A Christian anime

[ABlipinTime]

So I was reading an old forum, located here:
http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=55530

I'd like to re-open the topic for ideas, but this time get some general stats to go with it, and that way I don't have to scroll through everyone's responses and try to grasp what they mean.


I've been working on a screen plays I'd like to turn into anime at some point, and I'd like some opinions on how to best present it. Now, I might be getting a mildly-biased response since I'm asking a bunch of Christians, but it's good to get everyone's opinion since, after all, the stories are meant for everyone to enjoy.

[quote/]
04-18-2010, 10:45 PM
AnimeGirl

I'd like to see a Christian anime not afraid to openly talk about God and Jesus, but that isn't all preachy. Something where everyone can relate. A good anime would be a slice-of-life about everyday problems, or maybe even a sci-fi or fantasy where God is mentioned and beliefs supported, or something symbolic. Most importantly, like in all anime, have loveable characters, emphesis on emotion, and beautiful animation.
[/QUOTE]

That's what I'm going for. The stuff I've been writing is meant to fulfill that description: slice-of-life and sci-fi (yes, both), beautiful animation, and emphasis on the fact that man wants to be like God.

[Atria35]

I'm all for subtlety.

The thing is, unless you're marketing to Christians specifically, then talking about God and Jesus isn't going to fly. You couldn't show it on a public secular station because they can't show religious favoritism, kind of like governmental buildings.

So if you're trying to get it out to the general public, the only way to go is through subtlety.

[LadyRushia]

I'm going to move this to Anime.

Anyway, my thoughts are the same as Atria's. Blatancy tends to subvert quality, especially because people want to focus on the "Christan" part and not the story part.

[Rusty Claymore]

At the very least, I wish there was a character who represented the proper christian worldview. Someone who believed in God and God's Right, and lived it hardcore. I'm of course seeing this in an Action genre, where fighting and lives on the line are the standard stuff. XD It seems only the bad guys are dead set in what they believe, whereas the heroes tend to "not know what to think". They know that the bad guys are wrong, but they can't quite grasp why they are right, or at the very least don't have an answer other than "because I feel it's so." Trigun is a good example. Vash veiws all people as "kin" but the only explination (I found) was that he was just different.

[mechana2015]

Rusty, a bit of a question. Which denominational worldview, and which representation of God and God's Right? There are some pretty wide variations in that that would determine the audience of the movie fairly quickly.

[Nate]

I'll expand on what mech said.

You say "proper Christian worldview." Okay, great. What does that mean? Do you mean a person volunteering at homeless shelters, working to build homes for those who have none? A guy giving away money to charity? That doesn't make for gripping storytelling, but that IS a proper Christian worldview.

Or do you make it political? Do you have the character rant about "what's wrong with this country" and try to change laws? That represents a proper Christian worldview too (to some) but it would come off as preachy and annoying.

Do you have someone doing the right thing no matter what? Great, anime like that already exists, like Trigun where Vash just does what's right...except that for some people since it doesn't say God or Jesus it's not Christian. I've heard that criticism directed at Christian bands that they're not REALLY Christian because they never say God or Jesus.

Also, okay, you want a character who expresses Christian virtues. Great. Does this character get baptized and make a big deal out of baptism? There are Christians who believe you aren't saved unless you have a full-immersion baptism, so if you have the character not get baptized then you're not Christian to those people, and if you do have the character get baptized and make a big deal out of it, you're not Christian to other people.

What's the character's views on Communion? What are the character's views on the Trinity? What are the character's views on confession? The more specific you try to get, the more people you drive away.

[crusader88]

Frequent chatter about God. We may need to do more than say "Lord, Lord" to be saved, but that's all that's required for a Christian anime!

