Crime
NCIS: Tony & Ziva
In Paramount+’s NCIS: Tony & Ziva, the pair of ex-NCIS agents reluctantly return to their agent lifestyle when they’re framed for a crime.
Record of Ragnarok has an amended version of Genesis 6:6.
“And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart.”
Their copy would replace “the Lord” with “the gods.” Which gods? Well, pretty much all of them.
That’s why they’re gathered in the halls of Valhalla (traditionally the Norse version of the afterlife). Because every 1,000 years, all the gods meet to determine whether humanity should be exterminated or gets to continue living. And this time, they’re all in agreement: Humanity’s sins have grown unforgivable.
“The sea fills with trash and oil, the forests have disappeared, and countless creatures have gone extinct,” Greek goddess Aphrodite laments. Hindu god Shiva likewise grows tired of man’s existence. And with the hundreds of other murmurs in unanimous agreement, Zeus’ gavel swings down, prepared to slam the indictment of extinction into the world for good.
Except, not quite. Brunhilde, one of the group of Norse demigods called the Valkyries, stands as humanity’s only advocate. She instead asks the council to put humanity to the test as a way to display the gods’ power and benevolence. The test? Ragnarok, a trial by combat where 13 of humanity’s best warriors would fight against 13 of the gods—and first to seven wins.
If humanity wins, they’ll get another 1,000 years to sort themselves out. And if not, well, from dust man was made, and to dust he will return—permanently.
Sure, you might be able to name the various gods fighting against the humans on this—Thor, Poseidon, Hercules (yes, the demigod counts, too). But you’ll also recognize some of humanity’s fighters too: They’re real people pulled from their afterlife slumber to protect us all: Jack the Ripper, Buddha and even Adam, the first human.
Obviously, the theology of Record of Ragnarok isn’t very accurate. The gods of pretty much every religion (save the Abrahamic God) form a pantheon of divinity. The show’s flashback to the Garden of Eden takes quite a few liberties with the story (and yes, though Adam makes an appearance in the show, it’s unclear which of these gods made him in their image). And when Buddha, who has canonically ascended to godhood yet fights for humans, it’s said that “holy is he alone throughout heaven and earth.”
It’s not a theology that Christians will accept, though the description of Buddha certainly indicates that none of the gods in the show’s Valhalla/Heaven mashup are holy—a subject on which we’d concur. In fact, some of the people representing the gods are quite the opposite—including Beelzebub, a demon sometimes conflated with Satan. And in the manga upon which the show is based, even Jesus makes an appearance in the audience as He cheers on Buddha, though He’s been downgraded from Son of God to simply another “sage” among the likes of Confucius and Socrates. (He will allegedly not appear in the anime due to the creators’ fear of generating controversy.)
But that’s just the spiritual side of Ragnarok. The violent side is there, too. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, since the premise of the anime is based on men fighting gods. Even still, it’ll mean that limbs are removed from bodies and blood spurts from wounds like it’s coming from a firehose. It should likewise be noted that many of the female characters in the show are drawn with large breasts that always seem to take up more movement than the rest of their bodies, and both men and women sometimes appear with the scantiest bits of clothing. (Adam, for instance, shows up wearing just a leaf over his privates.) Finally, swearing (at least in the English dub) is a concern, with even the occasional f- and s-word flying from unclean lips.
Ironically, those issues all culminate to make a show that’s filled to the brim with gods pretty irreverent.
The gods are set to destroy humanity, but Brunhilde manages to convince them to engage in the Ragnarok fights instead. Both sides choose their fighters, and the first round is Thor versus Chinese military general Lü Bu.
We see hundreds upon hundreds of gods gathered together in the halls of Valhalla. They demean humanity’s worth, calling its collective sins “unforgiveable,” and they unanimously decide to destroy the human race. We hear a reference to the Great Flood. A man hails Buddha. The demigod Valkyries transform themselves into weapons for the humans to use against the gods.
