Voice Over Actor Interview #1 Jamie McGonnigal

Jamie McGonnigal https://www.facebook.com/JamieEqualityMcGonnigal is an organizer and founder of TalkAboutEquality.com. He is also a contributor to Huffington Post and LGBTQNation. He currently works as the Community Engagement Manager for the New Organizing Institute.

As an award-winning producer and director and as a founding producer of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Jamie has created some of New York’s most important theatrical events over the last decade, raising funds for victims of floods, earthquakes, tsunami and inequality. His World AIDS Day Concerts were named the best theatrical events of the year from 2003-2007 and his concerts have featured performances from Rosie O'Donnell, Ben Vereen, Chita Rivera, Betty Buckley, Laura Benanti, Jai Rodriquez, Mike Nichols, Cheyenne Jackson, Michael Urie, Gavin Creel and hundreds more.

As a photographer, Jamie’s work can be seen at EqualityPhotography.com and on the cover of Tracy Baim’s book, “Obama and the Gays.”

As a voice actor, Jamie can be heard on more than 100 anime titles including Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Viva Pinata, One Piece and many more.

 

1) Do you see more fanservice aimed at yaoi fans in recent years? If so, does this surprise you?
I actually don't have my finger on the pulse of the fan service, so I wouldn't really know about the volume of the fan service. I am rarely surprised by anything though. I think the first thing I ever saw when I was hired to play Barry in Pokemon was a dirty drawing of him and Ash getting it on, so no - it never surprises me.
2) Can you see a day where a yaoi series can run on Hulu or even Adult Swim?

If it was a series that wasn't too risky sexually, I could see it happening. Something like Kizuna (if it was more than three episodes) would be appropriate. But to be completely honest, considering Kizuna is the only yaoi title ever even dubbed professionally in the US, I'd be really surprised to see that happen. Additionally, there is still a great deal of homophobia in this country, and sexism. So while the media has no problem showing a boob or "down there" on a woman, they very rarely show the male private parts on screen. So again - I'd be pretty surprised to see Yaoi on anything that would be as accessible as Adult Swim or Hulu - but hopefully I'm wrong.
3)What do you think about fan creations based on your shows (cosplay, amateur Music Videos and fanfiction)?
I LOVE THEM! I'm not a hugely well-known voice actor, so when I see someone recognizing something I've worked on, I'm really honored. Actually, I've been uninvited to judging cosplays because the first one I judged, I gave the big award to someone who was cosplaying one of my characters - and I will absolutely admit it's because I didn't know any of the other characters. As for music videos, I'll search youtube once in a while and comment on things people have created - again - I find it really flattering...even (and especially) the yaoi pairings.
4)Not that we want you to drop names (HA!), but I must put you on the spot the way a con panel would. Do all Voice actors react well to finding their characters in explicit doujinshi?
HAHA! No. They most certainly do not. There's one voice actor who shall remain nameless, but is a big celeb. Anytime I've been on a panel with him and someone has asked a question about this, he's been very vocally upset about yaoi pairings of his characters. This always confused me because when I first met this actor, I thought he was gay (as did most of the people who work with him). But apparently he's not, therefore he's very offended that someone might think a character he did a voice for might be gay.
Most voice actors are pretty cool about it and well...I love it. But once in a while you run into someone who's fairly homophobic and is truly not a fan.
5) Do you advise your fellow actors on handling a different vision of their characters than they might have envisioned?
Well, we never really have the opportunity to work together in the studio. Additionally, it's bad form to tell a fellow actor how they should do their job. Where I do get to advise, or talk to my fellow voice actors is on the issues affecting LGBT people on a daily basis. Many of them come to me when they have questions about equality and the LGBT movement. So that means a lot that I'm able to pass along some of the things I've learned.
6)What characters would you love to play that you have not?
Truly, anything fun. I haven't done much of late since I moved to Washington D.C. two years ago. I finished out what I was working on in Pokémon and there's not much access to new things down here, but I'm certainly open if someone calls!

Big Update about Free Yaoi!!

As a reward for all of your support through my own dramas, I am planning to publish some short fiction around the characters from my yaoi novels. Moreover, these will be illustrated stories! The Soldier's stories will be from the timeline between the two novels and involve some military adventures. The Ensnared stories will be set between volumes two and three. All of the stories will have a great deal of good lovin', some crazy Seme possessiveness and some clever uke humor. They will be free initially. They will never cost more than 99 cents when I do charge. I'll also do some doujinshi stories based on some of my favorite anime characters. Those will also be illustrated. Since I can't sell those, they will always be free.


