I guess this is where I introduce one of my newer article ideas: Tuesday Tea. Where I dish about something considered as news or a new development, like new games or perhaps anime related speculations coming about? However this article will be a bit of a serious one and it is in regards to the recent drama surrounding the game Mr. Love Queen’s Choice. What information I found is all public to view but for the sole purpose of helping explain these recent developments – do not in any way use this to harass any of the involved parties. This is my opinion and just that.
Mr Love Queen’s Choice, Love & Producer, or EVOLxLOVE was a game that released in 2017 and in two short years, released again in English. A story about an upcoming media producer who hopes to revive her father’s show and make a name for herself but ends up having her entire world turned upside down when she comes across four men with strange powers.
Honestly, this game came at a great time. Most josei games that were rotating started to get a little stale because they weren’t offering as much of an impactful story. I wasn’t prepared to lose sleep by playing Mystic Messenger a third time and Obey Me! wouldn’t be released until 2019. So when this game came around, offering a sweet slice of life story that soon dived headfirst into a mystical world of superpowers and handsome faces – I was more than ready.
And the game was absolutely gorgeous! The menus didn’t look like overused jpeg’s, the bachelors were voiced by talented and dedicated voice actors, and the updates were plentiful, there was almost an event with every holiday that passed – letting us have plenty of chances to score a gorgeous SSR card. It felt like a dream come true.
Even as the game continued to spiral into crazy town (no spoilers!) with sudden storyline twists and change in loyalties to the point where I struggled to follow, I still appreciated the games bold direction in actually providing something more sustaining for everyone. Maybe I wouldn’t play everyday like I used to as a “free to player” but I’d spend just as much on their lovely merchandise – preferrably Lucien, ahuhu~
So when I was browsing Twitter on a Monday morning, the news of my favorite VA’s stepping down from their roles in MLQC came like a cold, wet slap to the face. The MLQC Discord was gone so any acquaintances I’ve not added yet are now gone to me, my personal/sales chat rooms were flooding and the Facebook group posts were piling on top of each other.
After performing some research by digging about the Facebook page, Twitter and personal MLQC dedicated chats (including the freshly disappeared Discord server I was a member of) – I realized the company made a decision to let Jonah Scott go, who was just elected to voice Victor following Ben Diskin’s departure. Why?
Because he made a tweet stating: Taiwan is a country.
Following swiftly after his removal did his colleagues Joe Zieja and Sean Chiplock, who voice Gavin and Kiro, stood in solidarity by announcing they were not going to pursue work with MLQC anymore unless Jonah is permitted to return as Victor.
Aleks Le, who voices Shaw, has not made any comment regarding the situation yet but has removed any traces of voicing our lightning boy in his Twitter bio. Bill Rogers who voices the mysterious scientist Lucien, has announced that he was going to take a break from social media to collect his thoughts.
Darrel Delfin also voiced his opinion who many know him as Iridescent, Lucien’s beloved pen. For those who weren’t aware – this is found under Rumors & Secrets in the mobile game!
So What Is the One China Policy?
“It’s a policy asserting that there is only one sovereign state under the name China, as opposed to the idea that there are two states, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC), whose official names incorporate “China”.” – wikipedia
China has regarded Taiwan as a distant province they claim to retake by any means necessary. So far there hasn’t been any gestures promising invasion anytime soon but for the past 65+ years the tension has been building high, reportedly both sides beefing their military to prepare themselves for war. So for China to see someone state that Taiwan is a country, when they in fact believe the very opposite, is what led the Chinese game MLQC to barr Jonah Scott from performing anymore content.
From what I personally know, the United Nations has recognized Taiwan as “China” since 1971 but the United States support separate contributions to international organizations like the World Trade. It’s a bit back and forth as to which countries see Taiwan as independent or if they are receiving any support at all so if anyone more familiar with these affairs can contribute I’d appreciate it immensely. This is something we should know more about.
Personal Opinion
As someone peeking inside the window from an outside perspective? I smell oppression. This isn’t the first time when a different opinion has been banned/labelled as offensive slander or muted (ex. Love Nikki’s recent drama regarding outfits) and I doubt it’ll be the last. I’m proud of Sean and Joe for standing in solidarity with their colleague Jonah, even though it breaks my heart to know that I won’t be playing this game anymore. Papergames saw Jonah’s opinion, disagreed with it and simply let him go without a second thought; which tells me that they didn’t put much value in him at all. Whether you agree on something or not, there should always be room for a discussion especially if they are employed by you.
Right now MLQC has been pointedly hush-hush in bringing up anything about the situation and cranking out more “updates”, casually referencing that none of the voices will be provided in the upcoming chapters (including JP and CN). Since yesterday I can confirm that only Lucien’s character has voiced lines, the Discord server has been taken down and the Facebook mods are having to shoulder the weight of dozens of fans angered, confused and upset. It’s shameful behavior and somewhere within my frustration is also a little heartbreak.
Fellow fans and I may lose a game that we’ve come to love and find so much comfort in because of these voice actors bringing them to life. Even if I was scarcely playing, I always depend on the ASMR clips to help me rest after a stressful day. The guys sweet, gentle voices made it easier for me to sleep when I came home from aggressive, emotionally draining BLM rallies – giving me company when I couldn’t have anyone near me.
Time, money, and memories. These are things we may not ever recover completely because of Papergames attempt to silence Jonah Scott. That’s why I’m asking my fellow fans to not take their feelings out on the voice actors in any way. Do not pressure or guilt them from stepping down because it wasn’t an easy decision for them to take – respect their choices and do not pursue further questions from those who haven’t commented yet. The reason why I wished to write about this situation is to give insight to many who are still confused and looking for answers but to also provide support to these voice actors who stood up for themselves.
Even though I’m happy as I am to see otome/josei themed content now being translated for us, there has to be a boundary for ourselves. A moment where we decide enough is enough. You can have expensive events, your weird storyline twists and consistent tech issues but when it comes to the mistreatment of our voice actors, who have done nothing but support and share their excitement with the fandom, that’s when I put my foot down.
There’ll always be more games on the horizon.
The Pretty Blerd Guardian! 
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