Gilgamesh of the Fate franchise has one of the coolest Noble Phantasms—”Gate of Babylon.” He’s also a frustratingly arrogant character. But on today’s episode, Mike wonders if we all share some of that same pride—Christians and non-Christians both, as well as particularly young Christians, maybe of whom are in the content creation space. Plus, he talks Luigi, K-On!, and more, all on this episode of The Power of God and Anime Podcast!

Anime Poll

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Podcast Notes

• Mike’s favorite teams are still doing well—the Sabers are now up three games to two on the Bruins (game six is tomorrow), and the Knicks are up 3-2 (game six is tonight)!
• Did you miss “Daisy,” Mike’s “Luigi’s Stories” parody of “Lady” by Kenny Rogers? Watch it now!
• Mike’s anime recommendation for this episode is K-On! It can be streamed on HIDIVE. We’ve also written about the anime’s Christmas episode, posted a couple of fanart pieces of the show, and talked about it and others in a group post about slice-of-life series.
• Bible passages Mike mentioned or referenced in this episode include Romans 12:3, Proverbs 16:18, and I Samuel 2:3.
• In today’s “Songs That Tell the Story,” Mike covers a Jeremy Camp song: “Lay Down My Pride.”
• Check out more from Mike on his Geekiness & Godliness YouTube channel, Twitch, and Twitter. You can also follow him, er, Luigi on Luigi’s Stories through YouTube and Twitter, and support him financially through Patreon!

Here’s the tie-in to today’s episode on Mike’s Geekiness & Godliness channel, as he mentioned during the episode:

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Featuring copyright-free music (license code UXV4F5TNBICDU2NM) from Uppbeat (“Going Backwards” by Ambient Boy), and edited by Dennis.

When Makoto leaps through time in the now-classic movie, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, she wastes her initial leaps doing the same wrong things over and over. It’s not until later that she learns her lesson. There’s a lesson for us here, too, when considering how we should treat temptation. Plus, Mike gives his latest anime recommendation, recounts his work as Luigi for the new Super Mario Bros. movie opening, and more, all on this episode of The Power of God and Anime Podcast!

Anime Question

If, like Makoto, you had the ability to go back in time and change something in your own life, what would you change?

Podcast Notes

• Mike’s anime recommendation for this episode is Maburaho! It can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a favorite of ours. Check out this article Twwk wrote about it some time back.
• Bible passages Mike mentioned or referenced in this episode include James 4:7, Matthew 26:41, and I Corinthians 15:33.
• Check out more from Mike on his Geekiness & Godliness YouTube channel, Twitch, and Twitter. You can also follow him, er, Luigi on Luigi’s Stories through YouTube and Twitter, and support him financially through Patreon!

You can listen to us on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others. Please subscribe and leave us a review!

Featuring copyright-free music (license code UXV4F5TNBICDU2NM) from Uppbeat (“Going Backwards” by Ambient Boy), and edited by Dennis.

Kaguya and Miyuki start out by playing games, but over the course of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, they come to feel genuine attraction to and love for one another. Love and other decisions may sometimes be pushed upon us by people or circumstance, but as Mike explains on today’s episode, we must often wait, be patient, and carefully discern. That, plus the next episode of The Petite Princess Yucie noir story, and more on this episode of The Power of God and Anime podcast!

Anime Poll

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Podcast Notes

• Catch Mike live at the Dipson Cinema 8 on the weekend of April 3rd and at Chautauqua Comics for Free Comic Book Day on May 2nd!
• Mike’s Petite Princess Yucie “eBay noir” story continues…and leads to a purchase!
• Bible passages Mike mentioned or referenced in this episode include Psalms 37:7 and 1 John 4:1.
• On this week’s Songs That Tell the Story, Mike sings “Trust in You” by Anthony Brown.
• Check out more from Mike on his Geekiness & Godliness YouTube channel, Twitch, and Twitter. You can also follow him, er, Luigi on Luigi’s Stories through YouTube and Twitter, and support him financially through Patreon!

You can listen to us on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others. Please subscribe and leave us a review!

Featuring copyright-free music (license code UXV4F5TNBICDU2NM) from Uppbeat (“Going Backwards” by Ambient Boy), and edited by Dennis.

Frieren hates demons. You won’t change her mind. She will say all of them immediately, and won’t listen to their sob stories. All are evil and completely evil, without exception. This storyline has been a point of dissension for critics of the series, but in this episode of The Power of God and Anime Podcast, Mike explains why this is an accurate depiction, how we might be tolerating “demons” in our own lives, and how to avoid doing so.

