Your Comments

Some of the comments posted after June 2000.

Most of these represent the views of visitors who have read the following articles or notes:

Pokemon, Pokecomics, Digimon, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z

Our articles were written to encourage Christian parents who share our goal of following Jesus and trusting His Word. We are not trying to censor your favorite anime. If you don't share our faith, you may not want to read our information. On the other hand, if you have committed your life to Jesus Christ and seek to follow Him, I suggest you also read Answers to Pokemon mail and Ephesians 5:1-16. Then ask God to show you His heart and will concerning the content and messages of popular anime. He might encourage you through verses such as Psalm 95:6, Ephesians 3:14, 1 Peter 1:13-15, and 1 Corinthians 6:14-18. He is so faithful to guide all who seek His way.

From Ed Ku. I'm 15, living in California, and I always liked watching anime. I noticed how many of the people commenting about your opinions in anime try to 'justify' how some anime shows are perfectly ok to watch. This is what I have to say:

Just because a show is popular doesn't mean it is correct. (Romans 12:2) Some shows such as Neon Genesis Evangelion have tendency to use some Bible references but actually have more bad values. Since there isn't anybody trying to clarify why Evangelion is totally wrong I'll do so myself. I just want show how some anime shows are very conflicting against my beliefs as a Christian.

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Very interesting show that I have watched last year. After I watched the movie it came clear to me how this show is a negative influence. I can't see how a person who is a Christian can defend this show. A very very big theme of the show is "How others think of me."(if you watched the movie or episodes you should know) The main character relies on this to live and how he does everything in his life. Desiring the approval of others is not necessarily wrong but it is the love of such approval that is sinful. (John 12:43 and Proverbs 29:25) God has no place in the show.

JESUS is actually substituted with an imperfect person, Shinji, and he holds power over all human souls and fate. The main character happens to kill everybody on earth after he recieved the power from who knows where. God is depicted as a being that gives up on people. The people then try to create God. I don't think I need to explain about that. Excessive use of alcohol is made ok. Misuse of the tree of life, pornography(mostly in movie), desensitizing people of what is sexually immoral (Ritsuko&Gendo, Misato&Kaji, Misato&Shinji, etc), and finally contradicting the Bible's values and making their own value system. There is more..........

Since I have no more time I'd like to say that we often want to be godly, yet equally often what really want to say is that we sometimes desire to be godly according to our own expectations of what we think God wants and what we can do for God. I plan to write more on other anime shows. PLZ read this passage in the Bible: 2 Corinthians 6:14. Anybody that has something to say, write to EdKu2@aol.com. ^_^;;;;;

From Shinji: I am a Christian and an NGE fan as well, and I have some things to say about Ed's letter.

<<Neon Genesis Evangelion - Very interesting show that I have watched last year. After I watched the movie it came clear to me how this show is a negative influence. I can't see how a person who is a Christian can defend this show. A very very big theme of the show is "How others think of me."(if you watched the movie or episodes you should know) The main character relies on this to live and how he does everything in his life. Desiring the approval of others is not necessarily wrong but it is the love of such approval that is sinful. (John 12:43 and Proverbs 29:25) God has no place in the show.>>

Yes, that may be a theme to the show -- but basically all the major characters have some kind of psychological problem. Take Shinji, for example. Considering how his father treats him, and how his mother died at an early age, he has no true parent figure in his life [with the possible exception of Misato.] He is very concerned of how his father thinks of him, and wants to be honored by him [true to Japanese custom.] Is there anything so wrong with that?

In fact, only one of the characters even truly loves this approval unnecessarily, and that is Asuka. There is nothing wrong at all with wanting to be loved by others -- but if it takes over you, it soon proceeds to arrogance, and that is wrong. And I don't even think Asuka is arrogant [she does have a tender side to her.] Why does God have no place in the show?

<<JESUS is actually substituted with an imperfect person, Shinji, and he holds power over all human souls and fate. The main character happens to kill everybody on earth after he recieved the power from who knows where. God is depicted as a being that gives up on people.>>

Uh, no, Shinji didn't do that. That was a result of Seele's "human complement" program or whatever it was called. And Seele was the antagonist [group of antagonists, actually.] Shinji was actually fighting to prevent that, but he was too late. And when is God shown as being like that? I don't think that was the writers' intent. Then again, we could just have different interpretations of EoE.

<<Excessive use of alcohol is made ok. Misuse of the tree of life, pornography(mostly in movie), desensitizing people of what is sexually immoral (Ritsuko&Gendo, Misato&Kaji, Misato&Shinji, etc), and finally contradicting the Bible's values and making their own value system. >>

"Desensitizing"? More like "eye-opening." It shows the "sexually immoral" parts of the characters -- AND THE CONSEQUENCES. They are all guilt-ridden [with perhaps the exception of Shinji] and forced to live unhappy lives because of it.

The Bible contains "sexually immoral" material too -- David and Bathsheba, for one -- and it also shows the consequences. I'm not saying NGE and the bible story are the same thing, but it's food for thought. And where did you see the pornography? I missed about the middle 10 minutes or so of the movie [was it in there?] -- but I can't remember any porn appearing from any of the episodes. I'm not of the nudity = porn mindset, so unless you're referring to the occasional minor nudity in the series, I dunno what you're referring to.

Just because an anime character indulges in something sinful, does not mean that the viewer should follow the same example. And unlike most other animes, this one actually shows the consequences of their sinful behavior, actually helping to deter the viewer from following their example. Thank you for your time.

From Jim Bradfield: I simply cannot believe the level of hypocrisy you preach with your "informed" (read: generalized and bigoted) articles about anime. I quote this from your "Answers to Pokemon mail", in response to those who wished you ill for your comments:

"- Would you want to trade "free speech" and the other rights guaranteed in the First Amendment of our Constitution for enforced compliance with your own beliefs?

- Would you censor Christian websites that communicate values contrary to your own?

- What will happen to America if a majority feels free to curse, condemn, and hate anyone who shares a contrary opinion or violates their comfort zone?"

Very well, then. Let me ask you some similar questions:

- Would you want to trade "free speech" and the other rights guaranteed in the First Amendment of our Constitution for enforced compliance with YOUR own beliefs?

- Would you censor foreign art forms that communicate values contrary to your own?

- What will happen to Christianity if a majority feels free to curse, condemn, and hate anything that presents a contrary opinion or violates their comfort zone?

Also, let me propose something else: Japan, with a few exceptions, is a country with a completely different belief system. You may brush this off, invalidating their entire religion and culture by saying that they do not accept the cross, but do you know why that is? Most of the orient, especially the island nation of Japan, was almost entirely removed from the Judeo-Christian world of Europe and Asia Minor until the Renaissance, when missionaries came from the oppressive, close-minded European church bearing an "accept-our-religion- or-you're-going-to-hell" philosophy.

Long before then, the entire Eastern world already had firmly-rooted beliefs of their own. And today, you, a supposedly "righteous Christian," are invalidating Anime, not to mention the rest of Japan, simply because it's DIFFERENT. Aren't you, as a Christian, supposed to ACCEPT, rather than judge, the "faults" (read: differences) in others? Whenever someone approaches you with a valid argument, you simply tell them that they are misguided and that they need to read some-odd passage from the Bible and pray. Well, let ME quote scripture to YOU for a change: "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (Jesus, John 8:7, NRSV) Now tell me: what gives you the right to say that you are right and that the foreign culture presented in Anime is wrong and evil?

Now, I urge you to post this on your response page, verbatim and in its entirety, and respond to it there and to me personally. Do not tell me to pray, do not quote scripture at me, do not tell me to read one of your articles; rather, give me YOUR response. I can find God's opinion without you interceding.

From Berit: Have you not read any of my other comments? I have repeatedly said that we don't try to censor anyone nor tell others what to do. We don't seek or expect compliance with our beliefs. Nor do we invalidate Anime -- and certainly not Japan. We are simply trying to answer lots of questions and give Christian parents the Biblical guidelines they request from us. Should we not be free to do that? Where have I expressed hate toward any person?

From Matthew Miranda: To start, I must say that I disagree with your views towards japanese animation. I do respect your opinions however, and wanted to get a better understanding of your viewpoints.

While reading the article, I found it very odd that you said the program was "grounded in spiritual and psychic sources that God tells His people to shun." To this I say that Dragon Ball is indeed based on ideologies that may not relate to Christianity, but does that in itself make it evil? That sounds like you are saying anyone who does not share your view on life is inherintly wrong.

