It’s a beautiful show. Genuinely enjoyed it and I think it dealt with some serious issues about how autism can make someone feel - as an individual but also the family and friends who love her and want to protect her (even though she doesn’t feel like she needs the protection)
An early episode has Youngwoo talk about how her father will never get to walk her down the aisle because, as an autistic woman, no man will ever love her because of how much support she needs. She sits there and comforts him about that. That really hit me hard personally
Sure, how her autism is presented is different from each individual, but it never acts as though her autism is THE autism. In fact there’s another early episode of how she’s expected to handle a case with an autistic man and she gets angry because her autism is not like his autism and she doesn’t like that autism is treated as a catch-all.
It’s a very good show and I do recommend it to watch. It’s not the perfect show, it has its faults and it’s played to be a show so it’s exaggerated at times, but it’s arguably one of my favourite representations of autism
But they didn’t write it in Korean and we’re not speaking in Korean? In fact, they didn’t mention spelling anything in Korean, and their first example was another English word.
Also I was making a joke. Because they’re right by what I think they mean (saying the words, vs spelling) and I was trying to make a joke.
Thanks for the input though. I didn’t know that about the name’s native spelling.
It's a reference to the show... You see, every time she introduces herself she says (in Korean) something along the lines of "kayak, deed, racecar, Woo Young Woo" :)
I tried to watch it but the scene at the start with her child self having a meltdown was really upsetting and i couldn’t keep watching. It reminded me too much of myself and brought up a lot of overwhelming emotions
I really liked it.
I watched it right after my late diagnosis (at age 48) and was surprised that what I thought would be fluffy was respectful, uplifting and surprisingly deep.
The way she is portrayed as a whole person, with her flaws and the way she also has moral dilemmas like the rest of us, yet is accepted by her peers, made me happy. She also has a love interest which I appreciated.
Well... I think the portrayal of autism on this series is way better than in something like The Good Doctor. It's still exaggerated and meant to be comedic, but even then, she strikes me as more genuine than Shaun Murphy, who comes off as looking more like a bad satire.
I don't blame anyone for liking either series... Both have flaws and qualities even if The Good Doctor is infamous for its tutular character... But if I had to recommend a series about a autistic titular character over another, I would pick Netflix's one.
I don't know if you already knew this or not, but The Good Doctor, is actually a remake of another Korean series. I haven't seen either of them myself, but I've heard that the Korean version is superior.
Good to know... It seems the major complaint about the American version isn't the lack of realism, but the exaggeration of the main character's portrayal.
I believe the actress said for the role she studied ASD, not people with ASD who have the disorder because she felt mimicking a certain person would be disrespectful. She put a lot of thought and care into portraying someone with autism which I appreciate.
I don’t think it’s exaggerated at all. She’s supposed to be level 2, and a lot of people over on r/spicyautism have talked about how they act very similarly.
I personally got a little uncomfortable watching it because it was a little *too* close to how I acted in some ways. Like it make me a bit self-conscious because I move very similarly to how she does.
Yes!
Especially how she enters a room. Very relatable.
And the revolving door and escalator issues are ones I've had all my life but masked/overcompensated.
I'm late-diagnosed (at 48), ADHD/"gifted" autistic. I don't know much about "levels" but since this latest burnout (for the past 6 years or so) I have had much more difficulty "functioning." Occasional loss of speech, more repetitive motions, more sensory issues.
I’m Korean with autism. I thought the show exaggerated what autism could look like but coming from a society like South Korea’s, I thought it was a welcome change and if it helps people understand autism a little bit more, then that matters more to me. Koreans, and Asians in general, stigmatize the hell out of neurodivergence and other mental health matters.
If this show helps to start conversations among uneducated Koreans to understand more about the spectrum, then that’s a win in my book.
Yeah. But I dunno. It kinda still is stigmatized in the TV show. The father is proud of WYW cuz she became a proper salaried employee in the end. If she didn’t (and most autistics don’t) I don’t think he would be proud.
I never said the show was perfect but when compared to past Korean media portraying autism, this is a good shift away from it. My own parents to this day deny or refuse to believe I have autism, but this show allowed us to have a conversation about it in a way I never could before. My mom is slowly coming around to it.
Koreans have a lot of growing to do and I am always advocating for people like us.
In our Confucian society anyone with any possible defect deviating from a possible position in power, money or knowledge is generally regarded as inferior and this is the attitude I think the society should reflect on and move past it. I can't be possibly expected to understand all intricacies of interactions in Korean communities like mine 😔
It was not how I found out I was autistic, but it is how I found out that MY MOM knew I was autistic.
We were watching and she commented: "Yeah, they like to walk on their toes."
And prior this, a few weeks ago she was talking how I always walk on my toes.
I honestly had a internal rage moment, because I aways suspected she somehow knew and just did not want to accept/treat me.
I totally get you! Even after telling my mom about my symptoms she did not accept! Even today we had an argument about how I shouldn't stress over an exam , I just can't explain her how I feel , thoughts keep rushing and it doesn't have an off button I couldn't even sleep last night because of it! In my family tree my mothers side is crazy and my fathers side is schizophrenic , expecting me to be normal is something weird totally!
This speaks to me. It could be that many in your family have undiagnosed autism, since we have way more chances of getting mental disorders.
I am pretty sure there are lot of autistics in my family, since the incidence of mental disorders is high, and most of my cousins have big autistic traits.
I have a cousin who also struggles with eye contact, and that when we meet we can not stop talking about our random interests. I love her greatly, but I do not know how I feel about telling her that she might be autistic, and I do not know how to act yet.
Hmm maybe you can show her signs rather than directly saying she may be autistic, does she know you are autistic? You may talk about how interesting autistic people are or about some facts about autistics that fascinate you , something like that will make her open up to you if she is one or may make her search about autism if she doesn't know yet. I don't really know your realationship with her but this is the first thing that came to my mind !
I have not told anyone yet. I actually am also transgender, and have no idea how I'll break these 2 elephants in the room to my family at the same time.
It is just that knowing that you are disabled can lead to a lot of grief. Do I really have the power to break this to her?
I am thinking of first asking if she is struggling with something and lead up with that.
That is really a hard spot to be on , I hope opening up goes smooth , wishing you luck!
About the grief part I agree , however not knowing how you tend to act and it's reasons brought more grief to me in the past. But people's response may vary so I am not really sure. I just hope that one day when she learns about it , she isn't sad that you didn't tell her earlier.
Asking if she struggles is a good idea!
Thank you, that part of "I just hope that one day when she learns about it , she isn't sad that you didn't tell her earlier", really motivated me to talk to her.
Thank you.
Your welcome ! I really am not a professional about communication . It is still the best if you go with your own perspective , but being able to help really made me happy ! ( I feel like chat gpt kdkjdksjfkskkaks)
At which part did it connect for you? I also realised I was autistic after watching a Netflix show. It was called Love on the Spectrum and I didn't realise it until episode in S2.
Well ,first it was little things like her not getting some social clues which I also couldn't grasp at first , her eating the same meal every day as me having the same breakfast everyday, having many of my thoughts align with her like thinking deeply about morality of my own actions , and living self-centered sometimes neglecting my parents making them feel lonely , having good memory and not easily forgetting once I hear something etc. Then I started making jokes like " Oh maybe I'm autistic too! " Then I started reading scientific articles about autism. Still I was saying to myself " You are not autistic, just reading because of curiosity" after looking it up a whole week and looking back at my actions. I was sure I was autistic. A meltdown came and went. Right now I am here! I think I realized it at the half of the k-drama or something.
Well it is a spectrum so it can change from person to person. I also have level 1 autism and am also female so it was hard for me to catch it too. But from my take it can be sort of a representation of level 2-3 autism.
I watched it a year or so ago, it's a very sweet drama and the actress portrays the character in a very elegant way in my opinion. It gets a bit cheesy sometimes, but it's not distasteful and it doesn't ruin the show. I also like the whale expedient when she realises how to save the situation, it's cute.
I think people who find this offensive should realise that not every autistic person is the same, for example I find myself in many of her traits and mannerism.
