Anime Lectio: Blue Box Season One

                                                             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 can be difficult to talk to, and especially with, someone you like romantically, but what if something happens that gives you opportunities to communicate more often?  Friends can also complicate such a situation, especially a friend who also likes you in a romantic way.  An example of all of this can be seen in the first season of the series Blue Box.

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 plays badminton and a girl who plays basketball end up seeing each other a lot when they both go to the same gym before their practices there.  When the girls mom has to move away for work reasons, the boys mom, who happens to be friends with the girls mom, says that the girl can stay with them so she can focus on basketball with her current team instead of finding a new one.  The boy and the girl liked each other already and living together helps with this, but they don't let their friends know about it until one of them, who also happens to like the boy romantically, not just as a friend, happens to find out that they are living together.  Despite also spending a lot of time together, the boy tells her friend that likes him romantically, and not just as a friend, that he likes the girl he lives with romantically and is still going to try to be with her, which is what the first season ends with.

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.

Love is complicated, especially in anime since liking someone and loving them usually mean the same thing. Liking someone romantically is how I say they love them, not just like them, but that sounds awkward. Love exists in many forms and saying you like someone romantically usually means you want to date them. There are other ways to love people, like being their friend, but a friend liking one of their friends romantically can complicate, and even ruin, their friendship. Spending time with people is important, whether you like them romantically, like them as a friend, or love, and even like I guess, in some other way.

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 understand that love exists in many forms and to be mindful of this when spending time with other people, as well being mindful of how they feel.