Bakersfield is not known as a bastion of Japanese culture, so many of you might be wondering what it is we're trying to get you into. What is anime anyway? Well, historically Japanese Animation (anime as it's called) has not been held in high regard by the Christian community. Much of it is violent and ungodly - just like American television. What it does offer, however, is a different perspective and every once and a while something good comes along.

While Americans usually think of animation as cartoons and see it as a comic diversion, the Japanese have come to treat it as a serious art form. The idea of dramatic animation, made for adult audiences, has proven very popular across the world. Anime’s growing popularity in the United States can be seen in the Cartoon Network’s broadcast of shows like Cowboy Bebop and the success of movies like Spirited Away. What makes this medium so attractive is that it allows stories to be told which would otherwise be impossible, or abhorrently expensive to do with live action special effects. It has allowed screenwriters and directors almost unlimited creativity with the ability to bring imagination to life.

American television is driven by hit shows with recognizable characters. As they grow and develop through the years, we end up watching the shows because of the characters we have come to love. Inherently the plots of these shows are episodic and we watch to see how the characters react to each situation. Since most episodes can stand alone, the series are open ended and if they are popular, networks try to keep them on the air for as long as possible. Shows like MASH, Cheers, and Seinfeld were produced for over ten years and are still shown in syndication. Anime, however, exists to tell a story and when that story is finished, the series ends. With rare exception, most animes are designed to only last one season.

One anime that stands apart from all the others was aired in a thirteen episode series in Japan from October 9th, 2002, to December 18th, 2002 called Haibane Renmei. Haibane Renmei (灰 羽連盟) translates in English to the “Charcoal Feathers Federation.” The series was created by ABe Yoshitoshi, who did Serial Experiments Lain and Niea Under 7, both very popular in Japan. Haibane is a fantasy with a deep and complex plot that is difficult to describe in few words.

Outside of our memory, in a forgotten dream, lies a world surrounded by walls. In an abandoned dormitory far outside of town, live the haibane. Not quite human, they hatch from cocoons and grow grey wings, but cannot fly. The story begins with the arrival of a new haibane, who is named Rakka. The story is about her adjusting to her new life and finding out why she is there. Every episode builds on the ones before it, leading towards a final conclusion. ABe was once described as “being able to make the extraordinary ordinary”; which is very fitting for this show. Though it is fantasy, it reflects our own lives in many ways. The impossible and the fantastic become real and you find yourself drawn into their world.

Haibane Renmei is unique among Japanese animation in a number of ways, foremost of which is its use of Christian images and symbolism. This show resonated with me. After watching the series for the first time I wanted to go back and interpret more fully the Christian references found within it. 

It is safe to assume that most of the people who worked on Haibane are not Christian, nor have a Christian background. The plot and the theological implications; however, surely go much deeper than its creator ever intended. In an interview done at the Anime Expo 2003, ABe Yoshitoshi said Haibane is “not a story about any specific religion, but it is nonetheless a religious story I think. It probably reflects my ideas about an entity called god and something called life.”

I believe that God can and does use everything for His glory—even people who do not realize they are being used. In the same interview ABe said “I wanted to do a story with no prior conceptual planning; a story that was created entirely by ad-libs… Without any contemplation, as ideas popped up in my head, I wrote as if I had become an automatic writing machine.” In a statement like that I see the hand of God at work. Whether it was unintentional or not, this is the most Christian anime I have ever seen and has more spiritual truth in it than almost all American media. There are no direct references to Christianity like those found in the Chronicles of Narnia or Ben Hur. Instead, it is analogous to movies like The Matrix or Signs, that while not directly Christian stories, can still show us a great deal about God’s truth. You cannot come into Haibane expecting an action packed adventure, it is much more subtle than that. It is a story about redemption, salvation, and what God can do in and through each of us.