Anime Poll

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Podcast Notes

• Watch Mike’s latest Geekiness and Godliness devotional (on Anakin Skywalker) on Twitch or YouTube!
• Mike mentions Newtype USA. Do you all remember that amazing magazine? We explained some of the magic of the magazine on a Throwback Thursday.
• Bible passages Mike mentioned or referenced in this episode include Isaiah 5:20, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Psalms 101:3, and Romans 12:21.
• On this week’s Songs That Tell the Story, Mike sings from “Deliver Me from Evil” by Jered McKenna.
• Check out more from Mike on his Geekiness & Godliness YouTube channel, Twitch, and Twitter. You can also follow him, er, Luigi on Luigi’s Stories through YouTube and Twitter, and support him financially through Patreon!

You can listen to us on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others. Please subscribe and leave us a review!

Featuring copyright-free music (license code UXV4F5TNBICDU2NM) from Uppbeat (“Going Backwards” by Ambient Boy), and edited by Dennis.

We might realize we need to change some behavior. We might even want to change it. But are we willing to change our very hearts—what we desire—to be transformed? In episode 37, Mike looks to Motoko as an example. She hates Keitaro because she hates men, but even when she attempts to change, it doesn’t take root. Check out Mike’s discussion and much more—including an update on the Petite Princess Yucie ending—on this episode of The Power of God and Anime Podcast!

Anime Poll

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Podcast Notes

• Please pray for Mike’s kidney stone!
• Bible passages Mike mentioned or referenced in this episode include Matthew 6:21, 1 Chronicles 16:11, Philippians 4:13, and John 15:5.
• Check out more from Mike on his Geekiness & Godliness YouTube channel and Twitter. You can also follow him, er, Luigi on Luigi’s Stories through YouTube and Twitter, and support him financially through Patreon!

You can listen to us on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others. Please subscribe and leave us a review!

Featuring copyright-free music (license code UXV4F5TNBICDU2NM) from Uppbeat (“Going Backwards” by Ambient Boy) and Sensual Jazz from Pixabay (Licensee: u_aio5250wta, File ID 130483), and edited by Dennis.

On today’s special Valentine’s Day episode, Mike digs into relationships, and he looks to the gold standard, Dragon Ball Z, to do so! Wait…are the marriages in DBZ even worth emulating? Mike examines the four key marriages in the series, how they express the Christian principles of marriage from the Bible (or don’t), and explains what we can be the husbands and wives were made to be—even in preparation for marriage one day—all on this episode of The Power of God and Anime Podcast!

Anime Poll

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Podcast Notes

• Make sure to catch Mike live tomorrow with his live stream devotional on his Geekiness & Godliness YouTube channel as he talks about Siegfried from Soul Calibur.
• Today’s anime recommendation is Petite Princess Yucie. Can anyone out there let us know how it ended?
• Bible passages Mike mentioned or referenced in this episode include 1 Peter 3:7, Ephesians 5:22-28, and Titus 2:3-7.
• For today’s Songs That Tell the Story, Mike sings “The Man I Want to Be” by Chris Young. In this episode, Mike also sings a snippet of Mark Lowry’s “Baby Why Not Me?“
• Check out more from Mike on his Geekiness & Godliness YouTube channel and Twitter. You can also follow him, er, Luigi on Luigi’s Stories through YouTube and Twitter, and support him financially through Patreon!

You can listen to us on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others. Please subscribe and leave us a review!

Featuring copyright-free music (license code UXV4F5TNBICDU2NM) from Uppbeat (“Going Backwards” by Ambient Boy), and edited by Dennis.

Mike recommends a classic series that’s received a reboot, gets to streaming and promoting, and has a bone to pick with All You Need is Kill—all on this episode of The Power of God and Anime Podcast! Plus, Mike dives into the Soul Society Arc of Bleach as he compares Ichigo’s fight against a Christian’s in the culture, on episode 35!

Anime Trivia!

In Bleach, what is the name of Renji Abarai’s Zanpakuto?

Podcast Notes

• At the risk of making Mike more bitter, All You Need is Kill is currently playing, and we really enjoyed it!
• Mike’s anime recommendation today is Shaman King. The 2021 reboot can be streamed on Netflix.
• Mike has talked about Bleach before—check out his thoughts on Ishida Uryu from episode 20 of the podcast! We also wrote about two central figures in this Bleach arc: Rukia Kuchiki and Sousuke Aizen.
• Bible passages Mike mentioned or referenced in this episode include 1 Peter 5:8, Luke 21:36, and 1 Corinthians 16:13.
• For today’s Songs That Tell the Story, Mike sings “Watchman” by Josh Garrels.
• Check out more from Mike on his Geekiness & Godliness YouTube channel and Twitter. You can also follow him, er, Luigi on Luigi’s Stories through YouTube and Twitter, and support him financially through Patreon!

You can listen to us on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others. Please subscribe and leave us a review!

