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Manga with unChristian themes

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 5:56 pm
by pandywandy
I usual read manga and watch anime with good themes and that show little or no instances where sin or demonic activities are implied.
For example: Fruits Basket, Imadoki, Naruto, etc.
But today a friend gave me a belated Christmas present. It was Sensual Phrase graphic novel volume 1. Here's a summary of the story (just so anyone reading this will understand my situation):
http://store.viz.com/product/GNVVV0015/b.IG_SHOJO+SENSUALPHASE/s.NCIQqhB1
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I had a vague bit of information about the story, but I read it anyways because it was a gift. Here are the main points in the story that bothered me, and they also happen to be very unChristian themes:
1) The main female character, Aine, is a 17 year old high school girl who writes song lyrics that are very suggestive.
2) These suggestive lyrics catches the attention of the main male character, Sakuya. He is the singer for a band called Lucifer.
3) The. Band. Is. Called. Lucifer. (And in real life, there is a Japanese band called Lucifier that is based on this manga as well.)
4) Sakuya prefers Aine's particular suggestive lyrics because she is a virgin, and she writes with a "virgin point of view".
5) Sakuya also "teases" Aine to give her "inspiration" to write her suggestive lyrics.
6) Even if they love each other, Aine and Sakuya always end up in sexual situations with each other. Also, I think that as the story progresses, they have sexual relations with other people too that puts their relationship in jeopardy.
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Honesty, I don't want to be in pocession of this book. However, I don't want to pass it on to someone else, because then they would be exposed to the sin that goes on in the story. But it is a gift.
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I prayed to God about my problem, and the only idea I had so far was to come on the CAA forum and post it. As anime fans, we all have instances like these at least once in our lives. It's easy to give other people advice and encouraging words, but sometimes we face times of need and search for help too from others that have been through a similar situation.
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I'm continuing to pray about this, and for others that have experienced something like this in the past, present, or in the future.
To anyone reading this, thank you. And God bless you all! :)

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:13 pm
by Rogie
Well, I'll be blunt: THROW IT AWAY. It's pretty simple, actually, and I've done it quite a few times with anime DVDs I have owned. Two examples come to mind: Wild Arms and Tsukikage Ran. They were vile, horrible shows, and so I just threw them away. In my case, I had spent money to buy these, so there was a little sour taste for that, but I felt 100% better for it afterward.

In your case, you didn't even have to spend the money, so you can feel free to throw it away. The only thing to keep in mind, of course, is whether your friend will ask if you still have it or will notice its absence from your home or something. In that case, the best thing to do is to just tell the friend up-front that the manga was not something that you believe God would want you to own or read. If this person is really your friend, he or she should understand, and if this friend is lost, it may even turn out to be a good opportunity to witness to him or her. :thumb:

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 7:39 pm
by pandywandy
Thank you. :)

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 9:09 am
by Kisa
toss it....

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:10 pm
by Slater
what a waste of paper! BURN IT! more entertaining! :thumbsup:

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 3:08 pm
by Mave
:eh: I've read most of this title about 1 or 2 years back and I strongly warn all Christian manga fans to stay away from it (especially young female readers...the target audience).

It was meant to be based off a real life band called Lucifer. While the band's name is annoying, what really gets under my skin is this manga's ability to bring about...ehh sensual thoughts and lust. Yeah, maybe it doesn't effect some of you (which I will find hard to believe), but this title greatly affected me. If I was to vote which manga screwed my sexual purity the most, this is one of them. In fact, stay away from ALL titles by Mayu Shinjo. If you think Kaikan Phrase is nasty, her most recent titles are just unbelievably offensive, I don't even want to talk about it.

Also, for further notice, stay away from any title by Minami Kanan. Her scenes are terribly GRAPHIC. I've never seen all her titles but one of them was enough to devastate all my efforts to curb lust in a split second.

Kill this comic before it kills you. I can't believe your friend gave you something like this. What was she/he thinking?!

Image

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 3:58 pm
by Spiritsword
I will pray.

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 4:25 pm
by Mangafanatic
Yeah, I echo what many before have said. Thank the giver for his most generous gift, then ditch it. You obviously feel uncomfortable having it so, IMHO, this is really the only choice you have. If your conscience is telling you something, listen to it.

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 7:05 pm
by pandywandy
Thank you all for your encouraging words, and for praying too. :)
But I have another question:
What about manga and anime that have some iffy themes, but are so incredible in plot, story, and characters that you just can't give it up? For example...vaguely Cowboy Bebop, Street Fighter, Yu Yu Hakusho, Inu Yasha, etc. I not a hardcore fan of any of these titles, but I have some idea that there are instances are sexual situations,
extreme violence, drug and alcohol use, demons and influences of other religions, etc.
Like I said, I'm not a fan. But I do have love ones that are and also happen to be Christians as well. Do anyone have any suggestions, and reasoning?

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 7:28 pm
by Hephzibah
My suggestion is that if you feel uncomfortable with it, dont read / watch it. If your friends are into it, voice your concerns in the kindest possible way. In the least they might refrain from discussing it in front of you. Also, if you are very concerned about the stuff they read / watch, pray for them. Don't try to force your beliefs on them... I tried to do that with my friend about Harry Potter, and it really only damaged the relationship and made both of us more stuborn.
Anyway, hope that helps :D

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 7:40 pm
by Mangafanatic
Don't watch/read anything you'e uncomfortable with. That's a policy that I adopted years ago, and it's served me well.

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 8:22 pm
by Rogie
I agree. If you feel bad about it, then it means the Spirit is moving, telling you "Nope!"

As for the titles you mentioned, I got uncomfortable with Yu Yu Hakusho after a while; I loved the show, especially during the Dark Tournament, but Koenma and his dad's positions as royalty of hell left a sour taste in my mouth. So, I ditched it. On a side note, I do like Inuyasha, and it rarely makes me uncomfortable.