Anime Bleach series

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greetings. I was wondering if someone could lead me to get some answers on this Japanese Bleach cartoons. I have a 16 year old and a 12 year old that watch them and I need to know if it going to have a detrimental affect on their fatih walk?
 
I can honestly say there’s no reason why it would have any sort of detrimental effect. If it does, then there’s more wrong than just what TV show they’re watching.

And, honestly, what the show really boils down to is Good People fighting against Demons to protect mankind.

If you have any more specific questions, I’d be happy to answer what I can. I haven’t seen the entire series yet, but I have seen a lot of it and study of Japanese culture is something I have spent much time on in my life. ^^
 
thank you.

I just wanted to make sure it was not a part of the Shaman cult.
 
daruva said:
thank you.

I just wanted to make sure it was not a part of the Shaman cult.
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I don’t really think it matters. :cool: It’s a good show from what I hear. 🙂

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood
 
daruva said:
greetings. I was wondering if someone could lead me to get some answers on this Japanese Bleach cartoons. I have a 16 year old and a 12 year old that watch them and I need to know if it going to have a detrimental affect on their faith walk?
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Well, two things happen when you watch Television, in my humble view.
  • The brain goes into numb mode and just takes data in. Suggestivity and reception are high.
  • In numb mode, the intellect is switched off, and the capacity or ability to question the reality presented and its underlying foundations is diminished.
  • I suggest that numb mode is waste of time Television watching, which is not current affairs or educational material. In some cultures, Television is called tele-bishon, tele-poison. And in many respects, this might be true.
I was at the Wikipedia two nights ago researching Japanese Anime (sometimes called Manga), and I actually read some synopses of Anime TV shows. The Wikipedia does have a review of this Bleach Manga.

Lets see what it says:
Bleach … is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he accidentally obtains the power of a shinigami—a Japanese death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from Rukia Kuchiki. Gaining these abilities forces him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife
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There has been a lot of spin-offs of this one, not dissimilar to Star Wars. There have been weekly magazines, TV shows, CD’s, films, trading card games and video games.

Lets have a look at the Plot:
The Plot:
The story opens with the sudden appearance of Soul Reaper Rukia Kuchiki in Ichigo Kurosaki’s bedroom. She is surprised at his ability to see her, but their conversation is interrupted by the appearance of a “hollow”, an evil spirit. After Rukia is severely wounded while trying to protect Ichigo, she attempts to transfer half her powers to Ichigo in order to let him face the hollow on equal footing. Ichigo instead unintentionally absorbs almost all her energy, allowing him to defeat the hollow with ease. The next day Rukia appears in Ichigo’s classroom as a seemingly normal human, and informs Ichigo that his absorption of her powers has left her stranded in the human world until she recovers her strength. In the meantime Ichigo shelters Rukia in his home and takes over her job as a Soul Reaper, battling hollows and guiding lost souls to the afterlife realm known as Soul Society.
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Make your own decisions and clarify what it is your children believe and understand of the afterlife, and the spirit realms. Read St Paul on the thrones, dominations and powers. Be mindful that reality is reality, and beliefs in the afterlife should be founded on a coherent faith system, not on a fictitious Japanese cartoon plot. :eek:
 
I was at the Wikipedia two nights ago researching Japanese Anime (sometimes called Manga),
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Just to clarify, Anime =/= Manga.

Anime is to Manga what TV Shows are to Books. Anime is an animated TV show or movie. Manga is a book, in a general layout similar to comic books.
shinigami—a Japanese death personification similar to the Grim Reaper
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Shinigami literally translates as “god of death.” However, the Japanese word “kami” (-gami when used as a suffix) does not refer to the same type of entity as is usually thought of as a “god” in western civilization. The entity would be more akin to an angel in most incarnations. The Shinigami in particular is a concept that is similar to the idea of an angel who comes to guide a person’s soul to Heaven.

Also, a tip that I learned from my own mother. If you wish to be certain as to whether or not a series is acceptable for your children to watch, watch it with them initially. Even discuss it with them, thus determining what they are getting from the series and seeing for yourself what it is about. Then you can determine 1) whether or not you personally approve of it and 2) whether or not your children are actually receiving something bad from it. Some children will misunderstand things and get bad things from even good programming. Other children will understand perfectly fine and be fully capable of setting aside negative concepts from bad programming.
 
I would recommend watching an episode of Bleach before you finally decide.

Here, try this subtitled if you like: youtube.com/watch?v=gKOufFYkFWE

The manga, the printed version, “comic book”, varies from the cartoon, but not too significantly. I can’t think of much of anything that would be inappropriate for a 16 or 12-year-old…there are very rare “oddities” that I attribute to Japanese anime being Japanese anime.

