Key Takeaways
- Voice actor David Wald accused Crunchyroll of opening and giving away his fan mail.
- The situation escalated, triggering legal concerns and a lackluster response from Crunchyroll.
- Wald announced he would not return to his voice roles at Crunchyroll due to alleged abuses.
As a long-time fan of anime and voice acting, I have to say that the recent situation between David Wald and Crunchyroll has left me quite disheartened. David Wald is not just a voice actor; he’s a beloved figure in the community, known for his dedication to LGBTQ+ representation and for bringing to life some of our favorite characters in anime series like Fairy Tail, Attack on Titan, and My Hero Academia.
The world of voice-acting can sometimes be unfriendly, filled with competition, temperamental behavior from some actors, and even disagreements with studios. For instance, voice actor David Wald recently made news by declaring that he won’t reprise his popular voice roles anymore and has no intention of ever stepping foot in the offices of Crunchyroll again.
How did an incident unfold that led one of the studios’ most prominent voice actors to vocally criticize the studio on a massive scale, and is it possible that there is no chance for resolution between them? Let’s delve into this peculiar controversy that Crunchyroll has recently encountered.
Who is David Wald?
David Wald is mainly recognized as a voice actor and Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) director, particularly for his work in English versions of Japanese anime productions. Beyond voicing characters, he actively champions fair LGBTQ+ representation within anime, directing dubs for series like Yuri and Yaoi. His main employers have been Sentei Filmworks, Funimation, and Crunchyroll in the field of anime dubbing. He’s also well-known for engaging with his fans on social media platforms such as X and Twitch.
What are Some of His More Famous Rolls?
David Wald is known for lending his voice to a multitude of characters across renowned anime television shows. Some of his iconic voice acting performances include:
- Gajeel Redfox in Fairy Tail
- Hannes and Clown in Attack on Titan
- Bulat in Akame ga Kill!
- Master Chief in Halo Legends
- Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu in My Hero Academia
- Golgo 13 in Golgo 13
- Iskeladd in Vinland Saga
Apart from voicing characters, he’s also taken on the role of director for the English versions of series like Love Stage!!, Bloom into You, and Hitorijime My Hero.
What is the Situation with Crunchyroll?
On October 25, 2024, David accessed X to make a startling claim against his main company, Crunchyroll.
In David’s tweet, he alleged that Crunchyroll had been discarding his fan letters and distributing content as freebies among employees. After discovering this, he expressed his displeasure on X and asked anyone who had taken any of the items depicted in a subsequent tweet to kindly return them (later confirming that some items were indeed returned to him).
Beyond feeling enraged himself, it turned out that fans who had spent their money to send him gifts were equally upset. They demanded clarification from Crunchyroll’s leadership about the situation. There was some optimism that things might be resolved, as David mentioned he had been contacted by various media sources regarding his predicament (Game Rant included), but he needed to wait until after a series of meetings with Crunchyroll management before sharing any details.
The Fallout
Crunchyroll will release a statement, asserting that they view this occurrence as an individual case, while simultaneously conducting a comprehensive examination of the situation.
Numerous supporters swiftly criticized it as a “business-oriented reaction” which neither acknowledged nor refuted any misconduct. However, their previous public comment regarding a Kickstarter project that seemed to have been terminated did eventually lead to the company providing a more comprehensive update on the project a few weeks later. This development offered some optimism that this could mark the beginning of an authentic investigation, one that might culminate in a resolution beneficial to all parties concerned.
Those aspirations were shattered when David shared additional news on his social media platform about two weeks afterwards.
At present, we’re up-to-date on the situation, but this isn’t the end of the story. It remains to be seen if Crunchyroll will continue their investigation and reveal their findings (given that the issue revolves around fan gifts, it would be prudent for them to provide a public update). As far as we know, many employees who received the freebies were unaware they were intended for David. Some have even apologized personally to him for accepting them.
Even though we’ve only heard part of the tale so far, David has hinted at revealing more details during a future Twitch livestream. Fingers crossed that he lands other opportunities beyond Crunchyroll or finds a way to rejoin the studio to carry on his projects.
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2024-11-24 05:24