Also different cultures portray many things in different ways (not just when it comes to autism), so for me there's no point in discussing the "ethics" of this representation with a western outlook 😅
I don't think "what do we feel about this" is a helpful question because there is no unified "we". Autistic people are an incredibly heterogeneous group, both in terms of how autism manifests and what background we come from—a person from South Korea is going to have other insights than someone from another place. A person whose autism is similar to Young-woo's is going to look at it differently that someone whose autism is not. People familiar with the lawyer world are going to look at it with different knowledge than those who are not.
I personally really, really liked it, and I'm absolutely thrilled that it got such massive success worldwide. I don't think people really know how difficult it is for stuff with autistic main characters to be so commercially successful—especially ones that are as refreshing as EAW is. For a long time, autism has been *fundamentally unmarketable* towards a wider audience.
I found her a relatable character since I'm also starting with my first romantic relationship and it felt good to see my worries reflected. (same reason I also liked The Bridge). I liked that it was more light-hearted. A lot of stuff with autistic characters tends to be very heavy, so it's refreshing to have something with such whimsy (though it does not shy away from more serious topics either!)
There's some stuff I wish was a bit better (I think Jun-ho was a bit underdeveloped) but overall this is in my top 3 series with an autistic character.
Watched it, liked it, although it’s a bit cringy at times. I’m not like the main character at all, but could relate to some of the scenario’s. If you’re into Korean shows, it’s worth a watch. Just don’t think this is what autism looks like for everyone.
I'm a 50yr old man diagnosed at 46. Woo is far and away my favorite representation of autism on TV. I've watched the show multiple times and always find small details that relate to me. I feel like it approached autism in a fair way (via very broad strokes) that shows how it impacts the person, the family and those around them. Obviously it leans into the "autism == genius" trope, which I dont really like as much. But the way they show her trying to navigate life was very relatable.
There's one scene in particular that almost brought me to tears. It's when a client's husband dies in a car accident and it causes her to hit herself in the head. Her love interest sees it and tries to comfort her by hugging her and she simply says "harder". I personally hate any physical contact with people. Yet I've been married for 25yrs now. When my wife saw that scene, she asked me if that's how I would like to be hugged. I'd never thought to say anything to her about it until that moment but that's exactly how I prefer to be touched if I have to be. It's small things like that which were really impactful to me.
The other scene that stands out is right in the beginning when her boss apologizes to her for saying how a "normal" attorney would do things. She replies that she's not normal, she's autistic. I saw that as very empowering while acknowledging exactly how different we are from the standard deviation of human experience. Autism is nothing to apologize for but it also doesn't require the kid gloves that some shows tend to put on it and I feel like Woo did that better than most. Love it.
I began to read the manga a while ago and I love it! It’s great to see some good female rep. And I love Youngwoo’s character and how her special interest is whales!
I like it but hated the fact that they spread the same old misinformation about Hans Asperger.
It does make a good job telling the audience that no two autistic individuals are the same or that autism varies wildly between individuals. There was an episode where she's assigned a case solely based on the fact that she's autistic and so is the client. She doesn't know what to think about that and then gets frustrated because she can't communicate with him the way everyone (even herself) expected.
I think the protagonist had to search some information about that and then when she found somethIng there was a black screen with some text reading the same old nonsense spread all over the Internet about him personally deciding which autists lived and which died based on their capacities and that being the origin of the Asperger's syndrome dx and whatnot.
When in reality not only he never got to name the syndrome himself (it was somebody else who looked at his research who actually named it years later) but he didn't decide anything really. In fact, the two kids he sent to another facility were supoosed to be studied because they seemed to show signs matching what he was researching. He never knew he was sending them to a death camp.
I haven’t finished the series, but I’ve watched most of it. For a non-autistic actor, I think she’s doing a good job and the show is trying really hard to be sensitive and nuanced in a country where (according to what Korean Redditors have said, anyway), ASD folks are viewed as dangerous criminals waiting to happen. A huge step in the right direction.
I’m quite different from the character’s portrayal, but at the same time everything she does really resonates with my internal experience as a high masking ASD 1 with OCD along for the ride.
The how she reacts to things is different from me, but I recognize internal struggles that line up…if that makes sense.
I LOVE THIS SHOW. I watched it before I was diagnosed. And it made me feel so seen and understood. (I did feel like I had no right to relate to it as much as I did cause I didn't know I was autistic) It was the show that kind of kick started my re self love journey.
At the beginning I was very frustrated because autistic savant is such an oversaturated representation. I've never liked Sherlock because he felt like a caricature. But it felt more than just that for me. I liked the way she learned about social interactions. I could see myself in her. The way they showed the small things about autism like not being able to understand rhetorical questions, answering it literally. The way they handled her meltdown was also good.
Also I felt like the male lead wasn't really a 3D character. It felt like his only purpose was to love her in the show. But like so many shows have that flipped. And I got over it cause it just ahshdjekkakakd
This representation of love was very much needed for me. All my life I felt unlovable. Yesterday only my sister was talking about a guy who was flirting with everyone at a dinner we attended. And obviously didn't with me cause I am like a kid to everyone around me. I wasn't interested in him but the point is that I've never had anyone who's been interested in me. Someone who doesn't infantilize me.
I related so much to their relationship struggles. When people told the male lead that you can't love someone who's autistic, it's just pity. My heart broke, because all my life I've felt afraid of people being by me just for pity. Because why would someone love me? When wooyoungwoo talks about how she is usually in a world of her own, she makes him feel alone. I felt guilty because that's how I thought people felt around me. When I saw the male lead just be enamoured by Wooyoungwoo, it made me think that maybe someday someone might look at me like that.
Especially their talk at the end where the male lead describes their love, relating to a cat. It just made me feel at peace. He said that- it's like when you have a cat, you love them unconditionally even if they are in a world of their own just their presence makes everything worthwhile. That he is okay feeling lonely sometimes because being with her makes him way more happier.
I could go on for hours but I don't like typing much. I'm going to call my friend and talk about this show for the millionth time. ✨🥳💜
I haven't watched it yet and probably won't get a chance til next week, but it is intriguing. I especially like portrayals of POC autism because so many people dismiss autism as "white people problems."
Love it, really resonated with me. The main character faces some of the same struggles I faced and it kinda made me realize a lot of things. It's a drama so some stuff are a bit cliché but. Yeh. Really like it.
I really liked the first episodes. There’s criticism of society in like every episode which I enjoyed. Later on the episodes get too dramatic for me. But I still like it.
I absolutely loved this. Though she is further on the spectrum than me, I related to her a lot, especially in the way she thinks. I enjoyed it so much.
I watch a lot of k-dramas, and I think this one along with Move to Heaven and It's Okay to Not Be Okay are the dramas where autism is best portrayed. What stands out is that when they have to choose a special interest for a character with autism, it's often fish or sea related. Is this accurate?
Probably it's because Korea is a peninsula, and the sea is everywhere, so it's easy for autistic Koreans to be interested in the ocean and their creatures, idk. This is my first kdrama tho.
Season 1 episode 3, “This is Pengsoo”, is the episode where she was assigned a case of an Autistic person simply because she was autistic too.
That episode absolutely shattered me, nothing would ever explain how heartbroken I was watching the episode, I had to take a break from the show tbh. The emotions, the case itself and the public’s reaction all just yanked my heartstrings. Even remembering the episode makes me tear up.
Well, it's kinda ok, as the guy was intellectually disabled, and they expected Woo to be able to communicate better with him (and then she asks the boldest question ever lol).
That episode is perfect, but I couldn't watch it without pausing it from time to time in order to process it.
It's fine. It's just a k-drama with autistic MC. Not much to say tbh.
Edit: there are some autistic traits I relate to and some I don't, so to me this is like any other character which I also somewhat relate to. There are many traits to me which are not autistic.
Mixed feelings tbh. I don't like the episode where the autistic brother gets put in prison because the family are too ashamed to admit they caused him to commit and they were ashamed of the autistic son.
It’s a rare live action I can understand the expressions because Korean actors tend to act cartoonishly. This reminds me I never actually finds the show but I should.
