My First Rant
So, there are rumors floating around that Vic Mignogna got the role of Tamaki in Ouran High School Host Club.
(First of all, this is not a rant about homosexuality in general. This is a rant about artistic expression, and how no damn voice actor should be able to censor the artist's vision.)
Vic Mignogna does not like slash, particularly yaoi. He has spoken out quite clearly about his views on yaoi, how he sees it as "fans just putting a sexual spin on a platonic love." I can understand and respect this... to a certain extent. Yes, Vic is Christian. So am I, and yet I don't use this as an excuse to talk down to fans of gay relationships. You know the funny thing about anime? There is a lot of gay. And it's canon. Homosexuality is not as big of a deal in Japan; manga fans barely bat an eye at it, and quite a few celebrities are openly gay. If you are intolerant of this, then being an anime voice actor is really not the right job for you.
So, with all of his opposition to homosexuality, Vic chose to take on a role from a CLAMP work. Um, okay. Apparently, nobody informed him that CLAMP frequently features same-sex relationships, obvious examples being Touya/Yukito, Seishiro/Subaru, and Tomoyo's pure, self-sacrificing love for Sakura. But, whatever, I suppose he chose a very clearly hetero character, yes?
Oh, no. Oh, no, no. He chose Fai "Why can't I wear a maid outfit, Kuro-pii? Myuuu~" Flourite. Of course, the epitome of masculinity. >_> And then he proceeded to blatantly lie about "meeting CLAMP in person," where they said to him, and I quote, "No, Kurogane and Fai are not homosexual."
OF COURSE THEY AREN'T. >:O CLAMP's characters don't have sexual preferences! That's the point! One of CLAMP's most central themes has always been "love is love." They don't give a damn about gender!
As for "putting a sexual spin" on it, there is nothing perverse in any of CLAMP's romances excluding perhaps Hideki and Chii. For crying out loud, Syaoran loves Sakura more than life itself, but have they even kissed? Sex is almost never mentioned in CLAMP, with all of the focus on love and devotion. (You, know, devotion. Like swearing to protect someone, putting your life on the line for them, hacking off your arm right in front of that person to save their life, sacrificing your power to restore said arm... Wait, who did that again? Oh, yeah, KUROGANE AND FAI.)
And then, naturally, to protect Vic's delicate little ears, they edited out nearly every suggestive/flirtatious thing that came out of Fai's mouth for the English version. Here is a very unsettling example, taken from the Tsubasa movie, Princess of the Bird Kingdom. (Forgive me if this is innacurate in any way. I watched the raw version of the movie, then found the English script on a forum. I refuse to watch the dub. It gives me hives.)
Japanese Version:
Kuro: So... where the hell are we?
Fai: You look so handsome with the water dripping on you~
English Version:
Kuro: Well, where are we now?
Fai: Hmm... I don't know for sure.
LOLWTF.
And, no, Vic, KuroFai is not simply "seeing imaginary sexual undertones." We aren't perverting the characters, nor are we demeaning them in any way. There is very real evidence of more-than-platonic love between those two, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. But please, for the love of all things holy, do not lie and deny it, pulling non-existent "proof" out of your arse.
Moving on to the real reason I'm posting this... If he gets the role of Tamaki, I really will have a hissy fit. "I don't like yaoi." Oh, so you're doing one of the main roles in an anime that includes gay twincest fanservice, drag queens, and an entire boarding school full of lesbians? That makes... perfect sense.
In short, I'm a little annoyed right now with a man I used to be a fan of. I'm tired of his hypocrisy. It's fine if he chooses not to accept a very common theme in anime because of strong religious beliefs, but I do not want him ruining my favorite shows!
Much Love,
Tisbee
(First of all, this is not a rant about homosexuality in general. This is a rant about artistic expression, and how no damn voice actor should be able to censor the artist's vision.)
Vic Mignogna does not like slash, particularly yaoi. He has spoken out quite clearly about his views on yaoi, how he sees it as "fans just putting a sexual spin on a platonic love." I can understand and respect this... to a certain extent. Yes, Vic is Christian. So am I, and yet I don't use this as an excuse to talk down to fans of gay relationships. You know the funny thing about anime? There is a lot of gay. And it's canon. Homosexuality is not as big of a deal in Japan; manga fans barely bat an eye at it, and quite a few celebrities are openly gay. If you are intolerant of this, then being an anime voice actor is really not the right job for you.
So, with all of his opposition to homosexuality, Vic chose to take on a role from a CLAMP work. Um, okay. Apparently, nobody informed him that CLAMP frequently features same-sex relationships, obvious examples being Touya/Yukito, Seishiro/Subaru, and Tomoyo's pure, self-sacrificing love for Sakura. But, whatever, I suppose he chose a very clearly hetero character, yes?
Oh, no. Oh, no, no. He chose Fai "Why can't I wear a maid outfit, Kuro-pii? Myuuu~" Flourite. Of course, the epitome of masculinity. >_> And then he proceeded to blatantly lie about "meeting CLAMP in person," where they said to him, and I quote, "No, Kurogane and Fai are not homosexual."
OF COURSE THEY AREN'T. >:O CLAMP's characters don't have sexual preferences! That's the point! One of CLAMP's most central themes has always been "love is love." They don't give a damn about gender!
As for "putting a sexual spin" on it, there is nothing perverse in any of CLAMP's romances excluding perhaps Hideki and Chii. For crying out loud, Syaoran loves Sakura more than life itself, but have they even kissed? Sex is almost never mentioned in CLAMP, with all of the focus on love and devotion. (You, know, devotion. Like swearing to protect someone, putting your life on the line for them, hacking off your arm right in front of that person to save their life, sacrificing your power to restore said arm... Wait, who did that again? Oh, yeah, KUROGANE AND FAI.)
And then, naturally, to protect Vic's delicate little ears, they edited out nearly every suggestive/flirtatious thing that came out of Fai's mouth for the English version. Here is a very unsettling example, taken from the Tsubasa movie, Princess of the Bird Kingdom. (Forgive me if this is innacurate in any way. I watched the raw version of the movie, then found the English script on a forum. I refuse to watch the dub. It gives me hives.)
Japanese Version:
Kuro: So... where the hell are we?
Fai: You look so handsome with the water dripping on you~
English Version:
Kuro: Well, where are we now?
Fai: Hmm... I don't know for sure.
LOLWTF.
And, no, Vic, KuroFai is not simply "seeing imaginary sexual undertones." We aren't perverting the characters, nor are we demeaning them in any way. There is very real evidence of more-than-platonic love between those two, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. But please, for the love of all things holy, do not lie and deny it, pulling non-existent "proof" out of your arse.
Moving on to the real reason I'm posting this... If he gets the role of Tamaki, I really will have a hissy fit. "I don't like yaoi." Oh, so you're doing one of the main roles in an anime that includes gay twincest fanservice, drag queens, and an entire boarding school full of lesbians? That makes... perfect sense.
In short, I'm a little annoyed right now with a man I used to be a fan of. I'm tired of his hypocrisy. It's fine if he chooses not to accept a very common theme in anime because of strong religious beliefs, but I do not want him ruining my favorite shows!
Much Love,
Tisbee