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EP. REVIEW: Aharen-san wa Hakarenai


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Tanteikingdomkey



Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 2345
PostPosted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 11:45 pm Reply with quote
Sooo just figured I'd ask, since based on the first episode it seemed very obvious.

Is Aharen San supposed to be viewed as being on the autism spectrum? Because a lot of her behavior reminds me a lot of people who are on the spectrum
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 11:36 am Reply with quote
This show is really sold on the comedic interplay between Raido and Aharen, with Raid's wholesome personality, ditziness, and flights of fancy, and Aharen being so stoic, exaggerated, and yet oddly sweet. Takuma Terashima and Inori Minase also play off each other very well.

I also love how they went ahead and did a full ED sequence on Aharen's dance.
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omnistry



Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 1015
PostPosted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 2:08 pm Reply with quote
Tanteikingdomkey wrote:
Sooo just figured I'd ask, since based on the first episode it seemed very obvious.

Is Aharen San supposed to be viewed as being on the autism spectrum? Because a lot of her behavior reminds me a lot of people who are on the spectrum


Chiming in, as someone who is on the Spectrum.

I would say no to her being Autistic, as most women who get it tend to be on the very low end of the Spectrum (non-verbal, violent fits, biting). Aharen shows none of those aspects. She could have Asperger’s, but definitely not straight-up Autism.
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flamemasterelan



Joined: 17 Apr 2022
Posts: 447
PostPosted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 4:06 pm Reply with quote
omnistry wrote:
Tanteikingdomkey wrote:
Sooo just figured I'd ask, since based on the first episode it seemed very obvious.

Is Aharen San supposed to be viewed as being on the autism spectrum? Because a lot of her behavior reminds me a lot of people who are on the spectrum


Chiming in, as someone who is on the Spectrum.

I would say no to her being Autistic, as most women who get it tend to be on the very low end of the Spectrum (non-verbal, violent fits, biting). Aharen shows none of those aspects. She could have Asperger’s, but definitely not straight-up Autism.

Asperger's Syndrome doesn't technically exist anymore. It's been folded into the general Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD as of 2013 (in the US), and 2022 (worldwide). Also, the argument that women tend to be on the low end of the spectrum strikes me as rather off, to say the least. Women "hide" their symptoms better than men because society expects them to. It's not abnormal for men to be bad at communication, or be bad at expressing/reading emotion or social cues. But it's considered an aberration for a woman to do so, and they're forced to adapt, so their symptoms don't display the same way.

As far as the OP goes, Aharen does have neuro divergent traits, but they're almost definitely not going to be acknowledged as anything more than her personality.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 2:57 pm Reply with quote
The two best parts of this episode for me were the serial escalation in "they can't possibly get any closer than that!" and Raido of all people having the lack of self-awareness to show Aharen how to smile and show emotions. Still, that teeny tiny upturn he managed did melt my heart.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 11:36 pm Reply with quote
Kana Hanazawa as a classical literature teacher who gets all hot and bothered by the courtly romance of Aharen and Raido was something I didn't know I needed.

So much great comedy moments...Raido inconsolable after the movie (even Aharen cried!), the freestyle rapping communicating, fidget-spinner Aharen and Raido being worried about her future, Raido worried that everything was trying to kill them, and Raido trying to save face after losing to a little girl in Reversi.

Also look at Aharen trying to support childhood friend romances!

Aharen summoning her dog to carry her is the most Aharen-thing ever.
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tywhoppity



Joined: 09 Sep 2019
Posts: 193
PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2022 9:13 am Reply with quote
The reason Raido got fat was because Aharen kept feeding him some of her bento during lunch..... Wink
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Fluwm



Joined: 28 Jul 2009
Posts: 881
PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2022 9:04 pm Reply with quote
Tanteikingdomkey wrote:
Sooo just figured I'd ask, since based on the first episode it seemed very obvious.