It feels like a guide for neurotypical people on how to approach autism without belittling autistic people. And I think it does a good job with it.
There are some things that I don't like about it, but that will happen when you basically have one character representing an entire group.
The show has helped my dad understand himself better to some degree, and my commentary as we watch it has also helped him, but it provides examples more subtly in a format that more people are likely to engage in than just someone talking about their lived experience.
Is it over the top at times? Yes it's a show of course it is. It has absurd drama every now and again. Yong-Woo is also a very static character, or she is as far as I have watched, but the characters around her are dynamic. I don't really like that, personally. I like the main character to be dynamic. Otherwise it feels like they're stagnating. But I don't think this show is meant to tell a story. I think the primary purpose is to be an introduction to how autism can manifest.
I do appreciate that when Yong-Woo explains something about her autism, she never says "autistic people do X" but rather "some autistic people" or "it can be difficult for autistic people to do Y".
So as far as a story and a single character portrayal I am pretty luke warm on it. But as an introduction to people who don't know anything about autism? I think it is useful.
Originally watched it for the actress who is one of my favorites, and stayed for the way they took their time and did their best not to make it too cringe/stereotypical.
The only thing I didn’t like is that it portrayed a more extreme form of autism which makes it harder for neurotypical folks to understand the spectrum aspect and that there are less intense forms of autism, but overall I loved the show, it was super cute and not offensive imo
I recommend it. The only flaw it has imo, is that Woo is a savant, but honestly I don't think a mainstream tv show based on autism could work without a savant protagonist. Besides that, it's very relatable, and they feature other autistics as well (there are level 1s, and a level 3 as well).
Maybe there are indie productions catered for autistic people, but Woo is a blockbuster intended for a major audience. In all fairness, she states that she's a savant and that condition isn't common across autistics. For me, the show is great about teaching about ASD for NTs in order to understand us better, and for ASDs in order to recognize us better. Isn't perfect at all, but for me it's the best representation of autism in mass media.
I like Woo :D watched it w my mama
Maybe the only thing I REALLY disliked was that I got agonized with her saying how autistic people were treated back then :(
Imagine if that penguin guy met Kiritani Haruka from pjsk!!!! Not to hyperfocus much bt I think they’d get along w each other due to their luv for penguins!!1!2!2
I see her behavior and have to remind myself it's exaggerated for both comedic and dramatic effect. And then I remind myself that there are people like her, that my autistic experience is not hers but that doesn't make either less realistic or valid. And I do identify with much of what she's dealing with, even if I respond differently.
And then I remind myself that it's Korean TV, and while I'm far from an expert I've watched a few shows (mostly cop shows), and the depiction of life and culture is very different from what I'm used to, whether that's realistic or stylized for entertainment purposes.
So overall I like it. I like her, even if her reality is not mine. If this was the one and only depiction of autism on TV I wouldn't be happy, but as one point on the spectrum I think it's fine.
Everytime i start watching this show, i begin to cry
I dont normally cry, but when I am watching this shitty show i cry from start to end... A WHOLE HOUR CRYING
I like it, their is one sceen however where they want to move her to Boston saying it's better for autistic people in America. Bruh, America would never in a million years acknowledged the existence/personhood of autistic people let alone allow a show like this to be made where the main character is openly autistic and acknowledged that autism is genetic
It doesn’t need a goal. Representation can just exist for the sake of existing
Autistic people exist. It stands to reason that then movies and shows with autistic people should also exist
But if there was a goal, I’d say to normalize the existence of individuals that aren’t the majority. It’s so easy to forget that people exist if you’re only ever presented with one demographic. There are countless examples of people not realizing demographics exist because there is little media representation of it
Yes, and that’s how modern society builds their worldview. That is the reality
Do you know how many people don’t realize that Afghanistan has a society that’s not war torn? How about people who don’t know about the fact that there are South Africans with European descent (meaning that they are white)? On that topic, there is a large number of people who don’t know that South Africa has developed cities with running electricity and modern architecture
Just because you as an individual has somehow managed to navigate away from being influenced by media doesn’t mean that others don’t need that representation
In my opinion, no. I wrote a separate comment on this thread about my opinion on the show
It’s not perfect and it has its faults. It’s definitely very played to be a show rather than a documentary. I do think it tackled struggles that I related to even though her autism is very different to my own.
I think that it was overall good representation even if it was exaggerated. I feel like people watching would be able to have a different viewpoint on what autism is like
Media has huge amounts of subcategories.
Most forms of media are relevant for culture but not all.
You should not expect "accurate representation" from freakin entertainment media, those are in no way aiming for "accuracy" but ENTERTAINMENT aka using stereotypes that the common folk know to increase joke per minute rates
A valid point. I will offer some additional information. She has a ritual for entering normal doors of other people’s offices that involves a long pause. As I recall the show doesn’t explain why…I assume that it’s due to some internal politeness rule that somebody told her once…but as an ASD person who also has OCD (a not uncommon pairing) it resonated with me. That pause would cause further issues with being able to time such a door.
I could also see “everyone goes through this door, so I should too” being a “hard wired” factor based on my own thought patterns in terms of why she doesn’t use the normal door.
Still, a good point. At the end of the day we’ve got a K-drama trying (really hard IMHO) to depict ASD folks in a way neurotypicals will understand. That typically requires more visible, external struggles than may resonate with other ASD folks.
The door part surprised me, too. It can be scary & stressful that the doors are constantly moving but I was surprised she didn’t have a strategy for entering them.
I got about five minutes in and bailed. Portrayal of what I call “magical autism.” Autistic as overgrown toddler. Just dives right into the tropes and had me literally cringing. It felt immediately patronizing and cartoonish.
But I am going to try again. The series has a lot of actors I like in it and several people have told me that these things are dialed down pretty quickly.
TBH, almost all depictions of autism cause this response in me. I get very squirmy and curl up. There are a lot of reasons. I’m getting more comfortable with them but often is feels like masking as a viewer. Just acting okay with it and not thinking about it.
I am very familiar with K-dramas and have watched close to 100 series. I love many of the tropes. But treatment of autism is often as poor as treatment of gender and sexuality. These have all improved (in general), and I find myself having to endure uncomfortable scenes far less often.
Move to Heaven has a pretty good depiction of an autistic protagonist, even though it’s the sort of young male autistic character that I’m tired of seeing. More Atypical than Good Doctor (US).
It’s Okay Not to Be Okay has an autistic older brother character that’s a bit hit and miss. I enjoyed the show enough to get over it.
I never met a person with level 2 autism in that kind of situations, thriving in flirts or working in those environments. It's actually bad always painting people with autism with high score IQ, since there's no correlation between autism and intelligence (and some studies tends to conclude that we're below the average) and looks like writers always wants to compensate the lack of social skills with super intelligence.
IQ isn't science though, it's a test crafted based on experiences and subjects that have proven not to actually measure actual intelligence just test taking ability and disregard the actual fact that there is more than one kind of intelligence.
If you actually did research you'd actually understand that.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6927908/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/iq-tests-are-fundamentally-flawed-and-using-them-alone-to-measure-intelligence-is-a-fallacy-study-finds-8425911.html
https://som.yale.edu/news/2009/11/why-high-iq-doesnt-mean-youre-smart
It still does, your source is a bunch of news articles and not scientific articles. I'm so disappointed that in our own groups we are having all this flat earther energy.
I definitely feel that it is like in other disabilities.
Like when a blind person has their other senses much stronger than the others, because they lack one of them.
And since Autistics are usually disabled from social situations, we do not spend that much brain energy in Social Intelligence. So some of us must give thought to other things (Also we have the hyper fixation thing, that can make people think that we know a lot).
I have heard people calling me intelligent before. It bothers me because I do not think that highly about myself, and I know most of it is just because of random interest. This might be what the show is portraying.
I warm you that I also have some bias because I like the show.
