Anime: An Introduction for Christians

Anime. It's been gaining popularity in the US for decades, and can now be seen on T-shirts and backpacks in department stores, on TV and in theaters, and in the action figure aisles of countless toy stores. When parents or grandparents hear their children argue about whether Goku or Vegeta is the strongest super saiyan, or whether Pikachu or Celebi is cuter, they often scratch their heads in puzzlement. Who has a name like "Vegeta"? How can a little yellow mouse shock people with electricity? As their children have found out, of course, anything is possible in anime. Friends of teens or college age adults may be equally puzzled when they travel to nearby cities (or far away ones) for "cons", or anime conventions, dressed as a school girl in a mini-skirt with a flowing aqua-colored wig, or spend hours watching anime downloaded from the internet, or have rather heated conversations concerning the merits and demerits of "dubs" and "subs". Although many people simply write it off as a fad, others become curious and decide to learn more about this thing their friends are so into. Others, however, especially Christians, may have concerns when they hear their children or friends talking about liking anime which, in their mind, amounts to sorcery, magic, immodesty and immorality, violence, crude humor, and Japanese spirituality. For those who may be either curious or concerned, this article is intended to be a quick introduction to anime for the person who is coming in with only a vague idea of what the word entails.

"Anime" is the general term given to the style of cartoons that originate mostly in Japan, although other countries in Asia also make cartoons in the same style. The word "cartoon", however, gives something of the wrong impression. In America, cartoons, and indeed, anything animated, is generally seen as something for children, and children only. Although some full length animated films may touch adults with an "awww" moment or, increasingly, humor that flies over the heads of the children watching them, for the most part they are not intended primarily for nor marketed towards adults. Not so with anime. The range of anime spans all ages, both genders, and practically any interest, hobby, life, sport, animal... etc. While there are certainly anime for children, such as a few of the examples I've already given, Pokemon and Dragonball Z, there are also anime that appeal to teens, college age students, young and older adults as well.

Anime, as I've said, is a style of animation. Most people can call to mind the artistic style of anime. Characters are drawn smoothly, often times with large eyes, colorful, abundant hair, intricate outfits, and pointed chins. Anime can range from the normal, everyday life of everyday people, to fantastic stories about different worlds where monsters and magic take center stage, to futuristic societies where giant robots are often piloted by teens, to stories centering on one particular sports team or student group, to historical fiction, to supernatural thrillers, and so on.

One of the main things that differentiates anime from Western cartoons, apart from the artwork, is the variety of subject matter and the story-lines and character development. Granted, not every anime has a well-thought out story; nor do all anime have interesting characters. There are, of course, the anime that seem to go on forever, with "filler" episode after episode, doing nothing but fill the half hour time slot instead of furthering the story. Most anime, however, have a coherent story line. They are not episodic, in the manner of many American cartoons. While in American cartoons, the characters encounter seemingly endless 15-30 minute scenarios that never tie into or reference what happened previously, and there is no discernible goal or aim of the series, anime is usually a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Many anime run only one or two seasons. Those that run longer often have, in addition to filler, many different major story arcs, and in each one a goal will arise and be reached, or a villain will arise and be conquered, etc.

Many anime begin with a quest. It could be an adventurous, fantastical, or science-fiction style quest, or it could simply be a character in the normal world deciding to be different, change something about themselves, stop allowing themselves to be pushed around, find meaning to life, etc. The series then follows the main character or characters through their discovery of their quest (many anime characters don't know, at first, that they will soon be told of a secret power or history or duty to fulfill), their doubts, failures, and successes along the way, the unveiling of more side characters and backstory, the growth of the major characters, sometimes the revelation of world-shattering secrets that change everything you thought you knew about where the series was going, confrontations with whatever obstacles are in the way, the defeat of the minor villains, and, in the end, the confrontation with the major villain or obstacle or whatever has been set up as the determining factor for the series. The heroes don't always win in anime in the western idea of the word; sometimes the endings are bittersweet. Sometimes the characters fight for a long time for something they only find out near the end that they had been wrong about, or deceived about, and the major confrontation turns out not to be between them and another character, but within themselves, as they struggle to reconcile where they've been with what they now understand, and decide how to proceed. Sometimes, on the other hand, anime are light and carefree, leaving you with a warm and fluffy feeling inside.

There are many things for Christians to be aware of when venturing into the world of anime. In the first place, most anime stories are not written from a Western, let alone a Christian, perspective. Some actions may seem strange; I suggest that you familiarize yourself with Japanese culture (any book or overview will do to begin with) so that basic customs that aren't explained in anime, because it's taken for granted that all viewers will understand, will not throw you off. This includes relationships within the societal structure in Japan, how you treat various people depending on your respective social statuses, the celebration of different holidays, a different school system, etc.