Aphrodite is one prominent character in the show, and her breasts are accentuated each time she’s on screen. They’re so large that they must be supported by two stone golems holding them up, and she wears a dress that shows off the majority of them. Men are seen shirtless, too. A man drinks alcohol.
We hear the f-word twice. We also hear b–tard and “a–” twice. “B–ch” is used once.
Brunhilde decides to retrieve Adam, the father of humanity, for the next fight, and Zeus decides to fight against him.
The biblical Adam is called “a human who despises the gods more than anyone else.” He’s also called the “originator of original sin,” and Adam bites into an apple when he enters the arena. We hear Heimdall, the announcer, quote Genesis 1:26 to introduce Adam. We learn in a later episode that because Adam was made in the image of God, he’s “a copy of the Divine,” making him able to replicate any attack made against him. The arena is said to be repaired after each match by “divine intervention.” And we’re told that when a god or human loses the fight, the loser’s soul is shattered, and there’s no way to repair it. They go on into “Niflhel,” oblivion, and there’s no afterlife for them.
As for Zeus, he’s also given some spiritual names: “Father of the gods; holy patriarch of the entire universe; god of gods; infinite among infinites.”
Of course, you’re likely wondering how Adam might be portrayed, since he spent his time in the Garden of Eden naked. Indeed, his character is naked, his genitals only covered by a fig leaf. His rear is exposed to the camera, however. We hear a snide remark that as man’s progenitor, Adam is no slouch. And we hear a couple comments about Zeus’ general aura of creepiness, including someone who comments on Zeus’ dance moves as “creepy gyrations.”
We see an army slain by Thor. One of the men is seen cut in half.
Knocked down by Adam and looking for answers, Zeus asks Adam why he’s fighting so hard against the gods.
Brunhilde reveals the “true” backstory to the Garden of Eden. She claims that the Fall of Man occurred in this way (all of which we see): the Serpent attempted to sexually assault Eve, though a flock of doves protected her from him. Angered, the Serpent bit into the Forbidden Fruit and framed Eve before the council of gods, all of whom sided with the Serpent. Angered at this, Adam breaks into the courtroom with a basket full of the Forbidden Fruit, and he takes a bite into each one, spitting it on the ground. Adam slices off the Serpent’s arms and legs, and he and Eve voluntarily leave Eden to form their own Eden on earth (the show indicates that the Garden of Eden was in heaven). Because of this event, Adam “loathes the gods with all his heart.” We see Eve, Cain and Abel in the audience cheering their father on.
When asked why Adam fights so hard, Adam responds that he doesn’t need to explain why any father would protect his children (all of humanity). This causes the onlooking humans to pray (it’s unclear to whom) that Adam would win. Zeus is called further spiritual names: “the lord of the heavens, and creator of the universe.”
Adam and Eve are both naked. Their genitals (and Eve’s breasts) are covered by fig leaves, but their rears are exposed. When Adam saves Eve from the courtroom, she presses her breasts against his face in a hug. The anime accentuates Aphrodite’s breasts, too. Humans in the audience gawk at both Adam and Eve’s figure.
Zeus is punched, and his head is twisted around. We see blood come from his mouth.
Someone is called a “wh-re.” We hear someone yell “oh my god” a few times in reference to Zeus when the deity collapses.
Serial killer Jack the Ripper is set to face off against the demigod Hercules, and the human audience members feel conflicted about cheering on an evil man. Meanwhile, Hercules struggles with fighting against humanity.
Someone says “may God bless you.” We’re told that the only thing that humans surpass gods in is their malice. Hercules calls upon the mythical Nemean Lion to gain power.
Someone recounts Jack’s gruesome history. Hercules is impaled by many throwing knives. Jack is slammed into a wall, and he snaps his dislocated shoulder back in place.
Aphrodite’s breasts bounce while she talks. A man smokes a pipe.
Someone says the s-word once. The word “b–tard” is used once.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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