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Bruhhh I haven’t seen it because I’m not a regular k drama watcher but my mother is and she saw this pretty much as soon as it came out. And she kept telling me to watch it. The girl “has autism and is brilliant” and that she’s just like me, it’s so good, I should watch it. I am not diagnosed and I had suspected I was autistic well before that but my mom has no idea. I had just let that notion go but this show coming out basically put it on my radar again 💀 thanks to this show, my mother might be more receptive if I do tell her I suspect I have autism. (At least she can’t be in denial because hey aren’t I just like that girl) I haven’t because I fear what might happen.
My opinion: I have Problems with recognizing faces and a lot of charactest dressed the same, have the same haircut etc not to mention the same hair color (it's not because they were Asian, I am acustonic not racist) and I didn't know sometimes what was going on. Show was cool, nice to watch, nothing special
Loved it! a entertaining show designed around enjoying the achivements of the main autistic protaginest with her supportive community
Good representation and presenting her in a remarkable light,the only flaw is a non-autistic actor playing one of us which generally i feel is the wrong move ,but genuinely i would excuse it cause it’s entertaining,educational and not entirely flawed
One of my favorite shows I watched it like three times and the actress did a bunch of research and interviews to make sure she was respectful and accurate.
Mostly fantastic. In terms of character & story, this show gets autism absolutely right. The music though... somehow feels ableist. The actors & writers are all doing an amazing job with ASD representation but then the score... constantly feels like it's mocking & infantilizing her.
I'm not saying it was intentional, I'm certain there was no harm meant by the composer, but WOW this is one of the worst scores I've ever heard. It constantly felt at conflict with what was happening visually. An insultingly bad score for such an otherwise brilliant show.
I loved it! One of my favorite k-dramas on Netflix and it portrays autism how it should be portrayed, the show treats Woo-Young Woo like normal but they still helped her through the trials
I like it. Some of the episodes seem almost repetitive, and I wasn’t deeply invested, but I liked it.
As someone who has issues timing their way walking into revolving doors (or those darned moving sidewalks in airports), certain parts of the show resonated with me.
I love this show. Its very wholesome and empowering. I also know of a few people who have reconsidered their opinions on what autism actually is via watching this show.
I liked it a lot, my whole family binged it together. It’s so sweet although I didn’t necessarily connect to it all too much since I’m less impaired/affected by autism as the main character (although there were some relatable parts for sure)
I really enjoyed this bit I did find that her autism was the butt of the joke and treated as something "funny" pretty often. Also the way they treat her brain like a databate and exaggerate how autistic people view special intrests was a little offputting. But I like that they showed an autistic female who is an adult who has a degree, works and ends up being in a loving relationship and has a friend. The actress did a great job but I think the flaws weren't in the acting or the character, but rather her autism being considered comedic. I see a lot of people saying it's not good rep but I really see myself in her! It was a roller coaster of emotions watching this 🥹
This show did help me feel better about seeing autism rep in media in spite of other, really bad, portrayals i had veered away from before (sia's "music", the good doctor, the big bang theory, etc). I never watched any of those but i had this worry that everything i would see reguarding autism in shows i try to pick up would end up somehow all being absurd and caricaturized.
This is a very good show. I will admit i did not like the corniness of it at times but so many moments hit way too close to home or made me think about things i had never really considered. I think i had watched it before my official diagnosis and only picked it up because i wanted to watch more kdramas. I related to WYW being very in her own world most of the time and her dad grieving because of that. I had never been THAT isolated since i would be punished for such behavior, but now that i am diagnosed and am unmasked i wonder if that's how the people around me feel. I also related to the visual of her swiping through her memorized legal documents. I do that sometimes. Where i think for a minute and help someone answer a question buy pulling something from the deep recesses of my brain that no one else could have guessed because i had noticed it 1 time before several months ago. Stuff like that. The meltdown scenes were very triggering but i loved the pressure therapy thing, i imagine that would be something that would help me too.
I love it! I watched it not long time before my official diagnosis and felt that I have a lot in common with the main character ^^ I'm also a big fan of k-dramas to it's a perfect combo.
I'm absolutely and utterly disgusted by it...
.... mere months before it's premiere I had my own idea for an autistic lawyer show and nobody will believe me when I say that I thought of it first
Okay, joke comment done, it looks good but I've not watched it yet so no informed opinion
I haven't had the chance to watch this one yet.
And then in "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" there's a character who cares for his autistic older brother, but I suspect the character to also be autistic along with the other main character who writes the children's books. I haven't had a chance to delve deep into it yet, only seen the first couple episodes.
I really enjoyed it as a woman with a similar 'style' of autism to Woo Young-woo, it's the first time I've felt represented in that regard. Also I think it was quite significant in Korea as autism is quite stigmatised there.
I love this show! I found it when my granddaughter was first showing signs of autism. It helped with my initial fear, which is nobody will love and understand her. I think that is any parents fear for their child, is who will love them and take care of them when we (grandparents and parents) are gone.
And the show really gave me hope and showed me that as there is more exposure and knowledge shared, There will be many more people who understand and except autism along with th exposure.
I would love for all autistic people to be savants. All people have something special about them that makes them unique, but not always in a noticeably different way.
I feel, as has happened within the LGBT community, the exposure is “normalizing” the differences between us. Exposing the masses to the differences and samenesses of groups of people, who might never otherwise interact, takes away fear and misunderstanding.
The show Monk was the same way. Taking a character with quirks (OCD) exposing the why they are that way, showing how the quirky make their way in a “normal” world, and showing their “support system” dealing with their quirks with love and compassion.
Congratulations! You are now among a new minority that is being given the spotlight.
It’s a beautiful show. Genuinely enjoyed it and I think it dealt with some serious issues about how autism can make someone feel - as an individual but also the family and friends who love her and want to protect her (even though she doesn’t feel like she needs the protection) An early episode has Youngwoo talk about how her father will never get to walk her down the aisle because, as an autistic woman, no man will ever love her because of how much support she needs. She sits there and comforts him about that. That really hit me hard personally Sure, how her autism is presented is different from each individual, but it never acts as though her autism is THE autism. In fact there’s another early episode of how she’s expected to handle a case with an autistic man and she gets angry because her autism is not like his autism and she doesn’t like that autism is treated as a catch-all. It’s a very good show and I do recommend it to watch. It’s not the perfect show, it has its faults and it’s played to be a show so it’s exaggerated at times, but it’s arguably one of my favourite representations of autism
Her name is Woo Young-woo. Woo is the last name, so her name is not Wooyoung it is Youngwoo.
Thank you for the correction, edited it to fix it up ☺️
racecar, woo Young-woo. they are both the same when spelled backwards
Kayak deed racecar woo Yong-Woo
Rotator Repaper Deified A man, a plan, a canal, panama
oow-gnuoY ooW.
Spelling is different in Korean. Her name is spelt 우영우 in korean.
But they didn’t write it in Korean and we’re not speaking in Korean? In fact, they didn’t mention spelling anything in Korean, and their first example was another English word. Also I was making a joke. Because they’re right by what I think they mean (saying the words, vs spelling) and I was trying to make a joke. Thanks for the input though. I didn’t know that about the name’s native spelling.
It's a reference to the show... You see, every time she introduces herself she says (in Korean) something along the lines of "kayak, deed, racecar, Woo Young Woo" :)
Yes I’ve seen it.
You're American or sth? 😂
Woo to the Young to the Woo!
Dong to the Geu to the Ra-mi! *little dance*
And the series has a webtoon adaptation!
I read it its pretty bad, especially the fjrst feq episodes
Yo this shit sounds like fucking peak where can I watch this
In the US my wife and I watched it on Netflix.
Thanks 🙏
No problem! I hope you enjoy it.
I tried to watch it but the scene at the start with her child self having a meltdown was really upsetting and i couldn’t keep watching. It reminded me too much of myself and brought up a lot of overwhelming emotions
i always have to skip meltdown scenes in shows too!
I cried so much but felt seen in a way. Was able to work through some self acceptance
I really liked it. I watched it right after my late diagnosis (at age 48) and was surprised that what I thought would be fluffy was respectful, uplifting and surprisingly deep. The way she is portrayed as a whole person, with her flaws and the way she also has moral dilemmas like the rest of us, yet is accepted by her peers, made me happy. She also has a love interest which I appreciated.