In many anime, daily life references to Buddhism or Shintoism are made. While some anime are specifically about these spiritual beliefs, in many you may simply see incense burning in a corner of a room in front of the picture of a deceased grandparent next to a bowl of rice, or the characters may visit a shrine during a festival. These are daily facets of the lives of most Japanese, even those who do not consider themselves spiritual or religious. Although some Christians may wish to avoid anime in order to avoid all exposure to other religions, I think that it is not harmful to faith in Christ to be aware of other religions. In fact, it could give you a common ground or at least some background familiarity with which to talk to people who do hold those beliefs seriously. I would, however, caution Christians to be very careful when deciding whether to watch anime series devoted to such things as a Shinto priestess, or a priest who solves the problems of ghosts lingering on the earth, or a monk who fights demons, or other such things. These types of series do not simply make every day passing references to Buddhism or Shintoism; they are specifically saturated in them.

Many anime series do contain characters who dress immodestly. They also may contain nudity or sexuality. Not all series have such characters, however. In this matter, I would advise Christians to judge anime as they would judge any movie a theater. Read a review before you watch it, and if you feel that the sexual or sensual content is not appropriate, then don't watch it. I will throw in that the Japanese are, on a whole, more free with sexuality than Americans, so you may find it difficult to find many series without at least one woman dressed in mini-skirts or low-cut blouses.

Violence is not inherent to anime. Indeed, it depends entirely on the genre. If the anime is about samurai, then you can bet there will be battles and probably blood. The degree of gore varies. The military is portrayed interestingly in anime. Usually, they are doing something wrong, or are callous, or are supporting a government because of duty, honor, and love for their country, but the government is corrupt, or something like that. Heroes are often rebels, or people who have left the military, or outside groups that come into clash with the military, or so on. Some anime glorify fighting for fighting's sake, others for discipline or duty or protection of others. Some anime reflect on the horror and inner torment killing causes. I would suggest that Christians be cautious when evaluation the violence in anime. For Christians, a call to love ones enemies, do good to those who harm you, to not seek revenge, to pray for persecutors, and other such counter-cultural ideals are taught by Jesus. These ideals are very rarely found in those exact contexts in anime. However, some anime characters do come to the conclusion that killing is wrong, that they shouldn't seek revenge, that people should be given second chances or forgiven, and so forth. Although they usually aren't because of a conversion to Christianity, those concepts can be appreciated.

Some anime series contain magic, or wizardry, or special powers. "Magical Girl" is a common term for a series which is usually sparkly and appeals to pre-teen and teenage girls about a girl their age who suddenly discovered she was a super hero and sets out to save the world. Such stories use magic in much the same way it is used in many Disney movies like Aladdin. It is simply there, and there's nothing too spiritual about it. In some series, supernatural powers are granted by kami, or gods/spirits, and in others demons abound. The occult is also something that comes up in anime. Again, take caution and read reviews: if you would see it in a normal movie, like Star Wars or Pirates of the Caribbean, then seeing magic in an anime probably won't ruin your faith. However, if you'd stay away from movies with overt occultic or demonic themes, then doing the same with anime is only common sense.

There are many good things about anime as well. Anime are usually beautifully drawn and a pleasure to watch. The characters in good series are as gripping as characters in any live-action show or movie or book. The plots are often well-thought out and detailed, with twists and turns to keep you hooked. For those studying Japanese language or culture, watching anime in the original language can be helpful. Anime often spreads into video or card games, which can be played and enjoyed with friends. The characters in anime often exhibit uplifting personality traits such as steadfastness, perseverance, deep loyalty, protection of others who are weaker, kindness to strangers or inclusion of outcasts, courage, etc. There are many humorous and endearing moments in anime.

Anime can, of course, like anything else in life, become an idol. Anime is often something associated with nerds, geeks, or people of low social status in American culture, who then obsess over it, buying action figures and cards, spending hours watching it or playing the video games, spending enormous amounts of money on it, chatting online with strangers for most of the night, etc. I think that anything can be harmful when idolized. I think that anime itself is fascinating to some who aren't familiar with it, and frightening to others by that same token, but in and of itself, I don't think it is Christian or un-Christian. If you are wondering whether you should watch anime, I think you should read reviews and check it out just like you would any movie or TV show. If you are a parent concerned for your child, I would advise you simply to monitor what they watch in anime the same as you do for any other movies or TV. It is from a different country and a different world-view, but that doesn't automatically make it harmful. Get informed about specific series and go from there. Hopefully, this general introduction has helped to dispel some common stereotypes that usually come up when anime is mentioned in a group of Christians who aren't quite sure what it is.