The anime community continues to be shaken up by the controversy surrounding voice actor veteran and Dragon Ball Super: Broly star Vic Mignogna, who has been accused of a long string of instances involving sexual harassment/misconduct. One collateral effect of the Mignogna controversy has been some of his longtime friends and colleagues coming under fire for either speaking out against the actor or not, and one person who attracted some particularly intense controversy is none other Dragon Ball Super actress, Monica Rial.
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Now Rial is releasing a full statement involving the controversy with Mignogna, and it reads as follows:
These last few weeks have been some of the hardest of my lifetime. Please understand that we are ALL hurting. No matter what you choose to believe, please be kind. pic.twitter.com/bBM2j5etVk
— Monica Rial (@Rialisms) February 20, 2019
As you can see, it’s a pretty lengthy statement, which gives much more detail about exactly where and how Rial had her uncomfortable exchanges with Mignogna, whom she is the first to admit is a longtime friend (and still is considered one). This more elaborate breakdown of events was spurned by some heated earlier exchanges that Rial had with anime fans over social media, after some fans lashed out at her, or outright threatened her with violence, sexual violence, or harassment (doxxing) – all for being one of the voices speaking up about how Mignogna had (allegedly) violated her and others in the industry.
The biggest piece of her full explanation that should probably be remembered is no doubt this section:
“I have always stood up for this community. I have loved the anime fandom from the moment I went to my first convention. To be threatened like this by the community I love, really hurts my heart… It has been so incredibly painful, I can’t even express… I have never said anything hurtful toward Vic or any of his fans. i don’t want to ruin his life, he was/is my friend… I’m tired of the fighting, I’m tired of the threats, all of it. From here on, I will only be posting positivity and light… It’s over. This has been incredibly difficult for everyone involved. Please be kind to one another.
Even with that lengthy explanation and plea to the anime fandom, Rial seems to still be experiencing backlash from fans do cannot, or will not, view her actions as anything but self-motivated betrayal:
Why do I feel like this is just another lie in the sea of lies against this man? Why do i feel like the people I used to look up to are becoming monsters and attacking innocent people? I honestly can’t trust any of my childhood heroes and it makes me sad.
— HunterGould (@HunterGould10) February 20, 2019
But if you didn’t mean to hurt anyone then why did you? I used to admire you, Monica before this all went down I watched you pretty much attack people and it broke my heart and ryined my admiration for you. Tough love is okay but to ruin someone like this, was it worth it?
— Emily (@b3lieving) February 20, 2019
@vicmignogna is hurting more than you
— Fangirl (@teresaa811) February 20, 2019
Of course, no matter how fans feel one way or another, Vic Mignogna has already released a statement expressing his views and feelings on this matter. You can read the full statment by clicking the link above, but suffice to say: he’s not denying the claims, but rather committing to take any necessary corrective steps, and issuing an apology. Whatever happens to the iconic anime voice actor personally, for now Funimation has cut ties with the actor.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is out now. Dragon Ball Super currently airs its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami block Saturday evenings. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release is available to stream on FunimationNOW, VRV, and Crunchyroll.
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