Being one third of Earphones, the unit that broke out onto the scene as the main cast of Sore Ga Seiyuu! (2015); a versatile voice actor filling anime and video game voice roles such as Silence Suzuka (Uma Musume), Mahiro (Onimai), Fairy Knight Lancelot/>!Melusine!< (Fate: Grand Order – Lostbelt 6), La Pluma (Arknights), Hatsuharu (Azur Lane), and many others; a fantastic singer who has released several songs both as a solo artist and as part of Earphones, as listed above; a radio host appearing regularly on her program Super Marika Club and also on Earphones’ Pythagorean Theorum; and a model who has only blossomed as the years go by – one would think that Marinka’s career has been a resounding success, all smiles and no hardships. But her story is one that’s certainly had challenges arise over the course of her career; especially given the stories beginning to surface in the last couple of years, the seiyuus who put on a smile for the camera, for radio, and for TV appearances, are in fact constantly under a lot of pressure. Even the most established actors in the industry struggle to get roles and deals with magazines and the like, and although Marinka has always had the power of good looks since she first debuted, she also had many obstacles that stood in her way, even after becoming successful and establishing her dream career.
Before her announcement in late 2022 concerning her reduced workload due to her condition, It’s probably a good thing to remember in context that 2021-2022 had been the most successful stretch of her career by far, having landed multiple roles, released music, and appeared in magazines quite a lot through those two years. But I noticed that in social media posts in which she appeared several days before the announcement, she somehow seemed unhealthy and haggard beneath her smile.
When you’re successful and you’ve achieved the dream career in life, from an outsider’s perspective looking in, you’ve simply won at life! But imagine having achieved what you wanted to reach all your life and then – finding that this said dream wasn’t the glorious mountain of fame and success that you thought it was. Instead, it’s a looming mountain of pressure from a frankly cutthroat industry (as an entertainment industry, regardless of country or genre, unfortunately happens to be), of people with ill intent, of fans whose expectations for you are never fully satisfied…. I think this mental image, based on peripheral stories around the seiyuu industry as well as Marinka’s own descriptions of her struggles in the months following that announcement, might serve to give us fans considerable context. We watch a series adaptation or play games featuring our favorite actors in the industry, but it’s easy to forget that these awesome voices who bring these visual media to life are people too! It’s for this reason that I appreciate Marinka’s story even more, because she’s a prime example of just what it takes to make it in this industry; sure, amazing looks can be a factor contributing to your success, but you also need a strong willpower and grit to keep that smile not just as an image in front of others, but to genuinely face those challenges with a smile.
A happy 31st birthday to my favorite seiyuu! I wish her happiness and success in life and in her career for 2025.
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[Source for Pic 2](https://x.com/fridaysub/status/1845357271821451678?s=46)
Being one third of Earphones, the unit that broke out onto the scene as the main cast of Sore Ga Seiyuu! (2015); a versatile voice actor filling anime and video game voice roles such as Silence Suzuka (Uma Musume), Mahiro (Onimai), Fairy Knight Lancelot/>!Melusine!< (Fate: Grand Order – Lostbelt 6), La Pluma (Arknights), Hatsuharu (Azur Lane), and many others; a fantastic singer who has released several songs both as a solo artist and as part of Earphones, as listed above; a radio host appearing regularly on her program Super Marika Club and also on Earphones’ Pythagorean Theorum; and a model who has only blossomed as the years go by – one would think that Marinka’s career has been a resounding success, all smiles and no hardships. But her story is one that’s certainly had challenges arise over the course of her career; especially given the stories beginning to surface in the last couple of years, the seiyuus who put on a smile for the camera, for radio, and for TV appearances, are in fact constantly under a lot of pressure. Even the most established actors in the industry struggle to get roles and deals with magazines and the like, and although Marinka has always had the power of good looks since she first debuted, she also had many obstacles that stood in her way, even after becoming successful and establishing her dream career.
Before her announcement in late 2022 concerning her reduced workload due to her condition, It’s probably a good thing to remember in context that 2021-2022 had been the most successful stretch of her career by far, having landed multiple roles, released music, and appeared in magazines quite a lot through those two years. But I noticed that in social media posts in which she appeared several days before the announcement, she somehow seemed unhealthy and haggard beneath her smile.
When you’re successful and you’ve achieved the dream career in life, from an outsider’s perspective looking in, you’ve simply won at life! But imagine having achieved what you wanted to reach all your life and then – finding that this said dream wasn’t the glorious mountain of fame and success that you thought it was. Instead, it’s a looming mountain of pressure from a frankly cutthroat industry (as an entertainment industry, regardless of country or genre, unfortunately happens to be), of people with ill intent, of fans whose expectations for you are never fully satisfied…. I think this mental image, based on peripheral stories around the seiyuu industry as well as Marinka’s own descriptions of her struggles in the months following that announcement, might serve to give us fans considerable context. We watch a series adaptation or play games featuring our favorite actors in the industry, but it’s easy to forget that these awesome voices who bring these visual media to life are people too! It’s for this reason that I appreciate Marinka’s story even more, because she’s a prime example of just what it takes to make it in this industry; sure, amazing looks can be a factor contributing to your success, but you also need a strong willpower and grit to keep that smile not just as an image in front of others, but to genuinely face those challenges with a smile.
A happy 31st birthday to my favorite seiyuu! I wish her happiness and success in life and in her career for 2025.