In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel on Tuesday, September 20, the English dub voice actor of the main character of the anime adaptation of ONE's hit webcomic, Mob Psycho 100, revealed that he would not be returning to reprise his role for the upcoming third season. Citing Crunchyroll's refusal to engage regarding the possibility of having contract talks with Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union representatives.Kyle McCarley revealed in the video that due to Crunchyroll refusing to participate in talks regarding a contract with SAG-AFTRA on future productions, the company has decided to "recast some roles". The last-minute change to the Mob Psycho 100 cast has in the week since McCarley's video upload, sparked various conversations regarding the exploitation and precarity of job opportunities, as well as overall poor working conditions for voice actors, particularly English dub actors. Just what is this really about? Here's what is known about the Crunchyroll Dub Controversy.
He Said, He Said
In a 5-minute video, McCarley expresses gratitude to fans of Mob Psycho 100 for their support, citing himself to be yet another fan of the hit series; however, he is saddened by the news that he will not be returning to voice Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama in Mob Psycho 100 III due to a hitch encountered in attempting to start talks with Crunchyroll regarding the possibility of producing the upcoming third season of the anime on a SAG-AFTRA union contract. McCarley states that it is of personal importance to himself as a SAG-AFTRA union member; one who is also on the SAG-AFTRA dubbing committee, that all work that he does is covered by such a contract.
The organization exists to protect workers and grant them collective bargaining power when it comes to their employment conditions. McCarley adds that the disagreement with Crunchyroll was not about money, and that he'd be earning the minimum required by a SAG-AFTRA contract, perhaps even more, had he accepted Crunchyroll's terms no questions asked. However, what caused Crunchyroll's decision to axe McCarley and some other cast members, seems to be partly the very premise of having Mob Psycho 100 III produced under the terms of a SAG-AFTRA contract, and not necessarily an inability to honour the financial demand thereof.
McCarley states that he would, "99.9%" of the time in other productions, see the impasse as an end to the discussion and turn down the role; however encouragement from fellow Mob Psycho 100 cast mates prompted McCarley to seize "an opportunity" to change Crunchyroll's lack of titles produced under the rules of engagement of a SAG-AFTRA contract. McCarley's terms were fairly straightforward: he'd agree to a contract without any union backing, provided that Crunchyroll promise to meet with SAG-AFTRA representatives regarding the possibility of negotiating a contract for future productions.
He adds that his expectations were not to have a guaranteed commitment from Crunchyroll to make use of such an agreement, but rather, the mere opportunity to have a conversation that would help determine if a possible "middle ground" could be established between the needs of the production house, and the employees. According to McCarley, Crunchyroll does not seem interested in having this foundational conversation, which will in turn mean that he will not be returning to Mob Psycho 100.
Why Unions?
McCarley took to Twitter to explain why it was so important to him to be able to sit down with Crunchyroll. One of the key aspects he highlights in the tweet thread is how unions enable workers to negotiate the terms of their employment as a collective, working out employment specifics such as hours, breaks, days off and various other facets that are important to the maintenance of non-exploitative employment practices. One thing affecting voice actors specifically is that unions enable actors to collectively protect themselves from vocally stressful work, particularly work that requires intense shouting or screaming for prolonged periods. This segues into McCarley's most important and emphasized union benefits: health insurance and the retirement fund.
Due to the US's lack of universal health insurance, people have to pay for their own coverage, and it is notoriously expensive; however, some workers are able to access health insurance through their employers, but performers are in a particularly precarious situation as they are freelancers; meaning that they work on short-term contracts and do not have access to the aforementioned employee health insurance. McCarley adds that being part of a union like SAG-AFTRA means that performers will be able to, for a small fee charged on top of every job, have access to health and retirement benefits. Since McCarley's video and subsequent tweet thread, the hashtag "It's Just a Meeting" has been used in relation to the controversy by SAG-AFTRA on their official Twitter.
Why Won't They Talk?
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Previous dubs of Mob Psycho 100 were produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment, with the decision to have recording sessions for the upcoming third season done at the company's production studio in Dallas – despite the fact that the majority of the series' cast members are not based in Dallas – is being touted as part of Crunchyroll's decision to "recast some roles". Crunchyroll provided a statement to gaming news site Polygon, which cited the company's desire to release Mob Psycho 100 III as a "SimulDub", meaning that Crunchyroll is looking to have the dubbed series air on the same date as the Japanese broadcast.
Crunchyroll has begun moving back to the old way of in-person recording, using Funimation's dubbing studios as it has been since its acquisition by the Sony Funimation Global Group in August 2021. McCarley has had similar experiences with big corporations and non-union dubs; more specifically, after his refusal to work on the dub for the Scarlet Nexus anime, he was promptly replaced by Funimation despite having worked on the Scarlet Nexus video game cast. Crunchyroll's actions have been largely understood to be anti-union, particularly their refusal to have an audience with McCarley and other actors who want to have their voices heard.
What Now?
The conversation has prompted the admonishment of Crunchyroll for its apparent de-incentivization of performers being affiliated with a union, and some performers have taken to Twitter to highlight their own experiences with the state of worker exploitation within the anime industry. Anairis Quiñones, who has worked on various high-profile titles like JUJUTSU KAISEN; Re:Zero; Attack on Titan: The Final Season and others, took to Twitter the day after McCarley's video and tweet thread, exposing the fact that she was only paid $150 in total for her work on the role of Rika Orimoto in JUJUTSU KAISEN 0. Quiñones soon reveals that her role was non-union, which explains the low pay she received from the film's success, and what's even darker is that the value she gave is prior to the deductions of taxes and agent commission fees.
Other workers in the dubbing industry also engaged with the topic, adding their own experiences of shockingly low pay for work done on dubbed anime. This huge conversation regarding exploitation in the anime industry also comes after a heavy Twitter exposition of the dire working conditions of creators of comics published on the WEBTOON platform, which is owned by yet another big company: Webtoon Entertainment Inc, which is in turn owned by Line Corporation and Naver Corporation. While Crunchyroll has refused to engage regarding the possibility of creating productions on union contracts, the conversation doesn't quite end there.
Mob Psycho 100 III will be available to stream on Crunchyroll starting October 5.
Source: ANN