For this assignment, I decided to pursue the intense interest I have noticed that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have in Amine and Manga. I took a look at what the difference is between the two, if any. I also used the social group as source to help me understand. I also did some looking into online communities of individuals with ASD and I watched some anime on youtube and some other internet sites. I tried to find some research on what it is that attracts this group to anime.
In our social group this year, each of the participants gave a presentation on their interests. About three quarters of them had an intense interest in anime and manga. Last week I asked them to help me with my project. I asked each student to tell me about their favorites and why they like them. The responses included the action, humor, lots of fighting, stories, violence, etc. It was interesting to hear them describe various characters. One Piece is a show about a 17 year old boy who ate some special fruit. Inuyasha is about a 14 year old Japanese girl who falls in love with a half-man half-dog. There were not really able to help me understand what it is about anime that they prefer over regular television. I also asked which regular shows they watched. A few watched shows like Friends but not too much interest. Our most severe autistic student called them live action shows. He could not think of any "live action" shows that he watched, but he sure loves Yugio.
My next stop was to search the web for online communities. This turned out to be really easy. I found a site connected to wrongplanet.net called the online resource for Autism and Asperger's. They had a discussion board with a question "why is it that every person with Asperger's I meet has this thing with anime?" Several responses were much more thought filled than our group. Some responses: "there's something for everyone, whatever you're into they have something for it", "it is very creative that it makes our imagination flying in the sky easy", "it is rumored that the creator of Pokemon was an aspie", "a big attraction for people with ASD is that the characters are easy to recognize (vivid hair, clothing, markings)", "I love anime, it's easy to recognize characters and it is very easy to tell how a character is feeling", "I really have to work myself up to watch anything live action, actors emotions area a lot harder to read, body language and stuff is lost on me, I can't tell the difference between the characters.", "anime doesn't necessarily have to do with ASD, I always knew a lot of stereotypical neuro-typicals that watch it". The second last response was definitely the most helpful. There were several negative responses where they didn't like it at all but they were the minority. The last response was interesting. I think the term neuro-typicals, which includes those of use not on the Autism spectrum, has become a common term for a lot of aspies, as they call themselves. One post referred people to the website www.veoh.com where you can find just about any show you would want to watch.
Another site I found is called aspiesforfreedom.com. It was similar to wrong planet but had a few more links. One interesting link on one person's post was aspieauty.deviantart.com. It said that it is a sight for autistics, friend of autistics, and anyone who supports the concept of neurodiversity (support and acceptance for all people, regardless of how their brain functions). The site contains more interesting comments and pics. Many posts listed their favorite anime series. Outlaw star was a favorite of several. When it was referred to as the best science fiction show ever made, I had to check it out. I found a 20 minute video and checked it out. I did some further research on another highly regarded show called Azumanga Daioh. According to wikipedia, it is a Japanese comedy manga. It is drawn as a vertical=panel comic strip called yonkoma. Yonkoma manga, 4-koma for short- is a Japanese comic strip which usually consists of gag comic strips within four cells printed top to bottom. This was adapted into an anime in 2002. It chronicles the everyday life of six girls in a Japanese high school. The more I looked into this whole area, the more overwhelmed I became. I had no idea it is so complex.
My next goal was to look for research that may help me understand what it is about anime that attracts individuals with ASD. I learned about the history of anime from wikipedia but that didn't help me much. I looked at some research dealing with ASD and facial expression as well as ASD and brain function. There was a wealth of information as you would expect, some that seems to contradict others. For example, some have concluded (Ami Klin) that individuals with ASD tend to focus on the mouth when attempting to determine meaning from an expression. Another study refuted that. On sciencedaily.com, researchers at the University of Nottingham published a study in the Journal of Child Development (2007) that indicated children with Autism do make use of information form eyes when interpreting facial expression. They felt their children were particularly reliant on the eyes and mouth for clues to figuring out emotions. They concluded that more accurate measure of abilities can be obtained though sophisticated digital imaging techniques with animated facial expression. The article didn't really explain what that meant but it seemed to help answer the question, at least in part, as to why the love for anime. Just like the gal said on wrongplanet when she describe her difficulty reading emotions from live action. She was better able to accomplish that with anime. My theory why only one person said that is that very few individuals with ASD are able to achieve that level of introspection. DSM IV emphasized both facial expression processing deficits and social dysfunction as features of Autism and Asperger's Disorder.
I feel like I just barely scratched the surface of this topic but it did help me in several ways. For example, I learned a lot more about the world of anime and manga. I also feel like I gained a bit more insight into the subculture of "aspies". I have to admit that I understand how some of the show can draw you in. My students said that they do maintain story lines that keep you watching them. I found Naruto to be an interesting character. I also have admit that some of the art work is amazing. The Naruto clip is an opening to a show I believe. Naruto is the one with yellow and and whiskers like a cat. He wears a headband with a piece of metal in the middle. When one of my students wore a similar headband at bowling, I was a little embarrassed for him. At least I know where it came from now.
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