License Request: Asper Girl

There’s been a vested interest in showing Autistic representation in popular media, usually in the vein of showing savant skills, though with very few exceptions, portrayal of high-functioning Autistic women remains a minority.  And even then, they're little more than walk-on supporting roles which is little more than thinly veiled shorthand for showing blunt rudeness, missing the point.  Being socially unaware doesn’t mean getting the opportunity to act like Gregory House, it just usually turns out that way, because there’s a whole plethora of unwritten rules that’s supposed to be intuited and not spoken, because they’re so obvious.

For the longest time, portrayal of Autism has been largely male-focused, leaving female portrayal relatively untouched.  I haven’t exactly been a big fan of representation of Autistics in mainstream media such as The Good Doctor or Big Bang Theory, since they portray a lower common denominator preconception worldview that’s more fixed in stereotypical expectations than what I would’ve personally related to.  They’re aimed more at mainstream audiences than Autistic audiences.  And mainstream entertainment seems more interested in hitting specific story beats, very much like how a racecar is supposed to go through checkpoints to win a race.  The layout may vary, but the car is still restricted within the confines of the racetrack.

For the longest time, showcasing mentally different people had to be shown using metaphorical allegories, such as logical robots, and Star Trek faves such as Data, Spock, Seven of Nine and the EMH Doctor have been beacons of identification for Autistics.  This trope video about robots shows some excellent examples of representation sometimes missing the mark, particularly around the 11:08 mark.

The closest a show came to showing an accurate portrayal of an Autistic woman that wasn’t a metaphor would be Saga Noren from The Bridge, and that was from doing research.  But that show lost its appeal once it veered away from that viewset of human nature.

It's only recently that the field has expanded to include a more diverse female perspective, no doubt bolstered by Temple Grandin's presence.  While Camouflage: the Hidden Lives of Autistic Women isn't the main focus here, I still feel the need to include it here, since it thematically fits, and I wanted to include these two pages outlining the differences.

The main difference being that while the stigma of missing social cues is still present, Autistic women are more socially aware, having been pressured into taking other people’s feelings in effect.  As such, they may be more likely to look people in the eye, even as their male contemporaries find the influx of details too overwhelming to handle.  They’re better at hiding their outer symptoms and more likely to conform to society’s standards while remaining unaware of social conventions.

I am always in the outlook for anything Autistic-related, even if it relays information I've read a thousand times before.  No two itterations are exactly alike.  So it was with great reluctance and enthusiasm that I chanced upon Asuperu Kanojo, also known as Days with a Girl, or alternately, Asper Girl.  Reluctance because mental health is always a tricky subject in Manga, since the need to socially conform is even higher in Japan, and stigma to avoid such terms are best avoided.  But I needn't have worried, since my high quality standards were not only just met but exceeded.

While reading AsperGirl, there were several instances where I thought, “That’s exactly how *I* would’ve handled that situation!”  Until then, my favorite cartoon representation for Autism was Peridot from Steven Universe, episode Log Date 7-15-2, since so many of her reactions to being caught indulging her embarrassing special interests were similar to mine.

The woman, Saito-San, has a severe history of trauma, having been mistreated due to her misunderstanding of social norms and not fitting in with regular society, and greatly identified with the Artist, Yokoi-San (penname Gesui Seijin), who wrote mainly depressing stories that spoke to a small niche audience.  It also helps that the Artist has some Aspergic tendencies himself.  (Though I’d be unnerved by having someone constantly watch me while working)

Portraying ignorance about proper interactions yet maintaining a keen grasp of human nature is a difficult concept to convey properly, and can come across clumsily if not handled properly.  The interaction between the secluded Manga Artist and Rabid Fan who uses her prowess to find and live with him could be considered cliched in so many circles, but here, it’s just SO GOOD.

The Artist basically lives with this new addition in his life, and deals with her presence by offering emotional support with her sudden panic attacks and suicidal tendencies.  Their relationship grows organically, taking the time to know each other and not just rely on wacky hijinks.  When events spiral out of control, he has to figure out ways to cope and calm her down so this kind of thing won’t happen again.  It manages to feel real in a way that most romances don’t.

And even the times when perfectly normal stuff is just happening and nothing drastic’s going on, there’s always an undercurrent that things could potentially go wrong at any moment.  It’s that tense yet calm atmosphere that really speaks to me.

While there are multiple instances where she could’ve taken advantage of the Artist’s generosity, at no point does she ever emotionally manipulate him to her benefit.  She is always relentlessly honest about her thoughts and needs, and giving TMI whenever the moment happens, especially if the moment doesn’t warrant it.

While she appears composed, there are times when intense emotional feelings rise up without warning, prompting her to do actions that would be considered shocking.  When annoyed, she can react without thinking, and then become remorseful of having caused unintentional damage.  In one such instance, she retaliated against a wife’s child for causing a ruckus in the bathhouse, and didn’t see why she needed to apologize over something so trivial.  By chance, later, she happened to see the wife’s husband having a covert affair, and considered showing the wife the proof.

And yet, she couldn’t see that her proposed plan for revenge could have negative consequences resulting in a domino effect that could effectively ruin the wife’s family.  While she might feel some initial joy out of getting payback, the backlash of being responsible would be more than she might bear.

That’s the main difference between Autistics and Psychopaths - Psychos don’t care about the fallback, even if it affects them, as long as they get their revenge.  Autistics who understand what they’ve done wrong are more likely to feel guilty about having done something that hurt others without meaning to.

While she requires constant attention to keep from falling back into depression, her actual materialistic needs to remain content remain modest.  She doesn’t care that much about fancy gadgets or the latest expensive transportation, just the basic necessities of life, such as simple meals, an inner working bathroom and AC.  It doesn’t take very much to make her happy, and I’m pretty much the same way.  As long as things remain consistent, I’m fine.

Online fan translations come once a month with varying unscheduled releases, but it's always a pleasure when they come.  On the official scanlation page is the following information:

The author of the manga is requesting people send a message to the editor on Twitter to gauge interest in an official English release. You can find his tweet and the editor's response here.
The author has also requested that you don't message the author or artist about it, only the editor.

That interest is being shown is a good sign.  Apart from a few clunky passages that would need further notes, such as being overwhelmed by being in an Air-Conditioned room, and the perplexing need for a plastic bag would require notes for understanding, there's very little that's actually objectionable, save for maybe a moment early on that might upset animal lovers.  But those niggling details shouldn't detract from the strong pluses the story conveys.