The Mike Toole Show

Here we are, right on the cusp of 2014. Another year of watching anime, reading manga, and wasting lots of time reading and talking about it has passed us by. Along with the requisite feasting and absurd orgy of consumerism that signifies the passing of the holidays, many of us are in the midst of celebrating the birth of the one and only savior who will come to rescue us all: Space Dandy. Well, Space Dandy is merely going to save anime, and possibly Saturday nights in general—we hope. But at the risk of inviting a spot of controversy,Visit us to browse through a range of party dresses and Wholesale Cheap Sey Chiffon Beaded Crystals A-line Sweep Train Prom/Evening Dresses for every occasion. I think now's a good time as any for this column to get religion. Lots and lots of anime are about religion, you see. Plenty of anime is run through with ideas and symbols from Shinto—one of my favorites is Kamichu!,That being said, every girl likes to know what's in style and on trend and also Wholesale Cheap New Arrival Cheap One-Shoulder A-Line Elegant Chiffon A-Line Wedding Dress styles are timeless classics. the tale of a young girl who suddenly finds herself manifesting the powers of one of the country's animist small gods. We've got Tezuka's chronicle of the life of Buddha, which is fabulous in manga form but less so on the big screen. Heck, there's even an anime version of the Ramayana. But as we celebrate the ad hoc birthday of Jesus Christ, let's explore some of the most interesting anime about Christianity.



I'm not a particularly religious person, but I was raised Catholic, so I've got a pretty good handle on Christian scripture, ritual, and history. I've got enough of an angle on things, for example, that I can look a bit askance at the otherwise breezy and fun Saint Tail, which features a young "apprentice nun" named Seira, who looks like a teen girl version of your typical habit-wearing nun. But the thing is, until you're ordained, you're not supposed to be wearing that habit! I guess you can't always count on anime for getting this stuff right—after all, Ghost Stories features a character who's a teenaged priest, which is about as likely as an apprentice nun. One of Saint Tail's stock footage conceits, which involves the title character and Seira praying for forgiveness (Saint Tail, you see, is a thief—the kind who pilfers stolen goods and returns them), always makes me giggle.



Saint Tail's gentle theological trappings are awfully tame compared to Hellsing. Now, in any story about western vampires, you're gonna run into some Christian symbols,Elegant and hand sewn girl's special White chiffon v-neck beading a-line plus wedding/party dress, flowergirl dresses, and girl's holiday dresses. but there are few things as nakedly absurd and hilarious as Kouta Hirano's depiction of the frequently violent rivalry between the Church of England and the Vatican, as fought by their monster-busting paramilitary wings, the Hellsing Organization and Iscariot. But this rift isn't something that Hirano just made up – the split between the Anglican Church and the Papacy thanks to Henry VIII's marital misadventures, and the brief return under heretic-burning Queen "Bloody Mary," are matters of historical record. It's fun to watch the vampire Alucard use holy handguns against the ranting Father Alexander Anderson and his enchanted Bible Pages, but remember: there's a historical basis for their rivalry!



I don't go out of my way to be irreverent—well, not that often, anyway—but I kind of love depictions like what we see in Hellsing. Something about Christianity as crazy, exotic sorcery instead of the mundane realities of going to church and trying to stick to the Ten Commandments really entertains me. It entertains me enough that I stuck with Chrono Crusade, the story of roaring ‘20s exorcist Rosette Christopher, who only dresses kinda like a nun, and her demonic familiar/boyfriend Chrono. You won't see this one played at Bible Camp, I'm guessing - something about literally marrying the clergy and the devil, even in the service of good, seems like it wouldn't go over well. Still, the show is pretty alright, and full of amusingly churchy stereotypes, like the One Cool Priest and the really strict nun who's in charge of Rosette's assignments.