Anime and Aspergers

Post Reply New Topic

Sailor Mercury doesn't seems aspie to me. I think she's more like just a shy and perfectionist girl, but in other things she looks perfectly normal. To me Ami is much similar to Mikage from Miracle Girls. They come from the same archetipe character.

Of course Rey Ayanami from Evangelion, L and Near from Death Note seem more on the specrtum.

But about facial expressions (and drawings), i prefer them in western animation(especially french). Still exaggerated but based on real facial expressions. In many anime facial expressions are totally invented.

It's interesting how many people I know in the 'otaku' fandom say they have ASD traits...I think a lot of that boils down to how the fan community is internet-based these days so the social aspect makes it easier for ASD people to interact and find others who think along similar lines. Plus the fact that many aspects of being a 'nerd' or 'geek' (strong interests in particular topics, social difficulties, being noticeably different from mainstream society) are shared by ASD...there's a lot of overlap I think between the milder end of the autistic spectrum and the introverts who find themselves getting into cult films, cartoons, comics and games. One blog I used to read regularly was written by an Australian guy who made no secret of it...the site was actually called Aspergers Anime Blog at one point.

L from Death Note certainly reminds me of an AS or high-functioning autistic person...or at least the ASD savant type that's a common portrayal in the media. I've read some interesting theories about the characters in Evangelion, but the writer/director wrote A LOT of psychology and mental/emotional issues into them. The fan discussions I've read about it over the years were quite something. That Australian blogger also suggested that the character Osaka in the anime show Azu Manga Daioh talks and acts like an Aspie. She seems speced-out and detached, but the way she observes and interprets things in the world around her are actually quite close to ASD people. Whether or not the writers of the series intended her to be seen by viewers as and Aspie or not, I'm not sure.

If anyone's interested in the 'bigger picture', a sociologist called Hiroki Azuma wrote an influential book that goes by the English-translated title of "Otaku: Japan's Database Animals". It's quite academic but readable all the same - it sets out a lot of interesting ideas about how 'nerd culture' has developed in Japan, how the same ideas and issues manifest themselves in popular culture around the world, and is generally a very thought-provoking study about the way certain members of society think and 'consume' media in today's world. I really recommend it.

My 8-year old AS daughter is obsessed... I mean obsessed with anime, especially Studio Ghibli movies... and I never thought about the exaggerated facial expressions thing. She also is obsessed with Sponge Bob and Archie comics, which both have them as well. She copies anime characters, draws comics, etc... and, not to brag... she has struggles enough with a lot of other things, but her drawings are really, really good! She can recite, word for word (I am not exaggerating) every scene of at least 4 Studio Ghibli movies, which she will do whether or not you want to hear it! ... she even owns the boxed set, which she bought in part with her allowance $. She is even trying to find a pen pal in Japan to discuss her Ghibli obsession with.

I have AS too (she was diagnosed, I wasn't, but I actually had even more pronounced symptoms than she did when I was a kid, and am well-adapted but definitely still very Aspie now... most likely so is my dad, who is obsessed with pipe organs and random architectural details, and will talk about them for HOURS whether you're listening or not! And my paternal grandfather as well, who was a math professor at a university and very eccentric... we have a regular lineage here . I also always have loved anime, at least the softer-core stuff (was never into hentai, etc except as a passing curiosity, but find the fascination with rape really creepy).

Anyway, I think that is a fascinating take on the anime thing. She absolutely DELIGHTS in comics and anime, cartoons, etc... when she watches regular tv shows with people, she will laugh, etc, but almost like she's mimicking the canned laughter. With cartoons and comics she is just transported into another world. She laughs with her whole soul and you can see, when you look in her eyes as she watches/reads, that these alternate worlds are very real to her. I encourage her to write her own and to put her talents/obsessions to good use!

I like anime sometimes, one the animation looks awesome...and some animes have some intresting stories, that I can find intriging, but for some reason I have not really gotten much into it I can't really even think of any specific ones I enjoy.

I'm not really into that sort of stuff. I guess I'm too nerdy for anime.

I'm an anime fan. I think it's just the bright and colorful animation, and the music that usually has more melody than most American soundtracks have. I just think it's the familiar style that we grew up with.

I like watching anime Vampire Knight, Akira, Deltora Quest, Robotech, Transformers original series, I have terminator episodes anime and Star Wars attack of the clones.

