Forum - View topicINTEREST: Former Voice Actress Hiroko Konishi Shares Her #MeToo Story
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Animeking1108
Posts: 1244 |
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Hopefully, the Japanese are more sympathetic of victims. Here, she would get accused of being an attention whore by fanboys of the guy she called out or have death threats sent to her.
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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I've long suspected that there were stories like this, and worse, in the voice acting and idol industries.
I hope Hiroko Konishi's bravery in revealing her story inspires others in the industry to speak out and demand to be treated as professionals, even if they don't feel secure discussing these issues publicly.
That was definitely my first thought, too. I was shocked when I read his name. I've seen him in interviews and thought he was sweet and mild natured based on his work. Just goes to show that you can never really know how someone behaves towards the people closest to them. |
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Zeino
Posts: 1098 |
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In light of this, anyone else want to get rid of their copy of the old Fruits Basket anime? Because I don't think I want any series done by someone who abused and exploited a woman to the point that she gave up her profession all together. I am now immensely glad that the new FB anime will be free of such taint.
Ask for Konishi-san herself. It's a travesty that she had to endue all such suffering to advance her career and have to stay silent about the injustices done to her for years. I hope there will be some form of justice for her now even though I'm cynical enough to also doubt it. Last edited by Zeino on Wed Feb 13, 2019 8:40 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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shabu shabu
Posts: 79 Location: Tokyo |
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People say the same about America. High crime, immigration, violent. When women visit America they are told to never be alone, and watch out for certain communities. A lot of people do not visit America because of that. Japan seems to be a much safer country if you look at the numbers... |
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Sakagami Tomoyo
 Posts: 940 Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia |
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I think if there's anything to worry about, it's that it won't go far enough. |
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mrsatan
 Posts: 912 Location: Olympia, WA, USA |
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This really makes me remember Saori Hayashi after she wrote some posts lambasting her agency before she attempted suicide and was forced into retirement.
Voice Actress Saori Hayashi's Safety Confirmed After Worrying Blog Post Voice Actress Saori Hayashi Announces Retirement After Worrying Blog Posts Most people just wrote her off as crazy, but some of us thought that maybe her initial post was the actual truth and that she was being abused by her agency. |
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Spooky Blades
Posts: 66 |
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This is so fcked up! i cant imagine what other things they were forced to do just to keep their jobs, even now, it makes me sick to think what the newcomers in the industry had to go through, fck i cant even put it in my mind if Minase Inori, Hikasa Yoko or Hanazawa kana had to do something like this, i really hope they didn't.
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Usagi-kun
 Posts: 877 Location: Nashville, TN |
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I doubt she will ever read this, but if I could talk to her, I would thank her for telling her story and tell her to not feel afraid or intimidated by anything that may happen as a result. I would tell her to stay strong and be proud for standing up for herself, despite the social and professional risks that did end up affecting her career. I would also tell her that by refusing to stay quiet and passively resigned to this treatment, her refusal to accept this is an industry standard or ritual that must be endured, and honest assessment and value of the acting industry is inspirational and brave.
A world away, virtual hugs and much respect. Keep fighting for what you believe in and never be ashamed of surviving to tell the truth as well giving courage to others who are still silent. <3 -Usa |
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Kai99
 Posts: 89 |
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Her experience isn't a "Japanese" problem. You hear the same stories here in the US and many western countries. People who have shared their experiences here came from a variety of industries, from animation to modeling. The creator of Rick and Morty was accused of doing the exact same thing to a female animation newbie in the industry( and yes, he admitted to it). They don't say " sleep your way to the top" for nothing because it actually is a reality in some industries. I noticed it usually involves industries that are really hard to break into, so the person in power takes advantage of that and only allows the people who will do certain favors to enter into it.
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Agent355
Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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YIKES! I missed this story. It looks very clearly like they treated her like garbage, than forced her to take all responsibility for letting people know how bad it was. I hope she has good support---and maybe a lawyer. |
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crosswithyou
 Posts: 2892 Location: California |
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It's not just the balance between men and women, but the whole senpai-kouhai system as a whole is pretty bad. Even if someone is being incredibly unreasonable, if you're the kouhai, you basically have to suck it up and obey your senpai or else you get chastised for disturbing the peace. That said, men can be cruel to other men, and women can be cruel to other women. It's not always about the opposite sex. "Power harassment" stories were rampant on the news last year and have continued into this year.
Japan's technology may be advanced but there are parts of their culture that really need to get with the times. |
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871008
Posts: 13 |
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It was pretty apparent that she was blacklisted by the industry when she stopped getting roles and was replaced. Fans aren't dumb, rather they're quick to realize when something's up and point fingers at all parties who could have been even remotely involved. For example, when Four's VA in A New Translation was replaced. To date, I don't think there was any official reason given, but regardless some fans were pretty upset. So yeah, fans are pretty astute to the point of insanity when it comes to this kind of stuff. It's also gotten better with the improvements in technology and social media
And to anyone who thinks the Japanese entertainment industry hasn't changed and needs changing: It IS changing--just rather slowly, and neither in any one direction. Plus, it's rather divisive depending on where you look. Ever since we saw the shift from mostly cultivated, solo idols elevated to a god-like position to a mass production of groups and neighborhood-type idols, it's been increasingly hard to tell if things have gotten better or worse overall. One thing I'm sure of is that the among this idol warring states period, is that overall perception has changed for the good from the days of Okada. We've also seen a similar change in the seiyuu industry, with the industry seeing an explosive growth in the past two decades. Not having to worry about purity of image may be a contributing factor, but I think fans are generally way more accepting of relationships nowadays. |
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mrsatan
Posts: 912 Location: Olympia, WA, USA |
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Oh yes, this is when I was first clued in to the sleazy side of the industry. There were rumors that a certain seiyu slept with a sound director to get the original seiyu replaced. But regardless if that is true, it was clear with A New Translation that for whatever reason, several veteran female seiyu were needlessly replaced with much younger actresses. That is ageism + sexism. |
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Phraze
 Posts: 43 |
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Ah, now I remember where I noticed her.. Digimon. Was looking for female seiyuu who voiced young male characters, like with Naruto/Kuroshitsuji. They usually go viral and land VA roles easily, perfect when looking for more anime. Hmm.. I hope Yui Horie wasn't subject to manipulation too. Coincidence much.
You have a point. Not sure which I should worry about more. |
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#HayamiLover
 Posts: 799 Location: Eastern Europe |
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In all countries there are both bad and good people. The problem is that Western audiences are too carried away with deceiving themselves that CGDCT and the idol industry are purely feministic and progressive things, as this helps them not to perceive themselves as fanservices and cute girls' fanboys. Japanese sexism is not something secret, just people close their eyes to it, as it helps them create the illusion that their favorite anime fetishes is not pandering to otaku tastes.
Similar problems are common in Japanese business. Especially when female employees are treated like an escort and are required to attend events in order to make a female company for men. I'm not talking about the involvement of idols in prostitution, scandals about what regularly thundered in Korea 10 years ago. [Do not double-post. Use the "Edit" button instead. ~Zalis] |
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