Parents' Guide to The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins

Billed as a fantasy thriller, this cheesy high school drama is actually pretty bland, and its heavy-handed morality is at best cringey and at times just religious propaganda. The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins uses its minimal plot to emphasize the teachings of Happy Science through undeveloped characters that are just stand-ins for the audience. The story itself is pretty bare; conflict is straight-forward and easily solved by a powerful being simply casting judgment on others. The teen girls have no real defining personality traits or character growth. While it's good to see them actively reaching out to help others in need, they don't actually do any of the helping. They simply point Master Salt towards the problem and stand by to watch, learning the lessons that are clearly meant for the viewer.

It's important to recognize that while the film's evangelism is more subtle, since it never references Happy Science directly, it still promotes a very specific perspective that excludes other belief systems. On its surface, the film isn't asking the audience for anything but "good vibes," and some of the messages may be positive for young adults. But viewers should be aware that the film is created by a religious group with a controversial history, which parents may wish to research first. This background should be taken into consideration when discussing the film's themes and its purpose.