I Watched Every Anime Made By An Insane Cult

[@Never_heart]

I will never not love that so much of his religion's mythology is based on him being destined to marry reincarnations of this one goddess, only for her to divorce him.

[@FirstLast-wk3kc]

A lot of cults have that funny stuff. Even in my country there are such

[@VultureSkins]

⁠​⁠@@FirstLast-wk3kccults can form in any country lol, what do you mean “even”?

[@FirstLast-wk3kc]

@@VultureSkins i mean super huge occasions.

[@FirstLast-wk3kc]

@@VultureSkins the "i am married to a goddess or reincarnation" as well as "we are always destined to be together" Such specific criteria are less frequent

[@kamikazelemming1552]

The thing I find most funny about "His religion's mythology" is that it's nothing more than a bunch of other, more interesting mythologies that have been Frankensteined together into a bunch of nonsensical crap.

[@SorasShadow1]

i forgot how beautiful the dubs were, absolute peak "we just grabbed some people off the street" vibes you just don't get these days

[@guggelguggel7491]

Unrelated to your very true comment, but Gravity Rush icon? Based

[@WalkmanWillWalkAllOverYou]

They give Major H-Dub Energy.

[@eminempreg]

Not to be pretentious but I really wish we could go back to that

[@HooLeePhucingSheet]

I don't know the actresses name but she is in every anime ever nowadays and it's so annoying. No hate to her, make that bag but I wish Anime would be diverse in who they choose as a professional voice actor. How can newcomers make a name for themselves when they always have a certain VA they always choose? (but then again dub is always trash lol)

[@adisonsmith2633]

@@HooLeePhucingSheet I mean sub is largely the same. Same 10 to 15 voice actors doing 80% of the roles. Dub is just far more noticeable to an english audience like myself.

[@lightningstrxu]

My friend put it best It's like if Jojo took its lore seriously and somehow made an actual cult

[@MrGksarathy]

JoJo is way more coherent than this.

[@dziewiaty]

I honestly fail to see any connection, can you elaborate?

[@NobodyOrNobody]

@@dziewiaty you’ll be ok, you’ve always been a failure. 😊

[@dziewiaty]

@@NobodyOrNobody cool observation, but unrelated to my question

[@NobodyOrNobody]

@@dziewiaty I don’t care

[@TheProofLady]

I visited the Happy Science cult in NYC in June of last year after he had died and they totally acted at the time like Okawa was still alive despite him dying early in the year. They told me to look forward to his next speech at the time. I didn’t even know Owaka had died at this point until I showed my coworker one of his books they gave me from my visit when I got home and he told me he had died in like March. I was so curious as to why they never told me he died, so I actually called them and asked. This was their answer: Master Okawa said he would die at 80 years old, but he died earlier than that. The main lady for the NYC temple that this was only a temporary death since he would truly die in his 80s so they believe they need to pray a certain amount of hours per day and donate 1 million dollars to bring Okawa to life so he can die his truth death at 80, also he’s coming back with Atlantis when he returns. None of this is a joke. I still have my copy of the book in my work office that I could show. I believe the name of the book is Age of the Messiah, but I’d have to check.

[@sumlem]

How did you end up visiting them in NYC?

[@TheProofLady]

@@sumlem I was in NYC for a weekend with my girlfriend besties, and I study high control religious groups, so whenever I’m in big cities I try to visit cults if I get the time. I also visited the Church of Scientology of New York, their Celeb Center in NY, and the Harlem Org as well during that same trip. The NYC temple had very few people in it when I visited. The only people I saw there was one older man, the Japanese American woman who spoke to me there in person and when I called on the phone, and an African American half-Japanese woman who does a lot of the media pr for the NYC temple on their KZbin pages.

[@TheProofLady]

@@sumlem I should also note that the Scientologists were MUCH nicer than the Happy Scientists. I’m a visible Muslim individual and the FIRST sentence out of that Japanese woman’s mouth to me was “You really need to fix what’s going on the Middle East because things are getting ridiculous “ Such an odd group lol

[@motherofthetans]

Oh, yeah, the Scientologists are the nicest people you'll ever meet, besides LDS. That's how they got me 😂

[@TheProofLady]

@@motherofthetans You are a Scientologist?

[@raskolovey]

my favourite trivia about happy science is the fact okawa's son left the cult and apparently opened a host club of all things

[@dylanehooverlibrarian7026]

You know what? Honestly pretty based. Selling people the fantasy of love and intimacy but withiut controlling their lives or repeating bullshit claims about aliens and The True God is actually the guy who runs the organization? I can respect that.

[@MrGksarathy]

​@@dylanehooverlibrarian7026I mean, he is also bilking desperate customers for thousands of yen for that fantasy, so honestly? A mixed bag.

[@ATRStormUnit]

I wonder what that son thinks about KamiKatsu

[@dylanehooverlibrarian7026]

@@MrGksarathy There is something inherently predatory about capitalism like that, but in an ideal world? Paying money to have a dream date? Not the worst thing in the world. And the clients don't have to sign over their descendents to serve the Host Club. Sounds better, on average

[@MrGksarathy]

@@dylanehooverlibrarian7026 Again, as I said, it's a mixed bag in this case. Also, host clubs are extremely predatory even by the standards of capitalism, and people can get addicted to them.

[@RawbeardX]

the most absurd concept in all of these anime is that "working harder means you earn more money" in a corporate setting.

[@j.2512]

oy vey, back to the cagie wagie

[@thesesillkids7911]

​@@j.2512oops, found the nazi.

[@guggelguggel7491]

​@@j.2512??? What??

[@NobodyOrNobody]

@@guggelguggel7491what did you not understand? Or are you a supporter of Israel?

[@nox6767]

​​@@NobodyOrNobody No, they're probably just not someone who blames all members of an ethic group for the actions of some

[@MemberRoach]

As a writer, I have an internal critic that says "You're not good enough. Nobody will read what you make. You make shitty stories." And then I see something like this, and I think, "Man, people will really engage with anything..."

