There are two *entirely* Christian anime in existence, both of which contain no offensive content and have a G rating. Those would be "Flying House" and "Superbook." In secular anime, I'd recommend Hamtaro.
For this list we rank the best anime for Christians, on the criteria that is it thought provoking, safe, and not too provocative. We've included shows like Saint Young Men, which include Jesus Christ himself as one of the characters in a fun buddy comedy anime.
These anime have themes related to the Religion of Christianity. They may focus on the life of Jesus or other historical Christian religious figures, showcase stories from the Bible, or show other aspects of Christian life, such as becoming a priest or nun.
We are to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” ( 2 Corinthians 10:5 ). While there can be a lot of questionable things in anime, there are strong Christians who enjoy the medium. They appreciate the style, the futuristic settings, and the imaginative storytelling in anime.
Some anime thrives on the topic of religion, using Japanese culture as a setting for fantasy adventures in which the spirit world and humanity mingle, either pleasantly or unpleasantly. Given the mystical foundation of Eastern culture, anime also tends to employ elements of the occult such as tarot cards, incantations, and more.
Paul said yes as long as it doesn't bother your conscience or challenge the faith of those around you. If watching a fan-service laden anime will confuse or encourage those who struggle with lust to watch, then you shouldn't be watching those stories. Anime can have excellent Christian-compatible messages.
Osamu Tezuka's Old Testament Stories) is an anime television series based on The Bible's Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) created by Osamu Tezuka.
The Importance of Context First, there is a host of customs, allusions, and metaphors implicit in anime derived from the Buddhist or Shinto tradition. To the extent that anime is a production and reflection of Japanese culture, it carries Eastern religion as its default mode of supernaturality.
My Last Day is a 2011 Christian anime short film created by The Jesus Film Project, with Barry Cook and STUDIO4°C. The story unfolds through the eyes of a criminal who receives the same crucifixion sentence as Jesus Christ.
The way Christianity is being portrayed in anime is in the same level as that of portraying French or English culture. It is primarily added to bring about a certain look and feel, but also because the story/plot has some relation to the religion mentioned.
Gokuism seems to be a newly emerging religion that is based on the moral example of the protagonist in the Dragon Ball series: Son Goku. It is not an officially recognised religion, but rather a shared creation of fans on the internet.
The connection of Naruto and Buddhism is evident due to Buddhist characteristics and values evident in the manga/anime, it is also clear that Kishimoto did this in order to persuade his young audience to convert to Buddhism.
Goku doesn't really have a religion in Dragon Ball Z, and most gods in DBZ don't really get worshipped. Beerus, Kame and King Kai are basically the gods of the DBZ universe and none of them are really worshipped to my knowledge. So basically there is no such thing as religion in DBZ, even though there are gods.
Your parents may remember a show from their youth called Father Dowling Mysteries, in which a Roman Catholic priest investigates crimes and is often accompanied by a nun as his sidekick. Well, add vampires and Japanese animation, and you get Trinity Blood.
This semi-historical series chronicles the adventures of three companions – Jin, Mugen, and Fuu – traveling across Tokugawa-era Japan in search of the mysterious Sunflower Samurai. Along the way, they encounter obstacles ranging from corrupt government officials, to Dutch fans of Geisha, and even a family of vengeful pirates. The series features an amusingly anachronistic soundtrack composed of hip-hop tunes along with its historical setting in the late Edo Period (mid-1800s). It also includes action sequences featuring “martial arts” reminiscent of hip-hop dance culture.
This is something that has been bothering me, how most anime isn't really Christian. I know there is the "Pyuuri-tan" character and comics... plus game... but i never see the comics on the internet sadly. and no translations. I love the style most anime is in, but i hate how most are more... **COUGH** explicit and showy.
Christianity is what, less than 1% of people in Japan, so I don't think there is any expressly Christian anime out there.
I don't think you'll find any anime that is purely Christian. But some slice-of-life style animes are pretty good. Things like Say I Love You and My Love Story and even Clannad (watch out though, this one's super sad) can be a good watch and they aren't especially showy or filled with evil things.
There are anime that deal with Christian topics and scripture, same as there are some manga (albeit I think the only one I'm aware of is the 6 part one that I'm still on book 2 of, Manga Messiah, Melech, etc). Superbook, The Flying House, some other stuff adapting the bible.
Christianity is pretty foreign to Japan. But I'd recommend Death Note if you want a good philosophical anime.
I have watched Death Note a long time ago (when I wasn't following God) and then when tried to watch the Netflix one (real life rendition). I got about 10 minutes into it, maybe not even that and I just couldn't watch it anymore. It was blasphemous as the shinigami was talking about Bible verses and twisting them.
And they might see and be encouraged by some biblically approved themes present in anime such as self-sacrifice, kindness, loyalty, endurance, and courage . Other Christians, however, might decide that something with so many lurid landmines is not worth the time required to navigate it safely.
The term anime —the Japanese word for “animation”—generally refers to animation that comes from Japan. Strictly speaking, anime is just another medium used to convey a story or artistic idea. While the actual art style in the form of angles and shading, etc., is morally neutral, there are some more ambiguous points to be addressed regarding anime. The same goes for anime’s printed counterpart, manga.
According to Shintoism, the Japanese people are direct descendants of the many gods and spirits ( kami) living throughout the islands. Shrines to the different gods or spirits are common in Japan, and the themes of Shintoism are also very common in anime and manga.
Given the mystical foundation of Eastern culture, anime also tends to employ elements of the occult such as tarot cards, incantations, and more. Personal honor and success are also common themes in anime. But a focus on personal honor and personal success can lead to pride, which clouds our need for God ( Psalm 10:4 ).
Specific to Japan is Shintoism, a religion that deems the Japanese islands and people divine.
While not every anime movie is extremely sexual or extremely violent, most examples of anime do come with varying levels of salacious and/or violent content, ranging from light in nuendo and slapstick violence to full -on porn (though this is its own subcategory, called hentai) and gore-fests.
Lust is a mindset, a habit. Lusting for a fictional character encourages a mindset that goes against what Christianity attempts to foster: a mind of compassion and love that’s other-centered. Lust is a selfish mindset, concerned without one’s own pleasure.
Paul said yes as long as it doesn’t bother your conscience or challenge the faith of those around you. If watching a fan-service laden anime will confuse or encourage those who struggle with lust to watch, then you shouldn’t be watching those stories. Anime can have excellent Christian-compatible messages.
Yes, anime would fall into this category. However, I no longer consider such hard-lined view as scriptural . That’s the issue with religious questions–everyone has a different background, and many believe that background to be the truth. Of course, that means all others are wrong.
A waifu cannot benefit. So a Christian can’t watch anime? Well, if you watch stories that encourage a lustful mindset within you, you shouldn’t be watching. However, if you are like me and fan-service doesn’t titillate (it irritates me if it does anything at all) then yes, you can watch those stories with a caveat.