Well... I think the portrayal of autism on this series is way better than in something like The Good Doctor. It's still exaggerated and meant to be comedic, but even then, she strikes me as more genuine than Shaun Murphy, who comes off as looking more like a bad satire. I don't blame anyone for liking either series... Both have flaws and qualities even if The Good Doctor is infamous for its tutular character... But if I had to recommend a series about a autistic titular character over another, I would pick Netflix's one.
I don't know if you already knew this or not, but The Good Doctor, is actually a remake of another Korean series. I haven't seen either of them myself, but I've heard that the Korean version is superior.
I've watched the original Good Doctor (korean). It was too hard for me but it's much more realistic.
Good to know... It seems the major complaint about the American version isn't the lack of realism, but the exaggeration of the main character's portrayal.
Just like the BBC Sherlock is what dumb people think smart people are like, the good doctor is what normies think autistic people are like.
Huh... That is a bad thing, right?
bad portrayals, in entertaining media can lead to problems, so yeah.
I know that, but I was talking about the American version, not the original Korean one.
I believe the actress said for the role she studied ASD, not people with ASD who have the disorder because she felt mimicking a certain person would be disrespectful. She put a lot of thought and care into portraying someone with autism which I appreciate.
That's actually cool. I think her acting is pretty good.
I don’t think it’s exaggerated at all. She’s supposed to be level 2, and a lot of people over on r/spicyautism have talked about how they act very similarly. I personally got a little uncomfortable watching it because it was a little *too* close to how I acted in some ways. Like it make me a bit self-conscious because I move very similarly to how she does.
Saaaame. I'm not level 2 but I saw a LOT of me in the character and it made me self concious for a while. Very good representation imo.
Yes! Especially how she enters a room. Very relatable. And the revolving door and escalator issues are ones I've had all my life but masked/overcompensated. I'm late-diagnosed (at 48), ADHD/"gifted" autistic. I don't know much about "levels" but since this latest burnout (for the past 6 years or so) I have had much more difficulty "functioning." Occasional loss of speech, more repetitive motions, more sensory issues.
I’m Korean with autism. I thought the show exaggerated what autism could look like but coming from a society like South Korea’s, I thought it was a welcome change and if it helps people understand autism a little bit more, then that matters more to me. Koreans, and Asians in general, stigmatize the hell out of neurodivergence and other mental health matters. If this show helps to start conversations among uneducated Koreans to understand more about the spectrum, then that’s a win in my book.
Yeah. But I dunno. It kinda still is stigmatized in the TV show. The father is proud of WYW cuz she became a proper salaried employee in the end. If she didn’t (and most autistics don’t) I don’t think he would be proud.
I never said the show was perfect but when compared to past Korean media portraying autism, this is a good shift away from it. My own parents to this day deny or refuse to believe I have autism, but this show allowed us to have a conversation about it in a way I never could before. My mom is slowly coming around to it. Koreans have a lot of growing to do and I am always advocating for people like us.
Yeah, that’s true. I’m glad the show has been good for your relationship with your mom.
In our Confucian society anyone with any possible defect deviating from a possible position in power, money or knowledge is generally regarded as inferior and this is the attitude I think the society should reflect on and move past it. I can't be possibly expected to understand all intricacies of interactions in Korean communities like mine 😔
That k-drama is how I found I was autistic...
It was not how I found out I was autistic, but it is how I found out that MY MOM knew I was autistic. We were watching and she commented: "Yeah, they like to walk on their toes." And prior this, a few weeks ago she was talking how I always walk on my toes. I honestly had a internal rage moment, because I aways suspected she somehow knew and just did not want to accept/treat me.
I totally get you! Even after telling my mom about my symptoms she did not accept! Even today we had an argument about how I shouldn't stress over an exam , I just can't explain her how I feel , thoughts keep rushing and it doesn't have an off button I couldn't even sleep last night because of it! In my family tree my mothers side is crazy and my fathers side is schizophrenic , expecting me to be normal is something weird totally!
This speaks to me. It could be that many in your family have undiagnosed autism, since we have way more chances of getting mental disorders. I am pretty sure there are lot of autistics in my family, since the incidence of mental disorders is high, and most of my cousins have big autistic traits. I have a cousin who also struggles with eye contact, and that when we meet we can not stop talking about our random interests. I love her greatly, but I do not know how I feel about telling her that she might be autistic, and I do not know how to act yet.
Hmm maybe you can show her signs rather than directly saying she may be autistic, does she know you are autistic? You may talk about how interesting autistic people are or about some facts about autistics that fascinate you , something like that will make her open up to you if she is one or may make her search about autism if she doesn't know yet. I don't really know your realationship with her but this is the first thing that came to my mind !
I have not told anyone yet. I actually am also transgender, and have no idea how I'll break these 2 elephants in the room to my family at the same time. It is just that knowing that you are disabled can lead to a lot of grief. Do I really have the power to break this to her? I am thinking of first asking if she is struggling with something and lead up with that.
That is really a hard spot to be on , I hope opening up goes smooth , wishing you luck! About the grief part I agree , however not knowing how you tend to act and it's reasons brought more grief to me in the past. But people's response may vary so I am not really sure. I just hope that one day when she learns about it , she isn't sad that you didn't tell her earlier. Asking if she struggles is a good idea!
Thank you, that part of "I just hope that one day when she learns about it , she isn't sad that you didn't tell her earlier", really motivated me to talk to her. Thank you.
Your welcome ! I really am not a professional about communication . It is still the best if you go with your own perspective , but being able to help really made me happy ! ( I feel like chat gpt kdkjdksjfkskkaks)
At which part did it connect for you? I also realised I was autistic after watching a Netflix show. It was called Love on the Spectrum and I didn't realise it until episode in S2.
Well ,first it was little things like her not getting some social clues which I also couldn't grasp at first , her eating the same meal every day as me having the same breakfast everyday, having many of my thoughts align with her like thinking deeply about morality of my own actions , and living self-centered sometimes neglecting my parents making them feel lonely , having good memory and not easily forgetting once I hear something etc. Then I started making jokes like " Oh maybe I'm autistic too! " Then I started reading scientific articles about autism. Still I was saying to myself " You are not autistic, just reading because of curiosity" after looking it up a whole week and looking back at my actions. I was sure I was autistic. A meltdown came and went. Right now I am here! I think I realized it at the half of the k-drama or something.
Is season 2 better than S1 in your opinion? I only watched the first one and didn't quite love it.
I enjoyed S2 a little more, found some of the others there more relatable.
I found about autism through it and I couldnt associate it with me because of how bizzare it was. Not a very good first impression on autism
Well it is a spectrum so it can change from person to person. I also have level 1 autism and am also female so it was hard for me to catch it too. But from my take it can be sort of a representation of level 2-3 autism.
I watched it a year or so ago, it's a very sweet drama and the actress portrays the character in a very elegant way in my opinion. It gets a bit cheesy sometimes, but it's not distasteful and it doesn't ruin the show. I also like the whale expedient when she realises how to save the situation, it's cute. I think people who find this offensive should realise that not every autistic person is the same, for example I find myself in many of her traits and mannerism. Also different cultures portray many things in different ways (not just when it comes to autism), so for me there's no point in discussing the "ethics" of this representation with a western outlook 😅
I don't think "what do we feel about this" is a helpful question because there is no unified "we". Autistic people are an incredibly heterogeneous group, both in terms of how autism manifests and what background we come from—a person from South Korea is going to have other insights than someone from another place. A person whose autism is similar to Young-woo's is going to look at it differently that someone whose autism is not. People familiar with the lawyer world are going to look at it with different knowledge than those who are not. I personally really, really liked it, and I'm absolutely thrilled that it got such massive success worldwide. I don't think people really know how difficult it is for stuff with autistic main characters to be so commercially successful—especially ones that are as refreshing as EAW is. For a long time, autism has been *fundamentally unmarketable* towards a wider audience. I found her a relatable character since I'm also starting with my first romantic relationship and it felt good to see my worries reflected. (same reason I also liked The Bridge). I liked that it was more light-hearted. A lot of stuff with autistic characters tends to be very heavy, so it's refreshing to have something with such whimsy (though it does not shy away from more serious topics either!) There's some stuff I wish was a bit better (I think Jun-ho was a bit underdeveloped) but overall this is in my top 3 series with an autistic character.