[Rusty Claymore]

@Mid: Biblical literalist. God said it. God meant to say it. God said it in the way He meant it.
@Nate: First off, ▬_▬. I can tell you kinda got excited there, and well, you completely missed the entire thrust of my post. A proper Christian worldview is one that is focused on doing what God wants, because God wants it.
I'm tempted to answer your other questions, but the clinching statement, "The more specific you try to get, the more people you drive away." Tells me they aren't really questions anyway.
But in response to that statement, any inflection or attempt to bring God into something will drive people away, because: John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Any thoughts or ideas I have for Christian Anime are not for evangelism. That's our job to do it personally. The character I'd like to see represented generally minds his own business. He doesn't preach, and he doesn't get into peoples faces to look relgious. It's only when and if people ask him why does he talk about God and the Bible, and he only gives it as his reason, he doesn't force it on others. He does speak up when others are making mistakes, but he only becomes forcefull when someone begins to infringe on someone else in a serious manner.

[mechana2015]

Any thoughts or ideas I have for Christian Anime are not for evangelism. That's our job to do it personally. The character I'd like to see represented generally minds his own business. He doesn't preach, and he doesn't get into peoples faces to look relgious. It's only when and if people ask him why does he talk about God and the Bible, and he only gives it as his reason, he doesn't force it on others. He does speak up when others are making mistakes, but he only becomes forcefull when someone begins to infringe on someone else in a serious manner.

That's actually the answer I was looking for somewhat, though I still wonder as a general question how to handle denominational variances in theology in the context of an anime, or if they should be handled, or if the theology should be kept general enough to prevent confusion, resulting in a more actions, rather than words based christian sample.

EDIT: And yes I know that that is a difficult question to answer, since it really applies to all media, and is a question all Christian creators have to deal with (or ignore) eventually.

[Nate]

A proper Christian worldview is one that is focused on doing what God wants, because God wants it.

Right, but my point is people take "doing what God wants" in different ways. I hope this doesn't cause debate but what I mean is, I'm very politically liberal because I feel that's what God wants. Other people are very politically conservative because they feel that's what God wants. We both think we are doing what God wants, but we have extreme opposing views.

So that still doesn't really answer the question. By my point of view I could make an anime about a gay cross-dresser and that would be a proper Christian worldview if he spent his time helping the poor and sick. To other people and their point of view, it would not be a proper Christian worldview because they would think his lifestyle is sinful (not the helping people part, the gay and cross-dressing part I mean).

So like I said. You haven't answered the question at all. What is a "proper Christian worldview?"

I'm tempted to answer your other questions, but the clinching statement, "The more specific you try to get, the more people you drive away." Tells me they aren't really questions anyway.

They are questions, I was just stating the consequences of those actions.

You seem to be misunderstanding me. You say that Christian anime isn't for evangelism. Okay, cool. I understand that. My point is if you market an anime TO Christians, you run into doctrinal and theological issues like I mentioned in my post. I'm not talking about atheists or agnostics or Muslims who are turned away by the anime. I'm talking about other Christians being turned away by the anime.

For example, there are people on this site who do not think Catholics are Christian. If you make an anime that's centered around Catholicism, that's a Christian anime, because Catholics are Christian. But the Christians who see Catholicism as a false religion will say "This anime isn't Christian." If a Mormon made an anime that centered around Mormonism, they would say it is a Christian anime, because Mormons consider themselves Christians. Most mainstream denominations consider Mormonism to not be Christianity though, and would say it isn't a Christian anime.

Do you see what I'm getting at here? Doctrinal issues are a big thing. Take the baptism thing I mentioned. Have a character say baptism is necessary for salvation, and you've upset one group of Christians. Have that character say it isn't necessary, and you've upset another group of Christians.

You can of course choose to not mention these doctrinal issues in the anime, I suppose. Though that limits the amount of theology you can touch upon in the show. You're pretty much limited to Jesus, death and resurrection, and...that's it, really. Pretty much everything other than those subjects is heavily debated...and even those are debated, but they are pretty much the "core" things that define Christianity so they're not really debated as much. At the very least, practically every denomination can agree on Christ's death and resurrection. But anything beyond that? You're gonna upset people.

