Recently, I've found myself searching for works that leave me with a sense of catharsis—stories that send me through emotionally wrought tunnels and leave me coming out of it like I'd just gotten something off my chest. Thanks to a strong recommendation, the first volume of Inuhiko Doronoda's Spacewalking With You ended up being just the story I've been looking for. There's a reason this book was nominated for an American Manga Award: it's an unflinchingly honest and compassionate look at the lives of two neurodivergent teens just trying to get through life. How do I know? I've lived it.

The volume opens on high schooler Yamato Kobayashi as he's trying (and failing) to stay awake during a lecture. But just as he is about to doze off again, he's brought to full attention by an enthusiastic self-introduction from a transfer student by the name of Keisuke Uno. The new kid's forthright behavior and trusty notebook start to generate some nasty gossip among his classmates. But right as Kobayashi leaves the gossip circle, readers learn that he struggles with focus and keeping all the details straight in his day-to-day life—at school and the many part time jobs he's been fired from.

After a particularly rough night at work, Kobayashi runs into Uno on the street and ends up walking him home. In the process, he learns that his new classmate has his own systems set up for various different interactions with people. But the next day at school, Uno suffers a massive panic attack when his notebook is jokingly yanked away and mocked by his peers. Kobayashi is able to get the pad of paper back, but not before learning just how important it is to Uno. Right after walking Uno home again, Kobayashi discovers the kid bawling his eyes out before remembering one of the notes: “Don't cry until you get home.”

A little while later, Uno explains that he sees his notebook similarly to the tethers astronauts use on spacewalks—keeping them tied to the shuttles in situations in which they're easily thrown off. But for Uno, it's any place with big crowds, strangers, and unfamiliar situations. It's from this conversation that Kobayashi realizes, “If this helps Uno, maybe something like this could help me.” A moment that is hammered home when Uno's sister says this: “Sometimes people just need a little something extra so they can live like everyone else.” Perhaps Kobayashi needs a little something extra as well. This kicks off a strong friendship between the two boys, with Uno's love of astronomy even rubbing off on Kobayashi a little.

For me, Spacewalking With You's opening chapters kicked me right in the teeth. Back in high school, I was very much like Kobayashi—struggling to stay awake in class and keep something of a solid grasp on the material thrown my way. Some teachers were very lax about it all, often saying, “Ah, Coop's a good kid, leave 'em be” while others became quite upset on occasion. However, my startled reactions to being jostled awake would leave many just laughing it off.

I wouldn't say I was a bad student (I did pretty all right actually), but every so often my focus became so scattered that I'd end up burning myself out in the process—something I still occasionally struggle with to this day. But whenever the wheels fell off, I'd often hear people say, “You're too smart for that.” Those memories came rushing back when Kobayashi's friends, family, and peers kept hitting him with snide comments like, “Oh, he's just dumb.” Neither of us were dumb nor were we too smart... We both just had difficulties we weren't aware of.

Then I look to Uno, who reminds me of my struggles with emotional regulation—being a little too loudly enthusiastic about my current fixations or almost completely shutting down during a panic attack. On that note, Doronoda's visuals strike exactly what it feels like to have your tether to reality ripped out of your hands. The world twists around you, the skies darken, and you feel as if your soul is being violently slingshot back into your body. The only other moment in fiction I can think of that best conveys this moment is from The End of Evangelion, where Shinji is screaming in horror while within Unit 1's cockpit.

Myself, Uno, and Kobayashi are neurodivergent in our own similar but different ways. When it comes to how Spacewalking addresses the topic, the series isn't interested in dwelling on a specific diagnosis. Rather, it's focused on how this pair comes together to not only learn from each other, but advocate for themselves so they can navigate through life as best they can—perhaps find the “little something extra” they're looking for. As they continue on through the volume, these two also realize that they're far from alone on this journey.

Spacewalking With You is the sort of story I wish was around for me when I was a teen—one that puts images to the hard-to-describe feelings I had back then. It's the kind of title I could point to and say, “there are other people out there who feel the same way!” While it wasn't around for me all those years ago, I am thrilled to know that Doronoda's tale is here for today's teens, so they know that they're not alone either. For that, Doronoda and the entire team at Kodansha USA should be incredibly proud to know they've created something that people can really see themselves—be they students of high school or students of life.