Also, I have some huge news that I can't really talk about. All I can say is that your support of this page an my books gave me a high enough profile that I have a deal in the works with a major publisher/distributor! This is why you all deserve a reward! So, look for the story announcement in the next couple of weeks.

Shizuo x Izaya – Why it Really Doesn't Work & How it Could

This makes some sense to me.

No one likes seeing Shizuo and Izaya go at it on Durarara more than me. They are exciting, and they are often hilarious. However, I seem to be almost alone in not viewing their testosterone drenched, city wide battles as anything more than mutual hatred. I suppose when pushed, I could believe that there is an obsession on Izaya's part toward Shizuo that is based on desire. The only reason that I'm willing to give in to that is that there is speculation amongst the show's characters about what is going on between those two. If it is there, I doubt Izaya is aware of the reason behind that compulsion. He wouldn't want anyone to have that kind of influence over his emotions. That may explain why he has tried so hard to destroy Shizuo. So, let's say that he wants this incredible Bishonen and wants him badly at first sight. Subconsciously, Izaya senses the loss of control around this man. Consciously, that comes out has hostility. He's like a little boy with a school crush who has no idea how to seduce his crush, so he punches him in the arm. Or in this case, starts knife fights or tries to get him arrested. It is clear that Izaya of starts most of the near lethal battles between them when there is no need to even glimpse each other in the neighborhood.

Okay, I'll buy that Izaya has something for Shizuo that makes him lose control and do very bad things. What

does that get him? Endless scheming and constant dodging of flying vending machines, that's what. He certainly can't get as close to his heart's and body's desire as Celty or even some school children can. He can't get within 20 yards of the man. Destroying Shizuo might end the torment, but that has not worked. In fact, one might argue that the efforts have backfired. Physical attacks have made him stronger. And antics like trying to get him thrown in jail have left him with more allies who think Izaya is a douche. Some of those allies like Tom Tanaka are as heavy hitters in the underworld as Izaya. Actually, Tom is a great case in point that Izaya has no control around Shizuo. You would think that a guy who enjoys scheming and upending the order of everything would try to do what Tom did – befriend Shizuo and get him to be an ally in his mayhem. I doubt he'd succeed – and maybe that's why he didn't try – but the vendetta against Shizuo would make more sense if he had tried and failed. Perhaps, he needs to rethink this problem and find another angle.

Taming the Beast

There have been different ways that writers have helped Izaya have his wicked way with Shizuo. I've seen rape, I seen blackmail and I've seen drugs among others. Aside from not approving of any of these methods, I don't think they would work with Shizuo in the universe in which the novels and the anime were written. Before I go on, let me quickly say that I am not a prude. Far from it. Read my fanfic of yor (the link can be found in the menu on the right for those who dare). I own implements of pain as a lifestyle dominatrix, but I have never caused a moment of unwanted discomfort. I have never caused humiliation. I don't think force or drugs is worthy of anyone who claims to be a true top or Seme. Those methods speak of insecurity in their prowess as a lover and a lack of knowledge of how the human body works when under duress. In short, it ain't sexy. I want to read about lovers who really know what they are doing. But nevermind me, force of any sort will not work on Shizuo. His response to any kind of assault on his person is intense rage. Izaya was never strong enough to take him on alone and force him to have sex. I don't know if a dozen men would work to rape him. Blackmail wouldn't work either for the same reason. Shizuo would be affronted by anyone placing people close to him in any sort of peril for any reason. That the reason is for sex with him would trigger a volcanic reaction after some maniacal laughing. Drugs could work, but I think Izaya would want Shizuo to be responsive. He's arrogant and self absorbed enough to need a response from his prize at the very least. Besides, I think that it's likely Izaya's fear of losing control stems from his desire to bottom for this beautiful and powerful man.

It seems then that this pairing is an impossibility, but there is a way. Shizuo has a strong moral and ethical

code. He doesn't hit women, and he is protective of children. He is a man of his word. If a greater danger came to Ikebukuro that caused the factions to work together, I could see this pair in a situation where they were truly interacting and not fighting. And given that the neighborhood boasts a demonic sword and an Irish death spirit, I think such an enemy exists that could make them fight together and not fight each other. During a truce Izaya could make sure they were often side by side or back to back. There would be protecting of each other and watch over each other. There may even be eating a meal together. During such a truce Izaya could safely reveal his desires. Oh, their would still be an explosion, but it wouldn't lead to bloodshed. Sparks would fly. There would be some shouting about lusts and desires. I can imagine such a story being very funny. And I think such an arc could lead to something really, really sexy.

