Anime Lectio: Flavors of Youth: International Version

                                                             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.  

Remembering your youth is a way to think differently about the problems that you face when you are older.  It may not help at all or very much, but remembering your youth is something that people usually like to do, especially when remembering certain memories from their youth.  Whether these memories do or don't help in solving your problems, then they can help you feel better about said problems.  An interesting example of this can be seen in the anime film Flavors of Youth: International Version.

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 Netflix original anime film Flavors of Youth: International Version, three different stories are told based on what the main character in each story remembers about their youth as an older person. The first story is about a man who has memories based on a certain dish he ate growing up with his grandmother, as well as on his own, as he goes back home to see his dying grandmother. The second story is about an aging female model who's trying to figure out her career while also trying to care for a younger sister, even though she takes care of the older sister a lot. The third story is about two friends who had another friend growing up that they lost touch with, but reconnect with as adults. All three of these stories come together in the end as the important characters in these stories all learn the same thing about themselves.

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.

I don't know what makes the International Version of the anime film Flavors of Youth different from the original version or others if there are any. However, the flavors in the anime film Flavors of Youth: International Version refers to what youth is like, not food you remember during your youth, although that's important in certain ways in each story. Another way of thinking about flavors of youth is that it's like the spice of life from your past that can add to your life as you get older. If you are facing a problem when you are older, then remembering things from your past can help you with your current problem, depending on what you need.

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 remember things from our youth, whether we need to remember them or not.