#this is revolutionary for my adhd too cause recently i need to do something with my hands when I read but obviously i cant do that when I'

[poughkeepsies]

I have 500 billion more mountains to climb before then but winter break is in two weeks and I'm so excited cause I recently discovered I love listening to audiobooks and this is the first time I'm gonna get a chance to lay down like this for 72 hours straight and listen to a nice voice tell me a story

[haruki-ya]

random dumb self indulgent Akira school hc’s cause they in my head but i just need a place to put them down

these are basically my ideas of what the kids are like in school set in the film verse !

so just jumpin right into it but Kaneda has ADHD which is why he’s usually really hyphy and physically restless (honestly i feel like this is just high key canon). He’s never been v strong in school not because he’s unintelligent, it’s just the one teacher to twenty + student ratio doesn’t work for his specific way of processing and retaining new info. He’s very hands on and would benefit from more one on one teaching, or like a specific trade even, but by the time he reaches middle school he’s just so over feeling stupid and worthless in class that he develops this charmingly air headed persona and becomes the class clown instead of putting effort into something that he knows he won’t understand. it’s not until Kai comes along and, bless his soul, has the patience to sit down with Kaneda and help him with the work he struggles with that Kaneda realizes he’s not dumb and his brain is capable of making connections like other ppl and all he needed was someone willing to answer his stupid questions and get him back on track when his mind wandered to something else aside from classwork. he likes science and thinks space is cool as fuck. when asked what he wants to pursue in the future as a career path, he says astronaut (often interchanged with yakuza boss. none of the teachers find that funny.)  

Kai is a lil scholar, born and raised. Is often referred to as the human encyclopedia lol. Has a very good memory and is capable of adapting to specific teaching methods or just reworking the info so that it is easily understandable for him. I hc his mom as being a uni teacher of Classic Literature and Rhetoric, maybe with some side classes on Journalism or Literary Interpretation. His mom encouraged his curiosity and literary prowess at a young age and it helped him all around in school. he doesn’t really have to try hard, he’s one of those ppl who manages to float by without putting too much effort into the work, but he secretly likes a challenge (which is something he definitely doesn’t get at the disciplinary school) and kind of takes Kaneda under his wing as a side project of sorts to both help his friend and challenge himself by teaching the previously unteachable. it works out wonderfully for the both of them in the end (except for Yama who gets jealous of all the times Kai and Kaneda spend together after class)

Speaking of Yama tho, he’s actually dumb as a rock lmao sorry pal I just call it like I see it. He’s definitely the stereotypical “dumb jock”, super athletic and physically fit but like…not the brightest. Which he’s fine with, as long as he knows the basics he figures he’s set! and he is cause his plan was to get by passing grades, graduate, and go work for his dad at the family construction company straight outta school. Kaneda and Yama have that dumbass solidarity and love to mess around during class, but where Kaneda tries to get his shit done after the bell rings, Yama would rather just have his younger sister do the hw for him in exchange for doing chores. that too works out wonderfully for the two of them (Yama’s younger sister wants to be a doctor and benefits from the challenge of “advanced” coursework :)

Tetsuo is kind of caught somewhere in the middle. Tetsuo is also by no means unintelligent, but he finds it hard to focus in class with all the other kids talking constantly (is usually easily overstimulated and has general audio processing issues as well. more a visual/hands on learner similar to kaneda) and doesn’t work well under pressure. He definitely struggles in school but is too prideful to ask for help or even let anyone know he struggles. He has that attitude of “if I have a problem, I’ll work through it myself” even if he ends up getting so frustrated with his homework it moves him to tears and then to throwing his homework out the window. That on top of his general disinterest in most of the subject matter, and tendency to jump on the offensive when teachers try and help him, doesn’t bode well for his education. Kai tries to help him at one point, but even after being friends for a year he’s still too stubborn to admit defeat (especially when this is something he can finally be better at than Kaneda and subsequently lord it over him -lol tetsuo u asshole-). When Kaori enters the picture tho, bless her soul too, Tetsuo begrudgingly accepts her help with the subjects he struggles most with (lit and science. he’s surprisingly good at math!)

Kaori a smartie pants! duh! I hc her as taking advanced classes, maybe one or two college level classes in hs as well, which is why she lives in a dorm with other girls.That’s a requirement for the school she attends. She’s a freshman in her school, but has been taking honors and ap classes as long as she’s been able. Kaori gets that cream of the crop education: smaller classes, engaged students, Socratic seminars, field trips, political, psych/soc, environmental classes. Specific courses, teaching tactics, and subject matter the boys don’t get exposed to in public school. I feel like she would be interested in some kind of community work, or like something that she feels is impactful to both the individual and society as a whole. Maybe like a nurse or social worker? Some kind of nurturing job and ok yeah i know that’s kinda stereotypical but Kaori as a character is so sweet and selfless and nurturing I just feel like it would fit her character. I could picture her actively planning out a future for herself based upon her education…but she a freshie and doesn’t know what exactly she wants to do. She enjoys helping Tetsuo with his work, so maybe she could be a teacher too.

Kei, finally, would definitely be enrolled in college classes early on. Maybe even an early hs graduate. She’s sharp as a tack and too likes to be challenged academically/intellectually . Found high school to be too easy for her and applied for the Japanese equivalent of a CHSPE (california high school proficiency exam which is basically after completing all required hs classes with the required amount of credits, an exam which verifies ur high school proficiency for early graduation). Definitely would be interested in Socio-economics, political science, humanitarian and psychology courses. Possibly environmental science or evolutionary science. I bet she met Ryu through some of her classes and thus prompted the beginning of a beautiful totally platonic rebellious friendship. Maybe a semester or two into her courses, the government upheaval begins and many of her fellow students start talking about their unhappiness with the state of society and the government. This prompts a shift in both the attitude of the students and the attitude of the revolutionaries Kei has recently joined thanks to Ryu. There’s an opportunity to get the youth involved in the fight against the corrupt government and a possible dawning fascist future. Kei drops out of college shortly after inspiring students to organize protests (like that in the opening scene of the film ayeee) as both a battering ram and a distraction from the rebel’s plan to infiltrate the esper’s compound and kidnap Akira (lol good luck y’all).

this once again has been an unprompted ted x by yours truly. thanks that’s all folks.