We Americans think of baseball as our “national pastime,” and perhaps rightfully so. But it would be equally true to say that the Japanese have adopted baseball wholeheartedly, and made it their own. I know of no other Western sport with an authentic Japanese name, written in kanji (野球 yakyuu, or if you will, “plains ball”),… Read More Take Me Out To The Ball Game: Big Dreams and the Unknown God in “Major”
Today in his House of 1000 Manga column at Anime News Network, Jason Thompson describes Osamu Tezuka‘s epic work, Buddha. As one who rarely watches anime or reads manga created earlier than the 1990s, I know Tezuka only by reputation and not by experiencing any of his works. As such, and I think this may… Read More Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere: Buddha and Religious Criticism
Last week, I auctioned off my Tenchi Universe collection on eBay. I had mixed feelings about letting the series go. I hadn’t watched it for many years and it was just collecting dust. And it’s really not that great of a series…it’s very mediocre, only made interesting because of its characters. Its two best contributions,… Read More No Need for the Past: Goodbye, Tenchi!
One thing that’s been tricky in this whole blogging experiece for me is to write for two very different audiences – Christian fans of anime, and non-Christian fans of anime. Mostly, I write to the latter while still keeping an emphasis on Christian spirituality. However, the Resources section of my site emphasizes both. Today, I’m… Read More Anime Recommendations for the Christian Viewer
CNNGo reported today about the Ryohoji Temple in Hachioji, which has become an anime temple. That’s right: anime temple, complete with a theme song, anime character, monks praying to the anime character, and…a maid cafe. What?! The 16th century temple began its transformation when the chief monk tried to get young people to come to… Read More Of Kami and Buddhas: Tokyo’s Anime Temple!
The Old Testament concerns itself, largely, with the story of the interaction between the 12 tribes of Israel and their God. This is oversimplifying the matter, but when the Assyrian Empire conquered Israel, ten of the twelve tribes of Israel were lost to history. Today, we refer to these tribes as the “Ten Lost Tribes.” Recent… Read More Of Kami and Buddhas: Domo, er….Shalom?
mel·an·chol·y [mel-uhn-kol-ee] noun, plural -chol·ies, adjective –noun 1. a gloomy state of mind, esp. when habitual or prolonged; depression. 2. sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness. –adjective 4. affected with, characterized by, or showing melancholy; mournful; depressed: a melancholy mood. 5. causing melancholy or sadness; saddening: a melancholy occasion. 6. soberly thoughtful; pensive. (Source: Dictionary.com) Suzumiya Haruhi is… Read More Spiritual Dryness and Haruhi’s Melancholy
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