I don't believe that just because there is smoke there is fire. Nor do I believe that because a pair of anime or manga characters look good together that they can automatically be shipped. However, I am open minded. Give me something that fits their characters and makes sense within the story arc, I'll go with it.

Yaoi Love and Families, Short Shorts and Bestsellers

I am so sorry for posting so infrequently. I've become involved in a time consuming Facebook page (I'll go into that at the end of the blog. I'm sure my gentle readers here will enjoy it). But mostly, I've been really busy editing for Digital Manga. Last year, my team was doing a title every six weeks. This year looks as busy already. This is not all bad. First, two of our titles made the Amazon.com bestseller list this week. They are Get! Volume One and Get! Volume 2. Second, While it has slowed down my posts on this blog, it has fueled my fantasies about what I want to write about in my fiction and on this site. In other words, my gentle readers here will benefit from my crazy busy schedule. But onto business.

Yaoi Pairs and Families

While ever good Fujoshi enjoys a story of hot headed Seme dragging his uke away to his lair where they bang like bunnies until forced to part. I like reading such stories. I really like writing such scenes. That is why I write such scenes. It isn't easy to place such isolated encounters in novels that tend to be filled with action. I must have those long hours where my young and untried uke is vulnerable and alone in the clutches of his seemingly formidable and unbending Seme. Will all the uke's teasing and stalling lead to force? Or is this where the real seduction begins? Or is it a little of column A and column B? Will the uke ever want to leave? Is it hot in here? At any rate, these kinds of scenes are stables because fans adore them.

However, there are more and more yaoi/BL that are expanding their horizons. Now, couples have to deal with families and co-workers that are parts of their relationships. Heck, there are a couple of stories where that family is the Yakuza. All walks of life are represented now. In A Soldier's Choice, when Colonel Rik Heron realized that he was in love with his volatile subordinate, Vincent Greven, he knew that the beautiful young man was a package deal. He had a younger brother who adored him. Rik was certain that he'd end up with both Grevens in his house though he really wanted to keep Vincent all to himself. He locks his lover away as often as he can. However, despite the reputation of Altered Soldiers being loners, Rik and Vincent find that they are a central part of an ever growing extended family. This is great in some ways, but problematic for finding time alone together for one. Their 'family' likes to be around them – a lot. Snuggling on the sofa is not easy with an audience. But Vincent is more of a Seme than he is a uke. He won't tolerate anyone interfering with skin to skin time with Rik. Beyond that, there is the young squad of Altereds the men trained. Among them, is a Major that has fallen in love with Rik. Viper tries very hard to stay close to Rik by staying close to Vincent's brother, Bobby looking for an opportunity to plead his case. Viper is not used to hearing the word no, so he will become a problem. By and large, however, the family is about too much love. Vincent is flummoxed to find himself and Rik in two wedding parties. He hates that kind of attention. Their bigger problem is how to handle a new squad of unique recruits who have pairs forming within. How can they site military rules against such relationships when they are living together and were once subordinate and superior? This situation provides a lot of fodder for conflict, drama and humor. Pinky swear, I will start posting snippets of the new book here very soon.

Short and Sweet

Speaking of snippets, I have been inspired to write some short works of fiction in the worlds of my books. There are some things I'd love to do with my characters that don't fit in the character arcs I have in mind. I'm going to take a page from the deeply talented Hamlet Machine in her Starfighter Webcomic and have special editions that are stand alones from the main story. In those settings, I can explore some really wild and even dark fantasies while remaining true to what my pairs are about. It is my plan that these stories will be illustrated. And yes, I will be taking some of the story ideas from reader suggestions about what they'd like to see. I hope it will be a case of having ones cake and eating it too. This kind of story also means that I won't have to say goodby to my bishie boys even after their arcs are resolved.

Yaoi a GoGo

I've posted about this Facebook page, Yaoi A GoGo , before, but it has grown into a major bit of work. Since Yaoi-con, I've been building a site for news, trends, reviews and all the fun bits from the fandom. We're approaching 5,000 likes. I'm even posting the first reviews from guest writers this weekend. There is Cosplay Friday and AMV Wednesday for fans to share their stuff in an ever growing range of fandoms within Yaoi/BL. Come on over and join us! Note, the drawing on the right is a different interpretation of Darius and Andreas from Ensnared.

Get! Vol 2 -- The Confident vs Arrogant Seme

Get! Volume 2

by Akiro Kanazawa

Hino Ryosuke is on top of the world. Class president Kaonji Kyo, the most beautiful student in school, is his lover! Each day brings them closer. Each time they make love, Kyo shares more of himself. Their growing intimacy makes Ryosuke think about their lives beyond college. But then, there is a campaign of threatening letters and blackmail photos. It seems that Ryosuke just gets a handle on that when rumors spread at school that he is making extra money as a gigolo! Even Kyo seems to think there is something to those stories. It seems that things can't to get any worse for Ryosuke. That's when Kyo's handsome and accomplished cousin returns from studying abroad determined to come between the two. Enough is enough! No one who wants to take Kyo away has reckoned on a determined Ryosuke in love!

