History Manga / WithTheLight

* RightBehindMe: Mrs. Katakura once badmouths Hikaru... behind Sachiko's back.

%%* HollywoodAutism: Averted big time.

* BadBoss: Masato's manager, who demotes his employee to a position where most workers quit after days of horrid working conditions, just so he can keep himself superior to Masato. And he also [[ManipulativeBastard manipulated him into getting drunk to get him arrested]].

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Akamatsu-sensei. Looks like he understands autism, but thinks that autistic students must be like RainMan, and refuses to listen to his students' parents. And this is why the Special Ed class under him learned nothing.

* SweetDreamsFuel: For all of the struggles that Sachiko and her family go through, you can't help but just feel as happy as they do when things go ''right'' for them. Hikaru and Kanon are just adorable, too.

The story begins with Sachiko Azuma having her first child, Hikaru. He's not like the other babies, though: He stays in his stroller even when he's too old for it, he is only willing to eat the same thing every day, and he refuses to be held by his mother. Sachiko feels she is to blame...but she learns that Hikaru has autism -- a communication disorder. What ensues is the story of how Sachiko, her family, and others around them both hinder and contribute to Hikaru's life, and her ultimate goal that he will grow up to be "a cheerful working adult".

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* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Masato's older sister and her daughter are introduced early in the first tankobon, but she's always referred to by [[JapaneseHonorifics oneesan]] or "Sis." It's not until towards the (premature) end of the series that we catch her name.

Yen Press has been publishing an English translation of this manga, with each American volume combining two volumes of the original Japanese version. Sadly, Mrs. Tobe [[AuthorExistenceFailure died of illness]] in early 2010, leaving it unfinished.

* CloudCuckooLander: Anyone with autism.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: A subtle but [[UnfortunateImplications still unfortunate]] version occurs with Sachiko's two friends from her mommy-baby group. One, Mrs. Tanaka, looks like an anime drawing of Jennifer Aniston, and the other, Mrs. Katakura, looks much more like a Japanese woman actually would look like. Guess which one winds up being more accepting and supportive of Hikaru...

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/withthelight_title_6640.gif]]

A {{Josei}} manga by Keiko Tobe.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: So many things go wrong against Sachiko's family because of Japan's ignorance of autism and bully culture, but even after all that, it all goes well in the end.

* ScienceMarchesOn: The statistics present in ''WithTheLight'' are quite out-of-date, and there are several notices in the margins noting as much.

* AdultFear: Evident in Hikaru's early childhood, as his tendency of getting lost often drove Sachiko into terror, fearing that he may be kidnapped.
* AuthorExistenceFailure: [[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-01-29/with-the-light-manga-creator-keiko-tobe-passes-away 'Fraid so]].
* BadBoss: Masato's manager, who demotes his employee to a position where most workers quit after days of horrid working conditions, just so he can keep himself superior to Masato. And he also [[ManipulativeBastard manipulated him into getting drunk to get him arrested.]]

* KidsAreCruel: The bullies that torture Hikaru on his way home count as this, causing him to panic, unable to understand this cruelty. Also included are the children that mock Kanon for having a "stupid" brother.

Yen Press has been publishing an English translation of this manga, with the twist that each American volume consists of two volumes of the original Japanese version. Sadly, Mrs. Tobe [[AuthorExistenceFailure died of illness]] in early 2010, leaving it unfinished.

Yen Press has been publishing an English translation of this manga, with the twist that each American volume consists of two volumes of the original Japanese version. Sadly, Mrs. Tobe died of illness in early 2010, leaving it unfinished.

* RousseauWasRight: Anyone who acts as antagonistically towards Hikaru or Sachiko do so either out of ignorance of autism, or some other FreudianExcuse. With a little bit of friendship, however, many people change their attitudes towards Hikaru for the better.

* AdultFear: Evident in Hikaru's early childhood, as his tendency of getting lost often drives Sachiko into terror, fearing that he may be kidnapped.

* DoorStopper: The American paperback volumes of this are '''huge''', even for a non-manga series. Granted, each volume is actually two Japanese volumes put together, but even half of that is big.

* FreudianExcuse: This is usually employed upon any bad caretaker or mean-spirited person that doesn't breach close to CompleteMonster territory. [[{{Anvilicious}} A lot.]]

* MoodWhiplash: Pretty much the entire series may count, largely due to its effort to capture the unpredictability of RealLife. Families with autistic members have to handle the afflicted person's condition ''on top of'' all the other challenges and fears of life -- job loss/tranfer, illness, natural disasters, etc.

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* HoYay: Happens a lot in Volume 3 (Volumes 5 & 6 in Japan). Nobuaki blushes when he leans on Hikaru's desk, saying "I hope he can stay forever!" Kanata lays on a P.E mat next to Hikaru, and they just kinda nudge each other. And for a class play, Kanata plays a female role. ''Very'' well. See also Shotacon and ToyShip.

* CuteShotaroBoy: Hikaru is this, in spades. So are his friends Nobuaki and Kanata, who act much older than their age in how they protect and respect Hikaru.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: A subtle but [[UnfortunateImplications still unfortunate]] version occurs with Sachiko's two friends from her former workplace. One, Mrs. Tanaka, looks like an anime drawing of Jennifer Aniston, and the other, Mrs. Katakura, looks much more like a Japanese woman actually would look like. Guess which one winds up being more accepting and supportive of Hikaru...

* GenderFlip: Lampshaded during a school play when Kanata and Oota play Vega and Vega's father, respectively.
* HoYay: Happens a lot in Volume 3 (Volumes 5 & 6 in Japan). Hideaki blushes when he leans on Hikaru's desk, saying "I hope he comes to visit!" Kanata lays on a P.E mat next to Hikaru, and they just kinda nudge each other. And for a class play, Kanata plays a female role. ''Very'' well. See also Shotacon and ToyShip.

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted. Saori has her first during a school trip.

* TheUnfavorite: Variation -- Sachiko loves both her kids well, but her mother-in-law prefers Kanon, Hikaru's little sister, to her brother. Having a "normal" child to interact with makes it harder for her to accept him, especially as he gets older and the full ramifications of his condition become more apparent. It is also implied in the story that not only Hikaru's aunt and uncle, but possibly his entire paternal family, have rejected him solely because of his disability as well.