‘Evangelion’ Rei Ayanami VA Believes “Invasive Species” Threaten Japan’s Cultural Identity: “Our Freedom Of Expression, Like Anime, Might All Be At Risk”
In the face of what she believes to be a growing indifference from her fellow citizens when it comes to the idea of respecting their own cultural identity, the Japan voice actor for Rei Ayanami in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, Megumi Hayashibara, is calling on the country’s leadership to redirect their political towards their own constituents.
Hayashibara, who across her storied 30-year voice acting career has also brought to life such other anime and video game characters as Lina Inverse in Slayers, Jessie in Pokémon, and Sage in Sonic Frontiers, offered her thoughts on the current state of her home nation via a post made to her official blog, as hosted by Japanese social media platform Ameba.
In opening her post, as per a machine translation provided by ChatGPT and reviewed by this article’s author, the voice actor began by admitting that, when it came to her current view of Japan, “Is this really okay…? I’m honestly starting to feel really anxious.”
From there, Hayashibara proceeded to recall how, “After I featured a Korean YouTuber [their name withheld by the voice actor], a Korean friend contacted me. They told me that right now in Korea, there’s a lot of tension and division between the political right and left. If I make a comment that seems like I support the right, it could hurt people on the left. And vice versa—if I appear to support the left, the right will be upset. They scolded me, saying I could end up “fueling unnecessary conflict.”
“The truth is, by casually featuring someone as an ‘outsider,’ I could unintentionally hurt people,” she added. “I know it’s a bit late, and maybe I’m just adding fuel to the fire… but if I hurt anyone, I’m truly sorry. I’ve removed that part from my content. I can’t reach those I’ve already hurt, but I hope at least no more people will be hurt because of this.”
After addressing the apparent fallout from her apparent collaboration with a Korean YouTuber, Hayashibara turned to offer a slight bit of pushback to her critics, in doing so declaring ,”I know this short message might not get across everything I want to say, but…What really breaks my heart is how cold and indifferent Japan seems to be toward itself—how we’ve become apathetic even about raising our voices.”
“No rice??? In Japan???” she then questioned, referring to the country’s ongoing shortage of the grain, itself caused by a triple-combo of inflation, poor crop performances, and increased demand due to the recent surge of tourists. “Meanwhile, Japanese students are getting scholarships—which they have to pay back. To put it bluntly, that’s debt.”
To this end, the voice behind Cowboy Bebop‘s Faye Valentine declared, “This warped reality connects to the need to stop leaving things to others. We have to go vote.”
“We can’t afford to say things like ‘Whatever’ or ‘Nothing’s going to change,'” she argued. “We’re already at a point where that kind of attitude won’t cut it. If this keeps up, what makes Japan, Japan—our manners, behavior, skills, and even our freedom of expression, like anime— might all be at risk.”
Turning her attention to the country’s aforementioned tourism boom, Hayashibara then asserted, “At the same time, there are some poorly-behaved guests in Airbnb-style accommodations, some tourists who don’t understand the idea of yielding to others, some who even cut down bamboo in Kyoto. Without proper regulation and enforcement, it’s seriously dangerous.”
“Just like how Japanese crayfish got wiped out in no time by invasive species,” she said. “If we don’t do something, even our unspoken rule of lining up in order might become a disadvantage. I’m not trying to attack any specific country. But I do believe Japanese tax money should first and foremost be used to support the people who pay those taxes (including foreign residents who pay taxes, of course), and to help disaster-stricken areas in Japan, and support students who are currently holding Japan up.”
Drawing her thoughts on the matter to a close, Hayashibara addressed what she ostensibly believed would be the main criticism of her statement, declaring “Would that be considered xenophobic? If Japan itself falls apart, we won’t even be able to offer hospitality anymore.”
“Yes, the slush fund scandals are worse and a huge problem too,” she concluded, in doing so making reference to Japan’s 2023-2024 slush fund scandal. “But right now, I just want to say this: If you have the right to vote (from 18 years old), please, really think about what that right means.”
“Political statements are tough,” the voice actor ultimately admitted, “but I had to say this.”
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