Anime and Autism/Asperger's?

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As someone who was doctor-diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at an early age and a self-proclaimed "aspie", I also find myself a fan of Japanese anime.

There seems to be a lot of anime fans on Wrong Planet, but this is a good thing in my opinion! Anime is a unique and entertaining medium that features many exotic plot-lines and special characters.

I believe some of these characters exhibit traits of autism and/or Asperger's.

Namely, I am talking about Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga from the anime and manga "Azumanga Daioh": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayumu_Kasuga

I think Osaka is an aspie because she acts in eccentric and offbeat manners: talking about hemorrhoids out of the blue, fantasizing intently about waking her teacher up by bonking a frying pan with a soup-ladle, and treats these and more weird behaviors like they are plain, ordinary, and normal.

Unless already on the topic, someone might think discussing hemorrhoids is weird or gross unless they had autism/Asperger's, in which case they may be ignorant of social norms about not randomly bringing up such a topic. Such is Osaka's case.

But there is another anime character who is a confirmed autist: Hikaru Azuma from "With the Light": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_the_Light

This title should be required reading for any aspie with a taste for anime. Heck,. you should read it even if you don't like anime because it reads like a novel about a boy''s and his family's struggle with his autism in a strict and orthodox society like Japan.

But the Wikipedia articles can tell you more.

Now, this is where YOU come in. Can you think of any anime characters who portray signs of autism or Asperger's syndrome?

Thanks for reading my wall o' text.

One you will always get mention of is a character called L from the anime Death Note, most Wrong Planet member who watch that automatically think of him, thanks to his social awkwardness. A character called Near in that is also thought to be a possible, his interest in toys is of specific notice.

An anime often refered as Haganai, aka Boku wa Tomodachi wa Sugunai, may have a character that could fit in, what with the show literally translating to "I don't have many friends". They all have trouble with social situations, some with interesting fascinations, and I definetly sympathise with a number of their issues.

The main character, Sawako, from Kimi ni Todoke (From me to You) may also fit the bill, she has a lot of social awkwardness that cause her trouble.

And I saw someone write that possibly the character Chitanda from the show Hyouka, she has a big interest in mysteries she finds, apparently has some sensory issues, and often takes things quite litterelly. Although I am not sure.

i love anime. especially azumanga diaoh!! and yes, i'm hfa and proud of myself.

I always thought Ayumu Kasuga had ADD but I can see her as being an Aspie. She still remains my favourite character out of all the Anime I have seen. I shall defiantly take a look when I can afford to buy the volumes.

As for other characters that have Aspergers I can't really think of any. Hitoha Marui from Mitsudomoe seems to have trouble making friends, is quiet, is obsessive over a tv show and is always reading books, but I don't think she is an Aspie.

Keep in mind Asperger's really can come across as "Nerdy." My diagnosis took 42 years. Being ADD/ADHD didn't help any. The thing that convinces me that Sawako is an aspie is her tenancy to over-think things.

On a side note, does anyone else thing the Term "Nerro Typical" sounds like something The Tomorrow People would refer to normal humans as?

The Tomorrow People refer to themselves as homo superior so I'd guess that would make non-Tomorrow People homo inferior.

I think that the example I've seen that it the most generally agreed upon is Tomoko from Watamote. The entire series centres around Tomoko's struggles with making friends and reading social cues, and dealing with extreme social anxiety. (Some people say that she is just meant to have social anxiety, and not Asperger's as well, but I think she's definitely meant to be an Aspie). The only problem is that this portrayal, although it can be empowering to see what in some ways is a very accurate portrayal, the series often shows Tomoko to be creepy, dark, and perverted, which are not really traits that are Aspie traits, and can be seen as a negative stereotype of people who have a difficult time with social stuff. On the other hand, maybe this is true for the authors, as I have read that the two authors who co-wrote the series wrote it loosely autobiographically. I especially liked that the opening and ending themes reflected the feelings of somebody with social difficulties very plainly and without holding back. Also, it was very refreshing to see a female Aspie portrayed, as, (especially in Western media, it is almost always male Aspies, and the experience can be very different based on gender.