Anime Matsuri's Shame

Many years ago, I wrote a piece defending Vic Mignogna. Despite not deleting it, as I believe in learning from my mistakes, I feel I was too lenient on the man. I especially feel that in light of what’s transpired since, such that it feels incredibly tasteless. Because he’s a creep, and more people should appreciate that. Unfortunately, some organizations haven’t gotten the memo.

Recently, Anime Matsuri took flak over inviting Mignogna to an FMA reunion panel. This announcement was made without consulting fellow franchise alum Maxey Whitehead, who voiced Alphonse alongside Mignogna’s Edward. When it came to her attention, she posted a statement on Facebook and cancelled her appearance. It’s unfortunate, but understandable given Mignogna’s predatory allegations. I’d have cancelled too in her position.

What makes this doubly-upsetting is that Mignogna’s behaviour isn’t secret. He lost a defamation case in Texas over it, one that became famous. It’s weird that he was allowed to go as long as he did without repercussions, but many powerful figures did what he did too. Either way, Mignogna’s been bad news for years. And he hasn’t been helping his reputation, either.

Anime Matsuri should’ve known better, as they violated a contract agreement. Whitehead was entitled to not be in the same room as Mignogna, and Anime Matsuri not respecting her wishes is on them. Then again, Anime Matsuri has a history of shady behaviour. Ergo, this isn’t surprising.

That the convention was willing to go through with this is an indictment on how society treats predators relative to victims. Mignogna isn’t the only example in the anime community of a predator. He’s not the only example of a predator, period! And there are individuals who’ve committed more heinous acts than him! But it doesn’t matter. His behaviour isn’t unknown, and he shouldn’t be rewarded because of his influence.

This isn’t to downplay his talents. I liked him as Edward Elric. I liked him as Tamaki Suoh too. He also has an excellent singing voice, as evidenced by him rerecording various English covers of anime intros. But talented people can be awful too. The world’s messy like that.

Regardless, it’s on Anime Matsuri to fix this mess. Unfortunately, they haven’t exactly been doing a good job, even locking their official Facebook Post. They also put out a half-baked response to Whitehead that warrants reading. Seriously, check it out. It’s embarrassing.

What also doesn’t help is that many of the comments are spiteful toward Whitehead, accusing her of being petty. Which begs the question: what kind of message is being sent when a convention shames a VA for feeling uncomfortable? It’s not like Whitehead needs the spotlight, especially when she gets booked at other conventions, but she requested that she not be with Mignogna. If Anime Matsuri can’t respect her wishes, to the point of shaming her publicly…

I know this is the internet, and it’s easy for nonsense to spread before the truth catches up. I also know that posts online never truly disappear, no matter how hard you try scrubbing them. And I understand that social media encourages bad behaviour, much at the expense of civility and nuance. You don’t need me telling any of you that. I’m not innocent myself, especially with some of my early writing! However, I try learning from my mistakes, and I attempt to not repeat them. I’m not always successful, but the effort’s made.

Anime Matsuri isn’t doing that. You can argue that Whitehead backing out last-minute was shocking, no doubts there. But like I said, Mignogna’s behaviour has been known for years. Ignoring his defamation suit, plenty of VAs and convention attendees have called attention to his behaviour, with some even going public. Anime Matsuri, therefore, made a deliberate choice, and now they’re refusing to hold themselves accountable. It’s disgusting.

Ideally, the convention would shut down for the year. They made a huge debacle, showing how ugly they truly are. But we don’t live in an ideal situation. Like with any public figure embroiled in a scandal, there will always be people who stand by them out of spite, or out of sheer ignorance. The latter might not even be malicious! But it’ll happen with Mignogna, as it usually does.

That said, I can express my displeasure anyway. And look, I don’t like trashing celebrities, as much as it seems otherwise. I especially don’t like trashing them justifiably, as much as it may also seem otherwise. But sometimes staying quiet is more harmful. In the case of Vic Mignogna, I feel an obligation to share my disdain. Because if my words bring justice to one of his victims, or help ward off future ones, then I’ve done my job. It’s the least I can do.

And Anime Matsuri? If you’re reading this, my message is simple: shame on you. Shame on you for booking this man, shame on you for not being upfront with Maxey Whitehead, and shame on you for not admitting fault. But most importantly, shame on you for letting the toxic fans have the last word. People see that, and we take note. If that doesn’t deter you, then perhaps you should do some soul searching. I doubt you will, though.

It's Not Real!

The internet’s biggest weakness is The Dunning-Kruger Effect. Not only are people an expert in areas they don’t understand, they’re proud of that. They also make that everyone else’s problem, which is bad when having a thoughtful, nuanced conversation. This is especially true with representation in fictional media. Because it feels like media literacy is wanting, and that’s bad.

