JelloApocalpyse Lovely Complex Controversy

Overview

The JelloApocalpyse Lovely Complex Controversy refers to the backlash surrounding YouTuber and animator JelloApocalypse releasing a statement on his Patreon page criticizing the production of the English dub of the anime series Lovely Complex, which he helped write. In the post, JelloApocalypse discusses a number of problematic scenes and storylines in the anime that he voiced concerns about, in particular one centered on a trans character, Seiko, involving "prominent running gags about transphobia," which he pushed to have altered. He also complains that the Japanese subtitles did not make the same changes. The post went viral in February 2024 after it was posted and resulted in Discotek Media, the company behind the dub, announcing they would not work with JelloApocalypse in the future over concerns that he broke his NDA with his post.

Background

JelloApocalypse's Patreon Post

On February 11th, 2024, JelloApocalypse made a now-deleted post to his Patreon^[1] page titled "Marissa And I Wrote An Anime Dub." The long-form text post discusses a number of issues with the production of the anime dub for Lovely Complex, which JelloApocalpyse was helping write. In the post he admits it's wrong to "openly shit-talk a property you've worked on in this industry," continuing, "but I will tell you what I think. And I think that LoveCom is a bad show about Risa Koizumi, and actual psychopath and all-over useless freak."

JelloApocalypse voices his concerns with various problematic scenes and stories in the show, most notably the arc surrounding the character Seiko, a male-to-female trans character who is the subject of "several prominent running gags about transphobia." He writes:

"In the sub, Otani and Risa's end-of-episode reactions could generously be called 'Confused, but they got the spirit' about the whole thing. We rewrote those to be a lot more supportive of Seiko, especially Otani's dialogue, which made it pretty clear he was still kind of disgusted by her."

JelloApocalypse praises the team for addressing the concerns, writing, "Lenti passed the episode and its script by multiple trans sensitivity readers and not only made sure to cast a trans person as Seiko, but also to cast as many of the trans actors who auditioned for her as possible […] Despite everything about the original incarnation of this anime, this dub turned out… just so funny."

He then writes, "Frankly, having the dub come out this good in the end is a little frustrating. Anyone who watched this show as a kid and has fond memories of it and revisits the dub will think 'Wow! It's just as good as I remembered!' No it isn't. We made it good. This show SUCKED!!!" JelloApocalypse also discusses how the Japanese subs still contain the problematic lines despite rewrites, which he urged to have changed. Later in the piece, he writes about how he struggles to recommend it, writing:

Anyways, all of that is to say, Lenti and I spent a long time on this dub. I'm very, very proud of the work we did. I think we turned an unremarkable and frustrating 3/10 show into a pretty funny and mostly watchable 7/10. I want to show off what we did! However, I don't really want to recommend that people watch LoveCom in order to see it.

Developments

Discotek Media's Response

On February 12th, 2024, X^[2] user @worldofcrap posted a short response to the post from Discotek Media, the company behind the dub, in which they cite accuracy as the reason for keeping the Japanese subs closer to the Japanese dialogue and explain that they will not be working with JelloApocalypse in the future. The statement was reposted by the official @discotekmedia X^[3] page that day, garnering over 1,700 likes in two days. The post reads:

We are aware of the comments made by a contractor that worked on Lovely Complex. The English version was made with the supervision and approval of the show's original producers. Dubs commonly punch up comedy and smooth over rough patches so that the end product aligns with the show's intended audience and provokes the intended response, and there will always be shades of grey when adapting a work. Anyone expecting exact fealty to the Japanese dialogue should be watching the subtitles, which Discotek has always presented with as little alteration as is possible when translating from a very different language.

We are deeply disappointed at this individual's lack of professional discretion and will not be working with him in the future. We will continue to work on future projects with an eye towards satisfying as many fans as possible. Thank you for your continued support.

Online Reactions

The post inspired memes and reactions online, with many suggesting JelloApocalypse has likely been blacklisted for the post and purportedly breaking his NDA. Some also claimed some of the scenes JelloApocalypse wanted to be changed didn't get cut from the dub. For example, on February 13th, 2024, X^[4] user @MEdwardsVA made a critical post that gained over 4,000 likes in a day (shown below).

Later that day, X^[5] user @Schaffrillas made a post criticizing JelloApocalypse for allegedly saying "I wish more people would wake up and realize Ratatouille is mediocre," garnering over 33,000 likes in a day (shown below).

Search Interest

External References