I, personally, like the series and keep up with it every week (a search of my posts will reveal that :rolleyes:). Send me a message if you need more info or anything. Also, you can review most Anime/Manga using Wikipedia before you allow your kids to dive into it - many different series have plot summaries, character profiles, etc. on Wikipedia.

P.S.

the opening theme before each episode changes every few weeks depending on the story and the current opening is, well, rather out of character 😊 , if you’re wondering about the opening of the video posted above.
 
I’ve watched much of this television series in Japanese. The language is a bit toned down in the English version, but from what I remember, the amount of violence being censored is pretty minimal.

Fine for the 16-year-old if he or she understands that it is strictly fantasy. However, in my own personal opinion, it might be a little too violent for a 12-year-old. But, I have pretty strong stances on anti-violence and the portrayal of violence to youngsters, so you should take that into consideration.
PrincessKatrina said:
Shinigami literally translates as “god of death.” However, the Japanese word “kami” (-gami when used as a suffix) does not refer to the same type of entity as is usually thought of as a “god” in western civilization. The entity would be more akin to an angel in most incarnations. The Shinigami in particular is a concept that is similar to the idea of an angel who comes to guide a person’s soul to Heaven.
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Actually, the concept of “shinigami” is not native to Shintoism or Buddhism. It is argued that the creation of the term “shinigami” was a result of stories from Europe portraying the grim reaper.

Either way, “shinigami” are only seen in Japanese fiction. Neither Japanese Shinto nor Japanese Buddhists worship “shinigami”.
 
Thanks to all of you for your replies. My kids are reading the “Manga” version and not the one on TV. I will read a couple sections and have a discussion ith both of them.
 
Hi there, I’m an Australian student currently researching in Japan.

I’ve been following “Bleach” in both languages for a few years now. My opinion is that while the story is heavily informed by the native Japanese (pagan) spiritualities, it’s threat to the Christian faith of a child beyond the age of reason is minimal.

The primary protagonists are called “Shinigami”, literally “Gods of Death” in the Japanese understanding of a “god”. The Shinto belief system of Japan is (strictly speaking) a form of animism, venerating local spirits similar to the “anima” of ancient Roman practice before they pinched the Greek pantheon.

Any half-formed Christian child beyond the age of reason will instantly understand that in our understanding, these “shinigami” (who are actually protectors of lost souls) are much better regarded as “angels”. This is especially true when we consider that…

The primary antagonists are called “Hollows” (in the Japanese), and are basically demons. The lesser ones have no minds and simply roam about destroying and devouring, the higher ones are calculatingly evil and plot against both the “real world” (ours) and “soul society” (where the shinigami live). Most intriguing to Christians, the very top of hollow society is occupied by…

…three fallen Shinigami captains. The most senior one (his name is “Aizen”) is such an easy reflection of Lucifer. Formerly a well-liked and universally respected shinigami captain, Aizen betrayed soul society and seized control of the hollows as a personal army for his own gains.

As for the violence, frankly speaking this is just a part of growing as a boy. Boys are now, have always been, and will always be creatures with violent tendencies. An important part of growing into a man is learning that the capacity to use strength for harm must be restrained, and reserved only for necessity in justice.

In bleach, there is a lot of combat (with plenty of gushing injuries, conforming to the manga and anime styles). All violence occurs between shinigami and hollows, including the reduction of (uninhabited) towns to rubble. No innocents are ever shown harmed - this is because in Japan, this genre is popular with boys as young as 6. If you catch your boys acting out some of the violence in the show, it shouldn’t be hard to say “that’s only for fighting demons, and your brother/sister/friend/dog is not a demon”.

The protagonists also suffer grievous injuries, which could be another form of negative reinforcement against fighting (as well as a lesson in worthy sacrifice for what is good to older boys).

=========

This has turned into a wall of text, and I apologise. In short, my opinion is that as a parent you could very easily turn the Bleach story into a catechetical device. It certainly uses pagan assumptions as core plot devices, but the fundamental principles of this story revolve around the struggle between good and evil, the necessity for hard work to improve oneself, and the endless sacrifice individuals will make for the sake of their friends (Japanese “nakama”, a principle loosely translated as “comrades” or “inner group” - like family).