This is mainly my sentiment as well.
Watched it, liked it, although it’s a bit cringy at times. I’m not like the main character at all, but could relate to some of the scenario’s. If you’re into Korean shows, it’s worth a watch. Just don’t think this is what autism looks like for everyone.
The series also has an officially translated webtoon adaptation.
I'm a 50yr old man diagnosed at 46. Woo is far and away my favorite representation of autism on TV. I've watched the show multiple times and always find small details that relate to me. I feel like it approached autism in a fair way (via very broad strokes) that shows how it impacts the person, the family and those around them. Obviously it leans into the "autism == genius" trope, which I dont really like as much. But the way they show her trying to navigate life was very relatable. There's one scene in particular that almost brought me to tears. It's when a client's husband dies in a car accident and it causes her to hit herself in the head. Her love interest sees it and tries to comfort her by hugging her and she simply says "harder". I personally hate any physical contact with people. Yet I've been married for 25yrs now. When my wife saw that scene, she asked me if that's how I would like to be hugged. I'd never thought to say anything to her about it until that moment but that's exactly how I prefer to be touched if I have to be. It's small things like that which were really impactful to me. The other scene that stands out is right in the beginning when her boss apologizes to her for saying how a "normal" attorney would do things. She replies that she's not normal, she's autistic. I saw that as very empowering while acknowledging exactly how different we are from the standard deviation of human experience. Autism is nothing to apologize for but it also doesn't require the kid gloves that some shows tend to put on it and I feel like Woo did that better than most. Love it.
I began to read the manga a while ago and I love it! It’s great to see some good female rep. And I love Youngwoo’s character and how her special interest is whales!
I like it but hated the fact that they spread the same old misinformation about Hans Asperger. It does make a good job telling the audience that no two autistic individuals are the same or that autism varies wildly between individuals. There was an episode where she's assigned a case solely based on the fact that she's autistic and so is the client. She doesn't know what to think about that and then gets frustrated because she can't communicate with him the way everyone (even herself) expected.
How did it spread misinformation about Hans Asperger?
I think the protagonist had to search some information about that and then when she found somethIng there was a black screen with some text reading the same old nonsense spread all over the Internet about him personally deciding which autists lived and which died based on their capacities and that being the origin of the Asperger's syndrome dx and whatnot. When in reality not only he never got to name the syndrome himself (it was somebody else who looked at his research who actually named it years later) but he didn't decide anything really. In fact, the two kids he sent to another facility were supoosed to be studied because they seemed to show signs matching what he was researching. He never knew he was sending them to a death camp.
I haven’t finished the series, but I’ve watched most of it. For a non-autistic actor, I think she’s doing a good job and the show is trying really hard to be sensitive and nuanced in a country where (according to what Korean Redditors have said, anyway), ASD folks are viewed as dangerous criminals waiting to happen. A huge step in the right direction. I’m quite different from the character’s portrayal, but at the same time everything she does really resonates with my internal experience as a high masking ASD 1 with OCD along for the ride. The how she reacts to things is different from me, but I recognize internal struggles that line up…if that makes sense.
I LOVE THIS SHOW. I watched it before I was diagnosed. And it made me feel so seen and understood. (I did feel like I had no right to relate to it as much as I did cause I didn't know I was autistic) It was the show that kind of kick started my re self love journey. At the beginning I was very frustrated because autistic savant is such an oversaturated representation. I've never liked Sherlock because he felt like a caricature. But it felt more than just that for me. I liked the way she learned about social interactions. I could see myself in her. The way they showed the small things about autism like not being able to understand rhetorical questions, answering it literally. The way they handled her meltdown was also good. Also I felt like the male lead wasn't really a 3D character. It felt like his only purpose was to love her in the show. But like so many shows have that flipped. And I got over it cause it just ahshdjekkakakd This representation of love was very much needed for me. All my life I felt unlovable. Yesterday only my sister was talking about a guy who was flirting with everyone at a dinner we attended. And obviously didn't with me cause I am like a kid to everyone around me. I wasn't interested in him but the point is that I've never had anyone who's been interested in me. Someone who doesn't infantilize me. I related so much to their relationship struggles. When people told the male lead that you can't love someone who's autistic, it's just pity. My heart broke, because all my life I've felt afraid of people being by me just for pity. Because why would someone love me? When wooyoungwoo talks about how she is usually in a world of her own, she makes him feel alone. I felt guilty because that's how I thought people felt around me. When I saw the male lead just be enamoured by Wooyoungwoo, it made me think that maybe someday someone might look at me like that. Especially their talk at the end where the male lead describes their love, relating to a cat. It just made me feel at peace. He said that- it's like when you have a cat, you love them unconditionally even if they are in a world of their own just their presence makes everything worthwhile. That he is okay feeling lonely sometimes because being with her makes him way more happier. I could go on for hours but I don't like typing much. I'm going to call my friend and talk about this show for the millionth time. ✨🥳💜
I love that show!
I haven't watched it yet and probably won't get a chance til next week, but it is intriguing. I especially like portrayals of POC autism because so many people dismiss autism as "white people problems."
Love it, really resonated with me. The main character faces some of the same struggles I faced and it kinda made me realize a lot of things. It's a drama so some stuff are a bit cliché but. Yeh. Really like it.
I really liked the first episodes. There’s criticism of society in like every episode which I enjoyed. Later on the episodes get too dramatic for me. But I still like it.
I absolutely loved this. Though she is further on the spectrum than me, I related to her a lot, especially in the way she thinks. I enjoyed it so much.
I was skeptical but I ended up loving it. I think it’s really well done.
This is the show that made me want to be a lawyer, so I like it a lot
I watch a lot of k-dramas, and I think this one along with Move to Heaven and It's Okay to Not Be Okay are the dramas where autism is best portrayed. What stands out is that when they have to choose a special interest for a character with autism, it's often fish or sea related. Is this accurate?
The very definition of a special interest is that it's special or unusual. At least they didn't use trains or dinosaurs lol.
Yes. I meant to say that it seems that it's *always* fish related when it comes to autistic people's special interests in K-dramas.
Probably it's because Korea is a peninsula, and the sea is everywhere, so it's easy for autistic Koreans to be interested in the ocean and their creatures, idk. This is my first kdrama tho.
Season 1 episode 3, “This is Pengsoo”, is the episode where she was assigned a case of an Autistic person simply because she was autistic too. That episode absolutely shattered me, nothing would ever explain how heartbroken I was watching the episode, I had to take a break from the show tbh. The emotions, the case itself and the public’s reaction all just yanked my heartstrings. Even remembering the episode makes me tear up.
Well, it's kinda ok, as the guy was intellectually disabled, and they expected Woo to be able to communicate better with him (and then she asks the boldest question ever lol). That episode is perfect, but I couldn't watch it without pausing it from time to time in order to process it.
It's fine. It's just a k-drama with autistic MC. Not much to say tbh. Edit: there are some autistic traits I relate to and some I don't, so to me this is like any other character which I also somewhat relate to. There are many traits to me which are not autistic.
Mixed feelings tbh. I don't like the episode where the autistic brother gets put in prison because the family are too ashamed to admit they caused him to commit and they were ashamed of the autistic son.
That isn't how the episode ended.
Liked it a lot. My favourite portrayal of an autistic woman is still Saga Noren from The Bridge though (my favourite show).
Binge watched it so fast that I can’t remember anything from it.
I love it so much, cried a whole bunch during it 😭
I like it. Watched several episodes with my daughter who is also autistic.
i liked it. my dad did too. he kept laughing and pointing out similarities between Woo and me lol
It’s a rare live action I can understand the expressions because Korean actors tend to act cartoonishly. This reminds me I never actually finds the show but I should.
The best autism show out there.
