I had a really great conversation today with an exchange student at the university I attended, which is nearby my work. We talked a lot about how one person can have a powerful impact on others just by loving them. Our lives profoundly impacts other lives as we intersect in our relationships. We may not see the fruit these relationships bear – but sometimes, our words and deeds can move people.
Genshiken showed me a similar lesson this week. Truth be told, I’m not the biggest Genshiken Nidaime fan, even if I was reading the manga religiously until recently. I am, however, a huge fan of some of the characters from the original season, including Madarame and Kasukabe, so naturally, I was super excited about seeing the scene between these two in animation form. I was excited for it, and I wasn’t let down.
I remembered the confession scene pretty well from the manga, but one portion I’d forgotten until it aired was Kasukabe’s tearful relief at finally letting go of the pretense that she didn’t know about Madarame’s feelings. Even if her answer would always be “no,” she’d been holding back for long for someone she cared about, that it was a great relief for her for things to finally get settled.
Imagine if Madarame had not said anything? Imagine if he had done what he had always done and given in to the mentality that he had no chance? Not only would he be affected – but so, too, would Kasukabe, having to continue with the strain of holding back.
It’s strange…perhaps anime fans, more than many, think little of ourselves. While we might be puffed full of pride in various areas (as all humans are), we often have little confidence, just like Madarame. And it may be hard for us to imagine that, indeed, others are thinking about us. As we interact with people, we leave them not only with impressions, but as we spend more and more time with other, also with significant pieces of ourselves.
Our lives are significant for a variety of reasons – but partially because we leave a sometimes invisible, but remarkable, impact on people we know. No matter how selfishly we live, unless we truly are hermits, we’ll affect others. We’re made to be in relationships – we’re made to be involved with others.
But what will we do with this opportunity? Because that’s what it is – it’s an opportunity to love and encourage. We only need to be like that most unlikely of characters, Madarame, and act.
I recently found your blog, and just wanted to say that it is simply awesome. I really enjoy finding other groups of Christians who share my hobbies, because it helps to get rid of the feeling that I’m somehow in the wrong for liking video games, or anime, or whatever, because I’m a Christian. I like the fact that you can take a show and really pull some great messags out of it, where most of us probably just watch it, say, “Oh, that was cool,” and then go about our merry ways. It also goes to show that Paul’s command in Philippians 4:8 (Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.) doesn’t necessarily mean that we should limit what we view/read/etc. but rather how we think about such things, and the lens through which we view them. Of course, there are some things that we have no justification for watching (pornography, or hentai in this case), but I’m sure there are some Christians out there who would lambast anime simply for what it is, using the aforementioned verse to make their point, without even bothering to consider that the anime itself may contain content that is indeed true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praisworthy.
Well, anyway, mini-rant over… keep doing what you’re doing, and I’ll keep reading! I’m also thinking about starting my own blog to do reviews of anime from a Christian perspective, complete with content guides similar to what the movie reviewer at Jesus Freak Hideout does. Any tips for starting and maintaing a successful blog?
Rob, thank you for the kind words! We definitely seem to share a similar point of view when it comes to media. While there are definite lines, and each individual Christian must also determine what’s okay for him/her to consume when related to their walk with God, certainly we as Christians can be part of and even contribute to the culture while still being set apart for the LORD.
I’ll shoot you an email in regards to blogging!