... but I've stumbled, in the last 12-24 hours, on a story which is no less than what is being called a "day of reckoning" for anime conventions.
And depending on it's truth, it may well end them all.
And the mainstream media (even that more akin to anime) isn't reporting on this much. (One reason is the man involved is considering lawsuit legal-action -- as well he should if his name is clear.)
That said, let me take you back to 2013 to a small anime convention in Fresno -- one of the last anime conventions I have attended.
I remember that con for three things:
- Fresno is not the kind of place you want to spend much time. (Apologies to any person reading this blog who has to live there.)
- Cynthia Martinez, Sora Naegino in the two Kaleido Star seasons -- my favorite anime. As such, I told Martinez that she was on my Bucket List, which made her all but squeal!
- And a disturbing moment in the final panel of the convention. I finally got the opportunity to attend a convention of the one of the Ayres brothers. I want to say this was Greg... But what I recall clearly was, later in the panel, he absolutely takes one of the biggest names in the anime industry and just throws him under the bus.
Attending that convention, I was pretty clear that, between what he was talking about and the implications, he was talking about Vic Mignogna.
For many, many years, Mignogna was THE go-to guest anime conventions wanted to get. He was, and NOT CLOSE, THE most popular anime voice talent in the United States. His autograph lines were often massive. I should know -- I was in more than a few of them and loved the guy.
So, last night, I checked out his Wikipedia page, more to see if his relationship with actress Michelle Specht was still going (it fizzled out last year).
In doing so, I literally opened Pandora's Box.
#MeToo
Vic Mignogna is in the process of being blackballed (and whether it is justified or not is going to have to be a matter for the courts -- almost-certainly both criminal against him and civil actions sought by him -- to decide) from the American anime industry. He has been fired in February, 2019 from Funimation Pictures (for whom Mignogna worked for two decades -- it's now a Sony derivative who basically is the near-extent of the current American anime localization industry), and many other companies and conventions have not only cut ties with him, but one February Florida anime convention actually threatened to call the police on fans who still supported him! (No joke!)
A couple of months ago (and I'm not sure if I covered the guy's spreadsheet on this blog), Kotaku reported that a spreadsheet of accused sexual harassment complaints was being circulated among anime conventions and fans.
It is now clear that Mignogna's name was all over that spreadsheet, and that it appears as if Mignogna himself is (allegedly believed to be) the same Dark Secret in the anime-convention community that the previously-referenced Magic player was to his.
Given the allegations, it is hugely difficult for me to believe someone has not filed criminal charges against Mignogna. There is the belief, obviously, that someone has planted these allegations to destroy him -- and, if that's the case, they have succeeded.
But the charges read as if his entire career was a farce.
- The charges span a period of 30 years (including 10 previous to his anime career), according to three articles referenced on Vic's Wikipedia page.
- They include kissing fans, groping fans, and unwanted sexual comments toward them -- some of them underage.
Just my experience with Mignogna indicates that there is plausible credibility (no proof, but
credibility) to at least ask these questions. Mignogna was greatly affectionate with his fans, especially the female fans -- without question.
Groping them, however, takes that to an entirely different level and a very dark place. Especially because all outward appearances (and more than a few of his panels) indicated he was a very religious man -- though quite accepting and tolerant.
- Two prominent voice actresses, Monica Rial and Jamie Marchi, added their charges against Mignogna to the list.
- There have also been charges of homophobia. (These, to my understanding, are NOT credible. Mignogna, because of his religious beliefs, has been asked a number of times on this subject, and has consistently said he openly supports the LGBT community. The Polygon article which outlines some of the charges indicates that some people attempted to present him homosexual representations of characters he's played which have existed outside of show canon -- and it is that "outside of show canon" which has had him refuse to sign them.)
- Mignogna attempted a public apology at a convention in Bakersfield, CA within two weeks of his Funimation firing, but many conventions have axed Mignogna from their programming.
There's two very disturbing thoughts on this situation.
The first is: It's not even a matter of "Why didn't you come forward before now?"... It's "How can Vic Mignogna not -- and, to date, he has not -- be arrested for this kind of a track record?" This is 30 years, people. Some of the stuff may be outside statute of limitations, but it almost certain, given the allegations, that a good portion of it is not.
But the second is why this is such a large story. Anime conventions, to their benefit for many years (but to their increasing detriment now), have been largely a "no-rules" environment. This kind of conduct is rampant at these conventions. Part of this is why the "Cosplay Is Not Consent" movement has been gaining traction.
It is becoming clear that no less than a complete re-examination of the American anime culture is going to have to be taking place, regardless of the merit of the specific allegations against Mignogna. And this is up to and including pulling the plug on the conventions -- from the one-day college and high-school club events to the major anime festivals such as Otakon, A-Kon, Fanime, and Anime Expo.
I have said (and much to the consternation of both the anime fan community and the anime convention community) that, if the police and the authorities ever caught full wind of what REALLY goes on at these events, they would no longer be held, regardless of the cost to the cities involved as such. (A couple of those larger conventions literally bring tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue -- and, on more than one occasion, it has appeared that and ONLY THAT is the reason the conventions are allowed to continue!)
This is another one of those "stay tuned" events. Mignogna is considering civil action against his accusers, as he well must. But the facts also are that, if these charges have sufficient traction, criminal action must also be sought against him.
And I don't know the anime fandom and culture in this country can afford that. I am reminded of one convention I attended in 2008 in Las Vegas. In one day, two voice actresses were openly attacked and groped in their autograph line, and a third was nearly attacked by a girl who wanted to grope her chest in hers!
