Voice actress Yuuki Aoi’s number one fan, Moriyama Seiichi, took to Twitter today and decried the culture of expecting fans to remain single. “Every time news come out that one of us are romantically involved, a segment of people always raise a ruckus,” Moriyama’s tweet reads. “I don’t want to be hurt by Ao-chan, but my parents want grandchildren.”
Moriyama states that some of his acquaintances who are not interested in seiyuu or idols have already had children, but he remains romantically single out of dedication to his beloved Yuuki Aoi and definitely not for any other reason.
The tweet is a peek into the less savory side of Japanese idol and seiyuu fandom. Behind the glittering veneer of pop songs and supportive fans lies a bleak expectation of purity which has lead to news of threats and abuse.
Others quickly stepped forward to support Moriyama’s assertions. Tadamori Natsuo, a long time anime and seiyuu fan, recalls receiving hate mail from Usaka Sumire and Serizawa Yuu after he asked a girl out in school.
“Outside of anime, we are just people too and want to live our lives and be left alone,” Natsuo said.
Sadly, even instances of sexual harassment and stalking have occurred. For observers, it may seem like a mystery why some of these female voice actors cannot simply leave their fans alone and respect their personal lives. Strong cultural forces keep these devoted seiyuu fans single, and while many would like to see a less draconian norm, as the Japanese themselves would say, “it can’t be helped”.
“I just hope one day I can get married without worrying about Suzuko Mimori sending me death threats,” Natsuo concluded.