Take The Odyssey. The latest from Christopher Nolan’s filmography, it’s been getting plenty of positive buzz because of its execution. It’s also been receiving unwarranted criticism online for its casting, particularly Lupita Nyong’o. Despite being talented, even having an Oscar, she’s been attacked for “blackwashing” a Greek story. Elon Musk has even complained for months on social media. While this’d normally be easy to ignore, Musk has incredible political and financial influence.

But also, this isn’t a real story. The Odyssey’s a work of fiction about Mount Olympus, sirens, cyclopes and the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. Essentially, race-swapping a character isn’t a big deal. Especially since black people lived in Ancient Greece, contrary to popular opinion. Europe was never an ethnic monolith.

That I have to say that is embarrassing. It should be common knowledge to anyone with any kind of sense. Unfortunately, not everyone’s gotten the memo, instead couching their bigoted ideologies and rhetoric. It’s why “incel” is upsetting to incels, or why “TERF” upsets TERFs. And like with Musk, this has spillover.

I’d end here, but it doesn’t stop at The Odyssey. Media literacy for any ancient text is insulting. Even Scripture gets misappropriated to cause real damage. We see it with textual literalists, who use it to justify forcing their beliefs on others, and textual rejectionists, who use it to justify being jerks about God and spirituality. All the while, Maimonides rolls in his grave.

Scripture isn’t a history book. It has history in it, and some of its characters were real, but it doesn’t line up 100% with actual events. The text even makes that clear, as there are Mandela Effects that occur through osmosis: the forbidden fruit wasn’t an apple. The Hebrews didn’t build the pyramids, but rather storage cities. Jonah wasn’t devoured by a whale, but a massive fish. None of the text is accidental, it’s meant to teach us something, but understanding that requires being well-versed.

Going back to The Odyssey, the text doesn’t focus on modern descriptions. That’s not important to its themes and messaging. Having a black woman in it, therefore, shouldn’t matter. But even if the text did describe modernized features, she’s not real. She isn’t Harriet Tubman. Her race is irrelevant! If that bothers you, then it says more about you.

I can hear the counter-argument about robbing a white actress of a role. White people don’t have to worry about equity. There are plenty of roles available for them, the doors will never be shut for them. Minorities don’t have that luxury. Ignoring how they’ve had roles stolen by white people before, there aren’t as many opportunities because Hollywood’s cowardly. In some cases, they’ve had to fight for roles. In others, they’ve relied on the generosity of casting directors.

Giving opportunities to minorities has helped raise the self-esteems of minority consumers. And yes, this hasn’t always been successful, as sometimes minority roles are tiered. I know Jews are frequently shut out of representation on the big and small screens, causing debates about whether or not they’re “actually a minority group”. But that there are opportunities at all shows how far Hollywood’s come, and how much further it has to go. That’s more important than complaining about authenticity.

I also don’t think this is a big deal compared to other problems. Take Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway. They’re cast as son and mother, even though Hathaway’s approximately a decade older than Holland. Considering Matt Damon plays Hathaway’s husband, isn’t that creepy? It might be “accurate” to the times, especially since marriages started over family bonds, but this is Hollywood in the 21st Century. Bending reality for modern sensibilities would do wonders here, especially since the movie’s working in minority casting.

Little details like that feel more pressing, despite them being minor. Complaining about Nyong’o’s casting, however, is reaching for sour grapes. It’s also racist and overlooks what she can bring to the role. Remember, she’s an Oscar winner. And she won that Oscar for a tough role in an even tougher movie. I know that Oscar winners can also turn in bad performances with the wrong direction, but she deserves a chance, no? I’d say so!

Above all else, this is all petty and childish complaining. I get Nolan not being your jam. I love a lot of the man’s work, but I acknowledge he sometimes doesn’t click. I don’t get, however, making this into an issue of racial purity. Because I assure you the “white race” will be fine, like it always is. If that’s not reassuring, then I suggest getting outside and touching grass. I promise you’ll feel so much better after doing that.

Now, if you’ll excuse me…

Sony's Doing What?!

Physical media has always been important to me. It’s why I have a library of movies and games, and why I was hesitant to adopt streaming initially. It’s also why I try balancing physical purchases with digital ones. There’s nothing like having direct ownership of something, especially since digital licenses aren’t indefinite. And now my biggest concern, having to renew purchases constantly, is becoming reality.

Sony recently announced they were discontinuing physical purchases in early-2028. This isn’t exactly “new”, the industry’s been moving toward digital only for a while, but it feels like a decision that won’t bode well. I’m not alone on that, as many corporate accounts have been throwing shade on social media. It makes sense, as the reasoning Sony gave was pretty shortsighted. Truthfully, I feel like ripping on it too.

