Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
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Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
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Re: Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
#2There's an interview with J.C.Staff founder Tomoyuki Miyata making the rounds right now (Japanese language original: https://animan634.com/interview/231215_int_2_1.html; English language summary: https://www.cbr.com/jc-staff-anime-studio-founder-work-stres...) where he talks about how he developed a severe stomach ulcer from work-related stress, had to have 2/3 of his stomach removed, and was back at work 10 days after surgery.
Re: Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
#3When I read things like this, I think back on my experience in games and entertainment. I believe that the more generally prestigious the industry is, the more likely it is to see worker exploitation. Part of your pay is wrapped up in getting to brag that you work in industry X on product Y. Almost by definition, that means young, passionate labor. Industry leaders quickly learn how to exploit the young and passionate.
This is exacerbated in Japan, that already has a significant salaryman culture. However, I'm not sure this could be fixed through regulation. It's very wrapped up in human nature, and is a problem that you see across the world. Ultimately, the people involved have to make a choice about how they spend their lives. I might be wrong, but people have tried to fix the systemic issues for longer than I've been alive.
Re: Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
#4[flagged]
Re: Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
#5When I read things like this, I think back on my experience in games and entertainment. I believe that the more generally prestigious the industry is, the more likely it is to see worker exploitation. Part of your pay is wrapped up in getting to brag that you work in industry X on product Y. Almost by definition, that means young, passionate labor. Industry leaders quickly learn how to exploit the young and passionat…
I totally agree with your diagnosis, but I don’t see why it’s considered to be a problem. Why shouldn’t people be free to trade off salary against other desirable traits in a job? Even at the extremes?
Re: Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
#6Then by definition, that’s what their time is worth. It should alarm animators that they’re paid so little. It alarmed me as a gamedev when I saw how much webdevs earned in comparison. It’s partly why I left, and I was much happier for it.
No amount of legislation or shame articles will change the reality that market forces have profound effects, and these effects are difficult to break. Unions try. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been a successful one yet for software, but I’m ignorant of the art world; maybe they have one. But be prepared to receive exactly what the union can give you, and no more.
Re: Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
#7When I read things like this, I think back on my experience in games and entertainment. I believe that the more generally prestigious the industry is, the more likely it is to see worker exploitation. Part of your pay is wrapped up in getting to brag that you work in industry X on product Y. Almost by definition, that means young, passionate labor. Industry leaders quickly learn how to exploit the young and passionat…
I totally agree with your diagnosis, but I don’t see why it’s considered to be a problem. Why shouldn’t people be free to trade off salary against other desirable traits in a job? Even at the extremes?
I tend to agree with you. In the end, salary reflects what the market will put up with, and if you're not willing to take a salary hit to work in games, someone else will. This is why I don't think regulation will fix this. It has to be on the individual to decide what's right for them.
Re: Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
#8searches for "union"
hahaha yep, this word exists in this article but entirely in the context of how Japanese animators have absolutely no union.
I ain't saying the US animation union is perfect but at least there is one; if I hear that some big production like Spiderverse2 is at a non-union shop then it's off my list to bother seeing, even via piracy. I trained to be in this industry and burnt right the fuck out from working at a non-union shop run by a truly evil person, but I still feel solidarity with folks who stuck it out.
Re: Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
#9While the industry as a whole makes a lot, the majority of individual anime and manga make next to nothing. It’s a few very popular properties that make all the dough.
If people were paid fairly, most productions would be untenable. There would be just a few anime per year instead of many.
But also, how would the popular ones come to be? Every new property would be a huge gamble.
As an anime and manga fan, I actually want that to happen. Pay the animators what they deserve. Give them good working conditions.
People just have to accept that means the industry will shrink dramatically. So many things will just never get made.
That also means far fewer people will get to become animators. They’ll have to find some other job as competition for the jobs that remain will be sky high.
And that competition is what brings down the wages in the first place. There are just so many people that want those jobs.
Re: Anime is a $25B industry that pays its animators pennies
#10When I read things like this, I think back on my experience in games and entertainment. I believe that the more generally prestigious the industry is, the more likely it is to see worker exploitation. Part of your pay is wrapped up in getting to brag that you work in industry X on product Y. Almost by definition, that means young, passionate labor. Industry leaders quickly learn how to exploit the young and passionat…
I totally agree with your diagnosis, but I don’t see why it’s considered to be a problem. Why shouldn’t people be free to trade off salary against other desirable traits in a job? Even at the extremes?
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