I would think that people would want to experience things outside of their own beliefs, if not for exposure to different cultures, then at least for a little fun. I don't see the harm in entertainment being based on another culture's beliefs, because it still contains lessons of friendship and courage. While some people may not be able to look past the violence, understand that this show does come from another country, so to brand it as evil or otherwise unwholesome would be akin to prejudice.

I also disagree strongly with people relating anime to porn, as not all japanese animation contains nudity. When anime does contain nudity or extreme violence, one should also look again to the fact that it comes from another culture. That basically means that Japan's level of tolerance towards such issues is different than that of America. I've started to ramble a bit, so I guess I should close my statements now.

In the end, I guess I'm trying to figure out why you would think that letting a kid have an imaginary "dream world" when they are young is so bad. I look forward to a reply so that I may better understand where you are coming from, as I believe that is the easiest way for people to share ideas without hundreds of "You ... *Insert name of anime title here* RULES!" letters from people flooding your mailbox. I also hope this does not sound like one of those letters! 0_0;

Thank you, Matthew. No you don't sound like one of those letters.

I actually didn't link anime to porn. Notice that I post all kinds of diverse opinions. I have neither researched nor dealt with that aspect of anime. I have merely posted comments from our visitors who have expressed concern over the availability of adult anime porn.

I do believe our children should learn about other cultures and be able to understand another person's worldview. But I don't believe that Christian children should be immersed in an imaginary world which offers tempting hypothetical alternatives to the real world and to Biblical truth. For some Scriptures that explain why, please read my response at the end of this short page: Gundam Wing.

From Carnivor71, "a concerned fan": Dragon Ball IS extremely harmful. Yesterday I spent 6 hours trying to from an enerygy ball with my ki! Then my head hurt.(I'm sure you can tell this is sarcasm)

Well, I'm not going to lie. Dragon Ball/z/gt, in its origonal japenese form, does contain sexual themes. What most adults do when they write to you is search for 'anime'. This will get you many results on the web. Anime porn (....), sites focusing on more "adult" animes and then clean, friendly anime sites like Planet Namek, the Gundum lounge or Ken shin web. Even if they look at DB/Z/GT they only see the bad (and there ain't too much bad at all).

The bigger picture is the epic strugle between good and evil (good always wins). The story folows the devolopment of Son Gokuu from a small, weak boy who is all alone into a powerful, friendly, sweat, man who has many friends and would risk his life for anyone in danger(he does on several ocasions). It attemps to say that you can bacome anything and over come any evil if you belive you can.

I guess you're saying this is the wrong thing to be telling kids because you can never truly over come evil in real life, eh?.

The respones that you give to some of these "concerned" parents are only fueling their ignorance. Maybe you could take the time to actualy learn about this epic story. I must say that its quite exciting, suspenceful, and even funny.

This series wasn't ment for kids. Funimation's version is and this just leads to kids finding the "real" version when they go online. I don't blame you, your site, or you readers. I could easily see how all these people could find anime to be "dirty" and "sinful". Its all FUNi's fault.

PS. Please excuse my spelling and gramer mistakes. I'm only 13. I was just so appualed after reading the closed-minded views of your story and the responces to it that i felt I had to write you.

Anonymous: Your closed minded attitude and unwillingness to accept other cultures, religions, entertainment, etc... etc... at a message board I frequently visit almost all of the frequent visitors are aware of your website (Kjos Ministries specificly, if you have more than one) and practically all of us either laugh or despise (or both) at the "warnings" you (and the other concerned parents who, but not limited to parents that "accidentally" find ...[anime porn] on the internet while searching for pokemon) posts against innocent things such as anime, star wars, so on and so forth, but ESPECIALLY ANIME! Everyone there is an anime fan. (It is a Gundam message board, after all) If you wish you can come visit this board and have a "discussion" with the concerned FANS.

I am concerned because if more become like you and if one of them comes to power, we'd all play solitaire for fun, unless of course you ban solitaire and all other card games because of the satanic symbols on the cards (sarcasm) Again this is an invitation for you to come and have a real time discussion on a message board that works instantaniously. So it will be much easier to talk to "the face of ignorance".

From Jenna Allen, 15: How dare you. How dare you insist that all popular anime is "evil". "Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon" was created by Naoko Takeuchi. She poured her heart into drawing and writing that comic. Naoko-san worked so hard to meet deadlines that she was beginning to get physically sick. She did not sit there and think "Hmm... Who should I ... today? Well, let's do Christians today, because they're a bunch of idiots." No, she did not. She wrote a story about a young girl who was a bit clumsy and a little bit of a ditz, but had a pure heart and only wished for the best for her loved ones. Is that so bad? To wish for happiness? No. Everyone wants happiness. But, don't you know, Sailor Moon is referred to as "The Messiah"?

"Messiah" in Japan is not a word for Jesus Christ, but a word for a chosen person. Someone special. So insult Mrs. Takeuchi because she isn't a Christian and wrote a story that makes fanatical Christians angry. You know what is a worse anime/manga?

Neon Genesis Evangelion. You guys would have a field day with that one. It has many, many references to Christianity. And it has a lot of blood, death and philosophy. It reaches deep into the human psyche to find out what makes us work. To understand us. Also, Evangelion is a very popular anime. So, of course, it must be evil. Just because yu guys have to go around and find something "evil" in everything. . . <mumbles> You guys need a life. Everything can't be about God. Some people have imaginations. You insult everyone who has a good imagination.

Harry Potter: Evil. It has magic in it. Oh, Goddess forbid! (Oo… Look! I'm a Pagan! Wow!) Dragonball: Evil. It has a "Good vs. Evil" theme. Only God is good. The rest of us poor mortals are evil. We need to be "redeemed". Fluffy bunnies. You guys need to respect other peoples' beliefs, instead of insisting that you are right and whoever doesn't agree with you is wrong and evil. Quit being sticks in the mud and get a life....

1. Don't make other cultures out to be evil, just because you don't share their beliefs....

2. Quit looking for the evil in everything.

3. Not everyone is a Christian. Not everyone wants to be a Christian. Understand this, and respect it. You don't have to approve of them, you just need to realize that not everyone is like you. You are all paranoid. You think that people deliberately go out and write anti-Christian beliefs. Well, they don't....

From Berit: .... Jenna, I'm actually not a bit angry at you for stating your opinion and venting your anger at me, though you seem to be very angry at me. It's strange to me how tolerance has been twisted to mean intolerance toward those who have a contrary opinion and therefore offend your feelings....

Second letter from Jenna: You're completely right, and I am ashamed of myself. We are all entitled to our own opinions, but it's always hardest to see things from another point of view. I'm sorry that I blew up on you, I just sometimes can't understand how people can insist that the beautiful stories I love aren't suitable for anyone except anti-Christian people. <sigh> Sorry again. My mouth (er... hands) sometimes get carried away. ^_^;;;; <glomps Duo> I love you, my Shinigami-chan! (Please, don't ask... ^_^;;;;;;;;)

I just ask you to do one thing: Please, point out the good things about the things you review. Like, Sailor Moon teaches the power of friendship and love, etc... Dragonball teaches about redemption (you don't always have to be evil. You can change.), etc... Thanks a lot!

If you would like to post them [letters], that would be nice. Need someone to stick up for them. ^_^

From Jon Smith: I am deeply christian, my father is a Pastor at a large Presbyterian church, and a deeply religious person. He has seen my anime, and has no problem with it, he also believes that, although violent, it has moral value, and will teach me more than harm my "fragile" (i am being fesicious) mind. Anime is in no way the "devils work, or antireligious" or even meant to be occult. In Japan, they are the equivalent of sitcoms. And once again, they are not going to take away from your childrens christianity, just be a little more open minded like my father.

I was recently referred to the anime section of your site via an editorial on an anime site. I was appalled as I read the opinions of "concerned mothers". Dragon Ball Z is "PORN?!?!?!" I couldn't believe this, most anime is no where NEAR pornography. True, if you look, you will find this form of art, known as .... in Japan, but this does not mean all anime is pornography. I could give you well over 100 series that have no nudity at all, other than the occasional ... shot, however, in the american versions of these shows, these things will be cut.

Anime is also the deepest form of entertainment some people will ever find. The character depth is beyond belief, and the plot lines are sometimes complicated, and filled with emotion. If you were to take your most favorite movie, and multiply it by 100 times, you would have anime. Older adults are just not open to new things.

