Anime Lectio: K-Pop Demon Hunters

                                                              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. The only device you need is the one you use for this blog.


3. Deep Breathing - Open yourself to God’s Presence


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. 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 people you

know and don't know are like signs of God’s presence. 


4. 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. 


Music isn't just something to listen to in order to be entertained, have something to listen to while you do other things, and/or take your mind off other things.  While these things can be helpful reasons for listening to music, it's also helpful to really listen to what the music is saying if the music has lyrics.  What is being sung can also help explain what is happening, what you are watching with it is about, and why that's important.  An example of this can be seen in the anime movie K-Pop Demon Hunters.


5. 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.


In order to continue what was started before them, a new trio of girls form an idol group that serves the purpose of continuing to use their voices to keep demons from entering the human world, which also involves fighting and hunting demons when they do appear in the human world (they have physical weapons for that).  After an attempt of demons trying to prevent this new trio from getting to one of their performances fails, one demon suggests to the demon leader that the demons create a rival idol group to fight the trio of demon hunters with music, which is what this trio of demon hunters already does to them.  This rival demon idol group/boy band idea actually works for a while due to this rival group's popularity, as well as for other reasons, mainly the demon hunter group falling apart due to the leader of the group hiding the fact that she's half demon from the rest of her group (represented by blue patterns on her body) and them eventually seeing it.  However, it's only after the half demon can accept herself for who she actually is that she can defeat the demons with help from the rest of her group, keep them in the demon world by completing the barrier between their world and the human world, and continue to influence their world with their music and presence.


6.  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.


While the music in K-Pop Demon Hunters is very catchy and popular, even popular enough to get the movie nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Film, it definitely has an important message to it that can also be seen in its music. While the music of the rival demon idol group/boy band, and only one song for the most part (mainly Soda Pop), is for the purpose of getting fans, including the fans of the demon hunter group, the music of the demon hunter group isn't just attention seeking. From singing about what they do (How It's Done) to singing about who they think they are (Golden), then trying to come up with a diss track against demons (Take Down), but eventually realizing that they need to focus on who they really are (Million Pieces), the music of the demon hunter group isn't just entertaining - it's also meaningful. It also explains their journey throughout the movie and is a way of understanding it, which is what music can do if you see it for more than just entertainment value (true of other things too, like anime).


7. 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 listen to music as not just entertainment, but also something to be understood.

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