Scandal seiyuu Aya Hirano “hates otaku” and is in the final stages of abandoning what remains of her seiyuu career, with even industry sources apparently not having much nice to say about her.
An anime industry source is scathing about her attitude to the creepy otaku who sustained her rise and fall:
She says she doesn’t mind being a seiyuu, but she dislikes having to be treated as an idol.
And frankly, she seems to hate otaku.
It seems pretty reprehensible for her to be saying this when it’s those otaku who support her.
According to an agency source, she is dead set on abandoning her tainted seiyuu career in favour of a glittering career as an actress:
She’s totally serious about transforming herself into an actress. She’s told her agency to refuse as much seiyuu work as possible.
The obligatory sampling of the online opinions which have done so much to determine the direction of her career reveals she is for once receiving some sympathetic treatment:
“Those otaku don’t want anything to do with her any more either though.”
“As an actress she is going to be lucky to land even minor roles with that anime voice of hers.”
“If she dumps otaku, who else exactly does she expect to want her?”
“It’s hard to see anyone but otaku accepting her.”
“I hope they replace Prishe’s voice actress now she doesn’t want to do it!”
“I must admit, seiyuu otaku are creepy. I can sympathise.”
“I agree with her but she should really be keeping this quiet.”
“Will her fans stick with her?”
“She still has fans?”
“I thought she fancied herself an artist.”
“I have trouble believing she still gets any offers of seiyuu work to refuse.”
“Of course she hates otaku. Everyone just puts up with them and hides it.”
“What’s up with these ‘agency sources’ they keep trotting out now? Can’t they manage a more credible source?”
“It’s no different to anonymous ravings on 2ch.”
“I really sympathise. Being viewed as an idol leads to demands she present herself as virginal, and that in turn leads to her haters becoming active.”
“Blame her agency for allowing her to be presented as an idol.”
“Listening to her fake anime voice and cutesy antics in the Haruhi DVD extras really made me think she was laying it on thick – I can imagine her saying this sort of stuff in her normal voice though.”
“Seeing her fake tears of gratitude to her fans in that omake, and the roar of her fans that ‘It’s OK! You’re cute, you’re cute!’ just made me think how unbearably creepy both sides are.”
“In the Haruhi days she was so modest and diligent – it’s a shame it all came to this.”
Update:
In response to the quotes, Hirano has twitted denials of both hating otaku and planning to abandon her seiyuu career, and lamented the fact that nobody believes her these days for some strange reason.
It’s pretty messed up when fans go ballistic when they find out their idol had sexual relations with her band members, but it’s equally messed up when fans make light of the scandal as “no big deal,” asserting “it’s her personal life.”
I don’t care how many people she had sex with, but if she’s foolish enough to allow someone to get pictures catching her in the act out to the public, it is now no longer her personal life but also her business life that’s being affected. It’s not exactly professional for coworkers to have their sexual relations exposed; it’s already frowned upon as creating a conflict of interest.
Sure, she should be allowed to be as promiscuous as she wants in her personal life, but now that it’s public, it interferes with her public, marketed image as an innocent seiyuu idol. Just as what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, what happens in your personal life should stay in your personal life. If she was marketed as someone like Ke$ha, who is basically portrayed as someone who sleeps around, then this “scandal” wouldn’t clash with her image.
For those who believe that men can get away with having multiple sexual relations with coworkers and obtain more respect, that’s not exactly true. Men might get cheered on by their friends for “getting some,” this doesn’t apply to women because of how society works: men usually ask women out, not the other way around, so overcoming the fear of rejection and successfully nabbing a partner is commendable and impressive. At least where I’m from, women are expected to be less sex-crazed and not objectify men as sex objects, so when a woman has sexual relations with 3 workers, possibly all at once, of course she’s going to be labelled a slut, and rightfully so. Personally, I believe sex is degrading to both men and women when it isn’t done out of love, like in a porno. That’s the difference between “making love” and “fucking.”
Haruhi was overrated anyway. Go for anime w/ a little… COMPLEXITY. not overrated and generic sh8t, eh?
Remember the other ten times Sankaku reported that Aya Hirano was totally gonna quit doing seiyuu work forever?
Yeah, I’m not buying it.
This comment section appears to be literally full of bandwagon jumping, hypocritical douchebags. *sigh*
People always move on to flavour of the month. Maybe that’s why she seems to be having so much s♥♥t going on (I don’t follow this stuff).
oh give us a break! This lady gets paids thousands of dollars just to voice these characters. She’s well off and the very otaku she “hates” are the ones who have boosted her career to began with THEIR money.
The one thing NOT to do as a star is to like, diss your fans lady. The characters were cute and the voice fit the roles but obsession over the actor is just retarded.