Forum - View topicINTEREST: Former Voice Actress Hiroko Konishi Shares Her #MeToo Story
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kotomikun
Posts: 1205 |
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If they were, I doubt they'd even have this problem. Humans in other countries are still humans. Honestly, I have a really hard time understanding why this sort of thing happens. Forcing/coercing real people into sex, or these weird harem-anime hot springs incidents, is just so... animalistic. The sort of thing you'd expect from, I dunno, wolves. But then, men have gotten really attached to the concept of "alpha males" recently. (Ironically, it turns out wolf packs don't actually have those, so we're less progressive than wild animals, it seems.) Add a dash of sociopathy, and you're good to go. Good old humanity. Bends the laws of physics to their limits, creating technology that makes actual magic seem unimaginative. Struggles endlessly with the concept of consent, and basic decency. |
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gpanthony
Posts: 241 |
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I'm quite sure the "dominant power" concept has been in the human psyche forever, but having it manifest this way in this day and age is quite sad (but not surprising). I am glad that victims do feel empowered to come forward though, no matter their geographic location. A person has the fundamental right to feel safe where ever they are at any given time, it's just too bad it seems like this is such a difficult thing to achieve. I would say a lot of it stems from the "that's the way it's always been done" attitude by those in power, and their reluctance to change the behaviors that benefit them at the cost of others' well being, as well as the "I don't want to get involved" indifference of those around them. |
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-SP-
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This stuff happens all countries not just Japan, if you don't realize that then step out of your bubble. |
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#892898
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Hello. I'm interested in buying. Please shout me a dm. Thanks. |
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Actar
 Posts: 1074 Location: Singapore |
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Well, the thing is, at the end of the day, humans are animals. If you ask me, it is kind of pretentious to believe that we are somehow above our own primal instincts. In fact, by accepting this fact, I think we can come out with much better and more effective ways of reining those instincts in than repression and denial. |
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Seif
 Posts: 456 |
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At least the shitbags aren't harassing her and demanding "proof."
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ChestPains
Posts: 101 |
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Stories like these don't even surprise me anymore. We've had multiple incidents like that in the last ten or so years, and it always seems like nothing comes out of it.
Echoing what others said here, it's really stupid that Japan is extremely advanced in just about everything except basic human decent because of the social hierarchy that's in their culture for a few centuries longer then it should be. It's particularly worrying when you realize there's probably a ton of modern VAs out there who maybe just got popular after people liked a character from a newer, smaller show, and might be falling into situations like those very soon. I agree with Konishi on how VAs are sold as idols other than actors, but I don't think it is so much their fault as it is them being naive regarding the predatory means of some agencies or studios. And perhaps that is what resulted in otaku getting upset over marriages or relationships that VAs might have, but that's just a thought and I could be wrong. Either way I hope the changes come sooner so more young women don't have to go through horrible experiences like this. The industry is hard enough as it is, we don't need a-holes ruining it for people who just wanted to follow their dreams. |
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Mr. sickVisionz
 Posts: 2173 |
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Sad to hear but not surprising at all. If people thought rampant train groping was the end all be all of sexual harassment/assault issues in Japan...
People are saying Japan is more advanced... what is that based off of? I get it: [insert anime] is awesome. The only take away from that should be Japan makes cool cartoons, not [insert anime] is awesome so Japan must be like the wonderland of joy, tech, and equality! |
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GlassesMan
Posts: 217 |
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I do remember this, there was a thread on r/anime discussing it. Hiroko has been talking about the sexual harassment within the industry on her Twitter for a long time. Powerful people often take advantage of that power, wherever you go.
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Steve Minecraft
 Posts: 120 |
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She's also not calling for anyone to be fired or threatening to take people to court, which is usually when people start to ask for proof and such.
Japan has great government assisted healthcare, longer than average life spans, low pollution, low crime rate, low homeless rates, great maternity leave packages and worker benefits. Just because sexual harassment exists there, which it does in every country, does not invalidate everything positive about a country. How quickly Americans seem to have forgotten Harvey Weinsetin, Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey, and numerous other Hollywood elites. It's far safer for a woman to live in Japan than it is in America, statistically speaking. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6867 Location: Kazune City |
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enurtsol
 Posts: 14761 |
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They really should had thought of a better name - some people have mispronounced the #MeToo phrase as Pound Me Too.
