| What do you think about anime like Hellsing or Neon Genesis Evangelion? |
 | Ann: Believe it or not, I get this question more than "how do you make a Christian manga". I suspect it's kind of like an amazed tourist pointing at something not found in his/her own country. I'll speak for myself that I regard "spiritual themed" anime as any other anime--just a bit more harder to sit through. Too busy laughing or raising my eyebrows. How many Christians in the U.S. never read a single super hero comic or a comic strip in the newspaper? Never watched a single cartoon? Same goes with the Christians in Asia including me, only there we read manga and watch anime. I don't even bat an eye at the Shinto or Buddhist references because to me it's more culture than religion.
*STARTING EXAMPLE-NOT-TO-BE-FOLLOWED* About Hellsing, I watched all the episodes, and as an anime fan I enjoyed it. As a Christian, it's not as highly regarded for obvious reasons as hypocritical as that may sound. Same goes with Neon Genesis Evangelion which I also watched all the episodes and the movies back when I was still in Junior High. You can guess I don't have much of a personal conviction against violent anime; I'll admit the majority of my favorite anime movies/series are all violent. (Akira, Jin-Roh, Spriggan, Blue Submarine no. 6, Blood: The Last Vampire, Princess Mononoke, New Fist of the North Star, etc) *END EXAMPLE-NOT-TO-BE-FOLLOWED*
It's entertainment--not necessarily good entertainment, but in most cases, especially lately, I'm able to watch/read "with God" and go over just what was off in the story and what I could learn with His word as the base. Though, I consciously avoid the ones I know aren't "good". Come on, would you watch something like tentacle rape with God over your shoulder? (This might not get the answer I expect) I, like the majority of Christian anime/manga fans, chose to include God into all aspect of our lives including entertainment. It might be a foreign concept but the shock will eventually wear off, don't worry.
Mave: Honestly, I care little for Hellsing and I take whatever's in NGE with a grain of salt. It made me to think about other things but I doubt watching it automatically makes us evil.
UC: Personally, I read the Hellsing manga with a clean conscience. If I only read fiction I regarded as factually true I would spend precious little time with books. As for NGE, I think it is grossly overrated but don't necessarily condemn it on principle.
Generally speaking, I believe that everyone should use discernment in choosing what they watch. Some people are very bothered by violence, for example, and I think it is wise for them to avoid such titles. Some people are bothered by any sexual content - others aren't at all, but they should be. It's mostly a question of discerning what is healthy in community, not of if given titles are the spawn of evil incarnate. |
| You're a fan of DRAGON BALL!?!?! |
| Ann: Hn. I get "looked down" as a anime fan when people know that ^^; They immediately label me as "Toonami newbie anime fan" when I probably have watched and read more anime and manga then a large portion of the anime population in the States. (Well, maybe not anime, but I'm pretty confident on the amount of manga I read since Indonesia has more manga then the U.S. by a long shot) If it's any better, I'm a fan of the manga. Manga purist that I am.
And hey, DB/DBZ is a classic you know. Pure shonen, (well, not as much as Otoko Juku or Fist of the North Star), that inspired the best manga of today. So there! Sue me!! >:P |
FAQs 
What do you think about anime like Hellsing or Neon Genesis Evangelion?
