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Angel Beats!

This anime takes place in a dimension between life and death for those who died "unwanted deaths."¹ These teenagers, part of the high school in the dimension, begin a rebellion against God.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾ They believe one character is an angel of God, and thus begin to go after her.¹ However, they begin to realize that it's not exactly as it all seems.²

Indecent Clothing

Women are seen in both shorts and short skirts.³ This isn't modest. The Apostle Paul, when speaking to Timothy, said the following:

"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;" (1 Timothy 2:9)

While it may not be to the degree of other anime, the fact is, one sin is all it took for God to promise to send a Savior. So even though it may be "less" in terms of number, that doesn't make it any less important.

Murder

IMDb tells us that there is murder in this show. It says that many "characters die but then reanimate a few hours later. These deaths include stabbing, shooting, crushing, falling, drowning, etc."³ Does this alarm you? If it doesn't, it should. The Bible repeatedly tells us that murder is wrong.

"[5] And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. [6] Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." (Genesis 9:5-6)

The Lord appeals to the fact that man is made in His image to explain that murder is not okay. It is sinful and wrong. The Lord God Jehovah is clear that He does not approve of such things, yet we think it's alright to put it before our eyes? Really?

Reincarnation

This show contains reincarnation.⁴ This is not what happens in real life. When one dies, they either go to Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8) or Hell (Luke 16:22-23). Knowing this, why would we want to watch something so blatantly false and in denial of the biblical afterlife?

Language

Additionally, there is profanity in this anime.⁽³⁾⁽⁵⁾ This sort of language displeases the LORD God. 

"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth." (Colossians 3:8)

May we avoid filling our minds with such improper language. Let us, Christians, seek to listen to things that bring the Lord glory and pleasure, not sinful things.

Fighting against God

In this anime, they are fighting against God.⁶ Their reason for fighting against God: they had a bad life. Their lives were bad because of sin, not because of God! This is a common atheist trope. The Lord promises that when you fight against Him, "ye shall not prosper" (2 Chronicles 13:12).

Conclusion

We should seek to please the Lord, not to fulfill our fleshly lusts with disregard to what the content (both oral and visual) is. Based on the things I have highlighted, do you think this anime pleases God?


Sources:
1. "Angel Beats!." MyAnimeList, myanimelist.net/anime/6547/Angel_Beats. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
2. "Angel Beats!." IMDb, imdb.com/title/tt1639109. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
3. "Angel Beats!: Parents guide." IMDb, imdb.com/title/tt1639109/parentalguide. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
4. "Afterlife." Angel Beats! Wiki, angelbeats.fandom.com/wiki/Afterlife. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
5. Angel Beats. Crunchyroll, crunchyroll.com/series/GY49PW7QR/angel-beats. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
6. "Angel Beats!." Angel Beats! Wiki, angelbeats.fandom.com/wiki/Angel_Beats!. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
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