Need advice regarding my children and a potentially satanic Japanese cartoon and comic book they have gotten into.

[MikeStone]

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a pleasant evening.

I've been praying over this issue for the past few days and decided I would reach out about it as well for any advice.

Recently, my oldest son Christopher and oldest daughter Amberlynn, 18 and 17 respectfully, have gotten into a tv show called Beastars. It is a Japanese cartoon, called an anime, that they watched on Netflix. From my research, it's based on a comic book that is apparently popular over there. It takes place in a world full of animals like the Disney movie Zootopia but is intended for a "mature" audience as the main plot focuses on a wolf boy who falls in love with a rabbit girl. Now while I do not have a problem with mature themes in general, the bits and pieces that I caught while the two of them watched it in the tv room gave me concern. At one point I caught a scene in which a deer boy pushes the wolf up against a wall and forces his hand into his mouth while yelling at him to bite him. This gave me second thoughts about the series and I decided to investigate it.

What I found has disturbed me. The series takes place in a high school setting, making nearly all the characters underage. The plot literally follows the main wolf boy as he has to decide whether he wants to have sex with the rabbit girl or eat her! It gets even worse if you would believe me, I decided to watch a few episodes on my own and there are many instances of satanic practices that are encouraged. At one point, a tiger boy is caught drinking blood and everyone seems to be fine with it but the main wolf-boy. In fact, at one point the wolf and tiger boys go out with their friends and end up at a place that sells people to eat! And everyone tells the wolf boy that it's normal and he's overreacting when he says that it's wrong to eat people! Now you could think that this could maybe be explained away, but what makes me think this is satanic is that through the series a large tall shadowy figure constantly tells the wolf boy that it's ok and that he should give in and eat the rabbit girl that he is becoming friends with. This sent literal chills down my spine as there is no doubt that this has to be a reference to the devil. And at no point in the series does anyone but the wolf boy question him. Even then the wolf boy is shown to be a pervert, a liar, and solves most of his problems with violence!

My kids have already finished the series and my son is now reading the comic book online. I decided to talk to them about it yesterday but they claim that it's innocent and that there is nothing satanic about it. But the more I learn about it the more I question if I should step in and ban it from the household. Apparently, as the series goes on the wolf boy and the aforementioned deer boy get into strangely sexual situations together. So much so that much of what I can find about the comic book suggests that the author hides homosexual themes in it. Along with this, as the series goes on it becomes incredibly violent and bloody. The author is also apparently sexually attracted to these animals he draws which disturbs me.

I told my wife about this and she is for banning it but has told me that I need to respect that it is my children's choice if they want to watch it and that they are getting to an age where they need to learn to make their own good choices in life. I have been praying for both of them and praying for God to help me make the right decision here. I feel that the right thing to do would ask here for help as well. What do you all think of this? If any of you know of the series, does it come off as satanic too you as well? What would you do if you found your children watching or reading this series? I would also like to ask for you all to pray for my family and for Christopher and Amberlynn to make the choice that the Lord would want them too here. Thank you all and have a wonderful evening.

 

[Br. Bear]

Greetings,

happy to pray

What would you do if you found your children watching or reading this series? I would also like to ask for you all to pray for my family and for Christopher and Amberlynn to make the choice that the Lord would want them too here.

Bless you ....><>

 

[Brad Huber]

You already know what to do, the Holy Spirit has been prodding you on this, you know this is wrong, and that your children dont haven the wisdom to judge the cartoons or books good or evil, for your childrens sake, you must assert yourself and put a stop to it. To begin with, they will be very angry at you, and try to find ways to cheat on your prohibition of involvement of these anime. But stand strong in the Lord, and in your conviction to do the right thing. Yet let them know you are doing it because you love them. They might deny that you love them, they might tell you they dont love you in punishment to you, but you must stand strong against this, its the lives of your children at stake, their spiritual lives, their eternal lives. Praying for strength for you.

 

[Hekuran]

Your priority should be to teach your children to make wise choices, and they are getting close to the age when they will be making decisions without reference to you. Have you considered options other than banning it outright?

 

[MikeStone]

Your priority should be to teach your children to make wise choices, and they are getting close to the age when they will be making decisions without reference to you. Have you considered options other than banning it outright?