[@FionavanDahl]

that was Dan Brown for me

[@danielramsey6141]

Cause Don you know. Feeding people Bullshit Stories that could explain their purpose in the World is Very easy!

[@funicon3689]

As a writer, this makes me want to start a religion.

[@Korj666]

Most Marvel and DC comics are even crazier nonsense, but they even make movies based on them. Although maybe I don’t understand something because I’m not American.

[@mayredwood]

Become a cult leader

[@whizthesugoi]

i still think it's so funny that Nietzsche only said the first part of the "God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?" quote

[@bettyunicorn6132]

It really cool quote

[@whizthesugoi]

@@bettyunicorn6132 i'm not gonna lie, i only learned the full quote when Tale Foundry used it once on the "How to kill a God" video

[@TupocalypseShakur]

​@@whizthesugoi I saw it when I was a teenager in a the video where it was dramatically read with a bunch of uwus sprinkled in

[@marocat4749]

yep he basically said, god is dead, we have to step up , yeah he had questionable ideas about who, but its a good thought that people need to spep up to take over for that god that is made responsible. We gotta be, Yeah his suprematist reactionary ideas who is not good, but i dont think we have to include that part.

[@thatkidwiththehoodie]

I love it. These movies think he’s saying that as a celebration rather than as a sort of “ah shit. This might be a problem going forward” gesture.

[@kain6996]

“I’m Hellen Keller” kills me every single time

[@magicrainbowkitties1023]

Top 10 Most Impossible Sentences

[@ladyfrypan249]

I WASNT PREPARED FOR IT and WHEN THIS DROPS, I LOST IT

[@Codangerz]

43:17 replay button if anyone needs a good laugh

[@NobodyOrNobody]

Ok

[@wareforcoin5780]

"I'm Helen Keller" "What"

[@CakeoftheMews]

The "RIP bozo" in the thumbnail is killing me. But hell yeah to this compilation I can't wait to take secondhand psychic damage all over again!

[@shilohmagic7173]

heckin same, on all counts!

[@skeletor8951]

It's so disrespectful and I can't stop giggling about it

[@flaminginferno6641]

​@@skeletor8951in the end who cares! He was a Cult Leader, dance on his grave while we're at it!

[@KhayJayArt]

😂

[@NobodyOrNobody]

Go to a hospital if it’s killing you

[@marcherwitch9811]

edison...EDISON worried about greed in science?!?

[@nobdy89371]

ironically speaking

[@annaschneider225]

Tesla shaking his fist with the dark baddies below

[@AltCutTV]

Man electrocuted more horses than than whip-guy did underlings. But only for the greater gree.. uhm, good of course!

[@echidnablade]

He IS the god of science, so clearly he should be worried about something like that.

[@AYVYN]

The god of science should be Alan Turing just to make them angry

[@ascendedisamazing]

The fact that so much gorgeous animation, set design and generally impressive visuals is wasted on a bunch of cult propaganda is maddening

[@san_pm.]

Exactly, the visuals are an absolute eye-candy, if only it wasn't a cult propaganda mp4 💔

[@whatever1661]

But also a little bit sexy?

[@misterroboto9999]

Hey, at least the good writers were kept off of it!

[@carlycrays2831]

​@@misterroboto9999I don't know, the writing isn't great but it's about the normal level of bad but not horrible anime

[@BoneViolyn]

Obsecure Russian cartoons have entered the chat: 🗿

[@jonathannoble7845]

33:05 - credit where credit is due: A time travel story that gives a materialist explanation for a mythological event, but then doesn't give a materialist explanation for another related mythical event that they show happening anyway and that baffles the time travelers, is a really cool idea. In a better movie that would be a huge "oh shit" moment.

[@timothymclean]

"Okay, we've figured out a way to fake the pillar of fire, now we just need to get the Israelites across the Red Sea somehow." "Um...I don't think we need to worry about that, actually."

[@lusaminefushiguro5332]

@@timothymclean Yeah like that is actually a really fun concept,just time travelers making things happen and then something they Do Not Help With happens anyway

[@Ocelot835]

Funny thing though, I'm 99% sure that whole time travel story was heavily influenced by popular Soviet sci-fi book series about Alisa Selezneva, the girl from late 21st century that travels time and space - I mean c'mon, the protagonist love interest even HAVE THE SAME NAME ALISA! So they not only use materialist explanation for some of mythological events, they use character from SOCIALIST and ATHEIST media to do so))

[@VestiteATX]

When I lived in Japan, I met a guy on grindr and we ended up dating for around 7 months. In the beginning, my Japanese was pretty basic, but I improved greatly over the year I spent in Tokyo. One day, I realized all of the 200+ books on my boyfriend’s bookshelf had the same author. Guess who it was? It’s funny to see Happy Science get this level of recognition and analysis in the English-speaking world. My story is nearly ten years old, but even still, learning about this cult through the eyes of my then-boyfriend, who had been born into it by parents who were founding members, remains one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I’m able to laugh about it now, but the reality is that underneath their cooky mysticism and zany cult antics is a lot of ugly, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, conservative politics that drove me away from someone who I really cared about.

[@j.2512]

bet he was loaded and thats why you were going out with him

[@DasSpaceAce]

​@@j.2512 Gross.

[@VestiteATX]

@@j.2512 Nah. Where did you even pull that from anyway? Lol

[@MrGksarathy]

And this dude was on Grindr and dated you? I genuinely wonder how he managed to square that with the homophobia preached by that cult.

[@yunuss58]

​@@j.2512 I love making assumptions

[@vetreas366]

I still find it amazing that Ohkawa was a man who was so powerful and divine that he held a séance where he channeled people who weren't dead nor have they died since and then went ahead and died before they did anyway. But then again he did also "channel" his dead novelist aunt for one of his "sermons" that one time a few years back. Man was a leech, not even Niches was that evil.