Each of these is a typical theme of Japanese literature for boys, and each resounds strongly with Christian principles.
 
daruva said:
greetings. I was wondering if someone could lead me to get some answers on this Japanese Bleach cartoons. I have a 16 year old and a 12 year old that watch them and I need to know if it going to have a detrimental affect on their fatih walk?
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The only thing I know about Bleach is that my favorite voice actor has a role in it. 😃

But I NEVER met an anime I couldn’t turn into a catechetical experience. Watch it with them.

waves to Toribus
 
I’m nineteen, turning twenty. Which means that I clearly remember participating in the Anime and Manga culture when I was in highschool. On top of that, I have a younger brother now a HS junior who watches anime on the computer all the time.

These things can become very addicting and harmful to your family life. The t.v. has helped reduce my family time to no conversations–if any, very negative and cynical comments–and much noise from the t.v. set. I’m glad to have my own room because the t.v. is on 24/7.

I’m not saying the media is an absolute evil. However, it is a very powerful gateway to a lot of trash in the world. And because technology allows one to “do something” while merely sitting and changing channels, people are more apt to sit around and waste valuable time. In my house, more time is spent watching t.v. and being absorbed in our personal business than trying to listen to each other, solve our problems, or enjoying time together. Fortunately, my “personal business” includes prayer dedicated to my family. (Things are getting better because of Mama Mary’s intercession, but we haven’t fully cooperated yet…)

Not every family is like mine, yet there is always the possibility to fall into that kind of trap. Anime or manga phenomenons can become very involving and addictive because they are surrounded by a whole entire culture mostly executed online which is a very private space. The plot lines carry on for a long time and if one were to get into it, it’s really involving and sucks you in. Again, I’m speaking from experience.

So, unless your family is already pretty stable, and you have a good relationship with your daughter already, then I wouldn’t recommend you let her get into that business if you have that kind of power over her.

Sorry that I rambled a little. I always go on a tirade when it comes to technology and media and whether us humans really know how to deal with it. Ironic that I’m posting on an internet forum, though.

Mama Mary guide you in your motherhood 👍
 
/bow at Sailor Kenshin

I reservedly agree with what Sabriner is saying. There is a risk that your child/ren will become so enthralled by this (or another) series that it negatively impacts their relationships with you and others.

This is the same risk as with other Japanese produced games, comics (manga) and cartoons (anime). It is the same risk as with American and other Western games, comics, and cartoons… maybe not so much cartoons.

Manga and Anime in Japan do not have the juvenile stigma attached to comics and cartoons in the West. Both media are used in the full creative spectrum, from children’s stories, to romance, to high drama, to (regrettably) pornography. If there’s a cable channel for something in America, you can find it animated or drawn in Japan.

This should give you an idea of how much risk there is in allowing your children to follow something like Bleach. It’s like any other TV show (though it’s only released once weekly). If they’re on the computer for two hours on a Thursday reading the latest installment, ok. If they’re on the computer for a further two hours chatting to their friends about what happened this week, nothing new.

If they’re on that computer so much that they miss meals, school, showers… all because of Bleach, as a mature parent, I’m sure you know where to draw the line.

We’re just here to tell you more about something unfamiliar - how you use it is entirely your prerogative. Best wishes to you, and I hoped that I helped!

Anthony OPL
 
Books are a technology. The wheel is a technology. Don’t throw the blanket of ‘technology’s to blame.’ We all do have free will.

The internet brings me the blessing of being able to attend Father John Corapi’s lectures and catechism series without leaving the house. Japanese cartoons have sharpened my awareness of what is Christian in them and what is not.

Watch the show with your kids and catechize them.
 
If you want something really confusing to watch, “Dattebayo” (a group on the internet that provides free English subtitles on certain anime) has recently started work on an anime called “07-Ghost”.

So far there are fewer than 10 episodes, but prominently featured is a sort of religion loosely based on Catholicism. The protagonist lives in something akin to a renaissançe Cathedral town. There are fully habited nuns everywhere (all young and attractive, with mild manners and attractive voices) as well as oddly dressed “bishops”. Instead of mitres they where a cube-shaped hat with a thin veil over the face.

For all intents and purposes they’re closest to “priests”, but because they where that sort of not-mitre they’re bishops (Japanese “shikyoh” 司教). They celebrate “mass” (Japanese “misa” ミサ from Latin Missa). They even have an old, scarred archbishop (“daishikyoh” 大司教) and an organ… played by a mermaid-nun.

But they worship an as-yet indeterminate god who looks like the grim reaper. He is a skeleton in what appears to be a Benedictine habit, carrying a scythe. The cathedral town is defended by seven “ghosts” (also called “angels”) who look the same.

One of the bishops changes into a stylised cassock (with typical Japanese embellishments) and fights “kors” (demons) with… a giant scythe.