I'm sad to hear that Anime might be "the deepest form of entertainment some people will ever find." That's all the more reason to encourage people to reach a bit higher.

Looney Toones, these "harmless cartoons" could have more of an affect on your children than anime would. Why you ask? Well its simple, in Looney Toones, characters hurt each other, shoot each other, and blow each other up, simply because they can, NOT for any reason at all. However, its just fine, because the adults have seen these, and were raised watching them. Anime on the other hand has reasons for violent actions. Such as saving the world or Universe, or even saving someone that the main character deeply loves. Almost always however, they show remorse for killing, and don't do it out of cold blood (this isn't true in all anime, but with most).

Two great examples of these types of anime (that people show remorse for fighting in) is Rurouni Kenshin, in which a Samurai kills a young man named Hitokiri Gentatsu in battle, and after that, decides never to kill again, and does this, no matter how much hate he has for a person. The other, is Gundam Wing. This shows the characters who hate to kill, but do it for the good of their home, and the earth, and slowly, some of the characters even are shown literally going insane because of the deaths of loved ones, or having to kill, and it also shows how terrible war can really be. I myself, think this teaches a much better leason than The Coyote getting blown up while trying to kill the RoadRunner.

I truly hope some of those parents out there realize their mistakes in forcing their children to quit watching this great art form, because in truth, it is doing more good than harm, and if you are careful with what your children see (but open, it is alright to show them violence, it won't influence most, as long as there is moral behind the violence) they won't see anything that is remotely like pornography, or anything that shouldn't be acceptable in any societey. Thank you for reading and I hope this letter has opened a few minds about the true art form known as anime and manga. I'd love for you to post my comments along with my email address: Trunks7690@aol.com

Jon, I believe the "concerned parent" gave reasons why anime could lead to porn, not why all anime is porn. However, this is not an area I am qualified to evaluate.

As I have mentioned before, my main research has to do with the beliefs and values behind anime. I don't share your readiness to excuse violence committed because of love or loyalty. No matter what the reason, repetitive images of violence will desensitize a viewer -- child or adult -- to many forms of violence. The lynching that took place in the South during the days of slavery illustrates what can happen when people feel justified in taking revenge without going through the legal proceedings guaranteed in our Constitution. And the large volume of angry, threatening mail we receive because of our beliefs show how eager many anime and rpg fans now are to take the revenge they crave. This danger attitude threatens both our freedom and our safety in this land.

From "the father of the annonymous liar" ["Please, if you are going to write this down on your site, call me by 'the father of the annonymous liar"]:

I am a christian of fourteen, and I've been going to church for two years, and within this time I have learned a vast amount of knowledge, but still mabee not as much as I should have. (my name has an inside joke meaning, I'm not a teenage father or anything,...) I must say I am deeply concerned about your anime section.

Lately, god has been talking to me more, and I've taken great leaps and have been growing quite a bit, a spiritual growth spurt if you will. God hasn't talked to me much about the whole anime deal, at least not to were I could see it, for a long time. I've watched and enjoyed many hilarious scenes in many shows, I've seen many great leaps of courage to save friends, and I've seen a lot of touching, heart-warming moments, also. i'm sad to say I've also seen some of the darker world of anime, like " Variable Geo", but look at "Shinesman". that was about as hilarious as all the other anime's combined. I've studied dragon ball Z, GT, and the origional quite well, and I must say that they have their downsides, but they are mainly a story of a man who protects the world.

It's a cartoon. It's ment to inspire the imagination, not twist your mind. It's ment to make you laugh, not hurt someone. As for shows like Gundam Wing, that is strictly a show about the military and how it works. It's a little updated, of course, and has lead to many homosexual point of views in 'fanficers', but you've gotta be messed-up to think like that anyway. this is a show ment for teenagers, not little kids, as shown from the complex battle strategy's and ever-confusing plots. Story's like this one are all over america's history, for instance the merrimac insident, two mighty ships fighting each other in a meaningless battle. this opens your eyes to the horror of war, if anything else.

I've read about what you said about digi-mon, DBZ and poke-mon, three things I was into even before I was a christian, and I never, ever thought of it as uncristian or occultic at all. It isn't real life, IT'S A CARTOON! It's ment; once again, to inspire the watcher, make him/her think, and basically to give them an inspiring plot, and get the imagination going!!!! I know you're just trying to be a good christian, but I really feel that anime isn't as bad as you think.

From Shard Saiyanite: I think you have been misguided. I, personally, am not religious, due to the people I see here. I do not have a religion, and you will call me evil when your preaching hellfire and brimstone to all who are openminded and do not believe **EXACTLY** as you do, to the verb.

I am not saying all Christians are like this. Some of my EXTREMELY religious Christian friends have looked at this and are very upset. Anime is not evil. According to your belief, we MUST see things through your god. If you are choosing to believe that your god sees anime as evil, and that you must go searching the net to find this evil and cleanse it, and force your belief upon others, then you are no better than those that enjoy it.

I am 16, and yes I can act child like. I can also act mature and know the difference between right and wrong. I have never tried drugs, cigerattes, nor alchohol. I go to school, make decent grades, obey my parents, and even go to church, though it isn't my belief. I am evil in the minds of you people. What I do does not matter, I must not be judged on who I am and what kind of person I am, only on the fact that I am different. I know that you will cut my message to peices and edit it and add comments that make me seem satanic. I wear shirts that have dragons on them.

Yes, the all evil dragon as you say. I think that the Japanese Dragon is one of the most beautiful creatures in fantasy. You seem to infer that fantasy is the work of the devil, that if it doesn't have anything to do with God, then it is evil. I have asked my preacher, youth group leader, and many Christians in my church if they view my shirts as against their god. My youth group leader said that the goat (if I remember correctly, I could be mistaken) was sometimes used as a symbol of the devil. He liked my dragon shirt, along with all my other dragon shirts.

I guess that Christians should not eat goat meat, as that is the devil incarnate. For that matter, they should eat only plants because we will be killing god's creations. Oh, wait, plants live too, so how shall we! We must convert these evil animals to stop killing and die in the name of the lord like good creatures. Okay, that was sarcasm, and my immature side. It also is a good example of taking things *TOO* literal and too far.

I also have shirts with a dragon and a siberian tiger. I think the Siberian Tiger *IS* the most beautiful creature ever created. I also like Red-Tailed Hawks, and White Wolves. Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to see that I am not just a misguided youth. I want you to understand that some people have different interests than you and that your claim of difference being the devil is false. That's right. False, because if having different interests and being different was evil, would he not have created ALL creatures in his image? You are being zealots, forcing your beliefs....

Everything has its flaws, only an closeminded idiot would harp on it. Only a hypocrate would yell about the imperfection of something when they themselves are imperfect. Sure, you can look up Pokèmon and anime on the net and find porn. DID YOU KNOW that the people who create pornopages are able to use a code hacker style that will take the search word and use it in a certain spot? The same spot that says, though I am editing this to natural terms, so please don't cut this, because the human body, though imperfect, is truly a beatiful thing.... Yes there are some nude scenes, but for the most part, they are mature. I ask that you be. I mean, a public bath house is not porn. God created Adam and Eve nude for crying out loud. It wasn't until they sinned that he made them ashamed of it. So because you are against nudity and ashamed of it, you cannot call yourself mature.

I follow my parents, unless they are wrong, and don't tell me they aren't because if my parents do drugs, be prostetutes, and cuss a lot, they are wrong. How do I go on without God? I use common sense. Please use yours.

P.S. Any references to YOU are plural, not you in person. I am not trying to be any more biased than you so don't respond with that.

From IGT90: Hello. I am a Christian who watches anime. I have to admit that anime that is made is Japan is secular, without Christian values, because the Japanese culture is a society different than our own. Every single anime that was not designed with Christianity in mind is essentially not going to be Christian in truth. Pokemon, Digimon, Gundam Wing, Neon Genesis Evangelion, the list can never end.

Anyone who may claim that an anime can show Christian values is wrong because even though it may show good works or mention the Bible in some way, it is not used in the right context. May God bless all who read this. Thank you for your time.

From Joseph Stovall: Firstly, I would like to say that I have read some of your articles about film/animation and in many ways I do agree with much of what you are saying.... (Most of Joseph's comments are on the Disney Movies page)

When cartoons first came out they were not intended for children. Even today companies like Disney place in "hidden jokes" for parents, so that they too can "enjoy" the film. Animation is written mostly by men, therefore you will mostly get off color jokes and major things that show women as sex objects. Like in "Toy Story" when Bo Peep states "How about I get someone else to watch the sheep tonight?"