On Friday night I sat them down and asked them what they thought of the series and told them what I had found and what concerned me about it. The tv show only covered about 1/4th of the comic series so that is what I found the most information on and decided to stick with. I brought up the satanic practices such as the tiger-boy consuming blood and the dark figure telling the wolf-boy to eat the rabbit-girl. I also brought up my reservations about the dark hidden messages I see in it but they claimed that I am misinterpreting much of the series. My two oldest are much more "progressive" than I am and I've talked to them many times about how present the devil is in our daily lives but they never seem to understand fully what I mean. I feel like this is an example.

 

[Hekuran]

Sitting down and talking is definitely good.

I've had a ten minute look at a couple of reviews. It's definitely an exploration of a weird world, but I've not read anything -- other than your comments -- that's linked to satanism. Within the world of human-like animals it's natural for a wolf to want to eat a rabbit, or for a tiger to consume blood. The shadowy figure may well represent evil, but the key question for me is how do the characters respond to evil? Is evil overcome or defeated, and how?

It seems there a lot of teenage angst and dilemmas driving the character conflicts and the plot. Could you use the series in a more creative way, to open up conversations about their experience of late-teens. You say that they are more progressive than you, which is natural (I'm more progressive than my parents, and my children are more progressive than me). Fantasy art is only any good when it mirrors real life. My guess is that there's things in the series that make it compelling for your children. Spend some time listening and find out what it is, bridge the gap between generations.

If they believe you are misinterpreting it, give them plenty of space to show you where they think you are wrong. Don't be hasty to come back at them with answers.

I'm borrowing ideas from people like Francis Shaeaffer, who said that in an hour he would listen for 55 minutes and speak truth for five. See more about him here The virtue of listening—because there are no little people… | The Humanitas Forum. Also I read this today about the similarities between counter-terrorism and raising teenagers. Improve your relationships – with advice from counter-terrorism experts

 

[NYQueens977]

Hi! Anime fan here. I read the manga (the comic) and watched the anime (the show) twice. I've also seen pretty much all of the reviews.
Before I get into my advice, I want to share with you the series and what it's about.
The story takes place in a world where society is divided between predator and prey. Predators are highly scrutinized by society and are usually classified as violent. Prey on the other hand are seen as weak and need protection from the scary predators. Legosi, the wolf boy and protagonist, is shy and reserved, which defies how society defines a predator, and Haru, the rabbit girl, is abrasive and independent, which defies how society defines prey. Not only that, but she's also promiscuous, which is something that girls are often looked down for being, but she uses her promiscuity to gain equal footing with her peers. I mean, in bed, her peers don't see her as a weal prey, but as a woman.

The story follows Legosi as he struggles with his newfound crush over Haru, and tries to determine if his love for her is actual true love, or if it's just his predatory instincts, which is portrayed as that shadowy 'demon' that you were referring to earlier. In a society were predator and prey are split, a relationship between the two is considered taboo and sometimes straight up impossible.

The black market is seen as a compromise in this society, although no one talks about it. Predators can eat prey from funeral homes and the deceased wards in hospitals. The blood scene that you're referring to is the scene before the play, where the tiger, Bill, is using it more like a steroid than anything. The scene were the deer boy is shoving his hand in Legosi's mouth is Louis' way of criticizing Legosi for being so timid, despite being a predator. Louis is prey, and despises being weak, so he can't understand why Legosi, despite being a predator, is so timid and weak, and hates him for that. So Louis taunts his predator side, trying to push Legosi over the edge, but in that same scene, Legosi explains that society can't allow him to be strong, because then he'll be seen as oppressive.

As for my advice, I would have to agree with your kids and say that there is no satanic themes in this story. The story is more grounded, and deals with more social issues. I have to admit that it does get spiritual a little later on in the manga, but that focuses more on establishing a sense of self. Asking questions like "who am I", trying to find inner strength, and finding the meaning, of life, but nothing Satanic or anything that glorifies dark themes. The spiritually is honestly more Buddhist than satanic, which makes sense since this takes place in Japan. Is it mature? Yes. Beastars doesn't shy away from themes that revolve around sex, drugs, addiction, fetishes and obsessions. It doesn't try to take a side either by condemning or praising these themes, but instead opens the door for conversation about these themes. Why should Haru have to use sex to feel good about herself? What does that say about her society that pushes her to those extremes? Why should Legosi hold limit himself mentally, physically, sexually, etc., just because he's a predator? Why should Louis push himself to such extremes just to be on equal footing with predators? Beastars acts more like a social commentary that, at times, reflects our real world problems and issues. Not Satanic.
Also, the homosexual relationship between Legosi and Louis (the wolf and deer) doesn't exist. A lot of fans would like to see them together, but that's not canon. Louis is Legosi's character foil, both highlighting each other's strength and weaknesses and pushing each other to be better. Later on they become close friends after they bond over a fight, but that's it.
Sorry if this was all over the place, I'm not really good at explaining things. I would love to answer any other questions you have about it, but that's pretty much the jist of the characters, plot, and themes of the show.