And then I guess that makes my question, how is it a Christian anime? You have a character who every once in a while mentions God/Jesus. It doesn't seem like that would make it inherently Christian. There's plenty of shows that have characters that mention God/Jesus, and they aren't particularly Christian shows. You could make that person the main character, I guess, and that might help.

I dunno. It's hard to say. Most comics/cartoons that have a Christian main character do tend to turn into the character preaching at every opportunity to other people or just seeming preachy in general. I personally would find it pretty annoying if every time the main character was faced with a dilemma s/he would say "I'd better not do this because God says not to!" or "What would Jesus do in this situation?" or "What does the Bible say about this?" Then it turns into Sunday School Anecdote Funtimes which...well, isn't entertaining to me.

Like I said. I'm sure it's not impossible to do, I just don't see how it could be done. But ruling out trying to do evangelism through it at least eliminates the biggest source of preachiness as well as helping to avoid doctrinal issues.

[Scarecrow]

K well in reply to the OP, in my own perfect universe... this is what I would like to see in a "Christian Anime"

First of all, that it not be called a "Christian Anime"... That is a turn off right there. Second if you call it that, you are going to tick off one denomination or another that does not agree with the Christianity presented.

I'd like to see "Inspired" anime. Anime that is created by creators who are also Christians... They set out to create a story. Just a story. Since they are Christian already, values and nods will show up just because that's the kind of person the creator(s) is/are. They don't have to mention God at all... but you can still see God's light shining within characters, actions etc... and then add a slight philosophical element. Japanese seem to like that stuff anyway... just have a more Christian outlook.

Some animes I thought, with a little tweaking at the end, could have otherwise stayed relatively the same as they are now and have a much more Christian feel. The two I can think of at the moment would be Neon Genesis Evangelion (and no not because it borrowed a lot of story devices and names from the bible) and Wolf's Rain... With NGE, I think the characters were pretty good examples of people without God struggling, longing and searching for something only Jesus could fill... There were many points where Christianity could have been explored by these characters in their search for answers. Just incorporating positive Christian probing, would have made me happy. With Wolf's Rain, I think it would have been even easier to have a pretty Christian based show. The whole time I was watching I was feeling like it, for the most part, subtly was... till the end. And now I haven't seen this for a while but from what I remember it, it was wolves hidden among people in their quest for Paradise. The wolves needed faith... most didn't believe Paradise existed... they followed the scent of the elusive lunar flowers they've never seen that grow in paradise. Along the way there are many hardships and such and at times they feel like giving up. There were also distractions etc to knock them off their quest. All wolves I think it was said has a desire to follow the lunar scent or reach paradise or whatever from birth and that's their whole purpose (forgive me if some of this is a little off, been ages since I've seen it) When I was watching it, I saw the wolves as people who believed in God or used too but not necessarily Christian. The Christians could be seen as the ones actively seeking Paradise. Seeking God/Jesus. Following by faith. Never seeing or hearing but knowing it's there. Pursuing in spite of set backs or hardships, keeping hope and faith despite what other say. The anime lacks a God/Jesus being but the spiritual journey to heaven I thought could be seen in it. They could have tweaked it a bit more, tweak the ending a little, and you could have had a very nice subtly Christian anime. You have to leave the unChristian stuff in there too though. I don't remember any inappropriate content but when you soften it all up, it really loses the impact. And people are all flawed so you can't just have a bunch of goody goody Christians on a quest. I think the characters in Wolf Rain were perfect... they weren't ideal poster Christians... but who is? That's the thing with most Christian entertainment... they have floozy problems are very 2 dimensional.

And I liked Trigun as an example too... it could have used some tweaking though. I thought NGE and Wolf's Rain had more potential to be seen as Christian with tweaking than Trigun... I guess cause they were both a bit more philosophical and Trigun wasn't. Although towards the end of Trigun, I thought some of the symbols made me smile and they could have tweaked it a bit more to really make my day. I don't think all the "symbols" were intentional though... Like the preacher carrying his Cross... they comment on it being heavy... we're all called to take up our Cross and follow Christ. Jesus helps us though cause our personal crosses are to big for us to carry alone. Anyway, with more tweaking at the end, it could have ended being a much more "Christian" oriented series...