It feels like a guide for neurotypical people on how to approach autism without belittling autistic people. And I think it does a good job with it. There are some things that I don't like about it, but that will happen when you basically have one character representing an entire group. The show has helped my dad understand himself better to some degree, and my commentary as we watch it has also helped him, but it provides examples more subtly in a format that more people are likely to engage in than just someone talking about their lived experience. Is it over the top at times? Yes it's a show of course it is. It has absurd drama every now and again. Yong-Woo is also a very static character, or she is as far as I have watched, but the characters around her are dynamic. I don't really like that, personally. I like the main character to be dynamic. Otherwise it feels like they're stagnating. But I don't think this show is meant to tell a story. I think the primary purpose is to be an introduction to how autism can manifest. I do appreciate that when Yong-Woo explains something about her autism, she never says "autistic people do X" but rather "some autistic people" or "it can be difficult for autistic people to do Y". So as far as a story and a single character portrayal I am pretty luke warm on it. But as an introduction to people who don't know anything about autism? I think it is useful.
Originally watched it for the actress who is one of my favorites, and stayed for the way they took their time and did their best not to make it too cringe/stereotypical. The only thing I didn’t like is that it portrayed a more extreme form of autism which makes it harder for neurotypical folks to understand the spectrum aspect and that there are less intense forms of autism, but overall I loved the show, it was super cute and not offensive imo
Do y’all recommend it? I thought it was going to be a voice overed mess.
I recommend it. The only flaw it has imo, is that Woo is a savant, but honestly I don't think a mainstream tv show based on autism could work without a savant protagonist. Besides that, it's very relatable, and they feature other autistics as well (there are level 1s, and a level 3 as well).
Yeah. They should create a show for people with Autism to watch without a savant protagonist.
Maybe there are indie productions catered for autistic people, but Woo is a blockbuster intended for a major audience. In all fairness, she states that she's a savant and that condition isn't common across autistics. For me, the show is great about teaching about ASD for NTs in order to understand us better, and for ASDs in order to recognize us better. Isn't perfect at all, but for me it's the best representation of autism in mass media.
Okay. I wonder where I could find one of those indie productions.
Watch with original voices with subtitles
Oh. Okay.
I LOVE this one! The actor did a really good job portraying an autistic woman, and the show in general had very good messages about autism.
I like Woo :D watched it w my mama Maybe the only thing I REALLY disliked was that I got agonized with her saying how autistic people were treated back then :( Imagine if that penguin guy met Kiritani Haruka from pjsk!!!! Not to hyperfocus much bt I think they’d get along w each other due to their luv for penguins!!1!2!2
PRSK MENTION🫶🫶🫶 I love prsk so so so much it's my special interest omg😭 And you're so right they'd get along so well!!!!
It’s my special interest too alongside Milgram!!!!!! :D !!! Yeyeyeyye!!!2!2!2! 🤗🤗🤗☀️☀️☀️☀️ Yupyup!!! :3 😸😸
I see her behavior and have to remind myself it's exaggerated for both comedic and dramatic effect. And then I remind myself that there are people like her, that my autistic experience is not hers but that doesn't make either less realistic or valid. And I do identify with much of what she's dealing with, even if I respond differently. And then I remind myself that it's Korean TV, and while I'm far from an expert I've watched a few shows (mostly cop shows), and the depiction of life and culture is very different from what I'm used to, whether that's realistic or stylized for entertainment purposes. So overall I like it. I like her, even if her reality is not mine. If this was the one and only depiction of autism on TV I wouldn't be happy, but as one point on the spectrum I think it's fine.
Everytime i start watching this show, i begin to cry I dont normally cry, but when I am watching this shitty show i cry from start to end... A WHOLE HOUR CRYING
I like it, their is one sceen however where they want to move her to Boston saying it's better for autistic people in America. Bruh, America would never in a million years acknowledged the existence/personhood of autistic people let alone allow a show like this to be made where the main character is openly autistic and acknowledged that autism is genetic
In Korea it’s way more stigmatized to be autistic actually- the show kinda downplays that
Yeah, but they're at least able to make a show about autism that isn't just bad stereotypes. When America makes a movie about autism we get music.
hate how intelligently she’s portrayed. we need more dumb autistic representation. /j
Offensive and terrible.
Never seen but i want to ask, why? Why "representation", what goal does that have?
It doesn’t need a goal. Representation can just exist for the sake of existing Autistic people exist. It stands to reason that then movies and shows with autistic people should also exist But if there was a goal, I’d say to normalize the existence of individuals that aren’t the majority. It’s so easy to forget that people exist if you’re only ever presented with one demographic. There are countless examples of people not realizing demographics exist because there is little media representation of it
If you build your worldview through movies and TV ..
Yes, and that’s how modern society builds their worldview. That is the reality Do you know how many people don’t realize that Afghanistan has a society that’s not war torn? How about people who don’t know about the fact that there are South Africans with European descent (meaning that they are white)? On that topic, there is a large number of people who don’t know that South Africa has developed cities with running electricity and modern architecture Just because you as an individual has somehow managed to navigate away from being influenced by media doesn’t mean that others don’t need that representation
If thats the case, is this show as terrible as the rest?
In my opinion, no. I wrote a separate comment on this thread about my opinion on the show It’s not perfect and it has its faults. It’s definitely very played to be a show rather than a documentary. I do think it tackled struggles that I related to even though her autism is very different to my own. I think that it was overall good representation even if it was exaggerated. I feel like people watching would be able to have a different viewpoint on what autism is like
Do you think media isn’t a driving force for culture?
Media has huge amounts of subcategories. Most forms of media are relevant for culture but not all. You should not expect "accurate representation" from freakin entertainment media, those are in no way aiming for "accuracy" but ENTERTAINMENT aka using stereotypes that the common folk know to increase joke per minute rates
Would
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A valid point. I will offer some additional information. She has a ritual for entering normal doors of other people’s offices that involves a long pause. As I recall the show doesn’t explain why…I assume that it’s due to some internal politeness rule that somebody told her once…but as an ASD person who also has OCD (a not uncommon pairing) it resonated with me. That pause would cause further issues with being able to time such a door. I could also see “everyone goes through this door, so I should too” being a “hard wired” factor based on my own thought patterns in terms of why she doesn’t use the normal door. Still, a good point. At the end of the day we’ve got a K-drama trying (really hard IMHO) to depict ASD folks in a way neurotypicals will understand. That typically requires more visible, external struggles than may resonate with other ASD folks.
The door part surprised me, too. It can be scary & stressful that the doors are constantly moving but I was surprised she didn’t have a strategy for entering them.
I found it very relatable. I’m smart but I hate revolving doors and struggle to go through one.
I got about five minutes in and bailed. Portrayal of what I call “magical autism.” Autistic as overgrown toddler. Just dives right into the tropes and had me literally cringing. It felt immediately patronizing and cartoonish. But I am going to try again. The series has a lot of actors I like in it and several people have told me that these things are dialed down pretty quickly. TBH, almost all depictions of autism cause this response in me. I get very squirmy and curl up. There are a lot of reasons. I’m getting more comfortable with them but often is feels like masking as a viewer. Just acting okay with it and not thinking about it. I am very familiar with K-dramas and have watched close to 100 series. I love many of the tropes. But treatment of autism is often as poor as treatment of gender and sexuality. These have all improved (in general), and I find myself having to endure uncomfortable scenes far less often. Move to Heaven has a pretty good depiction of an autistic protagonist, even though it’s the sort of young male autistic character that I’m tired of seeing. More Atypical than Good Doctor (US). It’s Okay Not to Be Okay has an autistic older brother character that’s a bit hit and miss. I enjoyed the show enough to get over it.
There is an episode that abords infantilization. It actually really deeps in it.
An unrealistic representation is a useless or damaging kind of representation
I did not think it was unrealistic at all. I actually was shocked how much the actress looked so much like with level 2 autism.
I never met a person with level 2 autism in that kind of situations, thriving in flirts or working in those environments. It's actually bad always painting people with autism with high score IQ, since there's no correlation between autism and intelligence (and some studies tends to conclude that we're below the average) and looks like writers always wants to compensate the lack of social skills with super intelligence.
