Anime Lectio: The Case Study of Vanitas

                                                            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. 

There are different ways of saving yourself, as well as others, and this involves different mindsets as to what is better according to what people think. For example, my monastic community met yesterday and discussed many things that we needed to do now based on our current situation. I wasn't there for this meeting since I'm currently in quarantine due to having covid, but it was most likely like our past meetings where we end up making decisions according to what people think. 

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.

In the anime series The Case Study of Vanitas, a vampire and a human vampire doctor team up to help cursed vampires. They have many adventures in what they do and this involves how they should be helping these cursed vampires according to what they think. There are other factors in this, like the thinking of the other people they meet on their adventures and what else happens to the vampire and human vampire doctor who team up.

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.

Having different mindsets as to what is better according to what people think is inevitable. It's still possible to come up with a solution that everyone can agree with, even if it isn't the one you think, or initially think, is better. In the Case Study of Vanitas, even though Vanitas is the name of one of the characters, it can also be seen as the Latin word for vanity, so The Case Study of Vanitas can be understood as a study of vanity, either defined as self-love or futility (both?), according to a certain situation. No matter the situation though, we need to come up with solutions that can please all involved in the decision-making process, which involves different mindsets as to what is better according to individual thoughts.

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 despite different mindsets as to what is better according to what people think, we can still come up with solutions that can please everyone.