Why Do Autistic People Love Anime
Like autism, anime has an unusual place within society. Its diverse spanning vast genres and tackling complicated topics. Its prestigious influencing much Western media and even winning an Oscar. Its a community which, for the most part, is accepting of all tastes. Yet its constantly looked down on as juvenile or introverted .
These similarities between autism and anime arent the only reason why autistic people love anime though, as somewhere between the hand-drawn slices of life and generation-spanning bizarre adventures, autistic people have found an art form ideal for our unique perspectives.
This is a niche where autistic people can be catered for. This is an entertainment form where we can excel. But, this is also a $19b industry where we are not always welcome and, today, I want to explore how this all came to be.
Men Arent Naturally Attracted To Breasts
The presence of large-breasted statues and paintings doesnt necessarily point to a fixation on the chest for sexual reasons. The breast was the only means of nourishing an infant up until the 19th century. Because of this, a fixation on the breast as the symbol for life is a reasonable explanation for its prolific appearance across cultures. The idea that breasts were a way of competing for men makes little sense in light of cultural norms. Anthropologist Fran Mascia-Lees takes on this view and Youngs oxytocin argument by pointing out how not all men are attracted to breasts. She cautions: whenever evolutionary biologists suggest a universal reason for a behavior and emotion: how about the cultural differences? . For example, in some African and New Guinean cultures, women dont cover their chest, and men show a lack of interest in the exposed bosoms.
What about breasts looking like a womans backside? This is a cultural projection of the West. Breasts dont look like a ladys backside without being squished together by bras and corsets. Both of which are Western inventions.
In Japanese culture, you also find a distinct lack of interest in the chest until the modern era. If you look at Japanese woodblock print from the Edo period, not a lot of attention is lavished on the breast. Artists rendered other body parts in loving detail, but they largely ignored breasts. Yoshihiko Shirakawa, an expert on woodblock prints states :
Hobbies And Activities To Enjoy
These are some of the most popular activities shared by autistic children and their families. Of course, you and your child may have completely different interests, but these ideas should start your creative juices flowing.
As you read through this list, you may think “my child isn’t able to comprehend or participate in any of these activities he can’t even speak.” While that may be true in some cases, the ability to speak, sit still, or otherwise “behave normally” are not required for most of these activities.
Many children with nonverbal autism are accomplished gamers, artists, swimmers, runners, and more.
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The Formality Of Japanese Culture
Anime is not all there is to Japanese culture. But anime and manga fans around the world often have an affinity for other aspects of Japanese culture as well. Some like Japanese marital arts, like kendo, judo, and karate. Others like Japan’s more peaceful arts, like bonsai trees, flower arrangement , the tea ceremony, Zen Buddhism, calligraphy, and painting. Still others like Japanese literature, live action films, TV shows, and other fiction. Me? I have a soft spot for Japan’s huggable critters. Some might also like their interesting mythology and folklore. Japan truly is a great civilization, and anime and manga is but one aspect of this glory.
But what is it about Japanese culture that might be especially appealing to autistic people? Quiet, for one. Everything I’ve read on Japanese culture indicates that they’re an introvert-friendly society. They religiously observe quiet in public spaces. People avoid approaching strangers, with the general assumption that people prefer to be left alone. Certainly, if I went to Japan I wouldn’t expect to see my least favorite part of the holiday season someone ringing a goddamn bell in my face every time I go to the store. Sure, they have festivals and noisy pachinko parlors, but probably less of the aggressive street soliciting I have to deal with in Chicago.
Any Autistic Fans Out There
Light Lucario said:Anyway, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when I was about eleven. I think it was decided a few years ago to not have Asperger’s Syndrome as an official diagnosis anymore. I still often use the term, but I’m also more used to calling myself autistic than I was before. I was taught that Asperger’s Syndrome was different from autism, but I don’t think that’s really the case.
A different tale concerns Aspergers syndrome, which was first included by the DSM in 1994. Greenberg explains that this had some beneficial effects. It may not have been a disease but calling it one gave a hitherto neglected group of children access to support and educational services, as well as a sense of identity and community. The result though, was that from a worldwide prevalence of four in 10,000 for autism disorders in 1988, 20 years later this was one in 88. Alarmed at diagnostic rates getting out of hand, DSM-5 has removed Aspergers, replacing it with the umbrella term Autistic Spectrum Disorders. This means a higher threshold for diagnosis, according to Greenberg, and possibly less access to educational benefits for future generations.