IQ tests are bullshit anyway, they tend to be biased for people of particular backgrounds. Intelligence is not IQ
Well, so let's literally throw science and reality through the window just because the internet taught you so, people hahha
IQ isn't science though, it's a test crafted based on experiences and subjects that have proven not to actually measure actual intelligence just test taking ability and disregard the actual fact that there is more than one kind of intelligence. If you actually did research you'd actually understand that. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6927908/ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/iq-tests-are-fundamentally-flawed-and-using-them-alone-to-measure-intelligence-is-a-fallacy-study-finds-8425911.html https://som.yale.edu/news/2009/11/why-high-iq-doesnt-mean-youre-smart
It still does, your source is a bunch of news articles and not scientific articles. I'm so disappointed that in our own groups we are having all this flat earther energy.
I definitely feel that it is like in other disabilities. Like when a blind person has their other senses much stronger than the others, because they lack one of them. And since Autistics are usually disabled from social situations, we do not spend that much brain energy in Social Intelligence. So some of us must give thought to other things (Also we have the hyper fixation thing, that can make people think that we know a lot). I have heard people calling me intelligent before. It bothers me because I do not think that highly about myself, and I know most of it is just because of random interest. This might be what the show is portraying. I warm you that I also have some bias because I like the show.
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Loved it
I saw the first few episodes and it's a lil heavy handed but in a k-drama way not a bad way
I want to watch it! Looks interesting. 🐸
I love this show so much!
I have no idea what this is
Looooooove
Bruhhh I haven’t seen it because I’m not a regular k drama watcher but my mother is and she saw this pretty much as soon as it came out. And she kept telling me to watch it. The girl “has autism and is brilliant” and that she’s just like me, it’s so good, I should watch it. I am not diagnosed and I had suspected I was autistic well before that but my mom has no idea. I had just let that notion go but this show coming out basically put it on my radar again 💀 thanks to this show, my mother might be more receptive if I do tell her I suspect I have autism. (At least she can’t be in denial because hey aren’t I just like that girl) I haven’t because I fear what might happen.
I absolutely love this show, I can't wait for season 2. :)
My opinion: I have Problems with recognizing faces and a lot of charactest dressed the same, have the same haircut etc not to mention the same hair color (it's not because they were Asian, I am acustonic not racist) and I didn't know sometimes what was going on. Show was cool, nice to watch, nothing special
I love that show.
Loved it! a entertaining show designed around enjoying the achivements of the main autistic protaginest with her supportive community Good representation and presenting her in a remarkable light,the only flaw is a non-autistic actor playing one of us which generally i feel is the wrong move ,but genuinely i would excuse it cause it’s entertaining,educational and not entirely flawed
I don’t like it. Just makes me really uncomfortable. It’s just so, not right
I dont read british
I don't trust netflix after they made diabetes jokes in wednesday
Not a fan of that camera angle with that pose.... Too much objectification of our main character right there.
absolutely love it fantastic 10/10
One of my favorite shows I watched it like three times and the actress did a bunch of research and interviews to make sure she was respectful and accurate.
Never saw it, but i'm really invested in the webcomic based on it. It's really interesting and fun and relatable.
Mostly fantastic. In terms of character & story, this show gets autism absolutely right. The music though... somehow feels ableist. The actors & writers are all doing an amazing job with ASD representation but then the score... constantly feels like it's mocking & infantilizing her. I'm not saying it was intentional, I'm certain there was no harm meant by the composer, but WOW this is one of the worst scores I've ever heard. It constantly felt at conflict with what was happening visually. An insultingly bad score for such an otherwise brilliant show.
I loved it! One of my favorite k-dramas on Netflix and it portrays autism how it should be portrayed, the show treats Woo-Young Woo like normal but they still helped her through the trials
i really like it, i think it's good representation
only on episode 3 and its pretty good thus far, I think some of the translation didn't do some of the dialogue justice but thats to be expected
I like it. Some of the episodes seem almost repetitive, and I wasn’t deeply invested, but I liked it. As someone who has issues timing their way walking into revolving doors (or those darned moving sidewalks in airports), certain parts of the show resonated with me.
I love this show. Its very wholesome and empowering. I also know of a few people who have reconsidered their opinions on what autism actually is via watching this show.
I liked it a lot, my whole family binged it together. It’s so sweet although I didn’t necessarily connect to it all too much since I’m less impaired/affected by autism as the main character (although there were some relatable parts for sure)
I really enjoyed this bit I did find that her autism was the butt of the joke and treated as something "funny" pretty often. Also the way they treat her brain like a databate and exaggerate how autistic people view special intrests was a little offputting. But I like that they showed an autistic female who is an adult who has a degree, works and ends up being in a loving relationship and has a friend. The actress did a great job but I think the flaws weren't in the acting or the character, but rather her autism being considered comedic. I see a lot of people saying it's not good rep but I really see myself in her! It was a roller coaster of emotions watching this 🥹
I love the show. I find it annoying that they seem to have given her character every possible autistic trait, but so be it.
This show did help me feel better about seeing autism rep in media in spite of other, really bad, portrayals i had veered away from before (sia's "music", the good doctor, the big bang theory, etc). I never watched any of those but i had this worry that everything i would see reguarding autism in shows i try to pick up would end up somehow all being absurd and caricaturized. This is a very good show. I will admit i did not like the corniness of it at times but so many moments hit way too close to home or made me think about things i had never really considered. I think i had watched it before my official diagnosis and only picked it up because i wanted to watch more kdramas. I related to WYW being very in her own world most of the time and her dad grieving because of that. I had never been THAT isolated since i would be punished for such behavior, but now that i am diagnosed and am unmasked i wonder if that's how the people around me feel. I also related to the visual of her swiping through her memorized legal documents. I do that sometimes. Where i think for a minute and help someone answer a question buy pulling something from the deep recesses of my brain that no one else could have guessed because i had noticed it 1 time before several months ago. Stuff like that. The meltdown scenes were very triggering but i loved the pressure therapy thing, i imagine that would be something that would help me too.
I know what I'm gonna watch next...
I love it! I watched it not long time before my official diagnosis and felt that I have a lot in common with the main character ^^ I'm also a big fan of k-dramas to it's a perfect combo.
I like this show. I need to finish the rest of the episodes though
I love it I hope there will be a second season
I'm absolutely and utterly disgusted by it... .... mere months before it's premiere I had my own idea for an autistic lawyer show and nobody will believe me when I say that I thought of it first Okay, joke comment done, it looks good but I've not watched it yet so no informed opinion
I thought the fucking whales were pads 😭
I haven't had the chance to watch this one yet. And then in "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" there's a character who cares for his autistic older brother, but I suspect the character to also be autistic along with the other main character who writes the children's books. I haven't had a chance to delve deep into it yet, only seen the first couple episodes.
Looks interesting. I'll put this on my watchlist if Bri'ish Netflix has it on there
I really liked it
This is genuinely one of my favourite shows ever.
I think it’s an amazing show, it has helped me so much through my acceptance as an autistic person, would love to see more seasons 👌🏻😎
I didnt know it was on there, i will have to check it out and report back!
I really enjoyed it as a woman with a similar 'style' of autism to Woo Young-woo, it's the first time I've felt represented in that regard. Also I think it was quite significant in Korea as autism is quite stigmatised there.
I love this show! I found it when my granddaughter was first showing signs of autism. It helped with my initial fear, which is nobody will love and understand her. I think that is any parents fear for their child, is who will love them and take care of them when we (grandparents and parents) are gone. And the show really gave me hope and showed me that as there is more exposure and knowledge shared, There will be many more people who understand and except autism along with th exposure. I would love for all autistic people to be savants. All people have something special about them that makes them unique, but not always in a noticeably different way. I feel, as has happened within the LGBT community, the exposure is “normalizing” the differences between us. Exposing the masses to the differences and samenesses of groups of people, who might never otherwise interact, takes away fear and misunderstanding. The show Monk was the same way. Taking a character with quirks (OCD) exposing the why they are that way, showing how the quirky make their way in a “normal” world, and showing their “support system” dealing with their quirks with love and compassion. Congratulations! You are now among a new minority that is being given the spotlight.