This 'Too Hot for Kindle' title is available in most formats HERE: http://www.emanga.com/detail?itemid=981.
See Some Sexy sample pages HERE:  http://www.sybpressyaoi.com/p/blog-page_11.html .

The Confident vs Arrogant Seme  

I've gone on and on about the arrogant Seme, but Get!'s Seme, Ryosuke, brings me to the topic of the confident Seme. Well, how are they different? A Seme like Usami Akihiko from Junjou Romanitca or Masamune Takano from Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi are as arrogant as all get out but they are not completely confident about their holds on their respective ukes. Part of the reason for this is that siad ukes can be a bit vague when declaring their love, but a large part comes from the scars left from broken hearts of long ago. Hino Ryosuke is an arrogant Seme who is also very confident that he has Kaonji Kyo's heart and beautiful body – no matter who is after him or how many there are.

It isn't easy to be Kyo's lover. While he is incredibly beautiful, Kyo does not have an easy personality. He is strict and exacting in following school rules while Ryosuke is far more carefree. Kyo's pride in his high standing in school makes him vulnerable to blackmail. His lack of experience with sex makes him oblivious to people who are predators. While he does feel strongly for Ryosuke, he is reluctant about going public with their relationship. These factors often put Kyo in compromsing positions. However, Ryosuke never, ever doubts his lover's commitment to him. He always sees through the predators' plans and finds a way to thwart them. Kyo may not always be pleased with his methods, but he remains by Ryosuke's side. Their love life does not move nearly as smoothly as this sounds. There is often a lot of mayhem involved before the potential tresspassor's intent is uncovered and the danger is averted. This makes for a lot of crazy comedy. What is amazing about the ever confident Ryosuke is that no matter what craziness is swirling around them or even how mad Kyo is at him at any given moment, he always finds a way to coax his uke to a secluded place for some very hot, intense sexual escapades. Rysosuke is such a seductive Seme, it is entirely possible that he could get Kyo to have sex with him while they are involved in a car chase!

Ryosuke's confidence in Kyo's commitment does not mean that Get! Volume 2 is without suspense. There is a lot of mayhem coming at them in that book that could tear apart the strongest relationship. It's not clear that this confident Seme will succeed even with his confidence and determination.

I find Get! To be a refreshing change of pace. I adore arrogant Semes. And I really love insane, arrogant semes. However, I sometimes get tired of the trope that always has the Seme wondering if the uke really cares about him. It always rings a little false with these guys who seem to have all they need in life to get anything they want. This doubt gets really annoying if it continues over many volumes. I've always maintained (and I write that way) that you can still have suspense even when it's clear that the Seme has absolute faith in his uke. Get! Volumes One and Two prove this can be true.

 

Realism and Food and Yaoi

More about this below.

I had some very nice comments on my work this week and last week. On the site, All Romance, where I am a bestseller (yes, I like saying that), a reader wrote that she enjoyed all of my work. On a different site, a reader said 'just read all of her work.' That was mighty nice. Yet the most fascinating and fun comments have been about the realism I've managed to put into my books. A reader who went to see Zero Dark Thirty  said that the Seal Team Six in that film reminded her of Falcon Squad from the Soldiers' books. I had done some research on special forces units in general. We worked with one on Demon Under Glass. He came to our attention after commenting that it took longer to strangle a man than we shot in one scene. This formidable crew guy found film far more peaceful than the military (geez, he must have had a hard time as a soldier to think that). Yet, he was really affable, laid back and funny in a very twisted way. The actor who played Rik in the short film version of the Soldiers' book actually was in such a unit as well. Why do they drift toward film. Beyond that, I interview others who were in a unit or were close to people who were. The freedom about hairstyles and operating outside of protocol were not made from whole cloth. I was very pleased that someone saw my guys in characters that were even closer to the real thing. I was asked by a different reader if the menu I go into loving detail about in Ensnared is real. The answer is yes. All food I mention in my books are dishes I've had. Often times, I've made them as well. Food is an excellent way to ground even the most far flung of fantasies in reality. There is a cookbook 'written by' Vincent Greven that covers almost ever dish I mention in the Soldiers' books. The current release date is in time for the Writers Romance and Rainbows 2013 Book Fair. We'll see.

