That’s My Atypical Girl is a bit difficult to review. In part that’s because my own lived experience does not involve Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but also because of the way that ASD is presented in the manga. The original title of the series is Asper Kanojo, with “asper” being short for Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism. That designation was removed from use in the U.S. per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders‘ fifth edition (DSM-V) in 2013, but it is still in use in other countries and remains in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)’s eleventh edition as of 2021, so the title shouldn’t ring any warning bells. The story follows two people, manga artist Yokoi and his fan Saito, both of whom may be on the autism spectrum; without understanding that, it can come off as very unsettling, and even with the knowledge, it’s very intense.
The…
