Anime Lectio: My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Level 999

                                                            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. 

Relationships can develop between people with different levels of experience and interest when experiencing the same thing.  Differences in thinking can be seen in these relationships as a result, but what's important is to continue the relationships despite these differences.  In relationships between older and younger members of a community, for example, different opinions about how to resolve problems can also be seen in addition to, and because of, different levels of experience and interest.  This can be seen in other ways too, like in the anime series My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Level 999.

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.

This series starts off with a girl getting dumped by her boyfriend. When the girl was still together with this boyfriend, he introduced her to a computer game. Even though the girl doesn't know much about the game, she continues to play it as a way to feel better about breaking up with her boyfriend. While she's playing the game, another character shows up who has more experience with the game and tells her to do something else in the game since she's in his space. The girl doesn't really think much of this until she happens to meet this character in real life at an event for this game, which not only her ex is also attending, but also his new girlfriend. The girl who got dumped by her previous boyfriend pretends to be dating the character she meets in real life, which he only goes along with because she gives him an important item for the game. Over time, and with the help of the group of friends she continues to play the game with, as well as other friends, the two become closer.

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 friends help you when you need it, whether it be playing a video game together or with real life problems you are having, is helpful. Relationships can develop because of this friendship and stay as friendship. In a community setting, particularly one where people live together, not just work together, these are the kind of relationships that work and have the best results, even when (not if) there are disagreements and you have to agree to disagree in order to move forward. Making this work in a romantic relationship seems to involve more work in terms of getting to know the other person better so you can know if you want to date them or not. For example, the guy who has more experience with the game than the girl does also has problems with romance and doesn't really get it like other guys do. What helps him with this is his other guy friend, who points this out to him and helps him with this, which he does with the girl too, as well as another one when a love triangle develops, and even recruits his little sister and other friends to help him. It takes several non-romantic relationships, either directly or indirectly, to make a romantic relationship work. Romantic relationships don't just happen. It takes work to make them work if you want them to work.

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 the non-romantic relationships, usually also referred to as friendships, in our lives that make our romantic relationships work.