Featuring copyright-free music (license code UXV4F5TNBICDU2NM) from Uppbeat (“Going Backwards” by Ambient Boy), and edited by Dennis.

In Fruits Basket, Tohru cares deeply and sacrificially for Kyo, but it takes him a lot of time to work through self-loathing caused by all the hurt he’s suffered and to accept that love. On today’s episode, Mike dives into that relationship and how the parable of the Prodigal Son similarly shows the love of a God who is patiently waiting. Plus, updates on a big con visit later this year, this episode’s anime recommendation, and much more on episode 34 of The Power of God and Anime podcast!

Anime Trivia!

In My Hero Academia: Ultra Analysis, what is the fifth and S-ranked element discussed in Fumikage Tokoyami’s profile, joining power, speed, wits, and technique?

Podcast Notes

• Mike is headed to ReachConf in 2026! We highly encourage you to attend, too—not just to meet Mike, though that’ll be fun, but because it’s an amazing experience!
• Mike’s anime recommendation today is Noir—you can stream it on Crunchyroll.
• We’ve written a lot on Fruits Basket before with—no surprise here—Kyo often being the center of dicussion.
• Bible passages Mike mentioned or referenced in this episode include Luke 15:11-32, I Timothy 1:16, and 2 Peter 3:9.
• For today’s Songs That Tell the Story, Mike sings “Grace That Won’t Let Go” by Gateway Worship.
• Today’s Anime Trivia question was taken from the My Hero Academia: Ultra Analysis – The Official Character Guide.
• Check out more from Mike on his Geekiness & Godliness YouTube channel and Twitter. You can also follow him, er, Luigi on Luigi’s Stories through YouTube and Twitter, and support him financially through Patreon!

You can listen to us on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others. Please subscribe and leave us a review!

Featuring copyright-free music (license code UXV4F5TNBICDU2NM) from Uppbeat (“Going Backwards” by Ambient Boy), and edited by Dennis.

Christmas is just around the corner, and Mike has a lot of gifts for you today on this special Christmas episode of The Power of God and Anime Podcast! He joins in the 12 Days of Christmas Anime series here at Beneath the Tangles by looking at a Christmas party in DENKI-GAI and comparing how the variety there reflects the variety of Christians around us. Also—thoughts on the final episode of My Hero Academia and more!

Anime Trivia!

In Azumanga Daioh, the girls start wondering if Chiyo-chan still believes in Santa Claus. Which two girls discuss this topic?

Podcast Notes

• Want to check out that animated selection from Mike’s Luigi channel? Here it is! Be sure to also check out his new Geekiness & Godliness channel!
• Mike’s anime recommendation today is DENKI-GAI (The Electric Town’s Bookstore), which can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
• Bible passages Mike mentioned or referenced in this episode include Romans 14 and Galatians 6:1.
• For today’s Songs That Tell the Story, Mike goes more contemporary by singing “Same God” by Elevation Worship.
• Check out more from Mike on his Geekiness & Godliness YouTube channel and Twitter. You can also follow him, er, Luigi on Luigi’s Stories through YouTube and Twitter, and support him through Patreon!

You can listen to us on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others. Please subscribe and leave us a review!

Edited by Dennis and featuring copyright-free music (license code UXV4F5TNBICDU2NM) from Uppbeat (“Going Backwards” by Ambient Boy), with special music today: “Joy to the World instrumental Music” by music_for_video from Pixabay and “Winter Guitar Music” by Artur Buriak from Pixabay.

12 Days of Christmas Anime, Day 2: A Fullmetal Advent

It’s not easy to do your mission when the pushback against you is so hard. One Punch Man’s regular guy hero, Mumen Rider, knows it well—and his example of perseverance and courage speaks to Christians, too, especially when doing our part to fulfill the Great Commission. All that and more on this Thanksgiving week episode of The Power of God and Anime podcast!

Anime Trivia!

In the anime Oh My Goddess, Belldandy comes to live with Keiichi Morisato, along with her two sisters: What are their names?

Podcast Notes

• Mike’s anime recommendation today is Best Student Council, which, unfortunately, is not currently available to stream legally.
• Coincidentally, Twwk wrote about both today’s recommended anime and the anime at the center of Anime Trivia in an article way back in the BtT annals!
• Bible passages Mike mentioned or referenced in this episode include Matthew 28:19-20 and Joshua 1:9.
• For today’s Songs That Tell the Story, Mike doesn’t sing, but the song is “Behold God” by Harvest.
• Check out more from Mike on YouTube. You can also follow him, er, Luigi on Twitter and support him through Patreon!

You can listen to us on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others. Please subscribe and leave us a review!

Featuring copyright-free music (license code UXV4F5TNBICDU2NM) from Uppbeat (“Going Backwards” by Ambient Boy), and edited by Dennis.