[@j.2512]

Japanese people don't join cults because they fully believe it, they join because its the only way to have a social network. Every japanese cult promises "you can get married and have friends", go into the Moonies homepage and see for yourself

[@rodneysmith873]

Of course he can channel the spirits of alive people! Time travel is canon

[@jessfranc7541]

​@rodneysmith873 the way in rolling over and dying of laughter

[@firelordoregano5632]

uhhh no he's not dead he's producing a movie weren't you paying attention

[@loner419]

I showed your original videos to a friend of mine and the deadpan delivery of "I'm Helen Keller." caused him to laugh so hard he couldn't breathe. Great stuff.

[@pipisochkaaaa]

I love how they specifically chose brunette and black haired people to turn into blonde angels but kept their eye color sometimes accurate to be historical with their spirit-world lore

[@mutopis]

The first anime, Shiawasette Nani (What Is Happiness) is insidious. The message is for the child to pretend to be happy for the good of the economy. The more people pretend to be happy, the more line goes up. It's disgusting, imagine telling a kid to pretend to smile even when they are sad.

[@zsedc4]

Like we keep smiling at our shitty jobs to keep capitalism going in America despite how demonstrably bad it is for everyone on the bottom? Insidious indeed.

[@azoth6641]

IIRC, Ryuho Okawa used to be a stockbroker in New York, so we cannot rule out the possibility that he learned an awful lot from American professional grifters (financial, religious, or both).

[@greenapple9477]

​@@zsedc4 Dude, you have to blame the folks at the top or in charge for that. Don't act like we otherwise want to keep it around.

[@MrGksarathy]

​@@azoth6641I mean, he copied a lot from Scientology, so he clearly was taking notes.

[@OtakuJuanma2]

I mean... I was taught that as a kid, but it wasn't a religious thing. ...yes, it was horrible.

[@Viteaification]

the obsession with hermes who's not even all that important culturally in ancient greece is killing me. he really just wanted to be married to aphrodite huh?

[@Jokoko2828]

My man really just wanted the goddess of concentrated horny.

[@noahkarpinski1824]

Theres actually some logic behind that. After Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, Hermes was combined with the god Thoth and created a philosophical movement called "Hermeticism" which contributed to the era's scientific knowlege

[@alfalldoot6715]

You mean Hephaestus?

[@Debatra.]

Wait, they didn't just use the "ascended to a higher plane" or "left behind his mortal shell" excuses when he died like the Scientologists did with Hubbard?

[@MrGksarathy]

Hubbard was investigating higher OT levels. Still, considering that Happy Science is just dumber than Scientology as a cult and Ohkawa doesn't seem to have been nearly the grifter LRH was, I can imagine that explaining his death didn't occur to the cult.

[@alejandrorivas4585]

​@@MrGksarathy LRH is still the best that ever was gift wise

[@MrGksarathy]

@@alejandrorivas4585 Doubtless. It's only after watching the Behind the Bastards episodes on him that I have come to appreciate that.

[@OscarGomez-hg8cb]

@@MrGksarathyKnowing Better makes a pretty compelling argument that LRH stole a lot of his grift from Mary Baker Eddy of Christian Science, it’s actually pretty weird to notice, but I would argue she could compete for greatest grifter as well. Though there’s an argument to be made that at some point she genuinely believed her own grift as well.

[@MrGksarathy]

@@OscarGomez-hg8cb I do know that, but I still think he was the best at doing it. He raised way more money than Baker Eddy could dream of, and his cultural and political clout absolutely eclipsed hers in her own lifetime. Of course, Christian Science has since had a shocking impact on the US healthcare system, but Scientology was a force on its own in LRH's lifetime.

[@shawnconway6009]

Honestly, I almost have respect for the hustle of not choosing one religion to adhere himself to, he chose ALL the religions. Screw adhering to one faith, no that's for tiny cults, adhere to ALL faiths. The balls on this guy. He's a total scumbag, but I have to kind of respect the insane decision to attempt something like that.

[@hanukatquimcampoix4329]

Most religions show certain degree of sincretism of previous elements. This is just holistic sincretism... which makes sense "Look, all this lore is real because this real person is in it!"

[@AC-dk4fp]

Its not insane or novel its just standard 19th century Theosophy which is the root of all these UFO religions. Happy Science just merged that with toxic Corporate morale stuff.

[@AC-dk4fp]

@@hanukatquimcampoix4329 There's a difference between syncretism and just stealing syncretism third hand. There's almost nothing in this that Illuminatus! wasn't parodying in the early 70s.

[@desertels5119]

The love has won leader also claimed to be all religious prophets and a random list of celebrities, she didn't come up with this elaborate lore to become "Mother God" though so that's less interesting

[@hanukatquimcampoix4329]

@@AC-dk4fp Whut? That doesn't make much sense. If you incorporate a synthesized version of a myth, it's still syncretism. What am I missing? Third hand, fourth or whatever. Sorry for the typpo, I'm not english native.

[@milkitea669]

There is no "Edgy Adult Animation That Aims to Offend Everyone" that will ever be nearly as funny or offensive as this series of anime. roflmao

[@NobodyOrNobody]

Weird take and cringey wording.

[@milkitea669]

@@NobodyOrNobody I feel like you didn't even watch the video before replying

[@NobodyOrNobody]

@@milkitea669 I did, I just think you’re embellishing your point and giving empty praise.

[@lilymatthosinhos2086]

​@@NobodyOrNobodywhy u hating on everyone in this comment section?arr you a member of the happy science cult or something?woke up extra early just to be a hater

[@NobodyOrNobody]

@@lilymatthosinhos2086 I’m just a hater

[@cervicalvertebrea]

Okay Helen Keller who can see and hear actually does offend me. That woman was intelligent and learned to interface with a world without two key senses most of us take for granted and expressed opinions and even spoke about how her family's poverty led to her disability and you just magically poof her into a non-disabled body.

[@Lechgang]

It's absolutely repugnant that they would even consider putting that in.

[@tristanmisja]

@@Lechgang Is it really THAT big of a deal to you?

