Dragonball dilemma

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iwannabesomeone

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Hello, I checked out some graphic novels from my library called Dragonball. They seem to be cartoonish and aimed towards children. I began reading them and I found male and female nudity throughout the book. Do I have a moral obligation to tell my library to get rid of these graphic novels. On the one hand I wouldn’t want kids to miss out on the Dragonball series because it’s pretty neat. On the other hand these books are aimed towards kids and contain nudity. What should I do?
 
Most public libraries have some kind of procedure to request reconsideration of a book. If you feel the book is inappropriate for the library you can ask the librarian about what you need to do to start the process.

Were the books in the children’s section or the adult section? If they were in the adult section then any reconsideration would apply to adults seeing the books, not children.
 
iwannabesomeone said:
Hello, I checked out some graphic novels from my library called Dragonball. They seem to be cartoonish and aimed towards children. I began reading them and I found male and female nudity throughout the book. Do I have a moral obligation to tell my library to get rid of these graphic novels. On the one hand I wouldn’t want kids to miss out on the Dragonball series because it’s pretty neat. On the other hand these books are aimed towards kids and contain nudity. What should I do?
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Take it from me, an expert on the whole Dragon Ball franchise. You’re being WAY too scrupulous here.
 
I’ve read them before. They are Japanese manga. I would say that they’re probably aimed at teenagers, but they are a bit err… risque…
 
Yeah the original comicbook was more adult even though it’s aimed at teenagers, I used to watch the whole series when it was on televison,
realised it much deeper than that, when stubling upon the illuminati, the dark side of music etc.

On one of the cars in Dragon ball has three sixes on it, plus the Character Tien (Three eyes or third eye) all deep stuff man, as it’s a shame as i’m a big fan of Manga and anime and i’m still am.
 
GeorgeSword said:
It is pretty graphic nudity…
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I find it often the case that manga has more nudity and it gets filtered upon being turned into anime.

Frankly though, I wouldn’t find any nudity in Dragon Ball appealing. I’ve never been a huge fan of it because of its overly-muscular style. :\ I might be willing to give its story a shot but er… I already have enough series on my plate to catch up on as it is.
anbessa said:
On one of the cars in Dragon ball has three sixes on it, plus the Character Tien (Three eyes or third eye) all deep stuff man, as it’s a shame as i’m a big fan of Manga and anime and i’m still am.
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No offense but looking for demonic symbols in the manner that you are doing is a manifestation of paranoia. You might want to break that habit as it is the first step to the path that Jack Chick is walking.
 
well… i’ve been watching DB and DBZ for quite a wile now and to tell you the truth BD and DBZ has always had nudity even in the cartoons (In the Japanese uncut versions) but its not the dirty kind of nudity, the nudity they show is mostly if its some kinda joke or gag or if is like GOKU neked as a lil kid just to show his innocence.
in many cultures around the world like Japan, Latin America and most European nations is not considered tabu as it is here in the U.S, the only thing anyone might have trouble with in DB and DBZ is the martial art action but it is a boys cartoon after all, the Dragonball franchise is a pretty good thing to get into, after all we as Catholics love a lil naked boy by the name of baby Jesus anyway, specially around this time of the year,…so i don’t see nothing wrong with it.

👍
 
well… i’ve been watching DB and DBZ for quite a wile now and to tell you the truth BD and DBZ has always had nudity even in the cartoons (In the Japanese uncut versions) but its not the dirty kind of nudity, the nudity they show is mostly if its some kinda joke or gag or if is like GOKU neked as a lil kid just to show his innocence.
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Those parts aren’t so much a problem. There are some scenes with Bulma flashing people that are pretty distracting though. Fortunately these moments occur a lot less often after the first story arc, if I recall correctly.

It might be worth noting that Dragonball Kai, the recut/redone broadcast of Dragonball Z that is currently airing in Japan, has had several edits done to it. They even edited out all of the baby nudity.
 
In the first issue we also see a full body picture of Bulma in the shower… it’s really not all gags…
 
i would personally be a bit warry of DBZ.

it’s a very famous and beloved series, but much of its content is pulled from pagan myths, occultic pactices, etc. and contains a fair amount of sexual material, innuendo, violence, etc.

it’s really not something a Christian should be looking at. well drawn and entertaining, yes. but Christ-honoring, no. quite the opposite.
 
grace_singh said:
it’s a very famous and beloved series, but much of its content is pulled from pagan myths, occultic pactices, etc. and contains a fair amount of sexual material, innuendo, violence, etc.
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And fairy tales like Snow White aren’t? What about Rapunzel? Heck the Book of Songs also has sexual innuendo. Did you know that Lord of the Rings is famous for its derivations from Norse and Scandinavian mythology?

And frankly, what’s wrong with violence? Not only you can find that stuff even in the Bible, it really is pretty cool.