And when it comes to Anime. There is no true Anime for children. Japan views cartoons totally differently than in America. And their view of Christianity many times is very warped, as they have bonded it with many of their own beliefs. So my advice for all parents Christian or not is to stay away from Anime.

Also something to add to the Pokemon/Digimon discussion. How many people would like for their children to sit around and watch traditional "cock fights"? Not too many I would assume. Both of these cartoons push that, in fact that's all that they are. You find an animal and train it to fight against another animal. Isn't that the essence behind "cock fights" and the dogfights that still go on today?

From Travis K. Fischer: It's been almost two months since you asked if I wanted my comments posted, just wondering if you have posted them and I just can't find them, or if you haven't yet.

From Berit: I apologize, Travis. But if you look at the date, July 9, it's actually been less than a month. But that's not an excuse. I have a huge backlog of letters to post, and I just can't keep up. This week I've been trying to finish another report while reading and answering lots of mail, spending two nights up with my sick father, babysitting my grandson, doing radio interviews, etc. I pray that God show me His priorities day by day. Please forgive me for letting you down. Here is your initial letter mailed on July 8.

After looking through a lot of your letters on various subjects I have to say I am greatly amused by the amount of time you and these "concerned parents" spend on trying to do a quieter version of the Crusades on children's books, games, and shows.

Your, and when I say your I mean all these idiots who burn Pokemon stuff because it's evil and so on, arrogant attitudes and paranoid feelings haven't changed in the last couple centuries when you killed people for no good reason but to make you feel holeyer.

I'm going to help you get some facts straight

Anime: OH NO! Cartoons from a different country! They show some nude scenes! They use powers that are not of our religion! Let's banish them and sit our kids down in front of a cat trying his best to kill a mouse with explosives.

A little secret about Sailor Moon, there powers don't come from their religion. They just have them. Nothing explains how they get them, nobody knows where they come from. It's just a T.V. show.

Dragonball is NOT for the toddlers. Just because it's a cartoon doesn't mean that it's for kids. You would think that a few people would realize that by now. It is a violent show which has too many special effects for my taste but is a good show just the same.

Pokemon, you trash this because you don't believe in psychic powers. But when did you believe in 3 foot insects, foxes and dogs that spit flames, or 30 foot rock snakes? Like it or not, psychic powers are very well known and popular in FICTION. Pokemon is FICTION. Psychic powers are FICTION. Do you get what I'm saying? Lighten up, when your kid starts believing that he can move stuff with his mind while shooting flames out of his mouth and make razor leafs fly around, you have a bigger problem then Pokemon.

Ditto for Digimon

Gundum is a great show, the United States was desensitized a long time ago. Gundum isn't going to change that. I for one prefer desensitized people. I feel that everybody deals with death in their own way and if you want to pretend that people don't die in wars, you are insane and or very weak. Gundum is about wars and although a little commutation would certainly resolve a lot of stuff but that's just not how they do it. And as for Duo, the God of Death is a nickname because that's what he does, he kills his enemies very well.

Animorphs deals with a subject that you nor any of your concerned parents understand. That is science.

They don't turn into animals by shaman rituals, why you made that up is beyond me. They become animals because of alien technology. They can absorb the DNA of any animal, including human, and temporally become an exact double of that animal.

Your comparison of Animorphs to a street gang is so totally arrogant, irresponsible, incorrect, and STUPID that it just really ______ me and some of my friends. You completely miss the fact that the Yeerks are attempting to infest the human population so they can spread across the universe and the only thing in their way are the 5 "murderers". It's called war, your religion should know about war since you have started a number of them. The Yeerks want to take over the planet, the Animorphs don't think that is such a good idea. The Animorphs are forced to defend the Earth by any means necessary. Yes all of them have killed Humans, Hork-Bajir, Taxxons, Yeerks and a couple other species in order to protect the planet. If you were in there position, what would you do? Pray to god? You could do that until your turned blue and it wouldn't stop the invasion would it?

I could go on about your _____ for a long time but you get my idea. I am personally amazed that people like you still exist in today's world. So many examples of your misinformed "research" is unacceptable for an origination that gives advice to people.

From Berit: The source of an energy or power that is obviously super-natural (not natural to humanity or physical nature as it exist in reality) doesn't matter all that much in this context. What matters is a child's perception. When children see their favorite characters "morphing" into animals, they are watching a phenomenon that parallels the shamanic practice of shape-shifting in animist cultures around the world.

You talk as if this fantasy is actually reality ("If you were in that position.... etc.) You are basing your argument on your own hypothetical illustration. "That position" doesn't exist. But deception does exist, and fantasies that inspire the mind to imagine what looks like real occult manifestations do desensitize Christian children to spiritual practices, visions and experiences that God forbids. That's why I warn those Christians who take their faith and God's Word seriously. They understand what I am talking about and want this information.

Here is a warning for all of us:

"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:8

From Mike: My friend recently sent me an EMail telling me about your site and "how screwed up" it was. I went to your site, expecting to see some fanatical Christian rants, but I saw your material, and started reading it, and that brings me to writing this letter (or should I say EMail) today.

First of all, I have to congratulate you on one thing; your ability to remain so calm when people are sending you letter after letter filled with nothing but what I feel to be nonsense and hateful material. I know it's extremely hard to stand up in what you believe in when so many others try to make you see otherwise.

I read through your articles about the 'evil' effects of Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, cardgames, roleplaying games, and the like. You have a good point, but I have a different oppinion. And that's what this letter is about. Without being mean, and I hope you don't take this the wrong way, I am a big fan of anime, roleplaying games, and the like. However, I simply cannot bring myself to see how these things are evil. I am a Christian. I may not go to Church every chance I get, and I may not always act as I am suppost to, but I try my best to be as good a human as possible. Since I stated that I enjoy anime, rpgs and the like, I would like to ask you a simple question: Do you feel this makes me a bad person? In some way shape or form, you must, because you have stated that these things are un-Christian, which must make me un-Christian.

However, I firmly do not believe that these things are unholy in anyway.

First of all, let me state that I played Magic: The Gathering for years, and a few years ago, I stopped playing. But I didn't stop because I felt like I was being 'pulled in by Satan' or something, I quit because it just wasn't fun. Some of the things you say about it, however, are completly false. For instance in the game "sacraficing a white creature" did not mean "go out and kill someone." It means you discard one of your white cards (one of 5 colors; white doesn't represent Christian, it was just a type of card) and it then has an effect. I never once felt like "Oh hey, this card must mean go out and kill people and worship Satan." because the game simply does not state that.

In the various Dragon Ball series and movies, a group of 'good guys' fights and tries to prevail over the 'bad guys.' The series is heavily routed in Japanese culture. However, the series was not written as a means of insulting Christians and Christianity. The same goes for Sailor Moon. The main character, Sailor Moon, is reffered to as the Messiah, but not because everyone is saying she's God; it's just that she is the only person who can overcome evil. Messiah in Anime and Japanese culture altogether usually refers to a special or chosen person, not Jesus or God, because Japanese religions and culture do not believe in this. It's that simple.

Now, I'm going to attempt to sum up my ramblings. First of all, all of these things are based on a made-up, fantasy world. The creators did not mean for them to be anti-Christian in any way. It's pure fantasy. In Dragon Ball Z, the characters may shoot laser beams, but who's to say that doing this and gathering made-up energy, etc., is bad? In Pokemon, kids may try to get all the cards and games, but that doesn't mean they're being seduced by Satan. It just means they want cards. They're not going to go out and fight people and cause major problems because of cute little creatures that fight each other. In Sailor Moon, powers are drawn from various items, but that doesn't mean they're drawing power from some evil source. It's all in fun.

It's fictitious. It's how they get rid of the bad guys. Much like the way Christianity tries to get rid of other religions, right? It's all a matter of good vs. evil? It's all an oppinion.

It also comes from a parental view point. My parents raised me right, I feel, and I am not a bad person. The kids running around saying "I'm gonna summon Satan with my Pokemon cards" obviously has a less-than acceptable upbringing, or their parents don't enforce rules. Parents shouldn't let their kid watch violent shows, or pornography. But shows like Dragon Ball Z, and Magic the Gathering, and Sailor Moon, simply are not bad. There's fighting, but it's only to save other people. I feel if you saw injustice happening, you would stand up to it. And rarely is it violent, and NEVER (or hardly EVER) is their blood and gore or nudity. Sure, there's death, but there's death in real life. Young children shouldn't be watching violence, or pornography. However, teenagers should be able to understand that these are fake, and to follow good ways, instead of believing that, by following a violent life, you can get what you want. (I hope that made sense..sorry, I don't have very good grammar). In a stretch, isn't watching the news bad?

