r/ghibli • u/Weak-Wedding9504 • 1d ago
Discussion Does anyone else think Taeko is Neurodivergent? (Coming from someone who is Neurodivergent)
This might just be a personal headcanon. But here's some reasons I think this way.
She has trouble eating certain foods
She feels distant from friends and family
64
u/SebinSun 1d ago
Yes but not due to the second reason (unless I misunderstood what you meant by “feeling distant”). The first one yes, also she had trouble grasping mathematical concepts. Her family constantly called her “not normal”. And other things I cannot really put into words.
Also if you bring this up in this subreddit, you often get downvoted. But I remember seeing it being mentioned by others some years ago so we are not the only ones who think this way. I am also neurodivergent myself (diagnosed) and I have been observing behavior and stories of other ND people for a few years to understand it more.
28
u/Molly-Grue-2u 1d ago
Yes! The math thing! Especially when her sisters like “this is how you do it, it’s easy, it doesn’t matter if it makes sense”, yet she can’t get over the fact that it doesn’t make sense to her.
She also consistently relates present things to things in the past. I kind of see this as pattern recognition type thing.
And when she feels the need to copy that boy’s behavior. I kind of felt like she was trying to externally process it. She was still really struggling with why he acted like that even when she was an adult.
And being in the country, farming, those things hold a “special interest” like hold over her.
I am not sure if I’m right, but I’ve recently been exploring the possibility of neurodivergence for myself, and every time I watch it - I pick up on more things. I see a lot of similarities between us
2
u/SebinSun 1d ago
Well only Taeko herself will know for sure haha When it comes to high functioning ND characters (and people in general) who are not as obviously ND as other protagonists (like Frieren or Maomao, for instance, who I will give 98% of being ND due to their evident Autistic/AuDHD traits) it is harder to pinpoint enough behavior/symptoms clearly. Still we did notice there was something. There are many undiagnosed ND folks around us, so we should not be surprised that some movies/books portray them.
Good luck with your diagnosis journey. If you identify yourself as a woman, just beware of the gender bias and seek second opinions if needed and continue learning objectively about the symptoms to be educated and able to check if the doctors have expertise in the subject. We are often told by dismissive psychiatrists it is anxiety.
36
u/EstrelaNube 1d ago
Yes, but because she is constantly called weird by everyone. And her difficulties with math (i have dyscalculia and I felt it deep in my soul)
6
u/LazyCrocheter 1d ago
I watched it for the second time recently, with years between viewing, and have to say, various things really hit me differently, just because of life experience (I'm 56F).
I was pretty good at math until I went to college and slammed into a wall with a class in theoretical calculus. I failed in spectacular fashion. ;) However, I then took what they called "business calc," which was the same material but didn't use theory. I aced it. That's when I learned I'm an application person, not a theory person. When I rewatched the movie, all I could think was, if someone would just find another approach for her, it would help.
Also, my daughter struggled with math, after a point, and I could see her in Taeko's struggles.
And on a much... milder? scale, I related to just not quite being understood. Still do. I've always felt a bit on the outside of things, and even now that's there.
I think the big thing that hit me this time was when the young girl tells Taeko her father hit her. Taeko muses that her father had hit her, once and never again, but that maybe it was better if it's a regular occurrence because then you don't wonder if it will happen again. That's awful. (And to be clear, not something I had to deal with.)
1
u/CBAlan777 22h ago
My problem with math has always been one example isn't enough for me to understand a concept. It's like I have to know everything to do anything.
0
u/bluef00tedbooby 1d ago
Funny cause I'm autistic and math is where I excell
1
u/EstrelaNube 15h ago
Being autistic doesn't mean you excel or are bad in math, you can have difficulties in math because of dyscalculia, a co-morbidity that can come with autism and ADHD
10
u/ursaminor_magic 1d ago
AdHD-I checking in. I just watched this one for the first time during Ghiblifest this summer and cried non-stop watching an exact replica of my life. So, I've got to agree with this take.
4
u/Andjhostet 1d ago
Absolutely, likely Autism and Inattentive ADHD. Additionally, Whisper of the Heart is about someone with ADHD finding their passion. Always found those two movies deeply personal and special.
3
u/TTCRainbow 1d ago
Sorry, hopping in! What movie is this??
10
u/LazyCrocheter 1d ago
It's called Only Yesterday. It's from 1991 and was directed by Isao Takahata.
3
u/robinhoodoftheworld 1d ago
I think her troubles just seem typical of the human experience. I think it's normal to relate to these things as a neurodivergent person but a neurotypical person would relate to them equally well.
2
u/ulofox 1d ago
Could be but not enough to say for certain.
Timing and culture also affects things here. She would have been a child in the 70s if present day adulthood is 1991 when the movie was released, so teaching methods were different in the past. Changes in that were not based solely on teaching ND kids, it was based on what was seen as beneficial for everyone. Being neurotypical does not mean present methods of learning or cultural habits are automatically easy/acceptable for you.
1
u/ito528 17h ago
I worked in schools in Japan for several years, and honestly, teaching methods there don’t change much. If kids are ND enough to be considered to have a “learning disability” or “developmental disability,” they can get into special needs classes and get more tailored methods from specially-trained teachers, but when it comes to kids like Taeko, the majority try of teachers would just shrug and assume she either doesn’t try hard enough or is just bad a certain certain subjects.
Maybe it’s improved in the past few years, but considering Japan’s traditionalist, conservative party still largely controls education, and the purpose of public education is still passing HS and university entrance exams, I doubt its changed that much.
1
u/CBAlan777 22h ago
I think a lot of Ghibli characters could be autistic coded, but perhaps more indirectly or subtly.
1
u/MathildaAdenauer 19h ago
trouble eating some foods and being distant from friends and family is far from neurodivergent lmao
1
u/Infinite_Picture2410 1d ago
Yes, because of her visualization of math, rigidity, distancing from friends, and by her mother's words she's "different" (don't remember exact phrase). I felt her.
-5
-1
u/Interesting_Self5071 1d ago
Also having trouble with math and specifically long division was something I had as NLD Neurodivergent
154
u/chunter16 1d ago
I'll say maybe while agreeing with what is already commented here. I think she came from a day when people didn't know to diagnose that kind of thing.
When one's position on the spectrum is so-called "high functioning" there is likely to be a lot of denial