Is Aharen San supposed to be viewed as being on the autism spectrum? Because a lot of her behavior reminds me a lot of people who are on the spectrum


So... among other issues (I'm pretty ****ed up) I've got ASD and selective mutism. Just based on the first episode, I'd say that Aharen absolutely does not have ASD.

But Selective (sometimes called Situational) Mutism? Yeah, that's what it looks like. It's often the result of trauma (check) and can result in both an inability to speak (check) as well as difficulty speaking more generally (check), and difficulty/anxiety accommodating different social contexts (also check).

Which slots Aharen-San wa Hakarenai neatly into that most fantastical of anime genres: what if neurodiverse people received empathy, support and kindness instead of the opposite?


Last edited by Fluwm on Mon May 02, 2022 10:48 pm; edited 1 time in total
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2022 10:57 am Reply with quote
Raido losing to Aharen in Hokkemon Go was as hilarious as ever. Aharen using classic strategy to defeat his expertly raised monster was perfect.

I appreciate how Futaba calls Aharen "Aharen Reina" all the time because I keep forgetting Aharen's her family name.

Futaba and her one-sided rivalry with Aharen over Akkun is hilarious, but it's nice to see how supportive Aharen is. And I'm glad Futaba got a clue.

I'm just going to assume all those plushies haunting him about his loss in his sleep is why he gained weight. Not that he realized it.

Everyone with the overactive imaginations...Futaba with devil succubus Aharen, Aharen with assuming a comment about Raido's weight would cause him to fall through a window, and Raido thinking Aharen being a master at cleaning means she's an assassin out to kill him. Aharen shooting someone and getting blood on her is a strong visual.

That was probably one of the sweetest scenes between Aharen and Raido with that hug and them acknowledging how much they do for each other. And that Aharen smile and blush!
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3627
PostPosted: Sat May 07, 2022 9:49 pm Reply with quote
I actually thought this weeks episode was one of the weaker ones. Repeating the general gag for the first half of the episode didn't do it for me.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Sun May 15, 2022 12:11 pm Reply with quote
It's nice seeing Aharen more embarrassed and flustered around Raido. And she spends nights thinking about what to cook for him...

Wow, Aharen's dog is great! Brings her food at school and then goes back home on command.

Raido imagines carrying Aharen for the rest of their lives, and...honestly it seemed kind of like a marriage to me. Also, Aharen with a mustache.

"Always jumping to logical extremes" - I mean, that's one way to put it Raido.

Bless Futaba's heart for committing to winning Akkun over with food, only to have no culinary skills at all. Luckily Aharen and Raido are there to teach her, and she realizes she should be more grateful to Aharen, but maybe they should have taught her how to preserve that bento.

I love how Raido's bed is steadily collecting stuff staring at him as he sleeps, and now he has a life-size mannequin of Aharen right next to his bed. I can't wait to see what's next.
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3627
PostPosted: Sun May 15, 2022 4:50 pm Reply with quote
Seeing Raido put that mannequin there like that at the end had me cracking up.

Always nice to see another Mitch fan Smile
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Sat May 21, 2022 12:40 pm Reply with quote
Taburo-sensei really needs to tone down her fantasies about Raido and Aharen and letting them live rent free in her head...before she dies of blood loss. Luckkily she's got Miyahara-sensei.

It was nice seeing all the girls in yukata's.

Of course Raido's plan for them to clear out all the stalls would end with him having to pay for Aharen.

Raido even got a cute moment with Futaba and her gratitude. I'm still worried she'll call the cops on him someday...

That was probably one of the more overtly romantic moments between Aharen and Raido where she stops herself from taking his hand and seemed to think about it for a few seconds before doing it. Is she realizing her feelings? And them watching the fireworks together was perfect.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Sat May 21, 2022 5:21 pm Reply with quote
Gakuen Handsome Raido nearly killed me.
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Gem-Bug



Joined: 10 Nov 2018
Posts: 1192
PostPosted: Sat May 21, 2022 6:20 pm Reply with quote
The phone being in his other pocket got me pretty good, to be perfectly honest. That and Taburo passing out bed soaked in blood, and then being found that way.
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