But stuff like that... imagery and subtlety. No preaching... I don't mind chit chat though. In a philosophical anime, it wouldn't be weird for two characters to just sit and discuss God and one could hold a Christian perspective. So long as it's not a character sitting there trying to "save" the other. But just discussing it and possibly planting seeds in searching souls.

[rocklobster]

And I liked Trigun as an example too... it could have used some tweaking though. I thought NGE and Wolf's Rain had more potential to be seen as Christian with tweaking than Trigun... I guess cause they were both a bit more philosophical and Trigun wasn't. Although towards the end of Trigun, I thought some of the symbols made me smile and they could have tweaked it a bit more to really make my day. I don't think all the "symbols" were intentional though... Like the preacher carrying his Cross... they comment on it being heavy... we're all called to take up our Cross and follow Christ. Jesus helps us though cause our personal crosses are to big for us to carry alone. Anyway, with more tweaking at the end, it could have ended being a much more "Christian" oriented series...

Actually, I heard somewhere that Yasuhiro Nightow is actually Christian. It was in an internet video someone did of her top 25 favorite anime shows. Not sure how true that is though.

[Rusty Claymore]

@Mech: I definitely see your point. I think the only way to deal with it is to have the statement, "This is what I believe. Others may disagree with me, but I believe from what I have gathered that this is right." Personally, I believe the Bible has all the answers to theological stuff. But some people don't, and some read it differently somehow. We have to major in the majors, and minor in the minors.

@Nate: Ah, I have a clearer understanding of where you are coming from now. As far as the marketing goes, the audience I had in mind was me. I'm really horrible at marketing, so I don't even try.

Ok, here goes. As for the denominational issues, how do you deal with them in real life? That's how they should be dealt with in anime. Like I said to Mech, major in the majors, etc. Others belive it's one way, but this character believes it's another, just like you and I are both Christians, but still believe very different things sometimes. The main thing is not to claim everything the character believes is Canon. (Basically, not making the show about pointing out where others are wrong, just presenting what one believes.)

As for a show that is inherently Christian... that's a hard one. Many Christian ethics are already ingrained into not only our culture, but Japan's as well. To pull off a tried and true inherently Christian anime you'd have to pull directly from the Bible. (Which would make some pretty cool anime's I kid you not. XD) Mostly, my focus would be to include a christian's worldview, as a cast of characters deal with the plot.

As for the sunday school effect, I heartily agree. Because of that, I believe the CW char shouldn't be the main character, or at least not a character whose thoughts you hear much. It's stated that their actions are greatly influenced by what they believe early on, so the audience can assume that when this character acts, their belief system is in play. A lot of the time it's stuff that anyone would do. Stick up for the weak, help people out, try to save people, etc. So it'd only be once in a while when things get complicated that another character asks why they did it. When the CW character responds, it's simple and to the point. If it's really complicated, they explain their thought process, and follow up that it was the best solution they could come up with at the time, and that there may have been a better one.
I see this character kinda comes across as weak, but it's just because they know they are fallable beings, and very capable of mistakes, so they don't get assertive about stuff much. Of course, this is a very basic skeletal of a character, and other personality dynamics can play into it, such as someone who is overly assertive, but's working on it. XD
Sry 'bout the wall 'o' text... this is something I have thought about a lot, actually. Anyways, I hope that didn't add to the confusion too much. n.n'

[ABlipinTime]

Based on what you guys are saying, the screen play I am currently working on fits perfectly within you guy's guidelines (correct me if I'm wrong). Let me give you a quick synopsis:

The story is about four characters. The main character is an existentialist, having experienced "everything" and just learning not to care. His first friend is atheist and his second is a silent Christian (someone who never mentions they believe). The latter's friend, who becomes the main character's friend, is a Christian who is a little more open to speak about Christ. Whenever asked, he'll give a simple Christian explanation for things. However, the ideas being bounced around in the story are very philosophical at times, so there's no mentioning of following a moral "code" of any kind. The story's basic objective is to teach people that we have an insatiable desire to be like God. The philosophical side, though, is more of talk about wHAt God is, and I try to counter the idea that one can prove God does not exist. I spend time on the subject of epistemology and meaninglessness in life as part of that argument (which contributes to a subtle suggestion of Pascal's *cough* wager).

