Ask John: Why are Angels so Common in Anime?

Question:
Why are there so many angel wings in anime? In particular, Card Captor Sakura. Almost everything she owns has a cute little angel wing on it. Why?

Answer:
There may not actually be a single definitive answer to this question. The answer may lie in an amalgamation of numerous explanations related to both Japanese culture and the manga art form.

Christian symbolism itself has a significant impact and appeal to Japanese culture mainly because Japan is predominantly non-Christian. The main Asian religions of Buddhism and Tao are ones that focus on personal spirituality and material impoverishment to gain spiritual enrichment, unlike the Christian religion, which worships a singular God through either the figure of the Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ. The Asian religions are pantheistic, but generally don’t focus on worshiping and exalting the gods themselves. Thus typical Asian religions don’t have the regalia and pageantry and visual ceremony of Christianity. Christianity is therefore appealing to Asian cultures because of its pomp and circumstance. The visual elegance and beauty of angels are a distinctly Western concept appealing to Eastern cultures for the sake of beauty and ceremony. Therefore, angels and angel wings appear frequently in anime and manga, literally, in Escaflowne, Angel Sanctuary, Card Captor Sakura, Steel Angel Kurumi, and Earthian, and in figurative form in Final Fantasy 8, Sailormoon, Card Captor Sakura and other programs simply because of their visual appeal as a representation of fantasy.

Angel wings are also a visual metaphor in a medium that depends heavily on the visual. In a literal extension of the literary “madonna/whore” theory, angel wings can be used to represent innocence and purity. The angel wing motif common to Card Captor Sakura, the angel wings on the back of Rinoa Heartilly’s dress, and the small wings on Super Sailormoon’s costume all serve as constant evidence of these characters’ personalities.