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Theanime industryseems to be booming like never before, and theSonyconglomerate is a symbol of that, but some insiders have warned that, despite the good results, it seems that the industry may soon be facing a crisis. While these warnings should not be taken in an apocalyptic tone, there are some lingering issues in the industry that are hindering its growth — meaning that it could grow even more.
One of the main challenges that the industry faces today is the working conditions that animators and other professionals endure — some of them have taken to social media to voice their concerns. So how exactly can long hours and low pay affect the industry?
Long Hours And Low Pay Can Hurt Any Industry
Firstly, this is unique in the anime industry. There are many researchers who suggest that working long hours can be counterproductive — while it can indeed boost performance on one day, it may hinder performance on the next day, as it can greatly affect the recovery cycle. On a larger scale,working long hours may also hinder the economic growthof a country (in cases where people work long hours on average).
Somethingsimilar happens with low wages, as research also suggests that it harms productivity in the long run, and it doesn’t solve the problems that lead many organizations to opt for lower wages. What many researchers argue is that, in many cases, companies are actually mismanaging how they treat their employees, so there could be more effective solutions to their problems.
The Case of Working Conditions in the Anime Industry
While long hours and low pay can affect any industry, each industry has its own unique set of issues. As anime has significantly grown in popularity and audience in the past few years, the issue of working conditions in this industry has also received more attention, with some animators even openly addressing this topic on their social media channels.
According to a survey by theNippon Anime & Film Culture Association(NAFCA), an association that aims to improve working conditions within the anime industry, the average animator in Japan works 34% more hours than the national average. In addition to the usual problems that long hours can cause, it can also affect the way animators work — in this industry, key knowledge is usually passed down from seniors to newcomers in the workplace, but withsuch exhausting routines, there is no time to teach or learn new techniquesthat would ensure the quality of the final animation.
The same survey also states that animators gain, on average, slightly less than the minimum wage in Tokyo (probably because many of them are not in-house animators, but contracted freelancers hired for each project). NAFCA’s numbers have been questioned, as other research suggests that working hours have decreased and wages have increased in recent decades, but NAFCA’s report is consistent with a United Nations report published in 2024.
This issue has scaled to a national level, and the Japanese government announced that it will investigate possible unfair practicesin the anime industry. There have been allegations that some production companies are not making contract terms clear, making unreasonable demands for retakes, suddenly changing schedules, and other practices that disregard the standards set by the Japan Fair Trade Commission in the country. So far, this is just an investigation to understand the bigger picture, and no company has been formally accused of anything.
Is A.I. a Potential Solution or a New Problem?
While animators claim that they have been working too much and being paid less than they should, many companies allege that there is ashortage of workersin the industry. These two things arenot necessarily mutually exclusive, as animators may work more precisely because there aren’t enough people to do everything — and people may avoid entering the industry due to the conditions, which would only exacerbate the problem.
Anyway,some producers and companies have stated that generative artificial intelligence could be a solutionto the alleged shortage of animators. While fans may be more familiar with publishers using AI in translations, many companies areexperimenting with AI in new anime series.
Makoto Tezuka (also known as Macoto Tezka), the son of Osamu Tezuka, is one of the people who supports the use of AI in the industry.
As it happens in other countries, the “AI issue” has become a heated discussion among creators in Japan. NAFCA has publicly called on the government tocreate regulations for AI in the anime industry— they are not advocating that AI should be banned, but that there should be clear norms about its usage.
Anime Industry Continues to Grow, But Until When?
While there has been much discussion about how current working conditions may hinder the growth of the anime industry, it has maintained a steady growth since 2020.Sony’s acquisition of Kadokawais a good example of that.
There is a serious shortage of people in the field. When there aren’t enough hands, production slows down. Many anime projects are currently being postponed, and the main reason is the lack of personnel.
— Hideaki Anno
However, some industry insiders believe that this is all a bubble that will soon burst —Hideaki Anno seems tobe one of them. For now, it would be important for the industry to address issues related to its working conditions to avoid a crisis in the future. Either way, the Japanese government has also launched initiatives to support the industry.
