I’ve been brushing up on some books and some series during the vacation – those that I’ve not visited for quite some time. And I was surprised to see several similar concepts that appeared on different stories.

Hallows, for example, is a concept I’ve encountered in the last installment of the Harry Potter series as well as in the anime series Bleach. According to J. K. Rowling’s book, Hallows are magical items that endow powers to their owners, items that when united by a single owner provides immortality to whoever yields it. (Sorry didn’t mean to spoil the story if you haven’t read the book yet.) In the anime series Bleach however, Hallows are spirits or souls that do not find peace after death, get consumed by grief or anger and turn into monsters.

There is another term I came across with, this time in two different anime series (Bleach and Death note) – the Shinigami. Also referred to as death gods, shinigamis are guardians of the afterlife and bringers of death. In Bleach, they are portrayed as proud, disciplined, and highly-skilled fighters that brandish swords called soul-slayers. They appear to look like humans except they’re only visible to spirits or to those living humans with high spiritual energies. In Death note, however, they’re more like monsters. Those that collect souls when humans are about to die. They’re more cunning and sinister.

I’m not criticizing or saying that any of the concepts have been misused or misrepresented. In fact, I’m actually fascinated to see similar terms appear in different stories. It makes me wanna read and watch more. Hehe! Just wish I could have more time to do so. Now if only there is a way to teach and do all these other things at the same time…