[@poisonmantis4191]

the amount of times "in heaven you wont be disabled!" is used is so insane

[@guggelguggel7491]

I thought it wasnt her own familys poverty she was talking about? Or at least not only. Rather, it her advocate for the rights of factory workers and coal miners and how poverty and disability intertwine, that poor conditions cause and worsen disabilities and that capitalism/the unfair class system makes it so that poor disabled people cant be workers, thus not proper citizens nor ever get better due to being stuck at the bottom. Do note I may be misrememering. None of this is a quote because I mostly remember the gist/a summary, which may have been mixed up.

[@TryinaD]

@@tristanmisjayeah it is a big deal to disabled people, bc it implies disability is not desirable in religion

[@adrianaslund8605]

Nietzsche didn't see the death of god as a triumph in the first place but as an unhappy fact that we have to tie ourselves to subjective and not objective values. There is a profound loss of meaning there. It was never the neckbeard atheist statement that people make it out to be.

[@the_last_ballad]

The weird thing is, at least as far as Christianity goes, the values they follow are also subjective, based on what Yahweh desires. I mean, whether an action is acceptable or sinful is entirely based on Yahweh's desires. Even being handed a direct order by him, after promising to obey all orders to the letter _and doing so,_ isn't enough to stop you from pissing him off with the action he told you to do, and have an invisible angel sent after you to assassinate you?(numbers 22) And let's not forget how murder and theft isn't allowed... unless Yahweh tells you to murder a village and take everything they have. Then it's ok. It's about as objective and consistent as letting your morality be decided by anyone else.

[@kaisersoymilk6912]

​@@the_last_balladobjectivity is not the crux here. The fact that you have to obey to Yahve removes all the stress of taking decisions from you, and people don't like to take decisions.

[@user-yy4lw2lr3y]

You... You poor soul... You madman... You... You need a drink.

[@BasementLifePodcast]

Yeah, at least one

[@Nightman221k]

These anime just come off as the most hilarious fanfictions ever. Like if that one famously wacky fanfiction about Goku from Dragonball Z falling in love with Anne Frank and fighting Hitler was expanded into a full length history spanning fanfiction. I do get a kick out of the portrayal of Nietzsche just being a crazy and screaming, "God is dead! God is dead!" like a goober.

[@IndicatedGoodLife]

Its the best shit I saw in my life. As a Nietzsche Scholar and true believer of his teachings, that part fucking killed me. Top 5 Anime in all categories.

[@Adelei42069]

There‘s a fanfiction about WHAT????!!!

[@voraxityy8349]

send fanfic

[@kaisersoymilk6912]

If you like this stuff I suggest Disney Star Wars, other than being fan fiction it's becoming pretty whacky lately, I hope they continue even after they run the franchise into the ground.

[@claptrap32125]

"Religious propaganda or not, anime's gonna anime"😂😂😂

[@carlycrays2831]

Sort of scary how easily these movies just seem like normal anime

[@jonathannoble7845]

You can tell Stan Lee didn't really help write these movies because of how little alliteration there is.

[@zero7723]

That's actually an amazing observation.

[@firelordoregano5632]

i don't know what the name is for the poetic device that makes "little alliteration" scrath my brain, but that's a bar

[@jonathannoble7845]

@@firelordoregano5632 I think it’s still just alliteration.

[@thatonedude9744]

@@firelordoregano5632it’s an excellent combination of assonance and consonance

[@maddieb.4282]

@@jonathannoble7845no

[@LAK_770]

12:53 is absolutely killing me. This is on a Helen Keller level. The casual abruptness of that crudely animated backhand and the dude's hysterics are just too perfect.

[@funky7monkey0]

Dude got backhanded off his horse

[@vaiyt]

Urrughlgh

[@athrowawayperson9990]

the NOISE

[@halbarroyzanty2931]

I like how the buddha section of the golden laws is at least _somewhat_ accurate meanwhile it feels like the guy Googled a couple greek mythology names and made that shit up in an afternoon

[@meganbarhorst5272]

Which makes sense in a vacuum, because of course a Japanese guy would know more about Buddhism than about a dead mythos from a different continent, but then, you'd think someone trying to stitch together multiple religions would do research on all of them. I guess it's one of those Dunning-Kruger situations.

[@kathorsees]

I think doing this research is a bit harder than we realize? As in, I did research on Greek mythology once when writing for a video game. Just having the background knowledge from growing up with Eastern European culture was enough to help me distinguish between good sources and dubious ones, or popular, well-known takes on mythology (Dionysus is the god of wine) from more obscure interpretations that might make the audience scratch their heads (there were 2 Dionysuses, and they were both foreign men in life before ascending to godhood). I know what ppl are usually taught at school, or what a person without an education might know anyways, or what a humanities university student might know. Compared to this, I have very little background knowledge on Buddhism or Hinduism. And doing research without this background knowledge is a nightmare. I've tried multiple times to delve into both topics for my own pleasure, and it was horribly hard. Is this article on the caste system legit or full of shit? Is this interpretation written from a common viewpoint, or from the viewpoint of a very specific sub-sect with very unorthodox beliefs? Do most people actually believe this story about Krishna, or is it smth only the ppl in academia study and remember? Is this a popular take on Vishnu, or a new-age reinterpretation? And it doesn't help that I don't understand the language at all, and most sources available to me are thus either pop-sci (so too shallow), academic (so it's too hard for me to tell good research from bad research) or blatant new-age BS. So I wonder if our cults that borrow from eastern mythologies/cultures sound just as inane to them as El Cantare sounds to us. Maybe Baba Ram Dass sounds as silly and instantly dismissible to them as Lord Alpha to us.

[@neoqwerty]

@@kathorsees I'm still convinced Dionysus is probably because twins thought it would be really effin' funny to make the old "I'm Lucian" "I'm also Lucian" classic twin prank, but with gods.

[@downix]

I am amused that their understanding of Nietzsche boils down to half of one saying. Recall, the full saying is "God is Dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?" A hypothetical exploration of what the phrase (which predates Nietzsche by over a century) would mean.

