Lucky Star Seiyuu Flies Red Banner
- Categories: Anime, News
- Date: Jul 16, 2008 19:09 JST
- Tags: Emiri Katou, Mass Media, Politics, Seiyuu
We get a distinct hint as to the possible political leanings of seiyuu 加藤英美里 / Emiri Katou, best known for voicing Lucky Star’s (or should that be Red Star’s) Kagami Hiiragi, with her shameless appearance in the pages of admitted communist newspaper 赤旗 / Akahata (Red Flag).
The article in question is a feature on her experiences as a seiyuu, and what the job entails, seemingly unsubversive enough, if we discount the fact that it constitutes commercial support of the Party.
In her defence, Akahata does regularly feature showbiz articles (the irony apparently being lost on them), though it is hard to see how anyone would opt to feature in such an extremist publication without realising it might attract attention, just as it has.
Whilst there are doubtless those who will argue either that her political leanings are a private matter, or that featuring in a red publication does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of tyrannical socialism, it seems so public an association with, and therefore tacit an approval of, such a publication can only lead observers to the conclusion that she is at least tolerant of such politics, and does not mind it being known.
2ch exposure preserved at Syu’s. See the innocuous looking pages of the red propaganda rag below.
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So what? She's not holding a gun to anyone's head right? Reading the anarchist cookbook doesn't make you a terrorist.
Such fervent intolerance has been displayed on this topic alone, holy shit! America is or is inching closer to a police state, as is Australian from what we've seen lately. A man was busted for having SIMPSONS porn people! Doesn't this make anyone else nervous of things to come?
Less condemnation of other ideologies and political affiliations and more looking inward on our own, or our countrymen's own. Once we complete that phase I think it's time we assess what's wrong, what's right, and what fits into that gray area for our own political ideologies. I currently don't believe we live in a "free" country in the USA.
Most of this was me going off on a tangent, but I feel your coverage of this was pretty slanderous and highly biased. Communist doesn't HAVE to be utter tyrannical socialism, it has been perceived as such and acted out as such THUS FAR. I think a balance can be achieved for the good of the people, while still remaining mostly Communist.
Fellow traveler, consider this an anti-communist site. See any flourishing of the visual arts under communism?
Are you an inherently retarded American?
There are different types of communism.
Not every communist party seeks a Soviet Superstate.
I love you, Anon. THANK YOU.
Yes. Lots of excellent paintings, music and film were produced in the former USSR.
...yet you feverishly consume everything capitalistic japan throws at you. kyoani? holy shit yes! eisenstein? not so much.
Which was mostly propaganda and/ or heavily controlled by the party.
The USSR was a 50 year long failed experiment.
I agree with you. However, I wish you did not post this comic, as it created political bickering. I, for one, believe that seiyuu are entitled to their own political views.
Actually, "Comrade Kagami" has a nice ring to it. Does that mean Konata embodies capitalism? Is Tsukasa the Third World? And what about Miyuki?
Nordic-style Socialist Democracy. Oh god, it all fits so perfectly.
http://www.inochi-life.net/archives_tezuka2.html
Here you can find a quote from Osamu Tezuka for Akahata.
Yes, that Akahata. Yes, THAT OSAMU TEZUKA. There would be no anime and no kawaii seiyuu for you to onsess over if not for that one man.
And it was 1974 when Communism was an actual threat, not 2008 when it's a minor political force.
Of course this is an old story now and Emiri Katou's career was obviously not ruined (in fact she got the famous Kuybey role), but I just had to stick this fact in.
I knew I liked her. As far as I know, communists outside China or NKorea are just innocent idealists. Inside those countries, of course, they are largely ambitious social climbers.
But are you sure there is any connection between appearing in the pages of a newspaper and endorsing its editorial views? Skimming the article, I don't see anything particularly political.
The argument I would be inclined to make is that by consenting to an interview with a publication, one is generally giving one's tacit approval to that publication, with certain exceptions.
This is not just a personal view; imagine the controversy were a top Hollywood celeb to go around giving interviews to white supremacist papers.
Of course she has expressed no political views so she may just have unthinkingly and innocently consented to the interview. I am not convinced this is the case, however.
"This is not just a personal view; imagine the controversy were a top Hollywood celeb to go around giving interviews to white supremacist papers."
The controversy wanes as soon as something new and interesting comes along to catch the public eye.