Parker-Shepherd said:But a lot of doctors who diagnose autistic people aren’t all that nice. They mainly give out a list of things autistic kids will never do instead of focusing on what we’re actually capable of.
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Females On The Spectrum
While Atypical and The Good Doctor do their part to expand autistic representation in popular media, both fall short of the demanded representation of the autistic female experience. A common misconception of the autistic community is that women are less likely to have autism than men. In the last several decades, most popular television series and movies with autism representation have only featured male autistic characters.
Writing only male characters creates a false understanding that either autistic females have the same experience as autistic males, or that autistic females do not exist. Turning a blind eye to this lack of representation can have harmful effects on the autistic community.
Burying female autistic representation also perpetuates a common diagnostic problem. Autistic females can be harder to diagnose on the spectrum than autistic males. In fact, in 1940, it was believed that women could not have autism. The initial ratio of diagnoses of autism ranked men at being fifteen times more likely to have autism than women, but after several decades the ratio was revised to men only being three times more likely to have autism than women.
While this is the case with men more often diagnosed with autism, it should not erase the autistic female experience. Ultimately, this stigma negatively impacts actresses on the spectrum, as well as all females on the spectrum.
An Escape From Reality
Anime is a wide term used to refer to Japanese hand-drawn or computer-animated cartoons. The word cartoons might be misleading in this case because anime is not made for only children. Most anime have intricate plots and thoughtful character development which people of all ages enjoy. Not only that, but many anime are also aimed at mature audiences.
The one thing that is found commonly in almost all anime productions is that they are based in their own fantasy worlds. These worlds are thoughtfully created and the things that take place in those worlds abide by their own laws. They are far from reality.
The beauty of anime is that while the storylines are strongly based in fantasy, they manage to capture the most beautiful elements of humanity: friendship, hard work, ambition, loyalty, love, and the list goes on. This mix of fantasy and relatable human traits create a beautiful combination which invites you to indulge yourself in it.
Sadly, our world includes both the good and the bad elements of humanity. Many people born with autism face a lot of difficulty in life. Some who are born in families that understand what being on the spectrum entails are usually able to get a supportive environment, which helps them nourish their strengths and manage their weaknesses.
This is why having a world where characters are much more accepting of traits they find unconventional can be refreshing.
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Anime Often Shows School Bullying
If you’re an adult-adult like me, it can be a little irritating that there are so many anime centered around middle school or high school aged kids. But for people in middle and high school, anime can help viewers understand many everyday social challenges associated with school. I said before that anime fans primarily watch anime to escape reality. And if you’re talking about something like Flip Flappers, that’s completely true. But people also watch more realistic anime sometimes, and this is probably why: they get to see how other people handle distressing real-life situations. Stuff they wouldn’t know how to deal with if it happened to them.
Many anime protagonists face bullying and social ostracism, which unfortunately many autistic people can relate to.
Carry On The Conversation
Lets keep the love of anime alive in the comments by sharing some of your personal recommendations below. And, if you would like to learn more about how other entertainment media can support autistic people then check out this article onWhy Comics Are GREAT For Autistic People.
As always, I can also be found on Twitter , on Instagram and via my email: .
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next week for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
See you, Space Cowboy
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Manga And Your Mind: Manga Autism And The Benefits Of Reading
Manga is good for your brain. Yep. Youve read that right. In fact, reading manga may give you an advantage over those, like me, who grew up reading only traditional books. Manga benefits those with Autism Spectrum Disorder too.
The medium requires a different set of skills than reading traditional books. Not to say traditional books are bad for your mind. Its just that manga challenges the brain in different ways. Even Western comics like Batman and Superman dont benefit your mind as manga does. Manga relies on images more for story telling then Western comics do. They have more images and fewer words . The media has several layers of reading: images, words, Japanese onomatopoeia, and its own visual language. This combination means even proficient readers of Englishwho are not experienced with this level of multi-modality and have been socialized into more traditional, nonhypertext, storylinesmay find manga, as we do, to be a challenging read .
Why Do So Many People On The Autism Spectrum Gravitate Toward Anime
Anime is vehemently loved all over the world. Many people log on to their devices to stream episodes, play anime-based games, or read manga every day. These 2D Japanese animations have created one of the biggest fandoms in the online world.
