Can fantasy dramas carry truth?

【Conversation with Pop Culture 2】

In recent years, one type of TV series has become very popular among young people, namely fantasy (magic, fantasy) dramas. "A Thousand Bones of Flowers" aired in Taiwan is a masterpiece of fantasy dramas, and several of the famous dramas starring Hu Ge in "Nirvana in Fire" are also fantasy dramas.

I originally asked God from the perspective of an "old Christian": "Lord, this kind of content must be weird and unspiritual. Is it worth watching? Can it be watched? From what angle?"

Most of the actors born in the 1980s that I follow are idols and have "fans" ranging from more than one million to more than 60 million, all over the Chinese community around the world. Some dramas have been broadcast for more than ten years, and there are still many star-chasing fans. Chasing dramas on the Internet is a "film and television product cultural group" that cannot be ignored. In this 21st century, high-tech era of e-commerce, the reasons, elements, and appeal of fantasy dramas that remain so popular deserve the attention and understanding of Christians who “care about how the gospel dialogues with culture.”

Fantasy dramas generally have the following characteristics:

Make chips:The protagonists are all handsome men and beautiful women. Almost all young actors born in the 80s and 90s have filmed such dramas in their early stages of debut. The agency, the TV company, and the crew worked together to carefully create "costume idols" and prepare for the filming of Chinese versions of romantic and aesthetic idol dramas in costumes. "Fans" want to follow these dramas. Idols must follow these dramas.

Drama type:Most of them are adventures about slaying demons and demons, accompanied by martial arts and magic, creating a mysterious and dreamy color.

Shooting features:The scenes are mostly in mountains and forests. Depending on the plot, you sometimes travel through green mountains and green waters, and sometimes visit deep valleys and secret places. In the first few seconds, you are looking for people on the streets, and in a few seconds, you are flying up to the clouds, sitting on fairy gourds and spaceships, flying to where you want to go. Towns are visual enjoyment and fun.

character:The protagonists are mostly ordinary people who were looked down upon by others, or they have a telepathic connection with a certain fairy spirit, or they are burdened with a strange curse. Under a certain opportunity, they develop extraordinary martial arts and slay demons for the village and the country.

Supporting role type:

‧Immortal: one has reached a certain advanced level in practice and is ranked among the immortals.
‧Living people: including the protagonist’s relatives, friends, partners, enemies, etc.
‧Zombies: People who are bitten by monsters or killed by monsters and demons and become half-dead and half-alive.
‧Monsters: Usually transformed from animals, they can only cause mischief; those controlled by monsters will assist in doing evil; some can also help living people.
‧Demon: Usually among humans and demons, some are transformed from animals and have stronger spells than monsters.
‧Demon: Full of evil, he was knocked down to the mortal world by immortals, committed evil in hell, and also came to the mortal world to harm people. He was more powerful than demons.

Things worthy of attention, attention and reflection

1. Fantasy time and space preserves what people yearn for

1. Things that are rare and perishable in the world can be preserved and satisfied in fantasy time and space stories, including innocent hearts, true heroes, and eternal love.

2. The plot of slaying demons, saving people, and protecting the country also reflects the deep yearning for peace and harmony in the human heart, and the need for a sense of security.

2. “Legends and myths” become part of life culture

The stories of many fantasy dramas come from legends and myths. It can be seen that in modern times, legends and stories are still circulated. Many people "would rather believe that something exists than something that doesn't exist." For example, the stars have a protective function for the country, the Eight Diagrams governs destiny, and people who are detected and summoned by the so-called gods have a unique destiny.

3. The scripts of fantasy stories deserve attention

The scripts come from novels, and some are based on the structure of online games (mobile games), such as "Legend of Sword and Fairy". Fantasy stories are available to young audiences in the form of novels, online games, dramas, etc., and their influence is pervasive.

▲The romantic love between handsome men and beautiful women, coupled with the fantasy plot, turns the video game plot into a real person, making fans crazy and satisfying their own fantasy of eternal love.

4. Reflections on "fairies, corpses, monsters, demons and demons"

As Christians run on the road to heaven, they must obey the illumination, reminder, and pruning of the Holy Spirit every day, and confess their sins and repent. Otherwise, they will have "external troubles and internal sorrows" every day. "External troubles" are attacks from demons and demons (evil spirits); "internal troubles" are the conflicts between one's "old self and new self" and become spiritual monsters (susceptible to the influence and control of demons and demons) and spiritual zombies (Half dead, half alive). "Becoming a saint" has a higher standard than "becoming an immortal", so you need to pursue it more diligently!

5. How does the gospel dialogue with popular film and television culture?

The Bible has answers to the creation of mankind, the function of the stars, the danger of floods, the heart of an innocent child, true heroes, and eternal love. We have enough "chips" and the "release" of the Holy Spirit to provide guidance to the audience of fantasy dramas. The puzzle is just to think: Where is the entry point? How to master conversation? How to use proximity as a guiding bridge? How to analyze where there is a huge gap?

Fantasy dramas are products of film and television culture. They attract young people and must have an impact on them. When they stay in the house, leaning in front of the computer, staring at their mobile phones to obsessively follow the drama, the message conveyed by the plot will be smooth. Sneaked into my head. In what ways can Christians care for this large group of people? How to hold the "Holy Sword" (the sword of the Holy Spirit) to help them cut off the monsters, monsters, and demons in their souls, and then lead them into the truth about human creation, innocent hearts, true heroes, eternal love, etc.?

The cultural thought of the Chinese people has been influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and folk beliefs for thousands of years. In the cultural soil, most people are unfamiliar with the Bible. If Christians are familiar with the Bible, can they creatively tell Bible stories to others, such as Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God sending the ten plagues through Moses, the miracle of opening the Red Sea, the protection of the pillar of cloud and fire, etc. Another example is that the miracles performed by the prophet Elijah are comparable to the exciting plots of fantasy dramas, but they are also real and can be connected with our daily lives. The prophet Hosea’s unfailing love for his wife, the story of Ruth and Boaz, and the love stories of biblical characters are soul-stirring, but they also represent God’s eternal love and blessings for us, and Jesus himself carries the innocent child The true hero of the heart! These stories tell of God’s power and unconditional love, which are not limited by time and space. Aren’t they also the protection and love that modern people are pursuing?

Li Huaiwen, after participating in four consecutive KRC cultural camps from 2014 to 2017, his interest in writing as a student was deeply encouraged and promoted. In 2016, he began to think about how writing and drama can be combined to create influence.