Anime Lectio: Shangri-La Frontier Seasons One and Two

                                                            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. 

Doing something different sometimes is both a great way to challenge yourself and a different way to test your abilities.  What you usually do, especially if you like it, can be a hobby, but doing something different sometimes can make you appreciate your hobby more by comparing and contrasting what you do differently sometimes with what you usually like to do.  This can also be done by having other people help you in either good or bad ways and indirect or direct ways.  An example of this can be seen in the first and second seasons of the anime series Shangri-La Frontier. 

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 boy who is obsessed with playing trashy games decides to try a game that's not trashy at all.  When playing this not trashy game, he does things differently in the game that gets the attention of other players based on his gaming experience.  This includes finding a unique way to get stronger, which also involves teaming up with some of his gamer friends to take down a really strong opponent that tests his abilities.  He may not be the strongest fighter, but he knows how to fight and that's what matters (taking breaks by going back to trashy games he played before, which is mostly seen in the second season, also helps).  He also does other reckless things on his own to not only test his abilities, but also to figure out how to get new ones, as well as items, which is also a way of challenging himself.

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'm not into gaming now at all, but the main thing that I like about the video game anime Shangri-La Frontier (that's not based on an actual video game, but one that could be real and played by the characters) is the idea of trying something new and using the skills you have from something like it to help you try something new. Practicing and enjoying your hobbies all/most of the time is like staying in your comfort zone. Sometimes, it helps to get out of your comfort zone by doing something different and learning from the experience. What you learn is up to you, as is praying about it, but hopefully, what you learn helps you with your comfort zone, as well as things like dealing with it and appreciating it more if you go back to it.

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 all get out of our comfort zones sometimes by doing something different and learning from the experience.