KAELYN WRITES:So, I am a Christian, and I enjoy watching anime. If you know anything about anime, you probably know that there are a lot of shows out there that can be pretty inappropriate. Not all, of course, but… A lot to be honest. At the same time there are a lot of really, really cool and fun shows that I’ve enjoyed for a long time. I am a little surprised that I’ve not seen this kind of discussion yet, but I thought I’d see if anyone else has any thoughts.
How can you watch anime and enjoy the plot, style, and character development while also realizing that not everything in that same show will be as God would have it? Can you watch and enjoy while simultaneously filtering out the bad; and learn from it?
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Wow, yeah I totally get the struggle! I have been looking for a long time for appropriate shows and yet still have not found any. If you know any, please let me in on this amazing discovery!!! 🙂
what level of appropriate are you looking for? no swearing? no violence? no inappropriateness? all three? or do you not really care and you just want something not overloaded with fanservice?
Well, I absolutely want no swearing or sexuality. On violence, maybe just slapstick violence, but nothing gory. I think finding anime without sexuality is the near impossible, but if you know of anything please tell me. 🙂
do you want a few recs or overload?
Just a few maybe. 🙂
anime recs: Acchi Kocchi , Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Ao Haru Ride, Baby Steps, Bakemono no Ko, Barakamon, Chihayafuru, Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!, and Cross Game. manga recs: Aishiteruze Baby★★, Aqua, Aria, Ashita no Ousama, Dengeki Daisy, Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou, Kimi wa Pet, Love So Life, Shiawase Kissa 3-choume, Warau Kanoko-sama, and Koi dano Ai dano. these are all the manga recs I have but I have plenty more anime recs if you ever want them ( also sorry if there is something inappropriate I forgot in either the anime or manga I recomended)
Thanks so much! You don’t know how much help this is to me. 🙂
I think as Christians we should look at whether or not what we are watching is pleasing to God. I love movies, but I also try to set certain boundaries that I wouldn’t cross when It comes to movies. Like movies with explicit language, fornication, suggestive content, and anything that I believe is dishonoring to God I try to stay away from. That being said, I love LOTR a lot, as well as the Avengers, Thor, and Captain America. Even though I love Captain America, I decided not to watch the 3rd one because they had GD in it. I know that might sounds legalistic but as a follower of Christ I believe that combining God’s name with a curse word is highly offensive and irreverent. Even as fair as lighter curse words go, I find it really hard to watch a movie or a show if it has 10 curse words every five minutes; so I turn it off. So please be careful about what you watch! If you wouldn’t sit there and watch it with Jesus, maybe you shouldn’t be watching it, because He is always there and sees all that you do.
Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Psalm 101:3-4 “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.”
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Ephesians 5:1-4 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covet Ness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filth in essence nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
I hope this helps! May God bless!
Sorry for the mini book!
That’s my family’s standard as well. I forget what verse it is in the Bible, but I think it’s in Philippians, it sets standards for Christians. My favorite part of the verse is ‘Whatever is pure, whatever is right.’ I like to apply that to what I read, the music I listen to, and the movies I watch.
I really want to watch the Avengers, though I hear it has swear words. Can I ask for your views on that? 🙂
The first one has a few h words, and the d word. The second one has more as well as a few sexual innuendos, so I stay away from that one.
Okay, thanks so much! 🙂
Oh and fyi, the first Avengers alludes to the fact that Ironman and Pepper Potts are in a pretty heavy relationship and Ironman also jokingly asks Pepper to “bunk over”. There is also one S*B. Also, Thor make an allusion to evolution. Just a warning if you personally don’t watch movie with stuff like that in it. All in all, its actually a really good movies, but the cleanest Marvel movies are probably Captain America: the First Avenger and Thor. Thor is often referred to as a god but his own Father actually denied any claims of being deities. And Captain America fervently declares there is only one God in Avengers 1. So just a heads up! I hope this helps!
