Suffering. Death. Hope. Life. These themes pervade Magica Madoka, particularly informing the final two episodes. They are also important ideas in religious traditions, namely Christianity and Buddhism. The Buddhist principals expressed in Madoka Magica are so pervasive, that I’ve started to think that the Christlike imagery I immediately saw when viewing episode 12 wasn’t at… Read More Puella Magi Madoka Magica 12: The Hope We Find
As I try to find the time to marathon Puella Magi Madoka Magica in an attempt to avoid any more spoilers, I had to stop to write about episode seven, in which allusions to and mentions of Christianity are far stronger than in any other episode to this point of the series. Though a few… Read More Puella Magi Madoka Magica 07: From Adam to Jesus
Characters: Vash the Stampede and Nicholas D. Wolfwood Series: Trigun Gender: male Occupation: wanted gunslinger and faux priest/assassin Bible Twins: Jesus Christ and the Apostle Peter Overview On Tuesday, I linked a post to an article entitled “The Gospel According to Wolfwood.” The author of that original piece makes several comparisons between Wolfwood and Bible… Read More The Invisible God in…Trigun
In 2003, a wonderful essay about Nicholas Wolfwood was posted in the ToonZone forums. Academic in nature, the essay discusses the Christian themes of sinful nature and grace as they are present in Trigun, particularly shown through Wolfwood. The essay is excellent and gives a lot of insight about the series. It also touches on… Read More Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere: Violence, Grace and Redemption in Trigun
Warrior Nun Issue 1 by Run Ishida Antarctic Press The Warrior Nun series had a long life in the American comic book scene. It’s popularity led to additional projects, including planning of an animated series and a manga released in Japan. The manga, while featuring a similar-looking main character, is quite different from it’s American predecessor. The story… Read More Manga Review: Warrior Nun
Summary (from back cover) Once per generation, the Valkyrie-turned-angel Arela embodies herself in a worthy sister of the Warrior Nun order. Warrior Nuns are an elite class of warrior for the Vatican. Areala’s purpose is to battle the forces that would seek to destroy her church and Mankind. Join Arela as she’s sent to New… Read More Manga Review: Warrior Nun Areala Vol. 1
Nuns, nuns, nuns – is it just me, or are they more present than ever in anime and manga? Often depicted in American media as being strict schoolmistresses who are unafraid to use physical punishment (I’m reminded of Blues Brothers), recent anime has also shown nuns as having superhuman strength and sometimes mystical powers. Wouldn’t it… Read More The Warrior Nun of Manga
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