Anime Lectio: Re-Main

  1. Why do Anime Lectio? 

Anime Lectio is a time for us to stop and take a breath. Between work, activities, family life, and social media, our minds are always moving. We rarely take time to contemplate and ask, why am I watching this anime? What’s the point of all this? And, how is this making me feel? 

2. Put away all distractions 

(phones, work, etc.)

We are so enslaved to things that stimulate our minds. Let this be a moment for us to free our minds, look inside of ourselves, and be at peace.

3. Deep Breathing

Take several deep breaths. Let your mind relax. If you’ve had any questions, desires, or struggles that you’ve been hiding or stuffing away, let them rise up to the surface. 

4. Open yourself to God’s Presence

Remember God places all our thoughts and desires inside of us, and He uses them to draw us closer to Himself. God gives us a community to help us understand who we are and what He is calling us to do. The faces of other people you know and don't know are like signs of God’s presence.  

5. Think About What’s on Your Mind in Relation to the Anime

Think about what’s been on your mind in relation to the anime.  The following is an example of such thoughts written by me.

I'm usually not into sports anime, but Re-Main is one that caught my interest since the sport that this anime focuses on is water polo, which is a sport that I used to play in high school. Watching the anime got me thinking about when I used to play the sport, what it was like for me, and how I could relate to the anime based on what happened in it and how it was similar to what I experienced.

6. Brief and written explanation of the anime

Pay attention to how the brief and written explanation of the anime seen on this blog, or seeing the anime for yourself since that's better than any explanation, might “speak” to you or shed light on the things that have been on your minds.

The main character of this anime was one of the best water polo players in Japan before an accident that caused him to lose his memories and abilities. He's still interested in taking up the sport, but has to do it with new teammates, make new memories, and re-gain his abilities. After getting used to these new teammates, he loses his memories again, this time of the memories he made with them. He also gains his older memories back, which makes it difficult for him to work with anybody, including his old teammates and his new ones. He eventually decides to work with his new teammates after realizing he can't do everything on his own, which he will hopefully continue to do.

7. Reflect on the anime

Has this brief and written explanation of the anime, or seeing the anime, shed any light on what's been on your mind? The following is an example of a reflection on the anime from me.

In water polo, teamwork is important. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, both in the pool and out the pool, and helping each other is important in order for a team to function, which I guess is true for any team sport or activity. Being the best, or wanting to be the best, in a team sport or activity requires a team in order to be the best. One person does not make the team. It requires several people. In the case of water polo, this number has to be at least seven (more is better for a team in order to have substitutions - what interested me the most about this anime is that the main character thinks his new team can be the best in Japan with only seven of them).

8. Final Prayer

Please voice any prayer intentions for friends, family, or people around the world that relate to this anime. The following is an example written by me.

Let us pray that we can work with others when we need to in order to get what we need, and/or want, to do done together.