Former Voice Actress Says an Anime Director Invited Her to a Casting Couch
A current influencer known as Jirai-chan went viral on Twitter after sharing an incident that happened to her when she attempted to become a voice actress in the anime industry.
On January 1st, the former voice actress—now a digital influencer—Jirai-chan shared the following:
“Does casting couch really exist in the entertainment industry?”
Yes, it does. I was also approached by an anime director back when I was a voice actress. Among voice actors, there is even a term called the “casting couch squad,” used to refer to rookie voice actresses who, despite being completely unknown, frequently received small roles in TV anime.
I despise this from the bottom of my heart and didn’t want to become the same as people who can only get work that way. That’s why I’ve continued my career to this day without letting myself be tainted by it.”
Her tweet exploded, reaching over 5 million views, and raised many questions among users. One comment asked her to name names—specifically, who invited her to bed in exchange for a role, and in which anime.
However, Jirai-chan stated that she could not name anyone, even if she had evidence, because the other parties could sue her. Another user asked whether she had ever voiced a character in an anime. Jirai-chan replied that she managed to land a role in Kemono Friends purely through her own abilities.
Reactions from Japanese Users
“Casting couch exists in every industry.”
“When I was choosing a talent agency, there was a field asking for body measurements. From that point on, I was sure it existed. And sure enough, it did, lol.”
“I don’t know if this is true, but anime directors hardly have the authority to decide casting.”
“You think in the voice acting world it’s enough to sing, dance, and be cute, but it turns out you need a fourth requirement: the casting couch.”
“It’s not on the level of Johnny’s, but similar structures exist everywhere…”
“Seriously…? No industry is decent, lol.”
“If you think of casting couch as just one of the ways to succeed, maybe it’s not that bad. It’s seen as a female thing, but I wonder if there’s a male version too?”
“People who don’t have an amazing career history on wiki, didn’t suddenly go viral, but get named roles in their second or third year… it makes you go ‘oh,’ right?”
“I don’t remember who said it, but someone once said, ‘Jobs you get through casting couch aren’t a big deal anyway, so it’s not worth it.’”
“Showa-era idol singers said it existed back then too, and bands were even provided women for one-night stands, so it wouldn’t be surprising at all.”
“I won’t name names, but there are many hugely popular voice actresses you look at and think, ‘She definitely didn’t need that.’ But since everyone has gotten prettier, these rumors naturally increase.”
“The real problem is that even people with incredible talent, when they’re not given opportunities, end up seeing casting couch as a last resort.”
“Jealousy, honestly.”
“If it were a producer, I could understand it—but a director making advances? Do they really have that much power?”