Sometimes we think that the lives of Japanese celebrities are perfect, but reality delivers a hard blow. Mariko Honda, the talented voice actress who we all remember fondly for voicing Yuuko in the classic Nichijou, has just opened her heart in a brutally honest way. Through a very personal message, she confessed something that surely resonates with many: she is completely exhausted from searching for love and feels that marriage simply isn’t for her.

A desperate plea to the heavens

The message she shared on her social media is truly heart-wrenching and human at the same time. Mariko explained that her dream of walking down the aisle began when she was only five years old, but fate simply hasn’t cooperated. The artist confessed that she even turned to the famous marriage searches, a process extremely common in Japanese society where people attend arranged dates and specialized agencies to find a stable partner. However, nothing has worked for her. In her emotional text, she questions with great frustration why things don’t work out for her and even begs God for a sign to know if she should give up, though she admits that deep down she still refuses to lose hope.

The virtual embrace of her followers

Clearly, reading such a beloved seiyuu in such a vulnerable state provoked an immense outpouring of positive reactions. Those who know her huge career and her work in major video game franchises like Fate/Grand Order and Genshin Impact turned out to send her words of encouragement and lots of love. The community reminded her that she doesn’t need to rush her love life and that her happiness doesn’t depend on having a ring on her finger.

Seeing someone so talented take off the mask of a public figure to talk about everyday problems reminds us that, behind our favorite characters, there are real people dealing with insecurities and paused dreams. Knowing how demanding and strict work life in Japan can be, do you think the entertainment industry steals artists’ time and opportunity to form a family, or do you think true love simply arrives when you least expect it?