Angel Beats and Christianity

[Kurama]

It's definitely not pro-Christian, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that it is deliberately anti-Christian either.

In a way, the setting of the story kind of resembles purgatory without all the burning.

Spoilers...

Spoiler: Angel Beats ending

I suppose the Afterlife Academy is an allegorical purgatory and the students cleanse themselves by making peace with their deaths, helping them move on.

Then again the final scene between Yuzuru and Kanade resembles the real world, rather than heaven. Thus perhaps Angel Beats represents Buddhism, though it could also be interpreted that God is ''giving them a second chance at living'' (theologically this was the case of Lazarus, though this occured through Christ).

Notwithstanding, it is undeniable that Key took both Chrstian and Buddhist symbolisms to create Angel Beats.

 

[LLLawliet]

I thought I was the only one who thought it was an anti christian anime at first. like many other people on here, It offended me the way they talked about God. and dropped the series but my friend got me to try watching it again. after I got further into the story Angel Beats grew on me.. I liked the humor

 

[Ajdlga]

I am catholic and anime fan. I agree with your point of view, briefly, to me, it seems to be a brilliant Japanese point of view about purgatory...

 

[Legodudelol]

So I tried showing this to my sister (Highschool Freshman) and my dad (53 year old former pastor whom I've gotten into anime) and I've given them the general rule of thumb of "try the first 3 episodes" and after watching those my dad gave a mini-sermon and after hearing the good things I said will happen in the anime (since I've seen it before) basically said "it's good message at the end isn't worth all of the anti-christian garbage you have to wade through to get to the ending", so I think your positive christian look of the anime is not well placed.

 

[FireDragon76]

The anime series is set in a limbo (a state between life and death), which is characterised as a high school. The students living in the school have all had tragic lives, some of whom blaming God for everything. A minority join together to form the Afterlife Battlefront, in which they strive to ''rebel against'' God. They consistently target a girl whom they call Angel, the Student Council President, as they believe she is a servant of God, due to her responsibility of ensuring that all students find peace so that they may pass on (while the Battlefront want to remain in limbo permanently).

Sounds like a pretty anti-Christian anime...but after watching the series, I believe it is just the opposite. Trying to not spoil the plot, all I'll say is that the series gradually shifts from the main characters ''fighting'' God, to conducting introspection...finding reasons why their lives were so miserable in the first place, and making peace with it. One could say that God allowed the students to live in limbo in order to make peace with themselves, and Angel represented Him, much like Jesus (however that is an interpretation, it is not the premise of the entire plot, I won't spoil that!)


Anyway here's a sample from the first episode of the main character, Otonashi, fighting against Angel.

Angel Beats - Episode 1 Clip - YouTube

I have found the anime to be exhilarating, and it certainly is one of the most original series I have seen in a while. The anime contains some scenes which may break your heart in one moment and patch it up in the next. Even if you are not be an anime fan, I recommend that you watch Angel Beats!

Japanese people know about Christianity superficially, but they don't typically appreciate it on its own terms, or take it too seriously, and sometimes appropriate the imagery to tell their own stories.

Stories about a Creator as an adversary aren't rare in Japanese pop culture (Final Fantasy Legends also has this story... also a few years ago there was a Simpsons console game that parodied Japanese video games and included a Dance Dance Revolution boss battle with God, playing off a similar theme). Japanese mythology and religion are driven by different themes than Christians focus on creation.

I don't think they are trying to be "anti-Christian" so much as tell a story to an audience that is most likely non-Christian and don't take Christianity all that seriously. 99 percent of Japanese aren't Christians, and might not even be aware how many Christians might find the story offensive.

 

[TruthInLight]

It's been 12 years since I saw Angel Beats. I watched it the year it came out, in 2010.

Here's the thing. TV shows and movies often mix truth with lies. Whether it's Japanese anime or American series. Concerning Angel Beats; there some truth to what the show tells people. Users brought up the false ideologies and concepts in this series. But what about the parts that are truth?

Jesus tells us we are not from this world. How he came to this world to save the lost. The characters in Angel Beats are rebelling against a messenger of God just like lost people in the world (the real world) are rebelling against God and his laws and those who the lord sends. That episode when the characters find out who is behind the system to all the things the people in that world are doing; is similar to Satan and his kingdom running the system of this world and leading people astray.

We have a home, true home, that we want to go, Heaven. Lost people will stay in rebellion against God. Just like in the show, we'll go to a different place and a have new life, if we are saved in Christ. Angel Beats does have things that are of good report.