Forum - View topicPlanetes: Tanabe Christian?
|
|
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
einhorn303
 Posts: 1180 |
|
||
|
Is Ai Tanabe, from Planetes, Christian? I don't know why this question haunts me so, but it is something to wonder. We never learn much about her personal beliefs, be she spiritual or totally atheist. Heck, we don't hear about any of the character's religious beliefs...the future depicted in Planetes seems far more secular in modern times. But somehow, Tanabe just gives off that vibe. Some of her traits that make me wonder (The lightest of spoilers...butterfly-spoilers):
spoiler[1. Naive belief in "love overcoming all" 2. Making a big fuss over how someone is buried 3. Refuses to kill, thinks all lives are valuable/forgivable 4. Extremely submissive to her male romantic interest, taking a rather traditional female role 6. Come on, look at her. Pink sweater vest?] |
|||
|
|||
selenta
 Subscriber Posts: 1774 Location: Seattle, WA |
|
||
|
...
I'm gonna say no... the logic just isn't there to make such a jump even on the basist of levels. Those are traits of many 'traditional christians', but they're hardly exclusive to that group. 1.) This really isn't a religious belief, it's a romantic's belief. I'm not sure why you're associating it with Christianity... 2.) There's many religions in the world, and every one of them is concerned with how the dead are buried. Many people (myself included) aren't religious in the slightest and still view improper burial as disgusting and disrespectful. 3.) ... I'd hope that someone can believe this and not be assumed to be religious. Are you trying to imply only religious people value human life? 4.) This is also a very traditional Japanese trait, and I'm sure you know this... but most Japanese aren't Christian. 5.) Pink sweater vests make you christian? 
Last edited by selenta on Fri Nov 24, 2006 2:43 am; edited 1 time in total |
|||
|
|||
zaphdash
 Posts: 620 Location: Brooklyn |
|
||
|
I suppose it's possible, but considering that she's Japanese, I doubt it. The stuff you cite is also very flimsy evidence. I always just thought of her as very idealistic. Her respect for human life (points 2, 3, and arguably point 1) is clear throughout the series, but that's hardly a distinctly Christian trait. Been a while since I watched the show, so I don't remember many details of how point 4 ("traditional female role") is manifested in the show, but that seems like it could go for pretty much any patriarchal society in the world (which encompasses almost every society, including most definitely Japanese society).
It wouldn't surprise me if she was religious in some way, but I doubt that she's a Christian. The thought certainly never crossed my mind as I was watching the show, I'm not remembering anything at the moment that would make me think otherwise, and like I said above, the points you mentioned aren't really convincing evidence either. |
|||
|
|||
Randall Miyashiro
 Posts: 2451 Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park |
|
||
|
She comes across as very Japanese to me. This is one of the reasons why I opted to watch this show subtitled, even though most of the crew is international. She also reminds me of Noa from Patlabor, who is another cute modern Japanese girl. The idea that either of them are Christian has never crossed my mind.
|
|||
|
|||
TcDohl
 Posts: 82 |
|
||
|
While her dad only appeared in the anime for less than a second, in the manga, he's shown as the leader of a death metal band, but who knows? In any case, I seriously believe that she isn't a Christian because she acts more of an "ideal Japanese wife" than anything, and I don't think Christianity is a requirement for the things you listed. Her naivety is sort of playing a pun on her name, the Japanese word for love. While I find that the Planetes anime is often gives harsh criticisms about Japanese society, its portrayal of Tanabe is a bit of a hypocrisy. I find that Tanabe in the manga is much portrayed as she's less idealized and less naive (and in addition, she has further adventures after the launch of the Von Braun).
|
|||
|
|||
Kruszer
 Posts: 7995 Location: Minnesota, USA |
|
||
|
Well, you know, it is entirely possible to be a good person and have a good moral value system and not be christian.
Like Randall said she comes accross to me as Japanese (as she was intended to no doubt, being Japanese in an international cast) and true christianity is very rare in Japan. To tell the truth I don't even give a thought to what religion anyone is in a fictional work unless it relates to the story, which is doesn't in Planetes. |
|||
|
|||
DanielJr
 Posts: 22 Location: MA |
|
||
|
Haha, I never figured her as a religious person. That's just her character.
But I love Tanabe either way, whether she's Christian or not. 
|
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group