No Monica Rial this Year..... (AGAIN)

[UzumakiWarlord 9]

While I could've posted this in the guest request thread, I decided to do this as separate topic due to a couple of mentions that are.... controversial.

 

Anyway, before I say what I want to say, please don't get me wrong when I say that I'm pleased with a few of the choices for guests this year.  I'm happy that Laura Post's invitation was able to roll into this year.  Shame that it doesn't seem to be the case with Steve Blum and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (as of this typing anyway, pending on what other guests are left to announce between now and then).  Such as the case with how busy some guests are, and that cons are just starting to become a thing again, slowly but surely.  I'm also pleased about Kaiji Tang, and Ricco Fajardo coming.  They're definitely really good voice actors, and probably don't get as much credit as they should (at least in my opinion).

 

But now to cut to the chase- While I'm sure the staff had their reasons, I'm once again disappointed that Monica Rial can't be a guest ONCE AGAIN for this year.  She got invited to another con that happens the same weekend as Otakon.  Now I know that when a guest gets invited to another con, there's nothing anyone can do about it, but I was REALLY hoping that this would be the year that the staff would FINALLY show and give her some much needed love after all the crap that she's been dealing with for the last couple of years.  AND SHE'S STILL DEALING WITH IT ALL RIGHT NOW.  Now I know that wanting doesn't do this, nor does it do that, but because it's been so long since the staff had her as guest (2006 was the last time they had her as guest), and because of all the bullcrap she's been dealing with the last couple of years, SHE DESERVES TO BE BROUGHT BACK.  The staff may have many, many reasons why they couldn't have her as guest this year, and years before that, but to keep putting off bringing her back year after year until they find that elusive "right timing", well...... it's just not right.  Like REALLY not right.  Because it just comes off like the staff have been NEGLECTING her for all these years.  And they say that a lot of guest including Monica are all friends of theirs.  And before someone says "there's a reason why guests like her are rare", here's the thing: if you check Monica's profile on animecons.com, you will see that prior to 2020 where the world went into quarantine, she would do about 11-15 cons a year, so, SHE'S NOT THAT RARE.  And you can see it for yourself in this link: https://animecons.com/guests/bio/641/monica-rial

 

I know that some people are looking at this saying something like "you're just complaining that you didn't get one of the guests that you wanted, AS USUAL".  My answer to that is this- Maybe so, but I like to think that there is a little of bit truth in what I have said and pointed out.  And, I know this is going to land me in hot water, but I'm not going to lie: part of me suspects that the staff might have something of a bias against her.  I won't say anymore beyond this, but I'm sure you all know is to exactly what I'm referring to.  If they do some how have a bias against Monica, then that would be very shameful of them.  And I mean VERY shameful.

 

Again, despite what I've said on here, I'm pleased with the choices in guests for this year with what's possible this year with our current circumstances.  I just thought that after Otakon got canceled last year, that the staff would've done some re-evaluating of how they go about bringing in guests.  And that after all the crap Monica has been dealing with for the last couple years, and is still dealing with right now, that maybe the staff would not only show and give her some much needed love, but also have a heart for her.

Even when the staff says that they care about Monica, and several other guests, that's just them saying it.  What they need to do a better job at is SHOWING us that they care.  When it comes to guest requests, the staff really need to do a better job in listening to their fans.  I don't even know if I want to keep making requests for Monica and certain other guests to be invited anymore.  Because I honestly can't feel optimistic to believe the old "there's always next year".  Because I'm half convinced that the staff really don't about Monica....

[Aresef 113]

She's a lovely person who doesn't deserve the cyberbullying and worse she and others have gotten in the last couple years.

But it is what it is. I'm not staff and I'm not privy to everything that went on behind the scenes before the big announcement that Otakon would happen on schedule. But up until that point, how do you invite someone to a convention you can't say with certainty is happening? Otakon announced they were full go in late May, well after Northwest Arkansas Comic Con started selling tickets and such. And just because she only announced she was going to that event a few days ago doesn't mean the offer to her appearance manager just materialized.

And Covid is a bit of a wildcard. In earlier tweets, she indicates her own feelings about virus-related precautions, saying she would be double masked at an event and only going to a Houston show with assurances there would be a strict Covid protocol in place. I'm not saying Otakon's policies aren't the best they could do under the circumstances (short of mandating vaccinations) and I'm not necessarily saying the Arkansas event is objectively safer but it's possible she was asked and decided to do the Arkansas event instead on those grounds. It's possible there are other potential guests that have turned down Otakon and other events for the same reason. For voice actors whose lungs are their moneymakers, Covid is a Wu Tang-level threat. It's nothing to mess with.

[UzumakiWarlord 9]

While you do make a good point, at the same time, you've also brought up another problem that not just Otakon, but other cons also have: The competition they have with one another over what guests to have has gotten to various levels to where such competition is unnecessary.  Now yes, COVID precautions does have quite a lot to with it, however I'm pretty sure NW Arkansas Comic Con was more quicker in negotiations, which resulted in her being invited to that con.

I'm not faulting Monica herself at all for anything.  She has zero blame for this.  At the same time however, Monica has said before that she would love to come back, and has said that it's been like forever since the staff had her as a guest.

 

Again, while you've made a good point, at the same time, I feel competition had plenty to do with it.  And again, cons have gotten competitive to unnecessary levels.  Even Otakon is guilty of that.

[jonathan.nori 11]

Knowing how the guest invitation process works, this year was super-unique. 

Otakon invites guests around themes and shows. On top of that, many guest schedulings are done 6+ months in advance, even though they are not announced until closer to the events. This is pretty much standard, as contracts often specify that announcements can't be done at times that could affect attendance at other appearances.

On top of this, Otakon literally had only 78 days to put a guest list together. Because conventions in some states were given the green light to proceed before others, and because actors wanted to get back out on the road, they took the appearance opportunities that they could, in the order that they could.

Rial would be a FANTASTIC addition to an Otakon guest list, but it just wasn't in the cards for this year.