Forum - View topicNEWS: Asahi Paper: Animators' Work Conditions Not Improving
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Wiesteria
Posts: 141 |
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Oh man, that sucks, especially since Japan is such an expensive place to live in. But then again most mangaka don't make that much either. The people in these professions are usually there only for their passions. It is unfortunate that financial stability is what they have to sacrifice.
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Kit-Tsukasa
Posts: 930 |
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The best line there is probably that they really love what they're doing. It's rare you find that line in these times
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reanimator
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Yep. Usually artists don't make great living doing their professions, but it looks like it has gotten worse.
I don't know exactly how production studios do their business, but i think that they should figure out how to make good business than living off from hand-to-mouth contact/subcontract works only. They have to step up to provide the future that really matters. |
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firedragon54738
 Posts: 3113 Location: wisconsin |
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Wow that got to suck making only about 14k a year when living in japan
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Josh7289
Posts: 1252 |
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Sad as it is to say, I didn't expect conditions to have changed since 2009. The article already points out the problems with raising the animators' salaries, and they are pretty deep rooted in the industry. Fighting outsourcing, finding other revenue streams, these things take a lot of work and a lot of time and may not even be totally resolvable in a way beneficial to Japan's animators in the end.
It's good that they like their work but that's no substitute for a decent salary. Living on that, they can't start a family, they can't have kids, they can't travel. So I guess the choice for them is either financial stability or doing one thing that they like for all their waking hours. But maybe there's a middle ground somewhere that they could find. As it stands, though, I see them as something like tragic heroes, doing something they love and producing something enjoyable for the world, but the world giving them almost nothing back for it. |
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Kimiko_0
 Posts: 1796 Location: Leiden, NL, EU |
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And yet, anime DVD/BD prices in Japan are extreme. Is animation so costly that even with those prices, animators can't be paid what they deserve?
Or is there something else siphoning off a large portion of the revenue? And is there something us anime fans can do to help? |
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Hypeathon
Posts: 1176 |
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I'm going to find this amusing if anime fans see this article and then a month from now after Comic-con, Otakon, and whatever Funimation announces, people will somehow forget this article ever existed and assume the industry is only getting better and better or ask "but what's wrong with the anime industry being niche" and stuff. It's like people will pretend annual articles/interviews around this time of the year like these two from last year, and the one the year before that. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if there's some similar article from 2008 somewhere on the internet if not from summer of 2008.
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bravetailor
Posts: 817 |
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The animation quality of anime these days is also getting stunningly high compared to their wages. In fact, the average show these days probably has generally much higher quality animation than the average show of the mid 90s.
What anime fans can do to help? How about buying the shows for a change. I am sure there are fans in here and most elsewhere whose anime watching habits consist of 90% free streaming or other, less legal methods. Most anime fans only care about the consumption aspect of watching anime. What the attitude should be is more of a give and take between consumer and artists. Unfortunately, "consumption" behaviour is a part of human nature and represents the habits of not just anime fans, but the average person in general. For all the complaints we have about anime, the quality right now, animation wise, might be higher than it has been in years. It probably won't last, which is why it's a good time to be purchasing any show that you even kinda like. |
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toyNN
 Posts: 252 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Yes. When possible always pay for your anime. Of course some of that is on the anime Committee's to make it so their shows can capture all of the available revenue streams... Anime is very much fan supported and the product of folks who love this kind of work and entertainment. Shows that air at 12-3am in the morning (as most anime does) are not much more than infomercials for future DVD/BD sales. Its not like they are making much money off of the actual broadcasts - some - but not like a primetime US show. |
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Kimiko_0
Posts: 1796 Location: Leiden, NL, EU |
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*ahem* Please don't include me in that number, Bravetailor. After watching them, I try to buy all the anime I liked. I recently even started buying anime directly from Japan that aren't available in Europe/NAmerica.
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bravetailor
Posts: 817 |
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Yeah, I know, it didn't sound like you were that type anyway. I expect the ones I'm referring to to recede into the background and become invisible like they usually do when this topic comes up. |
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TJR
Posts: 223 |
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The market for most shows is far too small. That's why DVD/BD prices are so high; the idea is to squeeze the most money out of the few fans willing to pay. Even then, the vast majority of titles are unprofitable (with a handful of big hits making up for losses on failed shows).
There are opposing viewpoints, mind you. Senior animators argue that those who prove themselves do quite well (some make enough so that they don't have to work all year long for a comfortable income), which is why they've stuck around. They attribute many of the complaints to unskilled workers (often with only a high school education and no formal training) who have no will to improve. They also claim that a lot of people expect work to be handed to them on a silver platter and take no initiative to develop skill or proactively seek opportunities at different studios. In short, many low paid in-betweeners/animators stick around not out of love for creating anime, but because they have no confidence in themselves and are unwilling to take steps to improve their lives. Nevertheless, it's probably true that there are few opportunities for advancement, giving people with potential little incentive to stick around (i.e. if they have motivation and talent, they'll try their hand at something that pays better). As it stands, the number of skilled animators is quickly dwindling, while there are hordes of low paid, poorly motivated workers who'll never be able to replace them. |
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egoist
 Posts: 7762 |
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I'm here. I don't buy anime. So what? Want me to justify why I don't spend money on a pile of discs I'll never even unwrap? 
Well, if they don't have the bloody money to buy anime then who should care? (Yeah, give me all the rubbish about "no right to watch anime" but that's older than prostitution my friend.) But if they do, well, shame on them. Even buyers these days can't be let off easily when a lot of them wait till the discs drop to rock bottom prices. Also this is a 2009 survey. As far as I've noticed 2011 series are doing fairly well sales wise in Japan. Last edited by egoist on Sat Jul 16, 2011 1:11 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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bravetailor
Posts: 817 |
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Simpsons reference time: You sir, are worse than Hitler! *SLAP* 
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Saturn
 Posts: 513 |
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I think you mean raison d'etre
I had no idea animators were making such a pittance :\ That's deplorable. But I guess that's how it is for an artist (I certainly can't make a living doing the craft I love, so I need a "real" job as well). I wonder how much the Korean animators who do most of the backgrounds and in-between animation make? |
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