Random moment in anime nerd greatness

Topics on anime/other animation TV series, OVAs, specials, and movies
Post Reply
Blindsightjs
Newbie
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:41 am

Random moment in anime nerd greatness

Post by Blindsightjs »

Hi Beta,
I know many of you have probably had a similar experience to this, but I just received an email and it made me happy enough to wanna share it with someone so here I am :P I just got an email back from Tiffany Grant, whom I asked to sign a poster I won in the benefit auction at Otakon this year. It's a Rebuild of Eva 2.0 poster with five autographs, three of which are Shinji, Rei, and Mari but was painfully and sadly missing Asuka. This is the first time I've ever emailed a voice actor or anyone like this asking for an autograph so I really wasn't expecting much. The same day, I got an email back, in which she called me out because for some reason I had talked about Otakon like it was something she hasn't heard of and then told me shed be happy to sign my poster. For what it's worth, it just makes me feel good when I know the people behind the series I've grown up with and loved are just people too and don't mind taking a minute for the fans. That's enough out of me, though maybe ittd be fun if other people wanna share a similar moment or two to further reaffirm my love for our hobby :D :D
User avatar
sensei
Moderator and Admin-in-waiting
Moderator and Admin-in-waiting
Posts: 4997
Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2004 6:55 am
Location: Cephiro
Contact:

Re: Random moment in anime nerd greatness

Post by sensei »

My daughter, who is a staffer for AnimeNext (every June near New Brunswick, NJ, I'll be there), has gotten to meet many voice actors and is good friends with Michele Knotz, who dubs both Misty and Jessy in Pokémon, plus four dozen+ Pokémon creatures. I've met her several times, and gone to some of the voice actors' panels. The ones highlighting bloopers can be very funny. She's very engaging and seems representative of the bunch who work together to adapt anime for American audiences: proud of her work but interested above all else in promoting good series and doing her best to get them an audience. I'm sure she'd be flattered to get a note like yours. The original Japanese seiyuu are often performers and idols with huge followings, so probably they would be less approachable. But in the US anime is still a niche industry, and the people who work on it are much more like us, hardworking folks with a passion. It always makes me sad to read reviews of AnimeNext that complain that there were no big names from Japan in presence, "only a bunch of dub artists." I'm sure both Tiffany and Michele hear this a lot. Your letter probably made Tiffany's day.
Image
User avatar
JWR
Kitten Rescuer - Moderator
Kitten Rescuer - Moderator
Posts: 2822
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 9:40 pm
Location: Eagle Rock , California
Contact:

Re: Random moment in anime nerd greatness

Post by JWR »

My wife and I have actually got to spend a bit of time with Tiffany and her husband Matt Greenfield at a small con that was held in Valencia Ca.
ADV at the time brought out several VA's which was fun. That con seemed to be devoted to cosplayers so the panels as well as the meet and greet had light attendence. Tiffany spent close to an hour talking with us about her projects as well as taking the time to find out a bit about us. We can attest that she is a delight and enjoys interacting with fans so I am not surprised to hear she got back to you so quickly.
"Like the wind crying endlessly through the universe, Time carries away the names and the deeds of conquerors and commoners alike. And all that we are, all that remains, is in the memories of those who cared we came this way for a brief moment." Harlan Ellison
User avatar
AR-99
Eiketsu - Mastermind
Posts: 112
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:30 am
Location: --
Contact:

Re: Random moment in anime nerd greatness

Post by AR-99 »

You mentioned that there were 5 autographs, 3 of which were Shinji, Rei, and Mari. Who were the other 2?

Although I'm a sub adherent (apologies to Spike Spencer, I could not stand his voicing of Shinji), it's great to hear that your efforts will work out. :cheers
User avatar
cutiebunny
Yosutebito - Hermit
Posts: 1936
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 1:55 pm
Location: Rockin' da Cats-bah
Contact:

Re: Random moment in anime nerd greatness

Post by cutiebunny »

sensei wrote: The original Japanese seiyuu are often performers and idols with huge followings, so probably they would be less approachable. But in the US anime is still a niche industry, and the people who work on it are much more like us, hardworking folks with a passion.
I disagree with most of this. There are a lot of Japanese seiyuu and artists who are just as enthusiastic about their job and their fans as the US voice actors. And I'd imagine that the same could be said about those who dub in different languages around the world. A lot of Japanese seiyuu are career seiyuu, and they need to continually line up jobs in order to pay their bills just like everyone else. Not only that, but many Japanese anime guests have sacrificed a lot to get where they are, or to have what they have. Although most fans are aware that most animators do not typically earn a lot of money, these fans many not realize that many of their beloved seiyuu/artists have not only had to put their lives on hold, but many of them have failed marriages or poor relationships with family members due to the time and energy each artist dedicates to their job.

When it comes to Japanese guests, my experience has been that the older the guest, the more appreciative they are of their fans. There are some exeptions, like Akemi Takada and Yuki Kajura, but guests who hit their prime more than a decade ago and many not have much in the way of employment now tend to show a lot of love to their US fans. The young pop stars and popular young seiyuu seem to be under the impression that there will always be plenty of work for them out there, or perhaps have not yet learned the finesse of fanbase maintenance. A lot of them just need to be humbled a few times and then you'll find that they'll be great guests to have around.

Most conventions try to solicit guests that fans are interested in, and those that the find also seem to love their fans and want to show them how much they appreciate their loyalty. I've been to conventions where artists will sketch for everyone in line, even if it means staying to sketch for hours past their scheduled autograph session (Mamoru Yokota & Hiroshi Nagahama stand out here) or despite their poor health (Izumi Matsumoto). Some Japanese guests enjoy partying with their fans (like FLOW and Halko Momoi), especially the fashion designer guests who seem to revel in the more intimate tea party gatherings that some conventions have.

I remember Tiffany Grant - I think she was at SakuraCon 2011. I'm not a US VA fan, so I never bothered to attend her panels, but I think it's nifty that she's offered to sign your poster for you.
Blindsightjs
Newbie
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:41 am

Re: Random moment in anime nerd greatness

Post by Blindsightjs »

Here's a couple pictures of the poster: (I'll fix the pictures when I get home since theyre way too big)
Image
Image
I know the one on the right is Junichi Sato, but I have no clue who the top left is. If anyone else does, that'd rock.
As far as voice actors go, I am a sub over dub kind of guy too but Eva is one of those series that I can enjoy in both languages. I always sort of figured that many VAs are just people working a job and probably get a little annoyed getting requests and things of this nature. I'm sure many of them get just an ocean of fanmail and as most people of any fame, don't bother to read it all but what do I know :P Tiffany Grant definately made me feel less jaded on the topic though. I say no matter the origin of the actor, going out of one's way to converse with and help out a fan speaks volumes of the particular actor and gives me hope that the industry is just one big family that knows and appreciates the dedication of the fans and that means a lot to me.
Post Reply