You must have an open mind when looking at these things. Christianity is one of the 'newest' religions there is. Other culture was around before them.

To say Buddhism is bad, just because you're Christian is unfair. Who's to say who's right? I may believe in God and hope that I'm going to heaven, but what if I'm wrong? What if it turns out Jesus Christ was just some person with a mental problem? We don't know. There's no proof; it's all in belief. It all goes to say, it's unfair, and in a way, almost un-christian of you to say what I like and believe in is bad. I believe in all religions, I just follow Christianity. I try not to judge other people. But if having a different opinion than you, and liking to watch Dragon Ball Z, or play Magic the gathering, and play Video Games, and being tolerant to other religions means I'm a bad person, than I guess I'm a bad person.

I just hope you understand where I'm coming from. It's far it's better to keep an open mind then to instantly say this is bad, just because you feel that way. I am not saying you're opinion is bad, I'm just saying I don't agree with it fully. And if it comes off that way, please understand I'm not trying to say that. I try to take what you say in, and keep an open mind about it. I agree with you in some cases. I just feel you tend to think what you believe, goes, and that's it. Some of what you say can, at times, seem almost uneducated. And at times, I feel like it's downright ridiculous. Ijust can't comprehend where you thing little cute cartoon creatures like Pokemon is bad. I just want you to hear the other view point.

In closing, thank you for listening to my different opinion, and I hope through all my bad grammar and ranting, you understand what I'm trying to say... Also, I hope this doesn't come off as a mean or angry letter, because I don't feel that way at all. I hope you understand that, but I'm sure you do.:) Thanks for listening.,

Thank you for your thoughtful letter, Mike. I don't have much time to answer right now, but just remember that my aim is to evaluate beliefs and influences that affect children, not the people who watch them. I realize that our visitors represent many different religions and world views -- each with a different standard for what is right and wrong. I only claim to speak from a Biblical perspective. I use the Bible as my standard and have quoted many different Scriptures in my articles and responses to back up my warnings. That's where I have to stand. I cannot compromise what I believe.

As for your parents doing a good job with you - remember, it was a lot easier to raise children to trust the Biblical (not a distortion of Him) 20-30 years ago. Children were not surrounded by a throng of spiritual alternatives and seductive entertainment then. Now it is a lot easier for children to search out all kinds of thrills that present worldviews that confuse (cause cognitive dissonance) in their minds and emotions.

Please pray and ask God what to do. Our Shepherd delights in leading all who are willing to follow Him. With prayer, please review Ephesians 5 and Deuteronomy 18:9-12. Your other question, I believe I have answered in our various articles on children's books and entertainment. May I suggest you also read Answers to Pokemon mail?

From "Majin Bubbles" (AKA Little Majin): First, I would like to say that my boyfriend and I were reading through some of your articles when we noticed a few errors. The Saiyajins' (Saiyans') transformed state is called Oozaru, rather than Ooxary.

As any otaku (anime fan) would know, most Anime is based on a small group of beings that posess a power than ordinary people do not. Another common storyline is humanity depending on this small group of beings to save the world. I will even back up these facts by naming a few anime series in which this is the plot. Neon Genesis Evangelion (24 episodes); Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT (400+ episodes); Martian Successor Nadesico (13 episodes); and Sailor Moon.

I understand and accept your beliefs. However, I would like to say that fantasy is not "evil". Although, there is a manga movie called "Perfect Blue" that has no magic, fantasy, or anything wrong with it, aside from the fact that it has a heck of a lot of nudity and blood. Also, Ninja Scroll is another excessively violent (and popular) manga movie that takes place in Feudal Japan. Here is an excerpt from the back of the box of Ninja Scroll:

"When a small village succumbs to a terrible plague, a team of ninjas are sent to investigate, and realize that all is not as it seems. Ambushed, they are wiped out by a fearsome man-monster with incredible powers, leaving only one alive - Kagero, a beautiful female ninja, whose touch can bring instant death."

Manga movies such as Perfect Blue, Ninja Scroll, and Ghost in the Shell are full of blood, violence, sex, and many other issues of the modern and past world. Anime was not intended for children. It was directed towards an audience such as teens and adults. In fact, when I was about to buy Perfect Blue, my mom had to tell the cashier that it was OK with her that I was buying it. (It's strictly 18+, it involves brutal, bloody murders and a few rape scenes). Despite these factors, she allowed me to add it to my collection of Anime tapes.

Something about modern parents that I don't understand is how they try to shield their children from the real world for as long as possible, which causes them to become naive. My mom was and still is open with me about "adult" topics that are often depicted in Anime series/movies. I don't see why parents educating their children about these topics is so off-limits today. (Maybe I'm so messed up because my mom told me about these things at an early age. I doubt it though...but I'll tell you something weird about myself: I'm so obsessed with DBZ that I sometimes try to control my Ki and perform energy attacks such as Kamehameha, and I'm also obsessed with my boyfriend! Michael, you know you're my god! ^_~)

I would like to conclude this e-mail by stating plainly that Christianity is not necessarily correct. Fantasy, magic, and supernatural powers are not evil. I personally have no religion, which many people say I will go to hell for. But when you're dead, does it really matter? There are many cultures and religions throughout this planet that we call Earth. I think it is customary to accept these different beliefs, and not criticize them. (PLEASE stop picking on the Japanese! I think by creating Anime they've done a wonderful thing!) And according to Neon Genesis Evangelion, the world will come to an end in the year 2015. Enter Shinji Ikari!

Thank you for taking the time to read my response. Take care and have a good day. (Be honest, do I seem mentally mature for a 13-year-old girl? *smiles* ^_^)

From Berit: Since we see the world from two different perspectives, we naturally can't agree on whether or not Christianity -- or the Japanese version of the Ki -- is correct. But I am so glad we can still have a friendly conversation with each other.

I'm not sure what you meant by "according to Neon Genesis Evangelion, the world will come to an end in the year 2015. Enter Shinji Ikari!" Are you saying that you sort of believe this fantasy? Just wondering.

Second letter from "Majin Bubbles" (see the preceding letter): Yes, it may seem strange, but I do believe that the world will [almost] end in 2015. The second impact...the "Angels"...bla-bla, I believe weird shtick like that. *Note: I also believe that planets like Namek and (Planet) Vegeta exist out in the universe somewhere. O_o odd aren't I?*

From Holly Rainford, UK: You strange, strange people. I'm confused by this. Pokemon, Digimon, and other animes are just cartoons. Simple, harmless CARTOONS. I am 14, and me and my brother are right in the middle of the craze. kids who are old enough to understand the cartoons are usually old enough to separate reality from fiction. They can play at pokemon, but when they stop, they are not going to run to the nearest library and start looking up how to use psychic powers. If every toy and cartoon with fantastical or mythological links was removed, this would be a sad, boring world.

(Someone had to say it.)

Actually, you are not the first to say it. So again, I suggest that you read two articles that explain that the issue isn't knowing the difference between reality and fantasy. I'm more concerned about how the fantasy images and suggestions affect a person's beliefs and values. I explain this in Harry Potter and Dungeons & Dragon and in Pokemon.

From BLASHEATH: You two are idiots! [plus profanities...]

From Bob: I have been reading a lot of stuff on your site and I must say I totally dissagree with a lot of what you say. though I agree some "ANIME" and video games are completely evil you people are jsut targeting the wrong ones becasue you personally problably have kids that play them and you are sick of seeing it, you target final fantasy saying it is evil simply because they have "MAGIC POTIONS " in it. get it right they are simply called "POTIONS" and are used to heal, you also say that people have lsot there lives to dungoens and dragons, ok what lying media article did you read that in

if you would actually sit down and play final fantasy 8 we will use as an example you will find there is more to it than casting spells and summoning guardain forces which are put in the game becasue it is fun, it is not reality it is a story just like in your bible where there is wars and people who kill other people with magic and how god heals people, that itself is considered magic as far as im concerned....

