Anime Lectio: Only Yesterday

                                                           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.  

Childhood memories are memories that can determine what you do, or want to do, as you get older. They can guide your decisions, serve as a source of why you do what you do and/or behave the way you behave, and remind you of what you want to do instead of what you currently do. Living with other people, which is what I do now, isn't something that I do as a result of a childhood memory, but childhood memories don't always guide your decisions, behavior, and actions themselves. They can be an important part of doing that, either consciously or unconsciously, but don't have to be the only factor in this guidance.

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 anime movie Only Yesterday starts with the main character taking a vacation from her job in the city to a place in the countryside with relatives. On her way there, she has several childhood memories that seem to be traveling with her (she thinks its as if she's bringing her 10 year old self with her). Even when she's being driven to her vacation destination by a relative and is on vacation with these relatives, which involves helping with farm work since that's what the main character wants to do, childhood memories still come up. A lot of these memories seem to be pretty random, but it ultimately leads to the main character going back to the place in the countryside with relatives to most likely start a new life there instead of continuing her city life.

7.  Reflect on the anime

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

It seems to me that Only Yesterday is one of those works in anime that can be fully understood when you see it from start to finish. Instead of understanding parts by themselves, which I guess is easier with anime series, particularly with ones that are more episodic in nature, seeing it as a whole is how it can be understood. Remembering things from your past is important, even if they don't seem to be important, and can shape what you want to do. Another example of this can be seen in the book Anime Impact with a chapter about the movie written by someone with a more personal experience of it.

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 understand our childhood memories and see why they can guide our decisions, behavior, and actions.