Maybe you grew up with Spirited Away and Death Note, or maybe the teenagers in your life talk about shows you’ve never heard of. Either way, sooner or later the question comes up: is anime OK for a Christian?
September Grace answers it on 412teens, a site run by Got Questions Ministries where teenagers find help from the Bible with their questions about faith and life. A lifelong movie fan, she is especially interested in where faith shows up in the stories of pop culture, and she writes with both enthusiasm and honesty.
She starts with a simple point: “anime” just means animation. In Japan the word covers every animated film, so asking whether a Christian may watch anime is a lot like asking whether a Christian may watch movies or read books. If your parents have said no, she says, respect that. If the choice is yours, it’s a matter of conviction, and it’s worth bringing to God in prayer.
What makes many anime different from Western shows is their background. A lot of them grow out of Japanese culture and its religion, Shinto, so gods, spirits and magic show up far more often. Some Christians find that hard to handle, while others find it makes them think. She also names the real red flags plainly, from pornographic anime to sexual content added for fans, extreme violence and heavy themes like abuse and grief, so you know what to look out for. Her point is that a cartoon style says nothing about whether something is meant for kids.
She closes with honest questions to ask yourself before you press play, and a reminder to respect Christians who come to a different conclusion than you.
Share it with teens who love anime, or read it yourself as a parent or youth leader so you can talk about it with some understanding.
More from Pulse
- Is This Movie OK for My Kid? 10 Tips for Parents
- Morality and Ethics in Video Games
- 50 Good Reasons to Stop Watching Porn
This article by September Grace first appeared on 412teens.org. Pulse published a German version in April 2022 (in German).