From Berit: Bob, you are helping me prove my point. Children who watch all kinds of spiritual, psychick or supernatural fantasies begin to blend this new world view with the beliefs and values they learn from their parents and churches. After a while, the God of the Bible is twisted into a god of their own imagination, and His miracles become just another magic trick. You cannot maintain an undistored Biblical world view when you feed your mind with these kinds of images and suggestions day after day.

In final fantasy 8, the main protaganist squall is caught in a epic struggle to save all time and space ftom ultimecia a sorcerres from the future. now don't stop right there and say sorceress evil, read what I have to say before you judge it. this game series has moved me in so many ways with its beautiful stories and music, squall risks his own life to save rinoa cause he loves her what is so evil about that?

yes they use magic but it is not chanting to satan for powers, so where are you justified in calling it satanic other than the fact that you do not like it and your sick of watching your kids play and talk about it?

these stories take place in a world of imagination not our earth meaning people are being creative.... say ff6 for example there where a race of being called espers AND THEY DISPLAYED POWER Oh I know what your thinking now demons right! becasue anything and everything that does not agree or is followed by your "MACHINE" beleifs is correct the espers where hunted and killed becasue they had these abilities ....

Bob, I will delete the rest of your comments because they are too hard to understand. Please read the letter that preceded yours. It offers some very good advice. If you fix the spelling and grammar in the rest of your letter, I will post it for you.

From Barry Cox: I think you just have a problem with racism instead of "going to hell." You don't like anime because it is Japanese. You don't like anything that opposes you're views because you're narrow minded. Yes, I know you have the right to believe anything you want but maybe you should become open minded.

You can continue to express you're views til your hearts content, you just wont get respect.

From Victor Bogosian: First off I would like to say that your moral beliefs or antics of self indignation hold no bearing to me in any way concievable and any argument you present to me refuting this will promptly be ignored. Second, I don't believe in god or any other higher power and I think that this abomination of a web page is garbage. Feel free to e mail me at any time if you like. Just remember what I will and won't take seriously.

From Mike: Bible bashing jesus freaks.... WHy don't you take a look at yourselves and how you're negatively affecting our youth, instead of blaming it on everything under the sun...

just a little idea...........

From Patrick Burleson (TacoMan165@aol.com): I am a 17-year old Christian, and I attend the Church of Christ in my area about 8 out of 10 Sundays. I am also an avid anime (Japanese animation) fan. I enjoy it because of it's detailed animation, good storylines, nice music, character development, and several other things. I was linked to this site by one of my friends, and would like to clear up a few misconceptions, while remaining fair and unbiased to everyone's point of view.

I will begin with quotes from Concerned Mother and my responce. <<My daughter likes Sailor Moon, and I even encouraged her, it didn't seem as bad as the Dragonball. But my boys told me that on the web they had found out that in Japan, Sailor Moon is a cartoon with naked women, (porn) I was upset. Tonight when I asked them to pray and discussed it, they told me that Dragonball was also naked in Japan. I am going to check on this tonight. I feel convicted to find something to replace this ungodly aspect of my childrens lives.>>

Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon (Pretty Soldier Sailormoon) only has "actual" nudity in the last episode, when Sailormoon is fighting the final villian, Chaos. When the girls change into their seifuku (a Japanese sailor outfit worn to school by girls) they are naked, but there is nothing intrinsically "wrong" with it. This is simply known as "non-sexual nudity" and it occurs sometimes in anime. I could see someone possibly having a problem with the very short skirts they wear, but they're wearing a leotard under the skirts.

Nudity is only in Dragonball Z when the son of the main character, Gohan turns back from being an Oorazuma, which is an giant ape-like form, acheived by Saiya-jins (known as Saiyans here, a fictional race of super-humans) when they look at the moonlight and have their tails, this only happens maybe 2 or 3 times, which accounts for about 1 minute total in 508 twenty minute episodes. This nudity is also non-sexual, as his sexual organs are not actually drawn, the worst thing you see is his behind.

You must also remember, Japan has a different culture than us, not based on Christianity, like in America, so they view nudity as a natural state, not as all just in a sexual content, which I see a lot more of in America, by the way.

<<Tonight I did a on-line search on … I had to tip toe around site because they were all PORN SITES. I could not really look into it but it looks like cartoon porn. I do not know if this is something you should pursue, but I wanted it known. Who would have thought that one of these sites would have a FAQ. What it said was... Anime is japanese animation (cartoons) and Manga is japanese comics. [Deleted word] is defined as:- Abnormality. Sexual perversion. Used also to describe a certain class of anime or otaku (as in "H-Anime"). Lit. "Change of State", two Kanji. This is big business in Japan. They are on the internet censored and people use software to uncensored them. (blurring of body parts removed). To me it looks like the artists are making clean versions and dirty versions>>

Yes, ..... does exist. It's really not that popular in Japan not to mention it's not looked upon very highly in the first place, that's why it translates to something to the effect of "extreme sexual perversion". While there are anime series that are all based around this sexual perversion, the fact is, over 90% of anime is suitable for children, it's just this one little niche of anime that gives it a bad rap, especially with people who don't give anime much of a chance, or research it.

You have to understand that in Japan, anime is used to convey every type of genre, from comedy, to drama, to romance, and yes, even pornography, they take animation as an art form, and don't limit to just comedy for children, like I see so much in America. As far as the artist, there are some people who will make their own "fan art" and "fan animation", the original artists makes their product, and people will go and draw their favorite character, sometimes though, one of these people will make it perverted, like naked pictures of the girls in Sailormoon. ....

Also, as far as Dragonball Z is concerned, the original Dragonball was based on the Chinese tale, A Journey to the East, in which the main character, Son Gokou had a flying cloud (Kintoun or Flying Nimbus) and a staff that could extend indefinetly (Nyoibo or Power Pole). The 'ki' mentioned is mental energy, the energy one has inside, whether it be spiritual as in faith, motivational, adrenaline, what have you.

Please read my article on Digimon and martial arts. It's not a criticism of Japan, for the power behind its blend of Buddhism and Shintoism comes from the same source as the supernatural power of other pantheistic or earth-centered cultures.

Grave of the Fireflies is a very touching tale, that shows the Japanese perspective of WWII, I felt it was better than Schindler's List. It's much more personal, focusing on just two main characters, and shows what they have to survive. It always brings tears to my eyes, more than any other movie, animated or live-action could do.

<<This two- or three-headed creature with a serpent tail symbolized the permanence of hell and all its terrors. It is pictured on page 262 in Scholastic's paperback version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone>>

So does the Bible, in much more detail. I'm sure you've read Revalations, it's graphic, yet no one complains. I've never read the Harry Potter books myself, but I really don't see what the big deal is, it's a children's book. Do you really think kids will become Satanists or Pagans if they read something that is not 100% Christian? To paraphrase that passage from the Bible, "Train your children properly, and they will come back to you." I believe that.

If you believe Proverbs 22:6, you would be wise to read more in the Bible about how to "train up your child." It means teaching them God's Word so that they will see everything from His perspective. Such training in the Biblical worldview would lay the foundation for discerning the difference between what God calls good and what He calls evil.

From a Biblical perspective, Harry Potter books would hardly fit your understatement: "not 100% Christian." Since they are written from a pagan perspective perspective, they are 100% non-Christian. And they would encourage children to see reality from an occult rather than a Biblical perspective.

Second part of the above letter from Patrick Burleson: On another note, what about when guys dress like girls as a sight gag, like in the show Pokemon where Kojirou (James) entered a bikini contest, wearing a two-piece. Do you think that will teach your children to be cross-dressers? I don't. My main attitude throughout this letter has been that you're worrying over little things, and these worries have been brought about by misconceptions and "eye of the beholder" instances.

Does anime make me a better Christian? No, and I don't pretend that it does. Inversely, does it make me a worse Christian? No, I still attend Church and worship God, but I also respect that most Japanese are Shinto and will continue to enjoy their culture, my religion isn't changing any time soon.

You are not saved by going to church, Patrick. And since most churches have conformed their teaching to the world's politically correct standards, few churches still dare to teach the true nature of God and his ways. You may not even know the God you think you worship. In order to please the community, many churches ignore the heart of the gospel: that Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to save sinners like us, is the only way to God. After all, the Bible's message about sin, the cross, humility, pride, separation from contrary teaching, and respecting "other gods" might offend people -- potential members as well as those who call themselves Christian. (I would be glad to send Bible references to confirm that list).

