Anime Lectio: Insomniacs After School

                                                            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. 

It's easier for people to get along when they have something in common.  What they have in common can also lead to a common interest that can lead to other things that involve spending more time together.  An example of this can be seen in the anime series Insomniacs After School.  

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 series Insomniacs After School starts off when a male and female student who both have trouble sleeping at night figure out how they can get some sleep at their school. The male student hears stories about the school's abandoned observatory and decides to check that out as a possible place to get some sleep during the day at school. Upon checking out the abandoned observatory, he discovers that it's a good place to get some sleep, but that the female student who also has trouble sleeping at night is already there, so they decide to share the space. After a while of using the space in this way, some teachers find out about it and in order to keep using the space, decide that the students will bring back the school's Astronomy Club. With the help of friends, the two insomniacs not only learn more about astronomy, but also about each other and connect in a meaningful way because of their shared situation.

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.

One way to learn more about yourself is to also learn more about another person, especially if this other person has something in common with you and you end up doing more things with them, whether you planned that or not. In the anime series Insomniacs After School, what the two insomniacs end up doing together isn't what they planned on doing since they were both just looking for a place to sleep during the day. However, continuing to use the place that they both wanted to use required doing something together and in doing this, they learned more about each other, not just about what they had to do together. Learning more about yourself doesn't always happen in the way you plan it to happen, but it does happen. And when this learning also happens with someone else, you can also make a connection with them, not just with yourself.

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 learn more about ourselves, both on our own and with other people, in order to not only connect with ourselves, but also with others.