In 2017, Record of Ragnarock, a manga created by Azychika, Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui, arrived in the shelves of the comics, which has at the base of the plot a fighting tournament that sees 13 between the most famous humans in history and 13 divinities clash; the final result will decide the fate of humanity, divine judgment or its survival.
With the success achieved, in 2021 Netflix announces the animated adaptation of the comic. This month, in addition to the arrival of many TV series expected, a trailer for the expected second season of the TV show was also released. The fact of representing the deities in a “battle” context had social repercussions (especially when the first season was released).
It was the Hindus who carried on the controversy due to the misrepresentation of Lord Shiva. Netflix then decided to remove the anime in India, but with the new season on the way, the controversy has returned to be felt. Now Hindus are urging the platform to reconsider the Record of Ragnarok II broadcast, as it trivializes Lord Shiva.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), said that Lord Shiva was to be worshiped in temples and home shrines and not be thrown freely or unnecessarily dragged around in anime TV series out of merchant greed. Zed said Hindus were for freedom of artistic expression and speech as much as anyone else, if not more. But faith is something sacred and attempts to trivialize it show insensitivity to the feelings of adherents.
Zed, who is president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, indicated that Hindu gods and goddesses were considered as such and entertainment companies are encouraged to create designs on / around them showing their true representation, as mentioned in Hindu scriptures . Improperly reimagining Hindu gods, concepts, scriptures, symbols, icons, and redefining Hinduism for commercial or other purposes was no good.
In addition to hurting the feelings of devotees, any misleading portrayals have created confusion among non-Hindus about Hinduism. The callous treatment of faith traditions sometimes led to the plundering of serious spiritual doctrines and revered symbols. Zed further said that Hindus welcomed show business for immersing themselves in Hinduism, but taking it seriously and respectfully and not for reshaping Hinduism concepts and symbols for personal programs.
Attempts to distort Hindu gods and goddesses scorn ancient Hindu traditions. He finally said that he or other Hindu scholars would be happy to help if the industry needed assistance to explore Hinduism. This was the oldest and third largest religion in the world with around 1.2 billion adherents and rich philosophical thinking and should not be taken lightly.
No faith, larger or smaller, should be mistreated, Rajan Zed noted. How will Netflix proceed in the face of the above claims? We just have to wait for future updates on this, so stay tuned!
Record of Ragnarock II: Hindus ask Netflix to reconsider its broadcast | Vigamus Magazine