[@j.2512]

Nietzche's answer to replace good is just consuming media, like actually 100% "just watch art bro". Ultra soy philosopher .

[@milkitea669]

I'm pretty sure Nietzsche is one of the most misquoted and misunderstood individuals in all of history lmao

[@j.2512]

@@milkitea669 all existentialists are midwit territory.

[@greenapple9477]

Not even half. Just one short sentence. Even the old saying, "the customer is always right" (in terms of taste) and the meme, "People die when they are killed" (and that's the way it should be) are both less butchered.

[@dziewiaty]

​@@j.2512 what? What the hell are you talking about? Your are consuming media right now you absolute genius.

[@hexgirlsgroupie]

1:12:58 me: “hey, this kinda reminds me of that cult in mob psycho” ~deadass 15 minutes later~ me now channeling my inner rich evans: “OHHHHHHHHHHH”

[@Jarakin]

Shit, I had forgotten how hard "suspiciously well animated sphincter" makes me laugh.

[@KINK-STONE]

I had a genuine moment of "I am not even half way through this video, what else could they have possibly made???"

[@trafalgar47official66]

At least 3 times for me

[@Vsmit00]

Niches: God is dead! God is dead! Me: I know writers who use subtext and they're all cowards.

[@j.b.5422]

they rally are tho

[@deadhouseplant1585]

Honestly if you edited these movies with Garth interview clips I would genuinely think they were part of the show

[@Waspinmymind]

Subtext is just how stories work? It is quite literally just how you write a book?

[@Waspinmymind]

@@j.b.5422So you hate the basic building blocks of writing.

[@xxCaptianNIKExx]

@@WaspinmymindI know it’s late but that “I know writers who use subtext, and they’re all cowards” is a joke from Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, a BBC show parodying like 80’s horror TV and soap operas. The character who says it is an objectively bad author who’s also an egotistical idiot. OP’s not actually saying subtext is dumb

[@Nocturnalday]

The "heaven for people who say thank you all the time" reminds me of Junji Ito's Dissolving Classroom series, just on the opposite end of the vibe scale. Those people are always saying "Thank you" and in Ito's story, the main character is always saying "I'm sorry". But iirc Dissolving Classroom was a critique on Japanese apology culture, so it actually was making a point with it's story

[@Happy00Fangirl]

*Stefon voice* "This cult propaganda has everything. Dozens of reincarnated deities, the lost continent of Atlantis, hideous animation after three movies, Thomas Edison is a super-Bodhisattva..."

[@SysOpQueen]

"and then a bunch of angels fly in from an IMVU banner ad" made me laugh so hard i choked on my spit How can they tell the urn is 2500 years old AND from space? Being from space, the radiation it absorbed would prevent carbon dating from being accurate...

[@MrGksarathy]

They felt it to be true by the rules of Happy Science feelings-based cosmology.

[@overlorddante]

It's a bit infuriating how good the animation quality is

[@carlycrays2831]

Especially the first few ones. Damn, that 90s anime was just too good

[@9uguigbkjbii543]

That’s what I kept thinkingggg

[@wilhelmu]

>call yourself Happy Science >hate on Nietzsche who literally wrote a book called "Happy Science" Guess they hate competition?

[@vhenaris]

I once watched the Laws of the Universe: Age of Elohim on tubi without knowing ANYTHING about what it was or even that there were previous movies. I remember thinking “this is like the veggie tales of anime” and to find out it is quite literally that is so funny

[@aliceangl3563]

I kept finding stolen ideas from other anime in the first three, me and my partner kept pausing to go "Isn't this just -insert popular anime scene here-?"

[@j.2512]

Its literally made by Toei, the same Toei of most popular animes ever

[@aliceangl3563]

@@j.2512 I mean, you're right, but I mean like he just bit EVERYONE else shit and acted like it was his own

[@mushyroom9569]

To be fair, a lot of this is just standard Buddhist/Shinto themes.

[@aliceangl3563]

@@mushyroom9569 I meant like posing, attacks, weapons, but yeah. A lot of this is also most likely similar to '-insert anime here-' due to the cultural and religious beliefs of the creator

[@Aro-ct1cf]

The only reason I've heard of this cult before is that I recently went to the mall (I live in Berlin, Germany) and they were handing out business cards at the entrance and trying to sell books and CDs 😭to be fair, that was an ingenious position to stand, because that specific mall has a bunch of different "nerdy" stores and the whole area is basically a hangout hub for cosplayers, so someone, somewhere put a lot of thought into that one

[@kaydencampbell1498]

they would do amazing with the history channel ancient aliens crowd

[@carlycrays2831]

​@@kaydencampbell1498I'm sort of shocked they didn't

[@enitenit2791]

"Yeah so before you can go to heaven your dead realitives have to watch your life including your thoughts so they can send you to hell if they think so" sounds like an actual nightmare for my OCD ass

[@guggelguggel7491]

Id rather go straight to hell Imma be honest.

[@mikakestudios5891]

No one needs to hear my intrusive thoughts. Just send me straight to hell

[@carlycrays2831]

This reminds me of when my grandma died and everyone talked about how, now that she was dead, she was all around us in spirit. Made that first night without her difficult. There are things grandmas shouldn't see

[@legojay14]

Plus you know. Abusive families. So a vindictive family of say homophobes can send their gay relatives to hell with zero ability to protest it?

[@thesadisticskitty7665]

@legojay14 You know in this shit gay people probably go to Hell automatically with no overview, right?

[@karlmark9967]

FYI, the one who killed Shinzo Abe was the son of a victim of a cult, forgot if they're related to this Happy thing religion but I didn't realize till then that Japan like many other countries, have cult problems

[@ahniandfriends123]

The shooter was from the Unitarian Church (aka the Moonies from South Korea)

[@karlmark9967]

@@ahniandfriends123 so not related then, but still, it's shocking that even Japan, have this sort of a problem.

[@ntp4003]

​@@karlmark9967 I'd say Asia have as many if not even more cults than the west. Most of the big ones are from South Korea, they are just infested with cults over there.