Remember Mel Gibson's drunken anti-Semetic rant?
Or Tom Cruise's endorsements of Scientology?
Of course, we do; but I could ask my mom, one of the most mainstream, "generic American" people I know, and if I was lucky she might remember the first subject.
The public honestly just stops caring.
shes too innocent and cute to understand what the implications were. the nice men offered a free advertising article and she in her moe moe voice cuteness said okay!
Regardless, the whole thing is kind of innocuous. It's not like she's inciting revolts against the diet or anything. Besides, Japan has had a communist party for a long, long time in spite of it's capitalist/democratic dominance. The efficacy of it on Japan's affairs has been minimal at best, too. The 70's was the last time there was any sort of real communist activity of note inside of the country, if I'm not mistaken. I'd be inclined to agree with hime over the "idealists" comment, too.
"featuring in a red publication does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of tyrannical socialism"
WTF ? Where did this come from ? Today the most tyrannical regimes are so-called "democracies". What, you're one of those USians who's still scared shitless of the "RED THREAT" ? Pathetic.
lol, USians...
Typical of a Russian to vituperate against the free nations of the world whilst denying his own continuing serfdom.
"Typical of a Russian"?
Artefact dude, did you really have to use that phrase?
I'm a bit amazed at the stupidity of someone who confuses modern-day Russia with communism.
Russia today is far closer to being fascist, especially seeing as anyone advertising a left-leaning political view will be met with rather extreme oppression.
As for Japanese socialists, they are in my experience rather to the right of the nordic-style parties.
But whatever, enjoy your ignorance.
Tsar Putin? I'll ignore the obvious contradiction.
anyway, Russia is a capitalist country with communist leanings. if you wanna talk communist, talk china or north korea. plus i dont see anything wrong in appearing in a communist magazine. her choice atleast.
i guess the biggest threat to the US and it's allies is the russians but you're not likely to see her donning a flak jacket waving the sickle and hammer on the roof of the whitehouse. mostly because as i said before, russia isnt communist... plus she isnt russian.
russia is a gangster country in the same way that america is a scientology country, and how japan used to be a yakuza country.
and the fact they call him Tsar has not much to do with communism. sure they support communism but they dont practice it. their political leanings really dont have anything to do with the threat to the status quo that they pose.
and back to the point at hand, yes it's straightforward. but if you thought it was so straightforward, why the name calling? you can approve or not, but that doesnt mean you can insinuate some kind of evil behind it. communism itself is not an evil thing, it's the people abusing it that are.
...and capitalism doesnt? oh well no point in talking with brainwached people. pffff US democratic
Even Russians I know are happy to call him that, and they support him.
Russia is a gangster country, all the money in the world won't get you anywhere there without FSB or mafia connections.
Most objections to her actions seem to be based on whether the objector approves of leftist politics or not, so it seems a fairly straightforward issue.
I'm afraid the vast majority of Russians do actually feel that way; just look at the popularity of Tsar Putin.
I realise there is the "Other Russia", but that seems to have become a minority position. So forgive me for generalising, but in this case it may be justified.
Communism is tyranny, whether in theory or practice. Its proponents are arguing for nothing less than the enslavement of all those who disagree with them. A thoroughly odious creed.
This means that it is likely that Korean government will move to ban anything related with Lucky Star.
You know the Japan Communist Party is a political party that is part of the government, right? They have a small electorate, but people do vote for them.
Gimme a break, this is stupid sensationalism against a non-existent boogieman. Try again.
You might want to study Japanese politics a little harder if you think the Communists have ever been part of a government here.
Not part of any ruling coalition, but the party does have seats in the Diet. Not sure how that means they are not part of the government.
Whoops. I stand corrected, they have never been part of a governing coalition..
You might want to read up on parliamentiary politics. Returning members to a parliament is not the same as being a member of the government.
Are the Conservatives part of the current UK government? You would get some funny looks if you said they were.
To hell with all this pointless political bickering. What CG series is that Lucky Star image from?
Lucky Cosplay. Google it. Or if you want there's an uploader who named it "Ban Edition - Lucky Cosplay" which might help.
It's a random doujin CG as far as I can tell, no idea as to the source.
This was so wrong.
I mean if she just voicing some random characters i wouldnt give a shit,but she dubbed many of my favourite characters ,sigh...
She's entitled to her political views, and so are you
Im so sad... why, Emiri, why?
She has political views, too.