Anime Lectio: 365 Days to the Wedding

                                                            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. 

Marriage, as well as any other commitment to other people, is something that should be taken seriously.  It can start off as something to think about since marriage doesn't usually happen right away and time should be taken to think about it in order for it to get more serious about, and committed to, this decision, like other important commitments (joining a monastery for example).  However, what if it starts out in different way, like as a way to avoid something else?   An interesting answer to this question can be seen in the series 365 Days to the Wedding.

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.

When two extreme, and incredibly awkward, introverts, one male and one female, find out that the travel agency that they work for is planning on starting a branch in Alaska that an unmarried person from their agency would be chosen to go to in order to help start it up, they decide to pretend that they are married in order to avoid going to Alaska, which neither of them wants to do.  At first, they don't really plan on actually getting married and manage to not let their friends know what's really going on (the male introvert tells his family what's going on - the female one doesn't since her family isn't shown in the series).  However, over time, and with the help of various experiences with their friends and/or coworkers, each other, and people they help in their work, the male and female introvert who pretend to be married realize that they actually do want to get married.

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.

My understanding of marriage is that it's a commitment to other people. While I do realize that a usual consists of two people being committed to each other in terms of them being married to each other, I think it's also important to remember that when you get a husband or wife, you also get their family and friends. I'm not saying that you also have to be married to them, but I am saying that this is also important to remember when committing yourself to one other person in terms of being with them in ways that are different than being with other people, like their friends and family and your friends and family (Both yours? I guess, but I guess it would also be different). I'm not exactly an expert on this or anything, but I do like to think about these things. Anyway, a commitment like marriage, or a commitment that you have instead of marriage since that's a thing (being a monk like me for example), is a decision that takes time to think about, as well as involves experiences that are part of these decisions.

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 take the time to think about important decisions in our lives, as well as the experiences that are part of these decisions, like commitments to other people.