Jun Arai, the director behind the captivating “Kingdom” anime series, recently opened up about a pressing issue plaguing animators in the industry—a perpetual cycle of uncertainty in employment.
His revelation came in response to a heartfelt post on X, where concerns were raised about animators predominantly resorting to outsourced work rather than securing stable positions within anime companies.
Arai’s insight into the matter pinpointed a fundamental problem: the lack of copyright ownership by anime studios, leaving them heavily reliant solely on production costs.
This dependence creates a challenging cycle where studios struggle to maintain internal reserves, making it difficult to offer permanent employment due to financial constraints.
Arai’s comments shed light on a broader issue within the anime community, where the struggles of animators often remain unnoticed.
Recent findings from The Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) further underscore this reality, revealing that a significant portion of animators are not permanent employees.
Instead, many identify as freelancers or self-employed individuals, lacking the stability and protections enjoyed by full-time workers. Additionally, the prevalence of fixed-term contract employment adds to the uncertainty faced by animators striving to make ends meet.
Compounding these challenges is the compensation structure within the industry, which disproportionately affects animators’ earnings. Most animators receive pay based on completed frames or, for senior animators, a fixed income irrespective of workload.
This system, as highlighted by NAFCA’s survey, often leads to inadequate compensation, particularly for younger animators. Shockingly, instances of animators receiving meager payments, such as $1.47 per frame, underscore the financial hardships endured by many in the industry.
While some animation studios have started securing copyrights to series, thereby potentially increasing revenue streams, this practice remains relatively uncommon.
Opportunities abound in secondary income sources like merchandise sales and licensing agreements, yet without ownership of the copyright, studios are limited in their ability to capitalize on these avenues.
Efforts to address these challenges are underway, with organizations like NAFCA and the JRI advocating for a minimum percentage of copyright ownership for animation studios.
This initiative aims to empower studios to build reserves over time, eventually enabling them to self-finance projects and break free from the cycle of dependency on production costs.
By providing better pay and stability for animators, such reforms hold the promise of enhancing the quality of anime production while also supporting the passionate creatives at its core.
In essence, the struggles faced by animators in the anime industry stem from systemic issues related to copyright ownership and compensation practices.
Addressing these challenges is essential for fostering a more equitable and sustainable environment for all involved in the creation of anime content.