[@alexkrylewski3218]

​@@karlmark9967How is Japan different from other world? Cults always were present everywhere since the dawn of civilization, so why not Japan?

[@karlmark9967]

@@alexkrylewski3218 I get cults, we have that in the philippines, so so so many of them, but for japan, it felt weird when one of their leaders, if not most, is promoting the cult, like here in the Philippines, for such an advanced country, I thought their cults were like proper cults that hides, but no, their cults are like here, open, direct, and loved by the government. We have a cult leader who is a pedophile, a human trafficker, and a known sex offender, but our police force, politicians, and even celebrities, are loving the shit out of the guy, but it's understandable because we're not really a first world country, we're still developing (Well, developing is not really true but that's how the world sees us) compare that to Japan who I consider to be a 1st world country with so little homeless people, and you still get cults that is loved by your leaders. It's weird.

[@emilynelson4747]

Movie: "I'm Helen Keller." Me: "What?" Movie Girl: "What?"

[@DKdrop]

For something with “science” in its name, this cult really seems to struggle with the fairly basic geometric concept of dimensions. Like, it’s not something I’d expect the layman to know off the top of their head, but these guys could at least put in the minimum effort.

[@dullyvampir83]

Anything with science in its name is usually the furthest thing from it.

[@Alikatt9]

This is LITERALLY what the basis of a religion made by Steven Segal would sound like.

[@lambda-m1676]

No one would be able to understand him.

[@ConclusiveConfusion]

Ah yes, the glory of catboy satan.

[@lampenfieber]

Meow Meow!!!!

[@rodneysmith873]

Hail Satan!

[@mxveewz]

Hail Satan!! :3

[@Burmilla.]

We got hot satan, we got catboy satan, what else?

[@barnab34st]

​@@Burmilla.both.. both is good hell yea hail hot alien catboy satan

[@sue9480]

my friends and i were approached by someone from the cult a few hours before i saw this video. at an cosplay event, a super sweet woman, she took pictures with us and then handed each of us a business card to the "animation studio of her friends". the card itself gave weird vibes, but i thought it was just the theme of the current thing they're working on, when i scanned the code and skipped through the movie i didn't think much of it and then suddenly, 2h later, i see this 😭

[@hawktalon7890]

Interesting. Glad you didn't join though!

[@quaktoons331]

Why doesn't el cantare make all his books, schools and products free? An all powerful god doesn't need to be given money, so he can just make everything free, one wave of his staff and everyone will have access to his stuff. And that'll cause everyone to love him which will get them enlightenment and heaven. Unless, you know, he's a fraud.

[@j.2512]

you can spread your religious belief that way but you'd need a whale. Like George Soro's Open Society cult promoting lgbt and globohomo religion

[@rodneysmith873]

But then that would be another thing the staff can do and the list of things that staff can do got pretty fleshed out near the end

[@quaktoons331]

@@rodneysmith873 Limits are merely trivialities, a foot note to a being like el cantare. Unless, you know, he's a fraud.

[@rodneysmith873]

@@quaktoons331 The staff already does enough things!

[@quaktoons331]

@@rodneysmith873 What's one more thing 🤷

[@jarrekkaellan4750]

I'm about 45 minutes into this headtrip and the experience is absolutely enhanced by the sudden jarring realization that the background music being used in part of the laws of eternity section is the galaxy map music from Mass Effect 2. Definitely felt my soul leave my body, 10/10 uncanny experience.

[@greenrain66]

No way this guy put my hero music over a happiness cult anime fight scene between the religious beast 'Behemoth' (under hitler's control of course) and an angel gundam

[@MrGksarathy]

You Say Run really goes with everything...

[@morningbell3690]

The fact that NuxNagito’s voice actor is the same one as the “You are not a gamer” rant guy is incredible to me (Aleks Le)

[@greenapple9477]

He's also Zenitsu, Mash from Mashle, and Sung Jin Woo!

[@sgtclover]

and Kaiman from Dorohedoro :)

[@dawert2667]

Arise

[@WalkmanWillWalkAllOverYou]

I wonder if he knows about the Happy Science Connection.

[@nooneofnote8453]

You mean Luke from Streets?

[@alliegator716]

I was 100% positive I heart Haruhi Suzumiya at 2:00:59. Checked the voice cast and sure enough, Wendee Lee is listed as additional voices. How ironic she’s talking about how aliens don’t exist when one of the most notable characters she’s voiced is OBSESSED with aliens. 😂😂

[@rodneysmith873]

Technically aliens didn't exist there either she just made them exist or however that anime works

[@cosmoflanker]

I'm convinced Wendee chose to do that line in her best Haruhi delivery specifically for the irony.

[@PebkioNomare]

Ryuho Okawa? Assuredly still alive. He's... uh... just changed his appearance. Like how The Oracle did in the Matrix movies. He made a choice and it cost him his old body so he now inhabits a new body. Whom I'm sure we'll find just as soon as... uh... the elders figure it out amongst themselves. Yeah, that's it. But, just to be clear: Didn't die. I mean, why else wouldn't they acknowledge his death within the religion unless he's not actually dead?

[@PebkioNomare]

Also, good luck in Japan. I'm rooting for you to live there more than five years.

[@TheSilverInfinity]

dont they believe in reincarnation? they just have to find his reincarnation. wont be surprised if his soul 'went back in time' and thats why his replacement I MEAN _new form_ is already an adult!

[@PebkioNomare]

@@TheSilverInfinity An interesting idea, but reincarnation would mean that they'd acknowledge his death and they're not. But, more importantly, it would mean that there were two El Cantare existing on Earth at once. While not beyond the abilities of their god, it does interfere with the coherence of their religion.

[@kaorumanahonami]

my uncle (my moms late sister’s ex husband) is a member of this cult and even is a politician😅 one of his sons went to Happy Science University (which is NOT legally recognized as a university) I just hope my cousins are doing well, and hopefully they can get out sometime soon

[@WalkmanWillWalkAllOverYou]

I'm so sorry to hear that.

