Afternoona Asks ND: Call for Comments
Added 2024-01-23 03:39:11 +0000 UTCAfternoons Asks ND (Neurodivergent) are going to cover autistic characters who are tokenistic, stereotyped and downright bad. Please let us know any you’ve come across that you think we should cover!
Thanks!
Sarah, J & Franziska
Comments
I think that part of the problem with neodivergent characters in both Korean and Chinese dramas is that many dramas (and web novels) have no clear idea of what a neodivergent character is. Going back to the film Monster (2014), both Lee Min Ki and Kim Go Eun's characters are first written as simply misunderstood neodivergent characters (especially Lee Min Ki's childhood character) but then the film switches them into "monster" mode. Think about how many spectrum characters you might have seen in passing who are called "crazy" or "psycho" or when mental differences are treated by families as though they are untreatable or even not worth accepting in any way. It just makes me so mad! Anyway, to get more dramas, I'd recommend following fairly straight faced actors like Lee Min Ki, Ju Ji Hoon, Jang Hyuk or Ye Ji Won who often get cast as very stereotypical versions of neodivergent characters merely because of their ability to maintain straight faces.
Humbledaisy
2024-01-24 18:21:53 +0000 UTCThank you. Yes, we're gonna be covering that particular drama in that podcast. It seems to be a common thing to "use" autistic characters as disabled family members to show that the lead is a good person who sacrifices so much ...
Fran
2024-01-24 07:42:04 +0000 UTCI've watched a few dramas with autistic coded characters in them recently - you've already talked about Love in Contract and Attorney Woo. One that stood out for me was Nam Jae-woo, the FL younger brother in Crash Course in Romance. I feel like in the first half of the drama, he existed to make us feel pity for the FL and emphasise what a great person she was for taking on responsibility for her abandoned niece and younger brother: he's dependent, socially awkward and has narrow interests. Did I hate they way characterised him? No, ultimately he was portrayed affectionately and the niece seemed to have a meaningful and respectful relationship with him. I just wish there was more nuance in his characterisation so that the romance with the Noona would have been more convincing. It felt awkwardly comical and didn't have to have been. I live with ND family members and work with ND colleagues. These individuals display so many different, positive qualities I rarely see in autistic coded characters - wise, attractive, funny, caring, silly, affectionate and independent. I'd like to see more of this diversity portrayed in autistic coded characters.
Thea Coleman
2024-01-23 22:55:29 +0000 UTC
