Based on her real-life childhood experiences.
Asperger’s syndrome can make daily life difficult no matter what country you live in, but it’s especially hard in Japan where the pressure toward uniformity is higher than many other places.
In an effort to try and spread awareness of exactly what Asperger’s syndrome is, Japanese cosplayer and artist @akagikuro recently posted a manga featuring the cute original character “Aspe-chan” (of course, short for “Asperger’s”). Here’s her tweet:
▼ “I drew an original manga. It’s stories from my childhood.”
(Manga translations below)
▼ Manga #1: First Off
Hello, I’m Aspe-chan.
I’m a girl with Asperger’s.I have Asperger’s myself, and because of that, had a lot of difficulties as a child.
● Not understanding detailed nuances
● Sensitive about certain feelings
● Not being able to deal well with unexpected events… and more
So I made this comic to spread awareness of what it’s like to have Asperger’s.For those unfamiliar with Asperger’s, Aspe-chan will guide you through the daily life of what it’s like.
▼ Manga #2. Not understanding detailed nuances
Aspe-chan doesn’t understand detailed nuances.
Ambiguous instructions confuse her.Particularly hard-to-understand words are “a few,” “those,” “over there,” “firmly,” “nicely,” “whatever.”
At work: “Take out a few of those.”
“I have no idea what this means!”“What do you mean by ‘those?’ And how many is ‘a few?'”
“What?! Normally people just understand! ‘Those’ are those things! ‘A few’ is a few! Like three or so.”
If they don’t say it specifically like that, then I don’t know what to do.
Sometimes that means I get yelled at….When you ask someone with Asperger’s to do something, it’s hard for us to understand ambiguous words.
But if you ask using specifics, we can do it no problem! Aspe-chan loves getting things done exactly as asked.
Bad words: “a few,” “those,” “quickly”
Good words: “three,” “those things in a specific location,” “finish by a certain time”
▼ Manga #3: Taking things literally
Aspe-chan in elementary school.
She was being scolded by the teacher (I don’t remember why).
“If you’re not going to try harder then go home!”
Aspe-chan’s inner thought: Oh, I can go home?“Okay, I’m going home. Bye!”
“WHAT?!”“You’re not supposed to go home!”
“…but you said I could.”
(And I was scolded even more afterward.)
People with Asperger’s often take things literally.
▼ Manga #4: What is “Normal?”
Ever since I was little, people would always say things to me like: “can’t you do it normally?” or “why are you so strange?” or “weirdo” or “you act funny.”
My “normal” was not “normal.” I couldn’t do the “normal” things everyone else did.
I wondered if I was a bad kid. I thought day after day about what “normal” was.But something “normal” is just something common that anyone can do.
Normal things: walking normally, not spilling food, not falling in weird places
Amazing things: things that people can’t just imitate
So rather than worry about what I couldn’t do, I started thinking positive about all of the things that Asperger’s let me do that others couldn’t.Some good personality traits of having Asperger’s are: intense focus, excellent memory, and more.
● We can focus on completing a project
● We can become super knowledgeable on a certain subject
Rather than just being able to do “normal things,” I think it’s much more amazing to make use of those skills and do something no one else can do.
We couldn’t agree more! Even though it may be difficult, it’s far better to embrace what makes you amazing, rather than trying to force yourself to be someone you’re not.
The artist @akagikuro seems to have taken her own advice to heart as well. With over 58,000 followers on Twitter and some amazing cosplays, she’s definitely using her advantages to create some amazing things.
▼ Here she is as Lilith from the Darkstalkers fighting game
▼ Hamakaze from KanColle.
▼ And wishing her fans a happy new
year as Evangelion’s Ayanami Rei.
If you’d like to see more of her work, then be sure to give her a follow on Twitter.
For those who have been inspired by her comic, now’s the perfect time to start developing whatever it is that makes you “amazing.” And what better way to start off than by creating a “saved memories jar” to open at the end of the year, to remind yourself how amazing you really are.
Source: Twitter/@akagikuro via My Game News Flash
Top image: Twitter/@akagikuro