[@carlycrays2831]

Can you give us details about him?

[@andrewprahst2529]

For some reason as a kid, I also had the idea that we would all watch everyone else's lives like a movie together in heaven

[@SakuraAsranArt]

Feedback Loop of Eternal Damnation is the name of my post-punk band and our first album is called Mild Apocalypse.

[@tVt2000]

Damn I’d buy the album just for the drip

[@jfess1911]

Wait, wait a minute! You didn't say "get your popcorn and settle in" in the Intro! I'll be back in a few minutes... . . . Ok, NOW I am ready. Continue, please.

[@JefferyBlue]

I'm having a pretty rough day with my r/a killing me today. I REALLY needed something to blank out on. Thanks for 3 hours of entertainment bud. Love you and Yazzie to the moon and back!

[@JefferyBlue]

I will have you know I've had this play fully no less that 5x. That is all.

[@PlussGoodFun]

why is it all the crazy religions have the best character designs, this is legit some really cool visuals.

[@j.2512]

the craziet religion is LGBT Globohomo and they have the ugliest character designs

[@yunuss58]

​@@j.2512 yawn

[@alejandrorivas4585]

Because aesthetics is often all they have to keep people interested. If you have no substance, use aesthetics

[@user-burner]

Also most of it is just ripped from existing symbology.

[@RozenGermain]

Yeah! Emperor Sexy especially lol!

[@user-ow2yr4nu4z]

Grew up Evangelical Christian, kinda despised its floweryness of it all. It's like this guy adopted all of it.

[@KazeAizen]

“I’m a KZbinr with editors that need to get paid.” You know. Respect

[@Lauph1tup]

Can't wait for the inevitable Happy Science Gacha Game

[@kabooki22]

I find it so funny that Zombie Hitler is an antagonist in one of these movies, and he sends a giant monster to fight an Inca king.

[@tatumsoward6117]

you know when you were home sick from school and you watched that one serialized tv show and you thought "hey this is pretty good". but you couldn't watch it everyday because it aired during the day, so you only had your own impression of the story based on the limited amount of episodes you've seen. but years later you finally watch it on streaming and it is nothing like the version you had in your head. that is what the greek mythology is like.

[@Jokoko2828]

I am pretty sure Yamata-no-Orochi ain't a benevolent entity, like, we're talking about a serpent that boozed and dined on women.

[@MrGksarathy]

It was a Divine Serpent of the land or something, so it isn't out of left field for a kami to summon it.

[@Cthululululu]

It's a being whose slaying was a foundational event of Jaoaneae Myth, so..

[@alexiaturner5529]

Quinton reviews has ruin my perception of time because a 2 hour video seems like a short time

[@Keijikrall]

This is extremely frustrating because there are some genuinely fascinating and very cool ideas in this

[@Starborncathedral]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@lambda-m1676]

evil Nietzsche

[@vex8713]

I've watched "The Rebirth of Buddah" before. I was like... 13/14ish. I remember how the next morning, my mom went to wake me up and I went, "Shhh... I'm thinking about the teachings of buddah" and fell back asleep 😂😂😂

[@CluelessAnon]

I just learned that Dahar is voiced by Aleks Le, aka Kazuya from Rent-a-Girlfriend, Luke from Street Fighter 6, and the protagonist from Persona 3 Reload. Absolutely wild.

[@TupocalypseShakur]

I think he was around seventeen when he did that role

[@jdvred9210]

And Zenitsu

[@greenapple9477]

And Mash and Sung Jin Woo.

[@ametisladyy]

You mean DREAM BBQ ENA???!!!

[@Magictownie]

I recognized the voices of several of the characters in the later films. Not "tom kenny" level but still. How did this cult get so much actual talent onboard these projects? I mean i guess money is money but I assume Tom Kenny has an agent or something who could like. Google this stuff and be like "not sure you want to be in cult propaganda Tom"

[@carlycrays2831]

I assume money, but I also assume that a lot of VAs are so used to voicing weird shit that this wasn't that much different than their normal work. That's sort of what makes anime such a perfect vehicle for these things, it's so weird that you can adapt bat-shit insane ideas into it and people won't notice

[@teaganrichichi]

The almighty blowing up a bunch of extraterrestrials with volcanoes and sending them to Earth is just Scientology

[@rodneysmith873]

There's even brainwashing centers for souls!

[@AltCutTV]

Only surprise thereafter was the complete abscience of blonde Tom Cruise.

[@shaefurlong1907]

I think this video fried my brain. The image of Nietzsche and Hitler in hell yelling at an actual angel that god is dead or the baddie dragon lady praying like she's at Sunday school will haunt me to my grave. Why did you do this to us?

[@Snowfire6916]

All hail the Space Buddha! Also I hope everything goes well with your move to Japan Geoff!

[@nonamegiven202]

I, for one, stan catboy Satan.

[@WalkmanWillWalkAllOverYou]

And Dragon Mommy.

[@cyanthrope]

I want this engraved on my headstone

[@rodneysmith873]

I also stan catboy Satan.

[@guggelguggel7491]

Spider nagito guy is pretty cool too but i agree, catboy satan is supreme

[@rodneysmith873]

@@guggelguggel7491 spidernux is good but catboy Satan happened first

[@worstinshow]

A supercut of my favorite series of Mother's Basement videos, AND it's on time to give me something to listen to during what's likely going to be a very long and very difficult shift? Good shit.

[@Fusilier7]

The kookiest anime I know of made by a Japanese cult I know of is "Chouetsu Sekai" or "Transcendent World" as roughly translated, this was made by the infamous doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, which became a terrorist organisation responsible for the 1995 Tokyo Metro sarin attack, the first mass terrorist attack in Japanese history. Aum Shinrikyo was a macabre mix of pseudoscience, esoteric buddhism, apocalyptic christianity, and new age movement, led by Shoko Asahara, the group saw the US as the centre of moral corruption and materialism, it was hoped that the sarin attack could be blamed on the US, which would trigger a nuclear war, fulfilling divine prophecy, with only the enlightened members of Aum living in paradise. Shoko Asahara and the terrorists, who carried out the sarin attack were put to death on 2018, executed by hanging, only one terrorist was sentenced to life in prison for aiding the investigation. You might be able to find Chouetsu Sekai on KZbin, but be forewarned, it was made in 1991, so the quality is going to be subpar, and this was a propaganda anime intent on recruiting for the cult, it's quite possible this might be the only anime made by terrorist organisation.

