A Ray Of Hope In Castlevania

When Light Dares to Shine

Hello again! Samuru is here this week, and I cannot believe January is over. I remember ringing in the new year with my family, and a month has passed already. What have you been up to this year? I hope your goals and aspirations for 2025 are beginning to bear some fruit, and if they aren’t, start taking action on them!

Let’s keep the momentum going, anime lovers! God is with us. Even when we feel tired and weak, He lifts us up, and we can find rest in Him.

the people dwelling in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,

on them a light has dawned.

- Matthew 4:16 (ESV)

I recently binge-watched the new season of Castlevania: Nocturne (Season 2) on Netflix, and what a ride it was! I enjoyed the first several seasons of Castlevania that premiered a few years back, and I’m glad that Nocturne did not disappoint.

It was shorter than the first one, though that’s not too bad because the original dragged on several times. This continuation of the Castlevania saga took darkness to another level, more than the first. I even skipped some scenes because of how gruesome and bloody they were.

The church is important in both seasons, but it’s displayed horrifically by a man named the Abbot, who leads a group of crusaders to protect its walls and himself as the religious leader. His motives are misplaced, unfortunately, and you see how he would prefer to serve the devil and scheme with him than seek Christ.

Sadly, every time a moment of hope could have been shone from the house of God and its leader, despair rears its dreadful head, and we are left feeling hopeless once again. That is until Richter Belmont and Maria Renard come to help! The heroes always save the day, somewhat, but the church once again is left as a symbol of weakness and corruption instead of a beacon of light.

Like the Abbot who misplaces his faith, I tend to forget to pray and feel like the heroes from Castlevania: Nocturne. They rely solely on their strength and fail because of it. Some of the characters (like Maria and Tera) even turn to dark magic since the light hasn’t been enough to beat back the vampires and monsters they face, which backfires on them.

Let’s not so quickly forget our Savior, who died on the cross and rose again. He has defeated all wickedness, darkness, demons, and evil. Nothing can stand against Him! Give those problems, though they feel the size of a mountain, are grains of sand in His mighty hand.

looking to Jesus, the founder, and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

- Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)

Weekly Mission: When you are feeling down and not sure how a problem will get fixed, take a few minutes to give that to God and ask Him for help to do the impossible that only He can do.

Memory Verse: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:5 (ESV)

BtT in Review

Happy Valentine’s Day! Mike’s latest episode of The Power of God and Anime dives into biblical relationships and uses Naruhina as an example. Here’s a snippet:

You can subscribe and listen to the podcast on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others. And make sure to answer our Anime Trivia question this week: In the anime One Piece, what is Luffy’s initial bounty?

It’s finally here! The pilot episode of Gabriel and the Guardians is out and we have what you want, first impressions! Also, our “lead fish” went in person to the premiere (I’m not jealous!), so check out how his experience went.

Slavery, character deaths, and the possibility of the future being erased are among the intense themes in the series we’re reviewing in Reader’s Corner this week!

On Fanart Friday, we posted a cute piece for a manga we love that has an upcoming anime in the works, as well as more Frieren! Check back later this morning for special Valentine’s Day pieces for Demon Slayer and Dandadan!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends, and God bless!