 

[Andyindauk]

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a pleasant evening.

I've been praying over this issue for the past few days and decided I would reach out about it as well for any advice.

Recently, my oldest son Christopher and oldest daughter Amberlynn, 18 and 17 respectfully, have gotten into a tv show called Beastars. It is a Japanese cartoon, called an anime, that they watched on Netflix. From my research, it's based on a comic book that is apparently popular over there. It takes place in a world full of animals like the Disney movie Zootopia but is intended for a "mature" audience as the main plot focuses on a wolf boy who falls in love with a rabbit girl. Now while I do not have a problem with mature themes in general, the bits and pieces that I caught while the two of them watched it in the tv room gave me concern. At one point I caught a scene in which a deer boy pushes the wolf up against a wall and forces his hand into his mouth while yelling at him to bite him. This gave me second thoughts about the series and I decided to investigate it.

What I found has disturbed me. The series takes place in a high school setting, making nearly all the characters underage. The plot literally follows the main wolf boy as he has to decide whether he wants to have sex with the rabbit girl or eat her! It gets even worse if you would believe me, I decided to watch a few episodes on my own and there are many instances of satanic practices that are encouraged. At one point, a tiger boy is caught drinking blood and everyone seems to be fine with it but the main wolf-boy. In fact, at one point the wolf and tiger boys go out with their friends and end up at a place that sells people to eat! And everyone tells the wolf boy that it's normal and he's overreacting when he says that it's wrong to eat people! Now you could think that this could maybe be explained away, but what makes me think this is satanic is that through the series a large tall shadowy figure constantly tells the wolf boy that it's ok and that he should give in and eat the rabbit girl that he is becoming friends with. This sent literal chills down my spine as there is no doubt that this has to be a reference to the devil. And at no point in the series does anyone but the wolf boy question him. Even then the wolf boy is shown to be a pervert, a liar, and solves most of his problems with violence!

My kids have already finished the series and my son is now reading the comic book online. I decided to talk to them about it yesterday but they claim that it's innocent and that there is nothing satanic about it. But the more I learn about it the more I question if I should step in and ban it from the household. Apparently, as the series goes on the wolf boy and the aforementioned deer boy get into strangely sexual situations together. So much so that much of what I can find about the comic book suggests that the author hides homosexual themes in it. Along with this, as the series goes on it becomes incredibly violent and bloody. The author is also apparently sexually attracted to these animals he draws which disturbs me.

I told my wife about this and she is for banning it but has told me that I need to respect that it is my children's choice if they want to watch it and that they are getting to an age where they need to learn to make their own good choices in life. I have been praying for both of them and praying for God to help me make the right decision here. I feel that the right thing to do would ask here for help as well. What do you all think of this? If any of you know of the series, does it come off as satanic too you as well? What would you do if you found your children watching or reading this series? I would also like to ask for you all to pray for my family and for Christopher and Amberlynn to make the choice that the Lord would want them too here. Thank you all and have a wonderful evening.

Hi Mike,

I know we like to think of our kids as kids, we love and cherish their sweet childhood. Problem is they grow into teens and then young adults. I would urge you to take stock of what you've got in your kids and thank God that they've never been escorted home by the police, excluded from school, found drug taking paraphernalia in their bedroom, pregnancy tests etc etc. OK maybe they've not quite reached the standard of sweetness and innocence that we'd like, but I urge all parents reading this to have this talk with their kids thanking them for their 'clean sheet', encouraging and exhorting them to keep it up.

I've noticed a few parents in this forum expressing angst about their childrens' choice of TV and computer games. Satan's advice is conflict and threats: you go in there and you tell them: 'My house - my rules. YOU DO AS I TELL YOU!!' He knows the reaction, rebellion, hurt, stress, conflict and worst of all, walls and barriers as the kids feel alienated in their own home. My parents are dictators, telling me how to think, what I must and must not do. For Satan it's food and drink- happy days! Please don't do it, it's counter productive.

I would ask the Christian parent, what is it you want from your child? Do you want them to ditch their dodgy films and PC games in favour of news, current affairs and documentaries or do you want to guide them to Jesus and a life of really exciting discipleship, a one2one relationship praising God and basking in the experience of Him, oiled by the Holy Spirit?