I love anime sometimes I cannot get enough of it. It would be awsome if anime was reality sometimes or at least they had districts and or towns like Harujuku and Akihabara in the United States.

I have always enjoyed animation, and some anime. I have not seen anything from Studio Ghibli that I did not like. Grave of the Fireflies is painful to watch but I still enjoy it.

I saw Tekkonkinkreet recently for the first time, and was mesmerised.

I'm more into manga but I'd take an anime series or film over a series or film with real people most of the time anyway.

Unless said film is Asian with excellent characters in which case it's usually sort of ASD-friendly for some reason.

If I decide on watching a film with real people, I don't want all protagonists, antagonist and just basically every real person in that film to function merely as plot-devices of the (awesome) plot. If there are real people in it, I want to get to know about the people and not watch everybody getting treated like furniture, pets and flat stereotypes with the mimicking of intelligent thought and authentic emotions for 90+ minutes.

Some (some, not all... just more "some" than American and European productions) Japanese, Chinese and Taiwanese productions seem to have the hang out of focussing on character development and portraying human matters/social stuff. Remembering a character just for the (famous) actor? Nah, thanks, I'm autistic, not naturally people-inclined.

If I have to deal with real people then please, I want that time to be of some use by educating me socially. It's tough to watch but whatever.

If I want to go for awesome characters and purely social matters/if I want to watch something very socially-orientated and at the same time want to have fun, enjoy a fantastic, serious, mysterious, critical or futuristic plot, I'll skip on dealing with real people and their non-verbal signals and oh-look-at-this-amazing-actor-stuff and and watch a serious anime instead.

I love anime!

My all time favorite series's are Fullmetal Alchemist, Inuyasha and Cowboy Bebop.
I even like the anime that most guys wouldn't think was good. I like Azumanga Daioh and School Rumble. love the faces they can make!
I used to watch them on Adult Swim when I was younger. That was before Adult swim went to crap! I can't stand the crap they have on there now!

I like some anime and manga, but it's because of the storylines and the fantasy serves as a pleasant escape from the "real world". I don't follow it though.

I do like the style and fashion too. It's all over the top and wacky and colourful.

_________________
THINGS I LIKE
Parasaurolophus, Plesiosaurs, Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, Music, Tuna, Chocolate milk, Oreos, Blue things

Parasaurolophuscolobus. Parasaurcolobus. Colobusaurolophus.
....And Nunchucks are my friends.

My special interest is Studio Ghibli . Other anime... well I like some and hate some. Satoshi Kon's stuff is really interesting

I didn't grow up with anime, but I like the artwork and tried to watch a bunch of shows a while ago. Most of it just wasn't for me. The only shows that I really liked were Black Lagoon, Highschool of the Dead, and Samurai Champloo. Death Note wasn't half bad either.

I honestly have never gotten why so many Aspies like this. What the heck is wrong with Bugs Bunny, or Dexter's Laboratory, or Tex Avery, even "The Simpsons", for that matter?! Are those somehow inferior to anime, and if so, how?! I at least get where the typical Aspie obsession for video games and sci-fi comes from (even though I don't like either of those activities) - both of those provide a double advantage for most Aspies, in that they not only provide a suitable means of escapism from reality, but they also utilize the more technical, mathematical parts of the brain, particularly the area(s) that focus(es) on strategy, solving puzzles, etc. Despite the fact I have Asperger's, math and science have never been my strong suit, and instead I'm more dedicated to more personal forms of expression like music, poetry, and spirituality (not to be confused with religion - spirituality is different than that, IMO).

So here's where my gripe comes in. How does anime provide a way for Aspies (and anyone, really) to exercise the left hemisphere of their brains?! It honestly doesn't seem like it would. When I want to watch cartoons, I want to watch something FUNNY (or at least unique, like Sally Cruikshank's animation). Most anime, from what I can tell, is neither. Not a lot of it is funny (or if it is, the humor goes beyond me because the stories are typically hard to follow), and, while some might argue anime is unique in its style(s) (after all, there are hundreds of shows/movies that fall under the category), it all looks the same to me in comparison to Western animation, particularly classic (anywhere from its debut until the late '90s) Western animation.

I am not saying people here shouldn't like anime, you are obviously allowed to like (or hate) whatever you choose to. I just don't get what is so fascinating for 90 % of the Aspie population I have known when it comes to anime.