Eric Hanna, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic teaching Philosophy at Campion College in Regina.
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I have learned that one can find God in all things: this truism applies well to Japanese anime. In this entry, I would like to explore the use of the Christ-figure in anime. What is anime? Well, after WWII, Japanese culture was highly influenced by American culture. In the 1960s, Japanese artists adapted and simplified the "Disney" style animations they saw at the movies and used them to tell Japanese stories....
A friend of mine was asked to lead a discussion on the film Inception and its themes connected to Christianity and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. My friend was having difficulty because the makers of the film were clearly not trying to communicate a Christian message. He didn't want to merely shoehorn the themes into the movie, such readings end up feeling flaky and forced. However, I was happy to volunteer to take on the discussion, confident I wouldn't be shoehorning....
Chances are you've heard of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. If you haven't, I highly recommend you start reading it and don't stop. To my mind, it equals any work of literature in terms of its depth of character and its exploration of the human experience. Also, it's a pleasure to read: it is very funny and beautifully drawn. It's one of those marvellous experiences that are all-too-easy to miss. So let me tell you about it....
I think I'd like to be A Jesuit on Mars To soar through that black, airless sea And evangelize the stars Perhaps some child of the red sands Awaits the Word of God They'll gape in amazement as I land In my ecclesial space pod...