[@lusaminefushiguro5332]

You know the most depressing part is that it might not be the amount of people their oh so leader claims... But someone believes this... Literally all of this. Someone,out there,in Japan,unironically 100% believes each and every single word said by these films. Cults are like that,and it's just sad

[@JerseyMiyazaki]

I appreciate the honesty in the beginning, king. Get those editors some dough.

[@Eagledude131]

oh boy, Geoff released the boxed set collectors edition!

[@Person-sf7ql]

Ah yes Hermes, but not Apollo, patrion God of the Greeks. Or Dionysus, the proto Jesus figure of the Greeks... Very interesting!

[@merijevons]

This fella chose well his character. Hermes is a figure present in all ancient traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean up to this day. Toth, Taautus, Enoch, Metatron, Idris, Khidir... Apollo didn't survived in any mystical traditions. Hermes did.

[@Person-sf7ql]

@@merijevons Ah, I didn't know that! Thank you for educating me on that. :)

[@Hugelag]

I was just thinking about rewatching the series. Thanks for the compilation!

[@peepopopo7140]

So like, what's the point of achieving world-wide peace and enlightenment if god is just gonna get bored and wipe us out if we do that?

[@mangomage33]

"Cult that demonizes atheists accidentally makes a compelling argument for atheism"

[@theangryholmesian4556]

Many such cases. ​@@mangomage33

[@cervicalvertebrea]

It is not cowardice to tell a person who can and will kill you what they want to hear so they don't kill you.

[@timothymclean]

But it's also not martyrdom. It's an imperfection in your faith that makes El Cantare sad. And making El Cantare sad is the worst thing of all.

[@timothymclean]

@@AmoebaInk Any god who condemns your soul for lying to save fifty thousand lives is NOT a god I'd want to spend eternity with. Same for any mortal who would rather kill fifty thousand people than risk their own soul. I'd rather burn in hell than be stuck with those assholes!

[@timothymclean]

@@AmoebaInk First off, the scenario I'm discussing is what actually happened in the movies I assume we're discussing. Obviously if you invent a different scenario, you might get a different answer. Second, I'm all for resisting oppressors, but any time I have to lie to save a stadium full of people, I will lie without a second thought. What does refusing to lie about your faith accomplish? It makes the bad guy slightly annoyed before he kills fifty thousand people?

[@Waspinmymind]

@@AmoebaInkMan, reminds me of the stuff my mother believed no wonder I was suicidal.

[@j.b.5422]

everykne defines cowardiex according to theor wishes atm abyways

[@Burmilla.]

WHAT THE HELL WHY IS THE ANIMATION SO GOOD??

[@timetraveler_from_2012]

58:16 I never thought I would see fucking anime Albert Einstein hitting the "Among the heavens and the earth, I alone am the honored one" before becoming a jojolion cover

[@Mario_Angel_Medina]

"You know what people love? A blonde male best friend of the brunette male protagonist that becomes his homoerotic... I mean, his evil rival. Like in Berserk, Devilman and others. I bet that if we base our next religious propaganda film around that we will win lots of adepts" _ the makers of _The Laws of the Universe_ apparently

[@ahniandfriends123]

And let's make our religion punish those who act on those homoerotic urges despite plastering it all over our movie.

[@AYVYN]

That’s my life, nothing homoerotic though

[@muhammadaliffbinmuhammadla7846]

5:16 The fact that both KyoAni and Shinzo Abe was targeted (albeit for different reasons) due to their ties to cults is really eerie.

[@notachannel447]

Let's be real, if hell exists and he was there "well if you are so smart why are you in hell?" is a good line

[@GothVampiress]

i'm obsessed with the fact that the jesus resurrection clouds are just moving pngs of layers from gustave dore's empyrean

[@carlycrays2831]

I knew that's where I had seen them before!

[@BRWednesday]

Incredible. These read like my notes from catholic school. I never thought to run with it though, missed opportunity 😅

[@jcalexandrewrites]

Not going to lie: this being cult propaganda aside, I find this anime quite fascinating. I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fantasy author in me. As a sci-fi/fantasy nerd, I absolutely love the over-the-top world building and lore of these cults and religions, from Mormonism and Scientology to Spirit Science. It’s all quite fascinating as long as you don’t take them seriously.

[@fizzlepop7309]

It's funny to me that Hermes can summon lightning, but _not_ aim it. He has to install his own rod first. I feel like this implies he endangers his own people whenever he summons a storm, and also that even he can't control some elements of nature, despite creating it all. Honestly, for fiction, it's a decent power-balancing mechanic, but like... religious figures aren't exactly known for limiting their gods, especially when they claim to *be* said god.

[@TruePartyKing]

In NYC i lived across from a Happy Science …”store?” Always assumed it was a wellness shop or something… until they started handing out flyers… never knew they made an anime though lol😂

[@demoncushion9600]

This was just 3 hours of consecutive mental flashbangs.

[@thatpersonmariah3997]

12:02 I would like to note they could have used Khaos as the name and been like half accurate, as Khaos created the universe in some Greek myths. But nope, they made this guy instead.

[@northstarjakobs]

I'm probably gonna end up showing The Mystical Laws to my college's Bad Movie Club that I run, since it seems like the one of these that is the most entertaining in its own right and not just when experienced secondhand through a highly entertaining youtube review.

[@j.2512]

not even the only cult to make an anime, aum shinriyo did it first

[@detrik01]

The evil empire *checks notes* educates the Japanese public on the gRape of Nanjing. Holy heck this anime