Majority of J-female workers quit their jobs when they first get pregnant to start a family, while J-fathers don't dare take time off for paternity leave. So nobody really takes advantage of such packages - in practice, it's essentially a paper tiger. |
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P-name F
Posts: 5 |
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The cause of Hiroko Konishi’s dramatic departure from the seiyuu scene has long been a questionable one due to it occurring when she was at her peak and the way she seemed to be so notoriously blacklisted. It’s been a while since I looked her up but I remember at one point the alleged reason was she got too big for her boots and considered herself above the seiyuu industry, wanting to be a TV actress instead, which led to her being excommunicated from the industry. It doesn’t help that for over the past decade, English information about her would end up being mysteriously airbrushed or removed on places like Wikipedia and TV Tropes. Given what I know of the seiyuu industry, I am inclined to believe Konishi’s claims are true. It would certainly explain why she wasn’t carried over as the voice for Tohru in Fruit’s Basket when Tomokazu Seki, Aya Hisakawa and Ryotarou Okiayu all got to reprise their roles from the 1999 Hana To Yume drama CD.
On the subject of the Saori Hayashi case… The theory on the Japanese side is a particularly troubling one. When the case became known, quite a few Japanese netizens raised the question as to whether Tomokazu Seki, co-founder of Atomic Monkey and highly influential seiyuu with a known reputation for harassment, was involved. (This Japanese article explains the situation and rumours concerning Seki’s involvement in more detail.) Given that this article is the Japanese equivalent of a Buzzfeed article, I’m not going to declare that it’s the certifiable truth or should be taken as proof that Seki was definitely involved. It’s just that it was a suspicion enough people in the Japanese seiyuu fandom had owing to Seki’s reputation. Seki’s reputation is one that appears to be something of an open secret amongst the seiyuu fandom although it’s quite easy to go about one’s business as a Japanese-speaking fan and never discover it. Basically put, he has a history of abusing his power and publicly bullying or humiliating his (mostly female) co-workers. Whilst his antics seem to be more childish than they are sexual, they’re certainly inappropriate and it appears that such behaviour has resulted in him being held at arm’s length by some people in the anime industry. (For example, Kana Hanazawa allegedly refuses to work with him again and rumour has it that anything that involves them having to share a scene is done in separate takes. It’s no secret that he behaved immaturely during the recording of Psycho Pass as at an event Hanazawa revealed how Seki deliberately made stupid noises in the background whilst Hanazawa and Takahiro Sakurai were recording a climactic scene.) What’s striking about Seki’s case is how public it is due to his juvenile troll behaviour being part of his persona so there are numerous videos of him stripping and provocatively rubbing himself or making lewd comments about female seiyuu or pressuring them into demeaning situations such as calling a classmate and asking on-air if they want to be sex-friends during a public broadcast. (A more detailed chronicle of some of his exploits can be found here, although it should be taken with a pinch of salt as it’s more of a rumour mill although it corroborates several well-known stories such as him licking sushi and forcing female seiyuu to eat it and getting Asami Imai drunk then leaving a condom filled with potato starch and water by her bedside. Although numerous Japanese fans have criticized his behaviour and referred to it as セクハラ (sexual harassment), as far as I know the only time he’s been held to any account was when he was forced to apologize over forcing a n00b male seiyuu to make a creepy sexual comment about Rina Hidaka at a live event in 2017. I’m still a fan of his work but there’s always a certain grimness seeing his name in a cast nowadays and wondering about the female co-stars. Great actor, not so great human being. (Mods, if you feel this is too inflammatory or off-topic, please go ahead and delete this. I am aware this is a potential can of worms and don’t want to give you any additional headaches.) |
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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I wasn't even implying that he harassed her directly, just that she would have been upset at how he treated female seiyuu. If I were a manga creator and I heard creepy stories about the director of an anime based on my work, I'd be upset about it. |
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Jonesy974
Posts: 8 |
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yea, really makes you wonder if Yui Horie slept her way to popularity with the whole "pillow trade" too considering how after she took over the fruits basket role, worked with the guy who supposedly did this shit, and then she pretty much exploded in popularity. When that many coincidences line up, it's sad to say it's probably more than just coincidence. |
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