This week, I received a lovely note about a yaoi story I wrote for the e-zine, Full Metal Orgasm, called The Companion. This incredible anthology of really good and sexy prose is only $3.99! There is a large sample of the story on this site. My story starts on page 18. The story was inspired, in part, by a character in the web comic, Teahouse, that I fell in love with. Gilder is big and likely dangerous while being romantic, tender and highly sexy. The reader turned out to be a very talented writer who thought highly of the story. He also sensed the tension and danger to the main characters and that their was a great deal to the society that created their dire situation. I revealed that the civilization in The Companion is a past society from the Ensnared universe. It is one of The Time That Was. He encouraged me to write more from that civilization and the others. I do plan on doing that when I get the time. I was very proud of that story. It was difficult to put all that back story, erotica an nuance in less than 20,000 words. It was a lovely thing to take the time to do for a writer, and I really enjoyed the interaction with him. So, gentle readers, I'm here and willing to chat about writing and my work any time – even if you don't absolutely love my work. I'll be writing a really hardcore yaoi story for an upcoming edition of Full Metal Orgasm. I'll reveal more about that when it gets closer to publication.The Companion manages to have some food references as well. In fact, it took everything in me to not get carried away with talking about food and food preparation.

He is the Wild Boyfriend!

I love that yaoi is full of food in the manga and anime. Since I love writing about food, it was great to know that it wouldn't look weird in the yoai novels. And I really loved that all the dishes are real. I've had this whole ongoing adventure with cooking Japanese food, because I decided to look up octopus wieners after an episode of Junjou Romantica. I thought it would be fun to do a video blog on food seen in yaoi anime. Later, I decided to include the foods in the manga I was editing for Digital Manga in the video blogs. Ironically, the video that I saw as the first one of the Cook Like a Uke with actual ukes is only getting edited this coming week. I shot it almost a year ago! It's Tonjiru and features a real like Misaki from Junjou Romantica. So, next week's blog will be all about the two new Cook Like A Uke videos. One will cover the long overdue Tonjiru. The other will be based on a story in Sakira's 'Too Hot for Kindle' yaoi manga, Wild Boyfriend. They will both be worth the wait!

Get! Vol One and the Return of the Insane Seme

GET! Volume One by Ariko Kanazawa

Student council president Kyo seems to have it all – looks (he's prettier than most of the girls), intellect, and power. He doesn't even care that he is hated by many students, he has everything under control. But then super popular and incorrigible Ryosuke upends his life like a tornado, professing his undying love, kissing him, and turning up everywhere he shouldn't be! Why won't he leave Kyo alone? Why can't Kyo push him away? Can Ryosuke's devotion save Kyo from a ruthless plan of revenge at the hands of school bullies?

Return of the Insane Seme

I have written on this topic before and with great glee. I think the addition of a bit of wackiness to a Seme's personality is always a good thing. That trait adds dramatic tension and a great deal of humor to the story lines. A crazy Seme is never predictable or boring. Underclassman, Ryosuke Hino, is certainly a bit crazy along with being gorgeous, at the top of his grade academically, an unsurpassed athlete and wildly popular student. His carefree nature causes him to grab a nap in the student government offices where class president, Kyo Kaonji, discovers him. While trying to wake Ryosuke, Kyo finds himself in the young man's arms being passionately kissed. Ryosuke is delighted that the angel he was kissing in his dreams is a real person despite being smacked about by said angel. He vows to make Kyo his lover. Ryosuke does not even care that Kyo is a man.

Thus begins a very funny and suspenseful story. The suspense comes from the danger Kyo has gotten himself into by putting all the worst students on report for infraction of the rules. They've decided that they would teach him a lesson by gang raping and beating him while filming the attack. Later, they would blackmail him into allowing them to go about their business. Only Ryosuke's constant presence keeps them from going through with their plans. Kyo doesn't realize that he is putting his own safety in peril by constantly trying to push away the unwanted suitor.

Get! Volume One was a lot of fun to edit. Ryosuke is a delightfully funny and crazy Seme. Through his antics, the reader begins to see what he sees in the arrogant Kyo aside from his beauty. This uke is actually a young man of considerable integrity, and he is emotionally as well as figuratively vulnerable. Kyo is very deserving of a lover who will protect him and make him happy. Hino Ryosuke is the man for that job. Did I mention that Get! Is also white hot?! It is very much Too Hot for Kindle! And even that hot hot sex is very funny!

Get! Volume One is available as an ebook in most formats here: http://www.emanga.com/detail?itemid=950

See Sample manga mpages HERE:  http://www.sybpressyaoi.com/p/blog-page.html