Being otaku today is almost a trend, but decades ago, admitting your fandom made you an instant target for ridicule across Japan. And if you thought creators in the industry were spared from insults, you’re mistaken. The legendary seiyuu Yuko Miyamura, known worldwide for voicing the iconic Asuka Langley in the massive franchise of Neon Genesis Evangelion, recently dropped a nostalgic bomb by revealing the disgusting and humiliating treatment actors and the community of fans endured from traditional TV during the 90s.

Through a recent column for the magazine Hanasone, the actress opened the chest of memories and confessed that invitations to typical Japanese variety shows were a nightmare disguised as promotion. While Evangelion was breaking paradigms in the 90s and pushing anime into the mainstream, TV producers still saw voice actors as mere circus monsters. Miyamura recounted that hosts often addressed them with incredibly condescending tones, using them as bait on camera to openly mock viewers who supported them.

The cynicism of these producers knew no moral limits. The actress recalled an occasion where a recording crew visited her booth under the false promise of documenting the boom of anime radio shows, but in the editing room, they twisted the report to label otaku culture as a serious addiction and a psychological problem. Worse yet, on another infamous variety show, directors promised to change the concept and not mock her fans just to convince her to attend. The result? As soon as the lights turned on, they forced her to follow the original script full of mockery, leaving her so devastated that she had to desperately beg them to cancel the broadcast.

Luckily, Miyamura acknowledges that the current landscape has turned 180 degrees, with celebrities openly showing off their shelves full of figures and the anime industry becoming a respected pillar globally. Knowing the tremendous abuses these pioneers endured to dignify the profession, do you think Japanese TV networks owe a huge public apology to all the talents they mercilessly humiliated in the past?