A guide leads by lighting the way and encouraging, he doesn't push from behind barking out orders, stressing out at every wrong turning. Talk to your kids, share with them, nice treats as an appreciation, a meal out, a theme park. Much more carrot, a lot less stick. Chat about their choice of TV programme, film, PC game; a bit of sarcasm and Mickey take about how naff they are could open up a discussion.

Pray for your kids, ask God's protection. He's with them 24-7, you can't be and if you could you'd just smother them. They need to find Jesus and when they do, all this dodgy media will be to them like brussels sprouts to a four year old!

And Mike, I promise you I will pray for Christopher and Amberlynn and for you and your Mrs, that you will both seek the Holy Spirit's guidance and wisdom. He wants your kids to find Jesus even more than you do. God bless you all, richly.

The Bible passage - Matthew 18:6

 

[twcstp111]

Personally, I would throw out the TV and provide for a more conductive environment.

I have not seen a good thing come from the entertainment industry.

 

[Reba1]

As for my advice, I would have to agree with your kids and say that there is no satanic themes in this story.

Fornication most certainly is not of God

 

[NYQueens977]

Fornication most certainly is not of God

But I certainly wouldn't call it Satanic

 

[Brad Huber]

Fornication is a form of rebellion against the will of God. Satan is the author of rebellion. May not be worshipping satan, but still doing the will of satan in the matter.

 

[PloughBoy]

But I certainly wouldn't call it Satanic

Well I am curious, what do you call it? And please do not ask me , I am a old man and I might say anything!

 

[NYQueens977]

Fornication is a form of rebellion against the will of God. Satan is the author of rebellion. May not be worshipping satan, but still doing the will of satan in the matter.

Well I am curious, what do you call it? And please do not ask me , I am a old man and I might say anything!

I'm going off the top of my head here, so excuse me in advance if I may be off about certain dates and terms.
Satanism first arose around the 60s during the Satanic panic, in which Americans saw Satan in literally everything, from music to games to toys. This continued on throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, where many things were banned from Christian households, such as certain cartoons, franchises. The Church of Satan was founded around the mid-60s as a rebellion movement, it's sole purpose was to scare and anger christians. Contrary to what many would believe, there are two types of Satanists. The first type is the type that works to scare christians. They'll listen to rock music like AC/DC, maybe perform a seance or two, and will live up to the lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. These people are usually teenagers rebelling against their veeery conservative christian parents. The second type is the type that performs ritual sacrifices, killing innocent people in the name of Satan. The second type doesn't exists, but people still think of this when they hear the term Satanist.
But there's also a less stereotypical view on Satanism that people often overlook. Before the term Atheist had widespread use, people referred to themselves as Satanist. It was their way of disassociating themselves from Christianity, and what better way to do it than to use Christianity's trigger word?
So what is Satanism? It's a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Simple as that.
But how can we define something as Satanic?
Well, something that is Satanic is something evil or wicked, or something that is associated with Satan.
Witches are satanic, as they willingly associate themselves with Satan.
Sin isn't satanic. If you say that anything that goes against the will of God is Satanic, then, by that logic, we're all Satanic. I mean, the Bible says
None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
So if you've committed the sin of fornication, then I guess that's Satanic since that goes against the will of God, right? But, then again, so does lying, stealing, adultery, lust, envy, cursing, and a few other sins that go against the will of God that I'm sure you've committed at least once in your lifetime. So are you a Satanist? Are we all Satanist? No, that's ridiculous. Falling into the will of Satan through temptation does not make you a satanist, and it doesn't make the act Satanic.
Actively pursuing the will of Satan through prayer, and committing to ritual acts in order to appease the idea of Satan does.
Please know the difference.

 

[PloughBoy]

i will give you a little snapshot! concern this matter according to the Bible: The bible says: that the "Children of God" has 3 enemies, 1. The flesh, 2 The world,
3. The Devil. These are the enemies of The Children of God! The flesh means the "Human desire" That I would go on a mission in the bible yourself and learn what these things means taking no short cuts by The cunning of a man or women. your personal mission in "The BooK"1 that is all i got TO SAY. PICK UP A NICE STUDY Bible with a lot of information in it and a Introduction that explains how to read it.