I've been learning the Japanese language on my own for nearly two years, and expect to attend language school and take a Japanese language course in college in Fall 2001, I will also be visiting the country for a while in a year or so, and the fact that it only has 1% of it's population as Christians won't keep me from going. Another thing I feel strongly about is changing religion, I won't try to take someone's religion from them, they believe in it as strongly as we do Christianity, I feel it's morally wrong to try.

Is that what your church teaches you? If not, what is the source of your moral values (your understanding of what is "morally wrong")? Multicultural education in today's government schools? Or anime? It can't be the Bible. Remember, Jesus commissioned His disciples to go into all the world as missionaries. They would live and share His gospel -- they would be witnesses and ambassadors for His Kingdom. Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me, so send I you." (Acts 1:8; John 20:21)

Being an afformentioned "avid anime fan" I go to a couple anime stores pretty often, and in one, these parents came into the store that keeps all their 18+ material on the back wall. The parents were upset that their 9-year old child rented something that was not on the back wall (I've seen the anime in question, it probably should have been, it's not very good in the first place). The clerk then got very irate and explained to the parents that anyone can rent something not on the back wall, and if they didn't want their child to see this, they should have monitored it.

I totally agree, thing is, no matter what parents say, children can't distinguish one anime from another, and can accidentally rent something "off limits", then parents get angry.

I feel that with anime covering as many genres as it does, and not being an actually genre, parents should take as much time to view it and see what they deem both appropriate and inappropriate for their children to watch, much as they would American television. As mentioned earlier, you might let your children watch Barney, but you would not let them watch NYPD Blue, just as you might let them watch Pokemon, but not [anime porn]. It's the same situation, I cannot stress that point enough.

I hope you will post this letter, and perhaps forward this to people you think need to see it. I'm glad you, as the moderator, have given anime and chance and show both sides and inbetweens of the arguement. Please post my e-mail address, as I would like to receive feedback from other readers. Thank you. Patrick Burleson TacoMan165@aol.com

From Haraslee: Here we go again. Just another Christian who feels the need to spread their unfound views, lacking proof, of course, concerning such unimportant subjects such as anime, children's books, etc. The only reason I'm actually speaking up is because the absolute ridiculousness of this has reached an all time low…thank you, berit, for lowering the opinions people have for Christians.

First, you make claims that anime is, to sum it up, destructive for children. [Where did I say that?] Yes, I can understand a person like you being offended by the subject matters in (awesome) anime such as Neon Genesis Evangelion. That, I can see NGE includes angels, use of the word "god", alcohol, nudity, cursing, violence, ideas/names taken from the bible, homo/heterosexual innuendo, child molestation (um…sorta), not to mention a scene with little Shinji masturbating…oh wait, that word will probably be censored .... I hope not all of those are edited.

You could find reason to argue over any anime with just one of those themes previously stated. In fact, most animes have one or more of those themes. In fact, American cartoons do as well. In fact, Disney movies do, too. In fact, all movies/television in general have such themes. Actually, now that I think about it, pretty much every source of entertainment/media around the world includes that stuff. If it's not one thing, it's another. If it's not a child's book, it's a cartoon, or a movie, or a cd, or a video game. But I'm getting off topic.

So anyway, if you want to warn parents about the "evil" affects watching NGE will have on their children, go ahead, but try using proof, evidence, etc, and the TRUTH, which you lost somewhere in your rants.

Next, I'll go to DBZ. Not much to comment on here, except the absurd claims you make including the dragon balls and Shenlong and stuff. People have already refuted those successfully, so I'll skip that, and just comment on the whole "tail" thing…do you realize that the tail has nothing to do with any Shawmen (sp?) (it is a Chinese folktale DBZ was derived from, not a Native American story) but rather exists on Goku because the folktale's main character was a monkey, and Akira Toriyama wanted to keep some of the original character in his creation, Goku. This might only aid your "argument" further, but did you know that references are made in DBZ to your religion, such as when Goku falls to Hell? (of course, in the dub shown to us silly Americans, it was censored and changed to HFIL….Home For Infinite Losers…).

I new that DragonBall Z had nothing to do with Native American religions. I mentioned the parallel to shamanism because earth-centered or animist cultures and religions around the world have some amazing similarities -- almost as if one spiritual mastermind fed the ideas into human minds in each part of the world.

Ok, Gundam Wing. I don't actually see the problem with this one at all. It is incredibly thought-provoking, and does in fact make what you would probably consider positive references to god: "I hope god forgives us"…stuff like that. And yeah, Duo doesn't believe in god. Big deal. Yeah, he wears a priest's collar, yet I fail to see that as being negative. Duo Maxwell is a character that is just plain different! Have you checked out his outfit?

I have not personally reasearched or written about Gundam Wing. I have only posted comments sent to me, then made a few observations from what visitors told me. I don't claim to be qualified to review this story.

His yard-long braid? He calls himself Shinigami (god of death) and calls other characters things like gods of plague…or maybe it's lord's of plague? Either way, I've seen no proof that a kid watching Duo in his priest collar would suddenly feel compelled to give up their religious beliefs, or go off and shoot their teacher. If you ask me, anyone who feels compelled to do such violent things either has been negatively influenced by their upbringing, or have a chemical imbalance in their head.

I think you are simply looking for things to blame for the problems in our culture. You point fingers at multiple sources, quote your bible, and make absurd claims that some ignorant sheep out their might actually believe. If you're so concerned with the problems facing kids today, focus on what the problems truly are…keeping kids from watching anime isn't going to solve anything. In case you failed to notice, these problems existed long before pokemon ever came along in either Japan or America, long before the Harry Potter books started getting popular, long before Gundam Wing premiered in America (which, might I add, was only a few months ago).

One last thing…it seems to me that you're awful big on discouraging natural things like sex... artwork, religious freedom, imagination, etc. Furthermore, you seem big on encouraging things like censorship, book banning, etc. You claim that children, in seeing such cartoons as Digimon, will somehow cross the bridge between reality and fantasy, failing to see a difference. You give little if not any credit to children, and much to yourself. As a child, I always saw a difference between the world of My Little Ponies (that's anime) Care Bears (more anime) Ninja Turtles (anime)* and the real world. Was it not the same for you as a kid?

*All three of these originally started in Japan, as anime, and later were "adopted" by the U.S. (Canada?), turning them into English cartoons.

Did you read Answers to Pokemon mail? It explains my concern better than anything I can summarize here.

From Kiera M, Melbourne, Australia: Hello, I recently came across your site, particularly some articles about Pokemon and Dragonball Z, while surfing, and have a few comments I'd like to make.

I have watched more Pokemon and Dragonball Z episodes that I care to remember. I have also watched the entire series of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and read every Animorphs book and Star Wars novel released to this day, most of them many times over. I like all of these things for their entertainment value, nothing more. I do not believe in any religion, or powerful force in the world. This includes any fictional ones invented in the aforementioned series.

Sure, I love to imagine that I could 'morph' into a sea creature and explore the ocean's depths, or fly like Vegeta and Goku, or wield the force like a Jedi and deflect bullets or blaster bolts with a lightsaber. I have even written many fanfictions, usually with the main character someone who could be recognised as myself. But, unlike what you say will happen to children who enjoy these series, I am not influenced to the point that I actually believe that these things are true.

Sure, I have pretend Pokemon or ki battles with my three younger brothers, but just because I am pretending I can use the Kamehameha or Kienzan, doesn't mean I seriously consider trying them for real, or that I would be able to. All children use their imaginations to place themselves in a fantasy world of some sort at some time. It's perfectly natural.

And even if these fantasy world involves using psychic powers, the force, or their supposed 'ki' energy, I don't think that it will have a major affect on children's lives. All children eventually realise that fiction is just that: fictional. When I was five years old I imagined fighting the bad guys alongside the Ninja Turtles. But always clear in my mind was the separation between the real and the pretend. So, I don't believe that any children are in serious danger of being corrupted by Pokemon into thinking that they can use psychic powers, or thinking that things the occurrences of Pokemon: The First Movie could really come to pass.

As I stated earlier, I do not believe in any religion. But neither do I intentionally ridicule or condemn any religion just because I personally don't like it. So, to me, the Christian religion holds no more weight than any other, nor any less. I understand that to you, it is all important, but try to see my perspective. I'm trying to see all sides of this.

From what you have said on your websites, you have implied that other people's religions and beliefs, such as inner energy, or ki, and legends such as the one behind the storyline of Dragonball, are intended to corrupt others, or divert them from Christianity. (At least, this is what I inferred after reading a few articles. Please correct me if this was not your intention.)

