Anime Lectio: Pokemon Concierge

                                                            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. 

Taking care of ourselves is important.  Whether that's done by going somewhere in order to do that, doing that where you are, and/or a combination of going somewhere and doing that where you are, which is the best option, taking care of yourself is how you can be more helpful.  Helping others is a good thing, but helping yourself in order to be better at helping others is even better.  An example of this can be seen in the short anime series Pokemon Concierge

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.

A girl struggling to make sense of her life decides to take on the work of a concierge at a resort where people and Pokemon can relax together. When she gets to this resort, she learns that the first day of her new work is to relax as a guest at this resort in order to see and experience what it's like. After this first day, she learns what it's like for the Pokemon there based on their personalities, as well as the Pokemon she interacts with. She also has help with her work from other people who also work there. With all of this help, as well as what she likes to do while she's there, she not only learns to help others, but also herself.

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.

Pokemon was a really popular series for me growing up. I remember the first Pokemon series coming out when I was in 5th grade and even having a group of friends at the time because of this interest. Over time, this interest faded as the anime became more complex and admittedly much more frustrating than the games, which I actually liked more than the anime since I had control over what could happen in the games. When I entered the monastery, I stopped playing the games (they also started to become complicated by that time anyway), so Pokemon is just something that I remember and occasionally hear about now. What I like most about the series Pokemon Concierge is that it focuses on the slice of life aspect of Pokemon, which the series definitely did a lot of, but not in the way Pokemon Concierge does. For example, the Pokemon series contains Pokemon battles, where trainers have their Pokemon fight each other. Pokemon Concierge doesn't have these battles at all. Instead, it focuses on other kinds of battles, like the battles of finding yourself, helping yourself, and helping others. Taking time to take care of yourself, whether by going to a place to do that, doing that where you are, and/or doing both, is a battle that everyone is fighting.

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 for everyone to win their own battles of finding themselves, helping themselves, and helping others.