Asperger's, Nerd Culture & Anime - Luke Palmer

The young writer/director (2 Kawaii 4 Comfort) shares about the intersection of people on the autism spectrum (especially Asperger's) and nerd culture especially anime. He opens up about his diagnosis as a child, different therapies his parents tried and what it feels like to be on the spectrum. He talks about a lot of the myths and stereotypes of people on the spectrum and how he has changed from an angry, withdrawn non-verbal child to an adult who is able to function easily in mainstream society (aka neurotypical people).

Watch all of the show Luke wrote and co-directed at www.2Kawaii4Comfort.com
You can also check out its FB page https://www.facebook.com/2K4Comfort/
Scroll down to see the list of different anime genres Luke put together for people unfamiliar with it.

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FROM LUKE
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At Paul’s request Here’s a list of some anime if you are interested in getting a better understanding of the form. A lot of these names are well familiar to anime fans, again this is more of a beginner’s primer. I’ve included a link to each one’s IMDB page. For all the die hard anime fans, I’m sorry I couldn’t include more.
STANDARD EXAMPLE ANIME:
I actually hesitated to include these first in the list because I consider these shows to be examples of what anime typically is. They demonstrate a lot of the tropes and stylistic choices of the medium and while not ‘bad’, but I don’t think they are as interesting as the ones after it.

Negima: This is an example of the ‘harem’ anime, where a shy young boy is thrown into a situation where he lives surrounded by nubile women (whacky scenarios ensue, said boy ends up in percarious situations where he witnesses these women undressing). In  this case it’s about a boy wizard who reaches as an all girl school but just a look at the intro gives an idea of what you are dealing with.

Naruto: The story of a ninja who wants to be the leader of his ninja clan one day. This is an example of a Shonen anime, where the focus is on action, magical powers and building character rivalries and relationships. These shonen anime have long story arcs that can last years or even decades without any sign of resolution

IF YOU DON’T THINK YOU’LL  LIKE ANIME:

Cowboy Bebop: A stylish, laid back Neo-Noir about bounty hunters set in space. This is the one that people who hate anime still say “Except Cowboy Bebop, that show is cool”. Each episode is pretty self contained so you can jump in at any time.

Spirited Away: A landmark film from the legendary Studio Ghibli, this film is a bold reimagining of Alice in Wonderland set in a bathhouse in the afterlife. Wonderful story with Memorable cast that people of all ages can enjoy


IF YOU’RE READY TO GET A LITTLE WEIRDER:

Kino’s Journey: A laid back but philosophically fascinating series about a wanderer name Kino who travels from village to village with their talking motorcycle ‘Hermes’. Each episode plays like a more meditative version of the twilight zone.


Paprika: From one of my favorite Directors Satoshi Kon, Paprikia is equal parts scifi thriller and imaginative art film about a scientist who has to stop a terrorist who stole a device that allows them to access people’s dreams. It’s basically the plot of inception but Paprika did it earlier and in my opinion better in every possible way.

AKIRA: One of anime’s greatest scifi epics. An exploration of power, scale and psychology with unfortgettable animation and iconic moments of body horror. While violent, it does live up to it’s tagline of ‘Neo Tokyo is about to E-X-P-L-O-D-E’
OKAY, THIS IS REALLY WEIRD BUT AWESOME IF YOU GIVE IT A CHANCE:
FLCL: A Coming of Age Story on Steroids. They literally took an entire series animation budget and blew it on 6 incredible hyper paced episodes.


Serial Experiments Lain: Dealing with themes of Identity, dissasociation, loss and the internet, this haunting surreal cyberpunk show slowly begins to make sense as the reality of the main character begins to disintergrate. TW: Suicide.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The anime that chaged the game. It asks ‘would you save the world if all it caused you was more pain’. It combines religious imagery, psychological surrealism, angst and giant robots in a way no other show has been able to match. It starts off slow, but the drama and weirdness pick up aroung episode 8.

Okay there are still a ton but here are some other names if you are looking for good shows to watch: Princess Mononoke, Yuri on ice, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Death Note, Berzerk, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Attack on Titan, Madoka Magica, Ninja Scroll