Inception. Black Swan. The Matrix. These Hollywood hits have a common thread—each was heavily influenced by Japanese animation, aka anime. Anime has settled in as a permanent part of American entertainment. Besides serving as inspiration for filmmakers, some anime movies—particularly those by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli (Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, The Secret World of Arrietty, and the Oscar-winning… Read More Anime’s Common Grace
Due to the lack of spiritually-inclined articles as of late, I’ve skipped the “Something More” column for the past couple of weeks. It’s time to catch up! D.M. Dutcher examines how the Blade Children of Spiral: The Bond of Reasoning resemble humanity grasping for salvation from Christ. [Cacao, put down the shovel!] Dutcher also delves… Read More Something More: Chuunibyou Faith, Spiral: The Bond of Salvation, and Pope Francis Manga
With Pope Benedict XVI’s sudden resignation on Monday, any good anime and manga fan would ask the natural question: Has anyone made a manga about Benedict XVI’s life? The answer is, of course! In all seriousness, a treatment of his life in manga format does exist. Originally developed by Gabrielle Gniewek and Sean Lam as… Read More Habemus Papam! A Manga About Pope Benedict XVI
Medieval Otaku refers to Wolf’s Rain as “essentially a Christian allegory,” focusing particularly on the symbolism of Kiba and Cheza as Jesus and Mary. [Medieval Otaku] Foxy Lady Ayame digs deep into Sora no Woto, discussing ideas like the spiritual and healing aspects of a festival depicted in the series. [Anime Diet] Regina Doman blogs… Read More Something More: Kiba-Cheza-Mary-Jesus, Writing Papal Manga, and Spirituality in Sora no Woto
A year ago…I celebrated Father’s Day by talking about Tomoya and his dad. A year ago…I was finishing up AnoHana (a gold mine for posts)… …and just starting Mawaru Penguindrum (and even richer mine). A year ago…Tommy wrote the concluding post in the Aniblogger Testimony series… …which we wrapped up… …and then added to with… Read More A Year Ago on Beneath the Tangles
Even if you’re non-religious, Easter is a holiday that might cause you think about faith or even bring you into a church service. Whether or not you attend, you might consider delving into anime, manga, or anime-related books to indulge your curiosity, interest, or, what I would call, stirrings. Here are some recommendations for works… Read More Good Friday! Anime-Related Recommendations for Easter
Many Are Called Story by Gabrielle Gniewek Art by Sean Lam Published by Manga Hero A common criticism of the Bible is that it is dull and unable to capture the attention of modern audiences. But what if a writer and artist created a compelling parable of a Bible story, imitating the manner in which… Read More OEL Manga Review: Many Are Called