308. Why Do Worldwide Fans Love Japanese and Korean Stories?

In spring 2026, social media platform X field-tested a new feature. Thanks to AI advances, with little fanfare, we now have universal translators. And suddenly the “curse of Babel” was temporarily lifted. Americans, Japanese, and Koreans began sharing their love of foods, patriotism, and fantastical stories. But for decades already, people around the world have found the wonder of creativity from overseas—manga, anime, games, and music. Why do we love these stories?[1. Photo by Branden Skeli on Unsplash.] Episode sponsors The Star-Blessed by Angie Dickinson Realm Makers 2026 Conference & Expo Land of Giants by Laurie Christine Above the Circle of Earth by E. Stephen Burnett Mission update New at Lorehaven: new reviews of Perplexity and Sanctified Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild 1. Today every story can become localized To recap: God made people originally to act as one human family. Sin broke those relationships (Gen. 3), leading to global corruption. God’s global Flood rebooted the world (Gen. 6-9). Generations later one humanity shared in evil. So He confused languages (Gen. 11). People now live with distinct cultures, all human yet divided. Pentecost showed a glorious reversal of this division (Acts 1-2). Radio and internet also shortened com distances between nations. Side effect: this makes us feel all crises are equally important to us. But, great benefit: this allows us to share in one another’s stories. Auto-translate is not new, but recently on X it became default. These “universal translators” with AI are erasing language barriers. Japanese and Americans bonded over shared food, music, culture. And now Koreans and others are joining the conversations. So far it’s wholesome and humanist (in the best possible way). People love their cultures most, and like others who do the same. Yet many fans have liked Japanese and Korean media for decades. 2. Fans love Japanese manga, anime, music Zack spent much of his childhood spent inside Japanese-created fantasy worlds. Stephen grew up enjoying cartoons that turned out to be anime: The original 1980s Superbook biblical fiction series 1 and 2 The lesser-known New Testament-focused The Flying House All voiced by the English dub cast of Kimba the White Lion Must credit televangelist Pat Roberton’s original CBN station They worked with Tatsunoko Production before anime was cool Stephen has also grown to love Miyazaki films and newer anime. Manga makes half of graphic novel sales. Western comics rarely crack top ten. Lots more manga get produced into anime, so it’s a dual format appeal. American comics tend to focus on superhero reboots from DC or Marvel. Meanwhile, manga spans nearly every genre of fiction. Manga focuses on adventure and achievement, rather than vanity. Manga focused on craftsmanship and audience, not sociopolitical agendas. Japan has much less influence Christian, yet creators address biblical themes. Many of them are at least familiar with the Bible as literature. So you’ll get a Chrisitan missionary-focused plot arc in Rurouni Kenshin Or late-breaking messiah motifs and a “pastor” character in One Piece. 3. Fans also love K-dramas and K-pop Korean-made fantastical stories are also taking the world by storm. Both our wives enjoy a Korean original export: K-dramas. Many of them are whole-hearted tropey, romantic-dramedy. And many have fantastical elements, like modernized mythology. Then of course there’s the music. Many K-pop artists love Bands like Stray Kids and A-Teez overtly tribute Western fantasy. Stray Kids teamed up with Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool for “Chick Chick Boom.” A-Teez has a whole post-dystopian dimension-jumping narrative. And recently, A-Teez’s song “NASA” got used in Artemis II Korea has more evangelical Christian influence than Japan. That’s likely why K-Pop Demon Hunters felt almost Christian. Certainly the movie well portrayed fallen “demons” and human redemption. The Holy Spirit can take the Gospel across any language barrier. Many Christians think “speaking in tongues” was for apostles only, now fulfilled. Other thinks it’s a “private prayer language,” not actual languages spoken today. Either way, we have stories and technological tools that help bridge cultures. May the Lord use this to spread the best fantastical stories across the world May we share the gospel to “all tribes and peoples and languages” (Rev. 7:9). Com station Top question for listeners What are your favorite fantastical stories from other lands? Next on Fantastical Truth The late Captain Jim Lovell aboard Apollo 8 read Genesis 1 from orbit on Christmas Day. Col. Buzz Aldrin aboard Apollo 11 took secret Communion on the Moon. Captain Butch Wilmore spent time on the International Space Station and will speak at next month’s Teach Them Diligently conference. More recently Captain Victor Glover aboard Artemis II, en route to a lunar flyby, shared pre-gospel thoughts about God’s wonderful creation of planet Earth. Why do so many astronauts and faithful staffers of NASA take their biblical beliefs out of this world?