The overall intention of the story is to take a case-study of human desire to be like God, so that's the primary thing being addressed. From there, I make a philosophical story, pack it with mystery and action and make something totally epic.

[Nate]

I try to counter the idea that one can prove God does not exist.

The problem is most atheists you meet aren't going to say they can prove God doesn't exist, or at least, the ones who do aren't very prominent. They're going to say something along the lines of "I don't see a need for God" or something similar. It's difficult to prove something doesn't exist. For example, if I claim there are invisible unicorns in my sock drawer, I might tell you to prove to me they don't exist. How would you do that? It'd be nearly impossible, especially if every time you tried to offer something as proof I countered it with some inane statement. "Why don't the unicorns mess up your socks?" "Because they respect my socks and take care not to move them." Stuff like that.

which contributes to a subtle suggestion of Pascal's *cough* wager

Pssst. Bit of advice. Don't do that. Pascal's Wager sucks. It's a complete failure on every level. The only use of Pascal's Wager is to make people who already believe in God feel superior. Any atheist will be glad to point out every reason why Pascal's Wager is wrong. Heck I'd be glad to point out every reason why Pascal's Wager is wrong and I'm Christian.

So yes. Please. Don't suggest Pascal's Wager, subtly or not.

[AnimeGirl]

Reply to original post:

Whoa, someone quoted me for an example? I had forgotten all about that post ^.^'

I basically feel the same way, but i see Atria's point as well. However, I do believe it'd be nice to have a series that was pretty open about God, giving people an insight on Christians. Not the crazy, holier than thou, or psycho Christians. I'm talking about the ones who sometimes struggle to believe God even cares sometimes, the ones who love God but still is in a pit of sin, the ones who try to serve Him but finds themselves faltering or losing it. Basically, Christians don't have it easy, but if they trust God, they can deal with life easier.

That's for the slice-of-life of course. As well as fantasy or sci-fi, it'd be best if it were more symbolic, sort of like the books C.S. Lewis wrote. Now I've only read Narnia, but I know people who have read his other books (and I plan to read those hopefully soon 'cause they sound so epic!!). But being symbolic makes people think. And then they'll want to know the meaning behind it. That is when you can share!

Anyway, that's my 2-cents. ^.^

[ABlipinTime]

The problem is most atheists you meet aren't going to say they can prove God doesn't exist, or at least, the ones who do aren't very prominent. They're going to say something along the lines of "I don't see a need for God" or something similar.

I do intend to make that point as well, but I'll do it via showing that God is what we really want. But first, I want to show that it is possible that God can exist by showing why it can't be proven He doesn't exist.

Pssst. Bit of advice. Don't do that. ... It's a complete failure on every level. So yes. Please. Don't suggest Pascal's Wager, subtly or not.

Hence the *cough*. I would like to hear you reasons for it not working, though (it's possible I haven't heard all of them), but you can send me them in a message. Don't post them here.

Reply to original post:

Whoa, someone quoted me for an example? I had forgotten all about that post ^.^'

I basically feel the same way, but i see Atria's point as well. However, I do believe it'd be nice to have a series that was pretty open about God, giving people an insight on Christians. Not the crazy, holier than thou, or psycho Christians. I'm talking about the ones who sometimes struggle to believe God even cares sometimes, the ones who love God but still is in a pit of sin, the ones who try to serve Him but finds themselves faltering or losing it. Basically, Christians don't have it easy, but if they trust God, they can deal with life easier.