Frankly though, I’m more into the high-speed jutsus of elemental destruction in Naruto than the muscle-buffing energy blasting of Dragon Ball. (No offense exoflare. :p)
 
what i mean is that the plot lines, themes, action, characters, spiritual backdrop and moral views of the entire show are deeply pagan and occultic, and overtly so.

if that doesn’t bother you as a Christian, well… i know it bothers me, enough to persuade me to avoid such shows.

sexual themes / veiled archetypes and graphic depictions of sex and violence are two different things. and the violence of history and God’s will found in the Bible is very different from the fantasy violence in anime and manga.

one is based on truth and God’s will and work, the other springs from the imaginations of men.
 
grace_singh said:
what i mean is that the plot lines, themes, action, characters, spiritual backdrop and moral views of the entire show are deeply pagan and occultic, and overtly so.
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Eh? The only values I’ve seen being espoused by shounen are friendship, hardwork, teamwork etc. If such things are “overtly occultic” to you then it’s you who has a moral compass to work on.
grace_singh said:
if that doesn’t bother you as a Christian, well… i know it bothers me, enough to persuade me to avoid such shows.
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It doesn’t bother me because I use my head which is something I think every Christian forgets to use when they get lost in religious zeal. You have every right to not watch a show like that but only if your reasons are reasons of taste (like me). Saying that it’s because “I’m Christian” though is, frankly, uneducated.
grace_singh said:
sexual themes / veiled archetypes and graphic depictions of sex and violence are two different things. and the violence of history and God’s will found in the Bible is very different from the fantasy violence in anime and manga.
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LOL!! Are you kidding me? Raining fireballs? Pillars of flame? Locusts swarm? I know a ton of manga, anime, and even video game characters who have such abilities. (In fact, I often wished I had 'em too. :p)
grace_singh said:
one is based on truth and God’s will and work, the other springs from the imaginations of men.
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What’s wrong with the imaginations of men? If anything, it’s one of the greatest gifts God has given humanity (and one I frequently and shamelessly indulge in when I write up my own type of manga-story). 😛
 
well, because it’s essentially magic. and a lot of what the “bad guys” in that series do is positively evil, sadistic, and twisted.

it’s not only that, but the incorporation of Buddhist-Hindu mythology, gods, yogic practices, and evil creatures as real and impressive sources of power.

it’s not something i’m ok with as a Christian, exactly because i am one. so, i chose not to watch it, and when asked, give my point of view. i personally avoid it, and for the listed reasons would encourage other Christians to avoid it, too.
 
Lost_Wanderer said:
Frankly though, I’m more into the high-speed jutsus of elemental destruction in Naruto than the muscle-buffing energy blasting of Dragon Ball. (No offense exoflare. :p)
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hehe… that sounds more like DBZ than Dragon Ball (I know, for the manga it was all just one series), but thanks. 😃
 
grace_singh said:
well, because it’s essentially magic. and a lot of what the “bad guys” in that series do is positively evil, sadistic, and twisted.
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What are you talking about? Frankly the reason why I have a hard time appreciating the basic rapid-punching and giant energy beams of Dragon Ball is because it’s the fighting norm for both the good guys and the bad guys.
grace_singh said:
it’s not only that, but the incorporation of Buddhist-Hindu mythology, gods, yogic practices, and evil creatures as real and impressive sources of power.
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What do you have against its cosmology? I personally find it a little too simple and quirky but evil? Come on! It’s the product of someone’s imagination! It should be seen as such and critiqued as such. Furthermore, I don’t ever remember seeing Goku being asked to worship anything. I mean all he does is basically train to learn a new move then beat up the newest bad guy (then again, this is a standard plot in every shounen).

And don’t forget, I’m still waiting for your opinion on Tolkien who also incorporated pagan mythology.
grace_singh said:
it’s not something i’m ok with as a Christian, exactly because i am one. so, i chose not to watch it, and when asked, give my point of view. i personally avoid it, and for the listed reasons would encourage other Christians to avoid it, too.
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And it’s also for your reasons why I would be there to tell people not to take you seriously. There’s nothing anti-Christian or un-Christian about enjoying Dragon Ball. Period. You really need to reevaluate how you view things because the view you are presenting now is not a binding Christian view because for one thing, it’s an uneducated opinion that doesn’t make sense.
 
Most of you have probably seen this before, but for those who haven’t: here’s Super Pope. It’s the Catholic version of DBZ…
There’s a difference!? :eek:
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There’s a huge difference. Dragonball is more martial arts/comedy-centered and features Goku’s childhood. Dragonball Z (as it’s referred to in the show, anyway) is when the action/laser blasts/super muscles become the main draw of the show, and Goku is an adult. Plus tons of filler. And aliens. And blond hair.
it’s not only that, but the incorporation of Buddhist-Hindu mythology, gods, yogic practices, and evil creatures as real and impressive sources of power.
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For the most part the religious elements of Dragonball are akin to that of a fairy tale. They’re not meant to be taken particularly seriously. Ditto the use of super powers and fire blasts, which are cartoony exaggerations of martial arts moves.
In the first issue we also see a full body picture of Bulma in the shower… it’s really not all gags…
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Please, Bulma’s cute but she’s no Saimoe candidate. 😛
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Maybe so, but stuff like Yamcha seeing Bulma in the shower is pretty unnecessary. And it leads to stuff like the Path to Power film, which features a disappointingly more perverted depiction of Bulma than usual.

Just to clarify, I’m not really against nudity in animation unless it is pointless and/or simply there to incite lust in the viewer. For reference sake I think this page does a good job distinguishing the types of nudity in art, with three out of the four being acceptable. But if even “lightly pornographic” material can be avoided, it probably should be.
It doesn’t bother me because I use my head which is something I think every Christian forgets to use when they get lost in religious zeal. You have every right to not watch a show like that but only if your reasons are reasons of taste (like me). Saying that it’s because “I’m Christian” though is, frankly, uneducated.
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Skipping a show based on one’s conscience is potentially just as valid as skipping a show based on one’s taste.
 
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