 

[NYQueens977]

i will give you a little snapshot! concern this matter according to the Bible: The bible says: that the "Children of God" has 3 enemies, 1. The flesh, 2 The world,
3. The Devil. These are the enemies of The Children of God! The flesh means the "Human desire" That I would go on a mission in the bible yourself and learn what these things means taking no short cuts by The cunning of a man or women. your personal mission in "The BooK"1 that is all i got TO SAY. PICK UP A NICE STUDY Bible with a lot of information in it and a Introduction that explains how to read it.

Since my other post was deleted, I guess I'll just get straight to the point in this one.
You didn't even bother to read my response. This response is incredibly rude and condescending. I can only hope that your response in the real world to people with ideas different from yours isn't, and I quote, "PICK UP A NICE STUDY Bible with a lot of information in it and a Introduction that explains how to read it."

 

[PloughBoy]

Since my other post was deleted, I guess I'll just get straight to the point in this one.
You didn't even bother to read my response. This response is incredibly rude and condescending. I can only hope that your response in the real world to people with ideas different from yours isn't, and I quote, "PICK UP A NICE STUDY Bible with a lot of information in it and a Introduction that explains how to read it."

I am sorry I should not have address your post from the beginning. There are many on here that are more qualified and kinder that I could ever be. So at this time, I will take my leave. In the "Spirit of contentment ". Enjoy your day. "I bow the knee".

 

[KittyLinda]

I do not watch anime anymore. I guess at this age, they all look silly to me. (but gaming does not lol, I still love MMORPGs and Final Fantasy series.) I used to like the ‘Shoujo’ Anime type when I was your kids’ age.

I do not see any problem with your son and daughter watching Anime or playing games. If they are 17+, I would not worry much about it. If this worries you, then you probably should not let them watch any Anime, because they will not stop here, and a lot of good anime have explicit nudity, sex scenes in some cases, and violence. You will not have time to monitor all of them. So, it is better to pray and guide them and tell them you have rules about watching this stuff. Also, there are some Anime for explicit perversion and sex. That I would call Satanic, but not in this case. Your kids are not watching Neon Genesis Evangelion, Monster, or Elfen Lied. It is just Beastars lol.

A lot of children who are age 12+ commented that Beastars has few sexual scenes. You can read what they think about it on many of these ‘review’ sites. This is an example:

Kid reviews for Beastars | Common Sense Media

 

[Brad Huber]

I'm going off the top of my head here, so excuse me in advance if I may be off about certain dates and terms.
Satanism first arose around the 60s during the Satanic panic, in which Americans saw Satan in literally everything, from music to games to toys. This continued on throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, where many things were banned from Christian households, such as certain cartoons, franchises. The Church of Satan was founded around the mid-60s as a rebellion movement, it's sole purpose was to scare and anger christians. Contrary to what many would believe, there are two types of Satanists. The first type is the type that works to scare christians. They'll listen to rock music like AC/DC, maybe perform a seance or two, and will live up to the lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. These people are usually teenagers rebelling against their veeery conservative christian parents. The second type is the type that performs ritual sacrifices, killing innocent people in the name of Satan. The second type doesn't exists, but people still think of this when they hear the term Satanist.
But there's also a less stereotypical view on Satanism that people often overlook. Before the term Atheist had widespread use, people referred to themselves as Satanist. It was their way of disassociating themselves from Christianity, and what better way to do it than to use Christianity's trigger word?
So what is Satanism? It's a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Simple as that.
But how can we define something as Satanic?
Well, something that is Satanic is something evil or wicked, or something that is associated with Satan.
Witches are satanic, as they willingly associate themselves with Satan.
Sin isn't satanic. If you say that anything that goes against the will of God is Satanic, then, by that logic, we're all Satanic. I mean, the Bible says
None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
So if you've committed the sin of fornication, then I guess that's Satanic since that goes against the will of God, right? But, then again, so does lying, stealing, adultery, lust, envy, cursing, and a few other sins that go against the will of God that I'm sure you've committed at least once in your lifetime. So are you a Satanist? Are we all Satanist? No, that's ridiculous. Falling into the will of Satan through temptation does not make you a satanist, and it doesn't make the act Satanic.
Actively pursuing the will of Satan through prayer, and committing to ritual acts in order to appease the idea of Satan does.
Please know the difference.

You are using excuses and man's logic, in a spiritual discussion. You arent ready for real answers.

 

[NYQueens977]

You are using excuses and man's logic, in a spiritual discussion. You arent ready for real answers.

I'm not using excuses, I'm using facts. And maybe it's not the fact that I'm not ready for real answers, but fact that you don't have any real answers to begin with.