That's for the slice-of-life of course. As well as fantasy or sci-fi, it'd be best if it were more symbolic, sort of like the books C.S. Lewis wrote. Now I've only read Narnia, but I know people who have read his other books (and I plan to read those hopefully soon 'cause they sound so epic!!). But being symbolic makes people think. And then they'll want to know the meaning behind it. That is when you can share!

Anyway, that's my 2-cents. ^.^

In response to your first big paragraph there, I can see a lot of questions arising in people's minds about that issue (e.g. "They believe in God, and yet they struggle with the same crap I do? Why?"). That's something to be tackled in another screen play I may write. However, I can't help but think that such a story would only appeal to a Christian audience since Christians can sympathize with other Christians.

You're right, that's for slice of life. As far as the sci-fi goes, my screen play is a little less sci-fi / fantasy than most people automatically think. I CAN and do intend to put in slice-of-life aspect based on the settings. I'm hesitant to give out details (for the usual reason as well as the fact that I'm not finished). Because of the setting, I don't have to make a symbolic representation of God in such forms as a Lion. I CAN depict Him as a human being, though I intend to leave His name as an implied and yet hidden. He doesn't actually do anything explicitly because the way I intend to present Him is via something similar to dreams (but not). Heheheh, I'm not being very specific am I?

Thanks for your 2 cents, btw. I appreciate it.

[Fish and Chips]

Hence the *cough*. I would like to hear you reasons for it not working, though (it's possible I haven't heard all of them), but you can send me them in a message. Don't post them here.

In the general interest of promoting good theology (since I guess we're allowed to do that now), Pascal's Wager is faulty because it assumes there is only one god (i.e. God), and therefor just the one choice to believe in Him or disbelieve. Once you start introducing new religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Paganism, etc., it completely falls apart as a viable argument for Christianity.

This aside from whether or not you feel "Better safe than sorry" is a solid theological foothold to have.

[ABlipinTime]

In the general interest of promoting good theology (since I guess we're allowed to do that now), Pascal's Wager is faulty because it assumes there is only one god (i.e. God), and therefor just the one choice to believe in Him or disbelieve. Once you start introducing new religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Paganism, etc., it completely falls apart as a viable argument for Christianity.

This aside from whether or not you feel "Better safe than sorry" is a solid theological foothold to have.

I have heard that point made before, and I totally agree.
//Subject end//

--------

I want to know: who picked "show God's uber-awesome" and what did they have in mind when they made that selection?

[Seto_Sora]

On topic, I voted for 3b and 4a for the solid belief that our lives are supposed to be missional; that is, we are to carry the gospel to all nations. But I don't think it should be preachy, in-your-face, or weak story-wise. Having been enamored with comics when I was young, I was often exposed to "Christian" comics which were "safer" than the worldly comics. And I can say that these comics always disappointed me and bored me. Why? Because they were all gospel but no story, no believable characters, no plot, and subsequently no twists. All characters were either "Christian" goody-two-shoes, one thin character whose sole purpose in the story was to "get saved", or domineering works based righteousness pharisees... or a poorly compiled, unbelievable retelling of Bible stories. So that is not what I think a good "Christian" manga should be. I've put alot of thought into this and have come to the conclusion that such art shouldn't segregated from the world. Indeed, we are told to be in the world, just not of it. I strongly disagree with the idea that separation from the world is not the same as not being of the world.
How does this translate into a "Christian" manga? Well, for one, my audience is not solely "Christians" nor is it solely "heathens" who need to get God. Rather, my audience is mankind. I want Christians to enjoy a manga that glorifies Christ through its message and is clean in its content (no fan service) but fascinates the average reader, interests him, compels him, inspires him, wrenches his heart, and draws him into a believable world with believable characters. My asperations as a writer are not small; I want to write a work that is theologically grounded such that you and cry with the main character when and after he comes to faith like in LesMiserables, or you despise the character as his conscience condemns his wickedness as in Crime and Punishment, or else you watch a character fear his damnation such as did Faustus, perhaps spend his life struggling both with the element and the spirit like in Robinsen Crusoe.
So how do I want to write my stories? Simply with people and situations that my readers can both believe and relate to. To reflect mankind; his circumstances; his depravity; his hope from a Christo-centric, Biblical worldview. I want to write stories as we see them in the manga/anime we have now but that I want to have a Christocentric answer to the same questions asked in their stories and by their characters. those are my longwhinded thoughts for the night. ^_^

