An animated fantasy where heroes do battle in make-believe realms may seem an unlikely art form for communicating the truths of Scripture—but that’s exactly what the creators of Gabriel and the Guardians hope to achieve. The first episode of this epic, anime-inspired project begins airing February 12 on Angel Studios, with the remaining 12 episodes of the first season arriving later this year. Producers believe it’s the first anime-inspired series to be crowdfunded into existence.
Jason Moody, the mastermind behind the series, recently spoke with J. D. Peabody, author of the children’s fantasy series The Inkwell Chronicles, about the making of this ambitious project. Their conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
For those who have not yet seen the trailer, how would you summarize Gabriel and the Guardians?
The show is a loose interpretation of the Genesis narrative set in a fantasy world inspired by ancient Hebrew and Mesopotamian culture and ethos. In Tolkien language, think of it as a Silmarillion to the biblical narrative.
By that, I take it you mean you’re building a broader backstory?
Exactly. I spent two years diving deep into Genesis culture, along with other texts like the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees. I began to imagine this narrative set in an antediluvian, ancient Mesopotamian setting, with ziggurats and Sumerian mythology and proto-Canaanite gods—which is not how I pictured Genesis growing up, with Sunday school characters made from felt.
You’re talking about some pretty high concepts. Was the idea a hard sell?
From early on, the response was really positive from industry executives at Angel Studios. But they encouraged us to lean even further into the fantasy aspect, making Gabriel more of a parable about the Old Testament rather than a literal retelling. The more we thought about Jesus’ use of parables, that direction felt in keeping with tradition—to tell beautiful truths through “once upon a time.”
So how does a pastor’s kid from Ohio end up creating a TV show like this?
I wanted to be a lot of things when I was growing up, but the primary thing I wanted to do was make animations. I had sketchbooks with me all the time. As much as I was a fan of shows like X-Men and Superman and ThunderCats and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I always wanted a way to express my faith values through the medium. The concept of a show about spiritual battles had always been an idea in my mind.
When I was first out of school, I tried getting into the world of indie comic books. After about two years of going to conventions and promoting my books, I found there was no money in it. At that point I was married with a kid on the way. I pivoted into e-learning. I worked at JPMorgan Chase for 15 years in their interactive video training. Outside of work, I became heavily involved in leading worship.
Then COVID hit. Work got super slow, we weren’t gathering as a church, and I had all this creative energy and headspace. In that vacuum I started sketching again.
I came upon the BibleProject podcast with Tim Mackie and just fell in love with it. He’s all about Genesis. You start diving into it, and it keeps opening up. That’s where the idea for Gabriel and the Guardians began to spark and I started sketching characters.
What made you think it was time to revisit your dream and actually do something with those sketches?
It crystalized in a moment with my daughter. She was around 15 at the time and very much into anime, which I was, too.
She saw the characters I was drawing and said, “Dad. If the Bible was told like this, I’d be interested in the show.” And I just felt the thumb of the Lord on my back. I think he’s looking for a new generation of storytellers and creatives, people who truly honor and believe the message of the Bible—not Hollywood trying to cash in—who aren’t afraid to try something new.
And for the uninitiated, what do you mean by “anime”?
Anime is any animation originating in Japan. Gabriel and the Guardians is what you would call “anime-inspired” since it isn’t produced in Japan. But our show is traditional 2D animation, paying homage to classic anime style, with each frame drawn by hand.
It’s risky, isn’t it? The anime fanbase is huge—but also pretty savvy and particular when it comes to their standards for quality.
From the beginning, I said, “Whatever we do has to be excellent.” There can’t be cracks. We were able to get connected with Tiger Animation, which is behind some of the biggest modern animation franchises out there. They brought an authentic quality to the production.
You’ve attracted a pretty all-star cast, too, which helps with the credibility.
We’ve got some of the biggest names in anime voice talent: Johnny Yong Bosch, Cristina Vee, James Arnold Taylor, Matt Lanter.
Do you see this show aimed primarily at a Christian audience, or is it for everyone?
It’s for both Christians and general audiences. Think about the painting The Last Supper. Lots of people are moved by it. It has caused millions of people to reflect on their faith. But da Vinci wasn’t necessarily a “Christian painter”—he was just a painter. And you don’t have to have faith to appreciate his work. The Last Supper isn’t “Christian” art—it’s just art. We want what we’re creating to prompt questions, because that’s what good art does.
That reminds me of Andrew Peterson saying the Wingfeather Saga animated series wasn’t intended to moralize, but to work on hearts at a deeper level as a story.
We don’t see this as a platform for teaching of any sort. But we do think there’s a value to representing these ancient truths in art. I’m not trying to lead you to any decision point in your faith. I don’t think this would be the kind of show that would replace a Sunday school lesson. But if you’ve got a group of kids in the youth group that love anime, you could have a movie night and analyze it afterward.
What I hope Guardians does is cause you to read about the real characters in Genesis and ask questions—questions the characters themselves are facing, such as “What lengths would your Creator go to in order to restore you?”
That could generate some great follow-up discussion.
J. D. Peabody served as the founding pastor of New Day Church in Federal Way, Washington, for 22 years. He is the author of Perfectly Suited: The Armor of God for the Anxious Mind as well as the children’s fantasy series The Inkwell Chronicles.
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