Let’s look at what Sony said. On July 1st, they made the following announcement: 

“As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028. Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only. This transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format.

This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.

We’ll continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games, whether that’s at retailers or PlayStation Store. We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our fans and we thank you for your continued support.”

At first glance, this doesn’t sound bad: physical game discs won’t be produced, but there are digital kiosks for those interested. Unfortunately, receiving a download code for a kiosk is a waste of a trip. Why schlep to a store if you can buy the game online from your console directly? Considering people usually don’t go out to buy downloads, this isn’t a great use of resources. I know I wouldn’t go myself.

It’s also not good for interacting with people. Half the fun of buying or renting a video game has always been chatting with reps and customers about what’s worth checking out. Yes, sometimes you can be taken advantage of. But even then, the benefits of socializing outweigh the risks of scams. Especially since video games aren’t cheap.

By saying that future games will only be digital, you’re removing that experience altogether. That sucks. It sucks because it’s limiting options, and because it’s minimizing socialization. It also sucks because it cheapens the ownership that comes with physical games. That’s the worst part.

Sony going digital won’t stop at Sony. These decisions never do. We’re seeing game development studios be shuttered because higher ups don’t feel the space they occupy matters, and programmers are being let go as a result. Digital only will exacerbate that further, as now Sony can cut the middleman and further reduce overhead. It’s not like Sony’s bleeding that drastically, especially given what they make outside of video games, so this is sketchy.

This decision parallels that of other companies as well. Disney in particular comes to mind. They recently laid off their home media division, forcing people to rely on Disney+. And yes, Disney+ has a great backlog, no doubts about that. But if something happens and Disney+ shutters, their output disappears forever. No amount of scouring for older prints of shows or movies will change that.

I’ve heard this will increase rates of piracy. I have my own issues with piracy, many of which I won’t discuss, and the biggest involves how relying on it for authentic media isn’t so clear-cut. I remember when I pirated Paper Mario in high school, and how the ROM kept crashing. I had to wait for it on the Wii’s Virtual Console, and I prefer how clean its emulation is. I also purchased that with real money.

Piracy’s a band-aid solution, and not even a great one. Ignoring how Crunchyroll started as an anime pirating site, piracy relies on a clean source code. And that’s not always feasible, especially when files risk corrupting. I experienced this with a Blog series I wrote for ScrewAttack, and that was text! I can’t imagine how annoying a full-on game getting messed up is!

So yes, piracy’s not the answer. And it doesn’t factor in how easy it is for companies to issue take-down notices over copyright infringement, all while not taking accountability over games being inaccessible. Because they shouldn’t be inaccessible. Entertainment exists to help people temporarily retreat from the harshness of reality, and gatekeeping that is ghoulish and cowardly. It’s ghoulish because it prices people out of hobbies, and it’s cowardly because there are better long-term investments with physical media. At least give people options!

Also, what does Sony have to gain long-term? Like with forcing A.I. on consumers, companies might get a temporary boost in revenue, but only temporary. It doesn’t guarantee indefinite growth, especially when that doesn’t exist. Nor would it here, since emulation’s often finicky. I can’t stress this enough.

Besides, physical media’s making a comeback. And in surprising ways. Vinyl aside, there’s a reason physical copies of media aren’t decreasing in price anymore, and it’s because people like actually owning them. I say that knowing physical media can wear out too, as evidenced by VHS tapes stretching and DVDs getting scratched. But that’s better than a license to rent something that might not work and can get snatched away without warning.

It’s times like these where being a Nintendo fan comes in handy. Yes, their hardware and software isn’t cheap. And yes, their physical games are often download codes. But at least they have physical media. At least I can go to a retailer, talk to an employee and buy something based on recommendations. That’s more than I can say for Sony come 2028, assuming this goes through.

In the end, I’m not happy with this decision from Sony. I think it’s short-sighted on their part, and I hope it comes back to bite them. I also hope they don’t go through with this decision. Because they make good video games, and it’d be a shame letting that go to waste. I’m sure I’m not alone on this, which is why I’m writing about it.

Alcock and Watters

The upside, if you can call it that, to having a cold for a week is that you spend plenty of time browsing the internet for stories to write about. They’re not always exciting, but they’re not nothing. Such is the case with a controversy that circulated during Pride Month, involving Milly Alcock and Fox News host Jesse Waters. It’s a nothing-burger story, and I probably shouldn’t be giving it oxygen, but I’m discussing it anyway. I’m sorry.

Supergirl has been struggling for about a week. Critically, it’s the first flop in James Gunn’s DCU. Financially, it’s under-performing at the box-office, leading to speculation that this could ruin The DCU. It’s unfortunate that the first superheroine movie in this franchise is disappointing, as superheroines, sadly, still have much to prove juxtaposed to their male counterparts. Simply look at the numbers. They don’t lie.