I am not sure if I am enjoying this anime yet. I am intrigued by the story, but as a Catholic (and a Dominican) I think I am more fascinated by the use of obviously Catholic stereotypes in Japanese media - a society whose social fabric is not fundamentally Christian, but animistic-pagan.
 
Sailor_Kenshin said:
Books are a technology. The wheel is a technology. Don’t throw the blanket of ‘technology’s to blame.’ We all do have free will.

The internet brings me the blessing of being able to attend Father John Corapi’s lectures and catechism series without leaving the house. Japanese cartoons have sharpened my awareness of what is Christian in them and what is not.

Watch the show with your kids and catechize them.
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I agree. The internet is a great resource and has helped me a lot with my spirituality, with ideas for our parish ministries, for answering questions, and etcetera. But, as always with something so good, the devil is always there to manipulate and make toxic. Especially with kids, there’s no reason to not be extra careful. I’m not saying that kids are stupid and aren’t able to discern what’s Christian and what’s not the way you have with the Japanese cartoons; they are a lot smarter than people think…but they are more vulnerable. So your advice to watch the show and catechize the kids, i agree on that. But if the parent is to encounter something obviously harmful within that show or anywhere else, then clearly take further action. I’ve never seen Bleach, so i’m not sure what she’d do in this specific case.

(And, yes, books, wheels, toilets, everything is technology. I suppose i was just referring to more recent, “hi-tech” things. The incredible speed at which this technology is progressing might be too fast for us to know what to do with some of them, and the nature of what is possible nowadays is just so different from the book or the wheel. Of course we have free will. I don’t blame technology for anything. But I’m just saying we might be facing something that has consequences beyond our expectations, and we should take caution. Take for one single instance, those chips that people install within their skin as a tracking device…who knows what kinds of violations can happen with that kind of thing? Now this is going beyond the whole Bleach issue…but just wanted to clarify…and anyway this is only my opinion…) 🙂
 
Sabriner, don’t be afraid to share your opinion. Don’t hedge it with “I’m not saying, I’m just saying” or retreat with “I just think…”

We’re all here to learn more from one another, and share what we ourselves have learned. =)
 
Toribus said:
If you want something really confusing to watch, “Dattebayo” (a group on the internet that provides free English subtitles on certain anime) has recently started work on an anime called “07-Ghost”.

So far there are fewer than 10 episodes, but prominently featured is a sort of religion loosely based on Catholicism. The protagonist lives in something akin to a renaissançe Cathedral town. There are fully habited nuns everywhere (all young and attractive, with mild manners and attractive voices) as well as oddly dressed “bishops”. Instead of mitres they where a cube-shaped hat with a thin veil over the face.

For all intents and purposes they’re closest to “priests”, but because they where that sort of not-mitre they’re bishops (Japanese “shikyoh” 司教). They celebrate “mass” (Japanese “misa” ミサ from Latin Missa). They even have an old, scarred archbishop (“daishikyoh” 大司教) and an organ… played by a mermaid-nun.

But they worship an as-yet indeterminate god who looks like the grim reaper. He is a skeleton in what appears to be a Benedictine habit, carrying a scythe. The cathedral town is defended by seven “ghosts” (also called “angels”) who look the same.

One of the bishops changes into a stylised cassock (with typical Japanese embellishments) and fights “kors” (demons) with… a giant scythe.

I am not sure if I am enjoying this anime yet. I am intrigued by the story, but as a Catholic (and a Dominican) I think I am more fascinated by the use of obviously Catholic stereotypes in Japanese media - a society whose social fabric is not fundamentally Christian, but animistic-pagan.
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Sounds odd indeed.

But Christ is making inroads there. The most Catholic series I have ever seen, whether American or foreign, is the anime version of Fullmetal Alchemist.
 
I’ve not watched this series (I’m 24 and pretty new to the world of anime), but most of the anime movies I’ve seen are wonderful. I highly recommend as family movies anything by Studio Ghibli. Their movies people of all ages will enjoy. Most of then have wonderful messages as well, unlike Disney movies which a pretty much brainless. The only two that are iffy for kids are Princess Mononoke, which is a beautiful story with a deep message, but is very violent. The other one is Grave of the Fireflies. It’s an anime World War II movie. It’s a beautiful story but very sad.
Some I recommend:

Nausticaa of the Valley of the Wind
Howl’s Moving Castle
Spirited Away
Castle in the Sky
My Neighbor Totoro
 
Megadittos on the Miyazaki catalog! 👍

Especially the less-well-known ones like Omoide Poro Poro, Mimi wo Subaseba, and Porco Rosso.

A lot of nonsense has been said to the effect that Miyazaki’s works reflect environmentalism and feminism, but he’s a storyteller, not a left-wing politician.
 
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