anime_manga

What is Anime and Manga?
Manga (link to anime_manga1)

==== **[|Anime]**: i s an abbreviation of the English word "animation", originating in Japan through the roots of manga. ====

**[|Manga]**: is the Japanese word for comics and print cartoons.
 From Christianity to Hinduism to Buddhism, it can all be found within the two staples of Japanese pop culture, anime and manga. Spiritual beliefs and traditions from across the world have been present in Japanese cartoons and comics.  Creator, Hideaki Anno, drew on elements of Christian and Jewish Mysticism in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.  In this series the villains       are "Angels" attempting to carry out the Apocalypse, each angel is supposed to correspond to a seal in [|Revelations], thou there was more then seven "Angels" in the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. The heroes are the fallen men trying to stop them with human invention.  Anime and manga most often has some element of the fantastic, with angels and demons being common. These creatures are portrayed quite differently than someone from a western culture would expect. The depiction of angels and demons tends to go with one of three themes; destructive demons, devil with a soul, and characters with angel wings.  When the devil with a soul theme appears you will find a demon who is an amoral person in the beginning and as the story progresses the demon slowly sheds his or her evil tendencies and becomes a moral person. This idea comes from the idea in Buddhism that hell is only a temporary place and that redemption is possible.

 Often the greatest evil in anime and manga, that has demons comes from human villains, as demons in Buddhism are the result of evil humans. The anime Inu Yasha is a good example of both sides of this theme. The main character Inu Yasha starts off as a uncouth and uncaring half demon but eventually loses his indifference to human. The main antagonist of the series, Naraku, started out as a normal human but through his depraved desires loses his humanity and becomes a demon. 

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Here is a video showing scenes of Naraku and his evil demonic actions throughout the Inuyasha series. In his first appearance in the series, he is a badly burned and dying man named Omigumo. The priestes Kikyo cares for him, and before long, Omigumo begins to lust after Kikyo. In his desperation to be with her he askes many demons to be absorbed into his body in order to heal it and give it new strength. With his new body, he now destroys the relationship Kikyo is in with Inuyasha by killing her and cursing Inuyasha. Now he is completely focused on becoming a more powerful demon.

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These are scenes from the anime Saint Seiya. Saint Seiya is an anime revolving around the training and battles of holy knights, which are associated with specific constellation. Interstingly enough, this anime has certian aspects of greek mythology to it, since it is the knight's main duty to protect the reincarnation of the goddess Athena. However, the imagery and influence here is very obviously Buddhist with the main character sitting in a meditative pose surrounded by light on top of a lotus flower. This lotus flower is a symbol that is dominant in the next scene as well, with the boy standing on the lotus flower raising his finger. This is one of many examples of Buddhist influence and imagery found throughout anime. Although this is a fan-made compilation of scenes, it is interesting to note that the music used is from a group called Buddhist Monks.

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This is the preview of the anime movie "Spirited Away" by Hayao Miyazaki. This fim is incredibly influenced by Shintoism seeing as the story takes place in the world of the Kami. A young girl Chihiro gets trapped in the world of Kami and has to figure out how to get back to the real world. See meets many Kami along the way, including a powerful one named Haku, who help her with her problems. It is also interesting to see how this fictional story is dealing with the issue of Kami and is set in the present time.