SDG

[Rusty Claymore]

Christocentric

Hey, that sounds cool! Unfortunately I usually fall into the Christeccentric category... XD

[ABlipinTime]

@PatrickEklektos

I'll keep those thoughts in mind, thanks.

[CAAOutkast]

What we need is an Anime series based on the Bible. That would be the Ultimate Christian Anime.

[Atria35]

What we need is an Anime series based on the Bible. That would be the Ultimate Christian Anime.

Doesn't mean it would be good.

[mechana2015]

Doesn't mean it would be good.

Exactly, that can get you everything from Prince of Egypt, which is phenomenal, all the way down to that animated Chick track someone linked a while ago. Both are based on the bible, but one is CLEARLY a better piece of work.

[Nate]

An anime series based on the Bible would be rated 18+.

[Sheenar]

Exactly, that can get you everything from Prince of Egypt, which is phenomenal, all the way down to that animated Chick track someone linked a while ago. Both are based on the bible, but one is CLEARLY a better piece of work.

Or you get Manga Messiah --I would like to see some more things made like that about other stories/people from the Bible.
Though I am hesitant --Manga Messiah was decent, but I can see how the idea of doing Bible stories in manga form can produce things of poor quality.


Wasn't there a group that was making an anime about Jesus? I saw a clip on Youtube a long time ago w/ a rough pencil sketch version of one scene (I think the scene where Jesus calms the sea, but I'm not sure.)

[Atria35]

And you know, the problem with an anime being based on the Bible is that.... I've seen those stories in so many other mediums that I just can't get excited over it. It's the same material. The exact same story. What could anime offer those stories that hasn't been done already except for the animation? I honestly wouldn't watch it.

[ABlipinTime]

An anime series based on the Bible would be rated 18+.

Good point. No more discussion necessary in that direction.

And you know, the problem with an anime being based on the Bible is that.... I've seen those stories in so many other mediums that I just can't get excited over it. It's the same material. The exact same story. What could anime offer those stories that hasn't been done already except for the animation? I honestly wouldn't watch it.

I agree, except for the fact that everything has been done before. As Solomon has been credited with saying, "There is nothing new under the sun." Take for example Abraham Lincoln's phrase, "It is better to be silent and thought a fool than speak out and remove all doubt." Such wisdom we find repeated on various occasions in the proverbs and wisdom books of the Old Testament, and yet such wisdom sayings in those books have been found in ancient texts from other civilizations.

Okay yeah, so that applies to wisdom, but what about story? Thanks to a recent movie, I have one word for you: Tron. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should probably go see it. People thought it was a great movie... Now go watch the original and compare the two.

Is this an excuse to write a copy of a work by someone else? - Well, there's a way to do something... and then there's a way to do it better. In other words, don't try to copy, but know that every component of a story is based on human experience or something derived from experience.


Hm... I feel very wordy today. lol

[Atria35]

Okay yeah, so that applies to wisdom, but what about story? Thanks to a recent movie, I have one word for you: Tron. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should probably go see it. People thought it was a great movie... Now go watch the original and compare the two.

Is this an excuse to write a copy of a work by someone else? - Well, there's a way to do something... and then there's a way to do it better. In other words, don't try to copy, but know that every component of a story is based on human experience or something derived from experience.

Trust me, I know that there's nothing new under the sun. BUT if a Christian anime were based on the Bible, and I mean based on the Bible, then we'd be seeing the story of Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, etc.- and again, those stories are not exciting. I know them already. They've actually been animated. So I would not watch an anime that was based off the Bible as in retelling Biblical stories.