days, I rarely read articles outside of our own that link anime to faith; I’m far more likely to run across a short video doing the same. So you’ll forgive my excitement when one of my good friends who runs Anime Diet posted an article about Aemeath of Wuthering Waves that weaves in faith throughout its rumination on parents and children, death and healing.
But even greater was this—it’s written by Gendo Mike, whose influence on our ministry can’t be overstated.
In a story I’ve related a number of times, I looked across the landscape to see if anyone was expressing Christian faith through discussing anime. As I usually tell it, no one was doing it consistently, though there was someone out there who had written a number of wonderful pieces. His name was Gendo Mike, and he was doing so through his site, Anime Diet, which was also one of the gold standards of aniblogging when blogging was still a thing.
I reached out to Mike at some point, and he was kind enough to email me back with words of encouragement. That meant a lot to me because he served as a model for the type of writing I wanted for Beneath the Tangles—meaningful, thoughtful, and engaging, aimed at an audience broader than just Christians, and lacking the cringiness and poor quality of so much Christian media.
My hope is that BtT has taken that torch and continues to put out content that is not only theologically strong but also glorifies God in its excellence. That reaches not only (or even primarily) to Christians, but across the divide as we seek to share Christ with those who don’t know Him. And that our pieces aren’t simple exercises in examining anime from a Christian lens, but deeper dives that engage our full, God-endowed capacities.
And if any of that is true, draw a direct line from us to Gendo Mike and Anime Diet.
If it’s not, well—that’s on the student, not the sensei.
Speaking of doing things well, video creation is decidedly not in that category for me. While filming our season finale of Something Genuine, I flubbed the recording. The first 15 minutes of the interview are thus lost to the sands of time. Sigh.
Thankfully, our guest is so full of wisdom and wit that the remaining interview features more than enough for an engaging episode. I’m saved, once again, by those I admire.
The episode will air on March 11th, but before then, a new episode drops this Wednesday, and it’s with someone I can’t wait to introduce to you all. Willow Newell is the current Miss Wisconsin—a Miss America contestant who advocates for the arts, mental health awareness, and…anime? Yes, she’s a huge anime fan and just the most bubbly, bright, lovely individual. You’ll love this episode!
Our event coverage has slowly expanded over the years to include festivals like the Annecy International Animation Festival. Well, mark another one down on our list. Later this month, I’ll be attending SXSW, which features anime-related panels and is sponsored in part by Crunchyroll. There’s a surprising number of anime-related events I’ll be covering, in addition to others that are anime-adjacent. I’m looking forward to it.
One thing I’m not looking forward to, though, is navigating downtown traffic and working late nights when I’m an early sleeper. This aniblogger is now an old man, so it’ll be a challenge—a welcome one, but a challenge still.
Pray for me.
Have a great week, friends. See you all next time!
Featured illustration by Sua (reprinted w/permission)
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Hey Charles–thank you for your kind words and tribute. I remember our email exchange, and I have so much respect for how you’ve carried on your mission long after I departed from the scene. The funny thing is that I never had any ambition in the old days to do ministry via this medium per se–I just wanted to honestly represent my life and memories, and that has always included my faith. I’m glad it was used for something beyond just that.
Those were different times for sure. The audience for lengthy written pieces is a lot more limited in our space now. To be honest I kinda knew that my new piece was out of step with the times of content creation–it might have fared better as a video essay–but something stirred in me that almost *forced* me to write and release it. I just knew that Sunday night I *had* to, and didn’t sleep until it was done. Maybe it was the Holy Spirit. Maybe it was all the unresolved grief that I still hadn’t properly dealt with. Maybe both. But there it is.
I am happy you found it edifying and wish you all blessings in your ministry!
Thank you for blessing me (and us) once again, Mike!