Thank you! That helps to much! 🙂
There are ways to filter out content in movies and tv. I think that it is okay to watch movies and tv shows that have swearing in them. I think, sometimes, Christians get too caught up with trying to shelter what they listen and watch, instead on focusing on the movie itself and the plot. I’m not saying that swearing and other content is okay, but I believe people get over dramatic about this. You hear people swearing in public places almost every day. Let’s say, that you are in the store, looking for something, and someone in your isle starts swearing and saying inappropriate things. Does that mean that you are going to stop what you are doing and leave the store?
Okay, with this kind of question it’s really important to remember that no matter what you watch you’re gonna sin. Nothing is “clean” because it has to go through your interpretation and you are evil.
Now, if you’re a Christian that sin doesn’t own you anymore. We have won. But until Jesus comes back it’s still going to be a battle, and the last thing you want to do is give ammo to your enemy. If what you’re watching tempts you, kill it. That might mean skipping a few episodes or dropping the whole series. I don’t know, but if letting go helps you fight your sin it will be worth it.
Also, Ephesians 5:15-16 say “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of your time because the days are evil.” I point that out not to say all entertainment is bad, but if it isn’t pushing you to think, and especially if it’s taking from your time in the Word or your relationships in the church, it’s hurting you.
Live for to glorify God (by killing your sin, growing in the Word, loving the church, and sharing the gospel) then let your enjoyment of anime, or whatever else, fit under that heading.
I’m not an anime person, but hopefully this helps you anyway. 😁
thank you for bringing this up, I think of it like reading an adult novel there are some really good ones, but in general no matter what you read there is going to be something in it, it’s all a matter of the authors (or in this case the animators) intention when putting it in. For example demon king diamo you watch 2 minutes of it and you can clearly see that it is purely fanservice, but in blast of tempest or ef: a tale of melodies it’s there to show something or is important to the plot. generally I would just tell you to stay away from harem or ecchi, and read the reviews, Myanimelist has really good reviews if you need somewhere to look and most the ones I have finnished are mostly clean if you want recs http://myanimelist.net/animelist/aliciarae?status=2,
The way I look at it is that no matter what you watch, no matter what you read, you can use it to spread the Gospel.
I always use the example of toy guns. Some people are 100% against toy guns, some people don’t see a problem with them. But what if you used those toy guns to connect with a 9 year old boy who had never stepped foot in a church in his life? But because he thought you were so cool that you liked Nerf guns, he’d give church a try if you were there.
Same goes for books and movies, yes there are things out there that are blasphemous and inappropriate for a Jesus follower. Definitely set boundaries, I’m not saying watch whatever you want. I’m saying don’t shelter yourself so much that you disconnect from everything that’s not Christian, because we aren’t living out the great commission when we surround ourselves with only christian things, and christian people, and christian appropriate content. The best way to understand the world, is to crack into entertainment. You never know the ideas and opportunities you may create for sharing the Gospel by really getting to understand the society you are reaching out to.
Here’s a few things I like to remember:
1. You can learn a tremendous amount from “non-christian” shows and entertainment. Truth is still truth, even if it doesn’t have a christian label on it.
2. Standards are good, but Jesus came and abolished the existing system of rules, so don’t bog yourself down with restrictions and regulations. Make everything you do an opportunity to shine a light to Jesus.
3. Remember glorifying God doesn’t mean read and watch only what is perfect. You glorify God just by existing, nothing you do will ever elevate your’s or God’s status. When you see or read something you don’t like or think is inappropriate, represent Jesus by responding in a gracious, forgiving, God-glorifying way. Do you think that when Jesus was somewhere and heard someone take His name in vain or swear He shut Himself away from them? No! He responded in a God-glorifying way. He recognized that people are broken and need help. He responded by being the help in the struggle.
Just my thoughts, hope it helps.
Wow! Someone actually thinks like I do!
Thanks soo much you really helped me ALOT!!!
Just be careful about what you’re watching and hearing and how it can affect you.
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Easiest answer: know the difference between reality and fiction and you can watch anything.