In reality, my (hopefully unbiased) view is that these beliefs are as important to the Japanese, and whatever other countries, as Christianity is to you. And the Dragonball legend could best be likened to one of Aesop's fables, or a Greek myth such as the Odyssey. The people who created these stories and fictional universes did not intend them to hurt anyone. To people such as myself, Pokemon, Dragonball Z and others hold no significant meanings, they are simply forms of entertainment, as much as any books are.

I collect Pokemon cards, simply because I enjoy playing the Trading Card Game. To me the Pokemon Trading Card Game, while relying on attacks suck as 'Dream Eater' and 'Psychic' and others, is no different that playing a simple hand of 'Go Fish' with a normal 52-card deck (albeit a little more complicated). I find that Pokemon in particular, with the fifteen different types of Pokemon, all with different weaknesses to each other, and with many Pokemon being more than one type, is quite an intellectually challenging game to play if you compete against others. And that's what many see Pokemon Stadium as: simply another electronic game, like Mario 64 or any other Nintendo game that they can play against their friends in friendly competition for friendly competition, with no religious connotations.

Another thing that you seem to assume is just because games include 'dragons' or attacks which 'eat the enemy's soul' means that the games intend the words to be read as their literal meanings. This, if I may say so, is a completely misguided idea. Take Pokemon to start. Pokemon, as I am sure you know, has been translated in Japanese. I am reasonably good at Japanese, and so have played Pokemon in both Japanese and English. What I have discovered is this: many of the translations from the Japanese game are not accurate. Not that a bad job was done in the translation, I believe this was done on purpose, because the game designers thought that certain phrases or words would 'sound cooler' or appeal to more children than the literal Japanese to English translation. So you can not blame the Japanese creators of the games for phrases like these, but neither, I think, can you get upset with Game Freak or Nintendo. They did not mean these things literally.

Thank you for wanting to understand my views, Kiera. Remember, I write as a Christian who tries to answer questions sent us by Christian parents. I don't believe your mind has been or will be corrupted or swayed from Biblical faith by playing Pokemon. It doesn't sound as if those were your beliefs in the first place.
Keep in mind, my main concern has to do with world views. While the Pokemon world is obviously a myth or fantasy, its underlying forces fit the general public's understanding of spiritual reality.
Christians see reality from a different perspective. We see God, not as an impersonal force, but as our caring Friend, our wise Counselor, or wonderful Shepherd. He will provide the strength and wisdom we need for every challenge we face in life. The problem is that when children -- or adults for that matter -- immerse their minds in images and myths with others sources of supernatural power, they begin to blend their understanding of God with the nature of the popularized forces. Many adult Christians have brought New Age or Eastern mysticism into churches, thus confusing or blurring the Biblical understanding of God. Meanwhile, concerned Christian parents want their children to know and follow the only God who will guard and guide them. That means saying "no" to the world's assortment of gods and forces.
Let me give you an illustration of this subtle temptation to compromise. After speaking at a conference a few years ago, a young man came up to me to ask a question. He had been raised in a Christian church-going family. Now his mother was dying, but she was not trusting God and had little hope in the eternity He promises His people. Instead she wondered what she might be in "her next life." She, like so many other cultural Christians had embraced the spiritual suggestions and images that beckon people everywhere through popular books and entertainment.

Now, about Magic cards. I personally have never bought or played these; I'm not particularly interested in them. But I know people who have, and I know that these people do not believe in witchcraft, or any of the other things suggested in the game. As I said before, they play purely for entertainment value, or collect simply to be able to brag about having the whole set, much as stamp collectors might brag about a particularly rare set of stamps. Neither are dragons or other creatures meant to represent evil or Satan in any way, in this case they are just creatures that happen also to appear in religions, not creatures from religion that have been chosen to appear in a card game because of their connections to religion.

To sum up: I do not believe there is anything wrong with children having imaginations. Nor do I believe that they take Pokemon or Dragonball Z any more seriously than they do any other craze, and I believe that once the craze passes they will promptly forget about it and move on to the next. One more thing. I did not write all this because I can't stand to see my beloved cartoons condemned and abused. Quite frankly, I don't care about them that much. But I do believe that you are taking this a little too seriously, and that a child's parents should not hinder his or her imagination or creativity, it is those same thought processes that allow us to enjoy the world where we live, and to relate to others.

I also believe that there are many that do care, and have already told you so, and that by protesting so openly about an art such as anime that is enjoyed the world over you will make yourself many enemies in the online community. My intention was not to send hate mail, or attack you in any way, but to try to get my point across, and I hope I have succeeded. I also hope that you reply to my e-mail, I am only 15 years old but I hope you take it seriously.

If I were to heed your threats and advice, I would merely be conforming to the world's pressure to compromise my faith. The apostle Peter said, "I must obey God rather than man." So must I. I would far rather please my Lord than please people.
I will try to post a page with pictures of Magic cards this week. I would like parents to evaluate the horrible, ghostly pictures for themselves. Such images can only desensitize minds to the pain of genuine violence and inhumane actions.
God gave us the ability to imagine, but He makes it clear that we are not to focus on murderous images or occult spirits over graveyards. Instead He tells us to set our minds on "whatever things are true... noble... right... pure... lovely... admirable and... praiseworthy." (Philippians 4:8) Magic cards and AD&D suggest the opposite.

From D: Berit, If God commanded you to put a bullet in Andy's head, would you do it?

God doesn't ask us to do something that contradicts what He has already told us in the Bible. He has shown me that my role is to love, respect and follow my husband. So I want to do what I can to help, support and encourage him, never hurt him in any way.

And, no, I'm not a fanatical puppet to a tyrannical deity. My Lord is a wonderful Shepherd, and I trust Him not only to guide me to do what is good and right, but also to give me the strength and wisdom I need to obey. It's very exciting to walk with Him at a time such as this.

From Chris: Hello I am a 15 year old male. As much people have stated clearly before is that they found out such sites dealing with porn and anime such as dragonball ,sailor moon,and pokemon. All can reasure you that there is no such thing as pokemon porn or any other porn of these titles or any other titles. I am not saying that all Anime is not porn...

I am a personal fan of dragonball(i will refer to all 3 titles of dragonball as just plain dragonball). I downloaded or read every single manga dealing with dragonball. I seen like every episode of dragonbal since in america u can not see dragonball z or just dragonball on Tv but i know from that they do not change the show that much from manga to tv. I have also watched the shows i downloaded that were uncut. Not on time is there really [porn]....

What Akira made dragonball and other shows like that are just entertainment. [Porn] is mostly made but people that are bored, sick people that have nothing better to do then to dream up sexual images of anime characters. So basically Misty and Ash never had anything going on between them.... I am not using the real terms cause i do nto know who is reading this or who if u would post it if you would post it if i did.

Also on a side note i am tired of people attacking things as a scrapegoat. We need to really focus on real problems here. I am a 15 year old and i can get drugs, alchohal, and just about any thing else. Yes that does in include women and [porn] activites if ii can say it that wat. But i do not. I am smarter then that thanks to my parents. But people just need a "warm blanket" that they are really doing something but are not. Some people attack dragonball for violence and other anime. I can go get a gun if i wanted so u cannot really blame a cartoon show for that can u. People though blame anime or music for the why. Most people that commit the acts are not triggered but cartoons. what people really should is go after Gun cooperation for making guns easy to use and to get.

What is wrong though cannot be stopped that fast. I am not some kid that thinks he knows how everything works but i do not more then people think or let on. polotictions are bribbed. THey are bibbred by the people that us as a society shoudl be going after. We should go after tobaco companies and gun companies. We should not go after entertainment and censor it so that is losses all form of it orignal content.

From Naoko Igarashi: Hello: ^_^ You had to be americans! Silly and narrow minded!

You attack what you don't understand, right? And I know that you are not able to understand how, while you are always complaining about what is on your TV, banning, criticising and censoring everything, your nation is still full of violence and kids shooting other kids with guns; while here [Japan?] our TV has "evil violent" anime 24 hrs a day, and our society is much more organized, peaceful and open minded than yours is!!!

But then, you are not able to talk to your children, you have to put them in boxes, so they won't see or touch this "evil" world, they have to be as silly and narrow minded as you are!

Get a life and stop atticking what other talented people do, specially if it come from another country!!! Things are popular if they are good...leave anime alone!

Thank you! ^_^*

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Pokemon, Pokecomics, Digimon, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z