Locked room

[thefortysecond]

Okay, so this is bugging me and I need to get it out there:

I just finished watching episode 1 of Ohno's new drama, and it's very very clear that his character has some form of Autism. I really want them to officially acknowledge it. As someone on the Autism spectrum myself, it would be nice to have representation in mainstream media a little more

Comments

[clara_maria]

I agree about Toda... but! Ohno always getting the conclusion AND Toda is going to break down due to malnutricion sooner or later (seriously, I'm worried!)

I also agree about Enomoto Kei being an autistic - but! I have a friend who is almost the same and would never even admit or think about this as autism - just because everything is working out, he's able to be part of society and nobody would guess (his ex-girlfriend (not out of anger, she saying this since years) and I am agreeing on him in this point)
I guess people didn'T realize that this kind of being a "nerd" is on autism-level

[thefortysecond]

Toda is going to break down due to malnutricion sooner or later

I'm worried about that too :( and I'm not even a fan of hers!

I agree that it's possible to go through life and not be diagnosed, but as a TV producer creating a character, you should have some idea what's up. Especially since there's clearly something wrong with him, it's not a subtle off-ness, it's blatant. Although I'm wondering if maybe there's some sort of taboo in Japan about mental illness? Like it's ok to acnowledge if the person is completely nonfunctional but if they have something that lets them live their lives relatively normally, they just have to put up with "weird" *shrug* That kind of attitude would fit with what I know about Japanese culture already, TBH.

[clara_maria]

this sort of behaviour may even be helpful in Japanese society - being a specialist in one thing and otherwise just not talking could make things easier~ in a way
as long as you won't be a hindrance it doesn't really matter I think...

[capacheno]

now that you mention it, i agree that it seems as though toda's character could have been the main lead if not for the reason that ohno is well known.

i dont know a lot about autism but i do understand your argument. i agree that if ochan character is autistic, i hope they officially acknowledge it.

[thefortysecond]

I wonder about that, really. Is it that Arashi's managers don't want them to be *gasp* NOT the main character of something? It makes me sad- sometimes minor or supporting roles are good for someone's growth as an actor!

[nicefinalbeam]

Toda Erika does seem like the main character, but Ohno is the show stopper. XD

Also, I didn't think about that possibility at all, but now that you mention it? He does kind of remind me of someone I knew with Aspergers. Huh.

[thefortysecond]

He is a show stopper, I give you that :D Although I kinda wish he were considered supporting, for two reasons: He'd totally be the dark horse of the ensemble, and sometimes supporting roles are neccesary for an actor's growth and versatility. Hell, even Johnny Depp takes supporting roles!

[nicefinalbeam]

I see it the way Nino sees it - Ohno isn't an actor, he's an idol. The system works completely differently, and he is never going to have a path that an actor has. And like you said, his role practically is supporting, so it's not all that important if it gets labeled as such.

Also, I don't think he CAN be a dark horse when he's as famous as he is, people are going to know he's in a drama whether he's promoted heavily or not. If the two actors in the drama with him were lesser-known actors, maybe it would be nice to limit his time in it to give them a boost, but it's Toda Erika! Everyone knows her, so it's kind of a powerful ensemble already.

EDIT: ALSO I AM DUMB. I forgot I was going to say that it would be interesting to read the book the drama is based on, because if the BOOK considers Ohno's character the main one, that could be why.

[nekobot01]

I thought the same thing about Erika!! Ohno is the selling point but Erika is the main character. :)

Interesting about autism, I hadn't thought about it but you are right! I bet Enomoto falls somewhere on the autism spectrum. Maybe he was lucky like Temple Grandin and had good training when he was young. :)

All the best!

[thefortysecond]

These days a character like Enomoto would be more likely than not to get good treatment as a kid :) There are a lot of options out there for Aspies, which is what I'd be willing to bet money he has.

[iggylani]

first of all, I love going on to my friends page to see if anyone updated and then see that you have. you post most frequently of my friends and are usually if not always interesting to read. Bonus points for length.
Sometimes media like to not state things. And sometimes those are the best sorts. Have you seen Benny and Joon? She clearly has an issue, but it is never stated specifically what. The point of the movie is that people can have lives, no matter what their mental health. At least, that's the point I got from it. I haven't seen this movie, but it sounds like it may have a similar idea. Unless the autism is just an aside and the point of the movie is something else entirely and I should be quiet :P

[thefortysecond]

Aw thanks! *squishes* it's nice to know that people actually like reading my random tangents and nail obsessions and Arashi flails.

I'd say in this case it would probably be more constructive than not to mention that he has a thing. He's billed as the main character but he's kinda not, and there's no real message in the story regarding his issues. It's more about the mystery and the mental puzzles than how patently bizarre his character is.

I suspect there may be some kind of taboo that prevents them from outright acnowledging any issue. Japan gets like that, "ignore things that are in any way out of the ordinary, because it's rude to notice that we are not all 100% homogenous automatons". I could be wrong, though.

(P.S. It's a series, not a movie, and I think it's one you'd actually love!)