Questioned By Fandom: Social Media Backlash

Update:

Vic actually had this come up in a video this week from the MCM Birmingham Comic Con – check it out. For us, this is the end of the story on it.

Original article:
So, the question that landed today is to talk about “The social media backlash of flames of Vic Mignona cast in Free! Eternal Summer.”

Apparently there was some commotion when Vic was cast in the role of Rin for Free! Eternal Summer a few weeks ago, though if you go by the comment section at FUNimation about it, it’s mostly whether he’s good for the role or not. And opinions there are mixed in that regard.

Where the controversy stems from, for some fans, is that there are attributions regarding his stance towards homosexuality and yaoi.

So because of that, there is a lot of angst from fans over the fact that he’s playing Rin in this series.

Because, you know, a show about teenage men that swim together means that they’re gay and that someone with those views cannot play that character.

I’ll admit I looked only so far into the controversy over Vic’s stance and and when you consider a good percentage of the country in general holds similar views, it’s not a surprise that there would be a percentage within the voice acting industry as well. That’s not condoning it, mind you, but simply stating a fact. Thankfully, attitudes have shifted in a big way over the years and it’s been fascinating to see the changes in the last decade. Being a resident of Massachusetts, where we became the first state to legalize gay marriage, the world hasn’t ended, which is what we usually hear from those against the practice.

The backlash itself isn’t a surprise, as the anime field itself has largely been drama free over the years when it comes to social issues. There are flare-ups of course, but even something like this controversy has largely gone unnoticed by many simply because there isn’t a huge groundswell over it. Dub fans may find themselves split on it, but the percentage that will go all out are small. Original language fans may not even realize anything at all.

I can totally understand why people would be upset over it based on their love of the show and character. But it also feels a bit misguided in some ways because they’re attributing things to the show that aren’t in the show. You could show the series to non-anime fans and I doubt many would think there’s anything sexual between any of the guys. You can nab shots from the show that may change views in isolation, but having watched both seasons, it’s not actually a part of the show. Unfortunately, mainstream anime series are very, very wary of doing things with non-straight characters. When such elements do come up, it tends to be supporting characters at best and certainly not played in a serious way. The closest we often get are the occasional yuri show and the even rarer boys-love shows, but even those tend to focus on some pretty bad relationship dynamics that don’t portray things well. Not that they don’t exist, but examples of lead character or main characters that are gay and portrayed well? They’re few and far between and there are a number in this list that I’d argue are more idolization than gay.

There’s also the issue that if you avoid creative works by people that you disagree with over particular issues – especially if their foundations come from a different time – then you end up missing out on a lot of things. Are there actors I avoid? Yes, once awhile, because they’re so overt with their issues. I lost a whole lot of enjoyment of Chuck Norris over some of what he’s said in the last few years. But if I make a break like that completely, I’d also lose things like H.P. Lovecraft, who had written some incredibly racist things over the years. And with this, I’d certainly not want to lose out on watching Fullmetal Alchemist. But then again, I don’t listen to dubs much.

In the end, the controversy is something that I suspect comes up in various circles from time to time and when main character casting hits that Vic is a part of, especially since he’s a well known voice actor. Depending on the way the show is viewed as to whether there are tones to it that go in this direction likely is what generates whether there will be controversy or not.

Chris Beveridge

http://www.fandompost.com

Chris has been writing about anime, manga, movies and comics for well on twenty years now. He began AnimeOnDVD.com back in 1998 and has covered nearly every anime release that’s come out in the US ever since.

He likes to write a lot, as you can see.

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