What gets me going involves something that made the rounds after the movie debuted. While promoting Supergirl, Alcock was asked if the character was queer, to which she responded that she wasn’t sure, but the character might go both ways. It was innocent, and there are many possibilities for why she said it, but Fox News anchor Jesse Watters wasn’t impressed. To quote him: 

“But the whole bisexual thing…guys don't get into that…[m]aybe that's cool when you're 18, but when a girl's bisexual, we don't trust her. We don't trust her. And the ones I've met are super weird. So to say you're bisexual, it's not a turn on. It's not a turn on.”

Watters’s remarks drew backlash, with people chastising him for being ignorant about something that has nothing to do with him. However, it speaks to a grander issue with Fox News, namely their demographic. Because while not all of them, Fox News frequently caters to Bible enthusiasts who believe that queerness is an affront to God. We’ve seen that play out, most-notably during The AIDS Crisis. Despite knowing better now, the consensus was that HIV was a “gay person’s disease”, hence dying from it was “Divine punishment for immoral sexual acts”. Yes, people talked like that.

There’s plenty I can say in response here, but I won’t. Instead, I have to ask why Watters opened his mouth. Was he being provocative? Did he want to stir the pot? Or did he genuinely believe his words? It’s hard to tell, especially since many of the anchors secretly hate Trump, but it doesn’t really matter. As long as there’s a base that listens to this, politicians included, it’ll cause real world ripple effects. So while Alcock’s statement may have been harmless, Watters was in the wrong.

It speaks to bigger issue involving queer portrayals of characters in media. Supergirl has been around for over half a century, and openly queer media was censored for the longest time. The movie industry had The Hays Code, while comics had The Comics Code Authority. Comics had to abide by strict rules or risk being pulled, including depicting openly-queer individuals. Comics, therefore, had to use coding and subtext.

I don’t know enough about Supergirl to be an expert, but like how Hollywood’s still living the post-trauma of this era, so too are comics. Because for several decades now they’ve been treading in darker territory, getting more mature and dating themselves for shock value. They’ve also had to reinvent their characters as a result of changing interests of readers, including being more daring with sexuality. Essentially, if Superboy’s allowed to be gay, why can’t Supergirl?

Supergirl’s also meant to be rougher than her cousin. Like I pointed out last time, while Superman’s flawed, Supergirl’s more flawed, with her being arrogant and accident-prone. She’s not a girl scout, so being a rough-and-tough lesbian would make sense. Because why not? Really.

Before anyone complains, yes, the rough-and-tough lesbian trope’s overused. But Supergirl was created to be more adventurous and daring than Superman. If Supergirl wants to be queer, that’s her prerogative. And it’s no one’s obligation to say otherwise, especially since she’s not real. Also it’s creepy.

I also take issue with religious fanatics who think being queer’s blasphemous. Firstly, their text refers to a specific action done by two men, it says nothing about being queer. Secondly, it uses that same language to describe using dishonest weights. And thirdly, said text is both designed to be analyzed, and a byproduct of its time. Because it doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

There’s plenty of queer-coding in Scripture too. Joseph’s described as being effeminate several times, such that it’s possible he refused Potiphar’s Wife because he was gay. King David had an incredibly deep friendship with Prince Jonathan, and some have argued they were lovers. I’m sure there are more examples as well. But the point is that puritanical sexuality is a relatively-recent invention historically, so it’s not fair to graft that onto Scripture.

I’d rebuke the hypocrisy of Bible thumpers, but it’s not worth it. Instead, I’ll remind them that queer people exist in their ranks. I know religious Jews who are queer, both openly and closeted, and I don’t judge them. Because it’d be oppressive, and Scripture has plenty to say about that. So while people jeer at Alcock’s suggestion that Supergirl might be bisexual, I don’t think it’s helpful. Nor do I think it’s right.

I’m not calling Milly Alcock a saint. She’s a human with celebrity status, and she has her own agenda separate from her characters. I’m sure she’s made remarks that have aged poorly, too. But like other people, she deserves some grace. If it wasn’t appropriate to be sexist toward Brie Larson, after all, then it’s not okay to be sexist toward Alcock either. That goes for other female celebrities as well.

This whole situation’s ridiculous. And Jesse Watters owes Milly Alcock, let-alone the queer community, an apology. I doubt he’ll do it, he doesn’t appear to have shame, but I can hope. Because he has a responsibility to his base, and he’s doing a bad job currently. He might not care, but someone will. They might simply be too ashamed or scared to admit it.

Happy Belated Pride Month, either way.