Anime is enjoyed by many people, including people with autism. In fact, many people on the spectrum love anime much more than they do live-action films or even other cartoons. What is the reason behind this appeal that anime has for people with autism? What is it that anime provides that other forms of entertainment dont? We have researched and read the answers given by anime fans with autism to find the reasons behind the appeal of this genre.
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Why Autistic People Love Pokmon
Nevertheless, autistic people dont just fall in love with Pokémon because it offers them an escape to a simpler and safer reality. There is also a valuable lesson in self-reflection, which comes from watching and playing the series.
Take for example the inclusion of the disguise Pokémon Mimikyu: a Pokémon who spends its life masked in a Pikachu costume , or maybe consider Hatenna: a Pokémon whose entry in the Pokédex states that If this Pokémon senses a strong emotion, it will run away as fast as it can. It prefers areas without people. It doesnt take much of a leap to say that autistic people would see ourselves in these personas and, sure enough, we have plenty of articles out there with autistic people stating just that.
So why is this important? Well, while on the surface most people can see themselves in a bowl of Cheerios , whats brilliant is that this therapeutic comparison is further rewarded in the Pokémon world where, despite change and evolution playing a huge part in how Pokémon can develop, many games and episodes revolve around the theme that this change isnt always necessary to become the best you as altering your identity can bring a whole new slew of issues.
In a life where a real Mimikyu would be subsequently looked over, whilst Hatenna would be forced to socialise, its hard to imagine that this isnt a message autistic people wish we could hear more.
Anime Fans Beware Of A Thing
Help! If anyone is out there, don’t fucking say I wish I lived in an anime! You say it and you summon the thing!
Ok. I’ve got to calm down. What is the thing? Hard to say. It is a tricky thing. Lately anime fans of all sorts have been disappearing. And I am one of them! One moment you say I wish I lived in an anime. The next a sparkly ball of light flys into your room and you are cut off from your family and friends. They don’t even know were you went. It is like you dropped off the face of the Earth! They are probably making missing posters as we speak.
Ok. I am y/n. I was in my room and I just finished benge watching an anime. I laid on my bed just thinking about the mind blowing anime I just watched. And I said “Man, I wish my life was like an anime.” And in a whirl wind of sparkle dust came into my room. I sat up surprised and shocked. The ball floated close to my face.
“Hello there.” It spoke like a tiny cheerful child.
“Uh. Hi?” I was confused and wondered what this is.
“Hey! You seem nice. What is your favorite anime?”
“Oh.” I took a moment to think. I have been watching a lot lately. And I have a list of my favorite anime. I don’t have a one favorite. I went with the one that popped in my mind first. “Attack on titan.”
“That sounds neat.” The sparkle ball very sweet. “Would you like to see an anime world?”
I jumped off of my bed excited out of my mind. “I would love to!”
“Is it ok?” I said wondering if I did something wrong.
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Actors On The Spectrum
An issue facing many underrepresented groups is the hiring of non-minority actors to play minority roles. This is often seen in Hollywood where white actors are hired to play BIPOC roles. The autistic community faces a similar problem.
Although Love On The Spectrum follows the real-life romantic lives of those on the spectrum, The Good Doctor and Atypical open the conversation to inclusive hiring practices. While the first season of Atypical did not feature any autistic actors, five autistic actors joined the production in the second season. Disability advocates praised the shows creator for the decision to provide more opportunities to underrepresented actors in the second season, although some critics still claim it is not enough to confront the problem.
The popular series The Good Doctor stars Freddie Highmore, who plays a surgeon with autism spectrum disorder and savant syndrome. Like Atypical, the lead character represents a small and often stereotyped depiction of autism. However, Freddie Highmore, who depicts Dr. Sean Murphy in the show, is not autistic.This casting choice represents an enormous problem in the industry: removing work for autistic actors. Although shows like Love On The Spectrum create a large opportunity for representation in popular media, there is still a significant gap in the hiring process.
Carry On The Conversation:
If you ever have been or still are a fan of Pokémon, let me know your favourite in the comments below! I personally love Corsola and I would love to hear about all the other unique preferences out there.
Did you LOVE this Why autistic people LOVE article? Then why not check out the other posts I have done onDinosaurs,Lego,TrainsandAnime.
As always, I can also be found on Twitter , on Instagram and via my email: .
If you like what you have seen on the site today, then show your support by liking the . Also, dont forget to sign up to the Autistic & Unapologetic newsletter where I share weekly updates as well as a fascinating fact I have found throughout the week.
Thank you for reading and I will see you next time for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
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