Japanese animators finally get their own union

[Lego]

This is a long time coming for most of them. They work in crappy conditions for little money to produce the shows we love. Saw this over at ANN:

About 500 Japanese 2D animators and directors have officially established the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) on October 13 to improve the working conditions in animation studios. Although the Japanese animation industry has existed since World War II (and arguably before), this is the first union established by Japanese animators. The typical animator draws 200 sheets of key animation frames every month for several tens of thousands of yen (about several hundred United States dollars) with no vacation, social security, or retirement plan.

Studio Live's Toyoo Ashida (the director of Vampire Hunter D and the first movie and second television series of Fist of the North Star, pictured above) runs the association as its president. Among the other creators who spoke at the October 13 press conference were director Satoshi Kon (Millennium Actress, Paprika, pictured right), animation director Moriyasu Taniguchi (Ideon, Shaman King), Tokyo University graduate school professor Yasuki Hamano (pictured below), editor Nobuyuki Takahashi (Ringu, Juon: The Grudge), and animation director Akihiro Kanayama (Ashita no Joe, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam).

Some quotes that really tell you about the industry and how bad the conditions are:

One 32-year-old female animator is working in her second year at an animation company to pursue her childhood dream, but she works 12-hour days for half the salary of her former job. Another animator used to be a regular company employee with an apartment to himself, but had to move back with his parents since he could not afford rent on an animator's budget. Without health insurance, he would not check into a hospital even when an illness worsened. One 59-year-old had to cut back due to deteriorating physical health, and now subsists on 120,000 yen (US$1,000) a month. Some of the 59-year-old animator's former colleagues now receive public assistance or are now homeless.

According to JAniCA, a storyboard artist finishes the storyboard of a 30-minute episode in three weeks for 220,000 to 230,000 yen (US$1,900 to US$2,000). That averages to 70,000 yen (US$600) a week, 280,000 yen a month (US$2,400), and 3,360,000 yen (US$28,800) a year, with no vacation. A key animator earns about 3,000 yen (US$25) for one scene, and completes about two scenes of key animation frames in 10 to 15 hours on one day. That averages to 6,000 yen a day (US$50), 180,000 yen a month (US$1,500), and 2,160,000 yen (US$18,400) a year, with no vacation. If any of the workers have family or raise children, then it is impossible to work these hours without days-off. 20% to 30% of all animators earn an annual salary of around 1,000,000 yen (US$10,000), or 6,000 to 10,000 yen (US$500 to US$900) a month.

In recently leaked internal production documents that Anime International Company Inc. (AIC) (Aa— Megami-sama—, Tenchi Muyo!) confirmed were real on October 8, about one million yen (ten thousand United States dollars) was budgeted for its television episodes, with key animators and layout artists being paid for only two thousand yen (twenty United States dollars) per scene. Due to late-night television, the Internet, and other new venues, the number of television animation programs produced every year is now about a hundred — a three-fold increase from twenty years ago.

[stfram]

What's interesting about this article is that there is NOTHING about studios that do treat their employees well.

It's only got horror stories (like the 59-year-old who's out of work and living on 1k a month), which means to me that the article was written to push a specific viewpoint: that all animators in Japan are treated like trash, and if it weren't for the fact that they were good at drawing they would've been shot a long time ago.

I think these stories are the exception rather than the rule...that said, I'd hate to see what conditions are for the outsourced people.

[HellKorn]

I think these stories are the exception rather than the rule...

Is there any reason to believe that? That animators are generally well-paid folks in a high-cost living area and aren't working in practically thankless jobs?

Hearsay has always hinted that Japanese animators are traditionally towards the bottom of the totem pole. I haven't heard or read much to indicate otherwise.

What worries me -- and this seems to have been noted by some ANN members -- is that outsourcing might be an even more appealing choice now that this has happened. That, and/or less shows overall (which would be good or bad, depending on your viewpoint).

[stfram]

Is there any reason to believe that? That animators are generally well-paid folks in a high-cost living area and aren't working in practically thankless jobs?


I don't think it's ever been disputed that they aren't well paid, on the other hand, bear in mind that one great way to get hired into a studio is to start from the ground floor: as an animator.

Everybody that has made it big in the anime world likely started there.

You gotta get good at drawing somehow.

That said, it sounds like a lot of these people are "independent contractors" rather than studio employees. That's where abuse can come into play, but they also agreed to it...

Those same people also get first pick of the cels after they've been filmed; this can be very lucrative for them.

A key cell from Clannad would likely net a great deal of money, for example.

And considering KyoAni, I would be surprised if they didn't pay their animators far more than the median wage, heck, maybe they salary them.

Consiering how beautiful Clannad looks, I'd hope so!


What worries me -- and this seems to have been noted by some ANN members -- is that outsourcing might be an even more appealing choice now that this has happened.


And if you outsource everything, you're at the mercy of the outsourcer. That's extraordinarily dangerous, regardless of what business agreements you've signed. Do you really think a Korean or Chinese court has any interest in what a Japanese company thinks?

It does look like some Japanese companies rely entirely too much on the..."goodwill" of some of their lowest, but also the hardest working, employees. That has to change, even if it may mean less shows.

[PhilipReuben]

Those same people also get first pick of the cels after they've been filmed; this can be very lucrative for them.

A key cell from Clannad would likely net a great deal of money, for example.

Animation isn't done using cels or filming anymore - any "cels" that exist for Clannad would have to have been produced after the fact, explicitly for the collector's market. An animator wouldn't have access to those (although maybe the original drawings are worth something?)

[roastedpekingduck]

Business is just so cutthroat that the starting of a union, instead of giving animators higher wages, will just make Japanese companies consider alternatives and turn more towards outsourcing. I really don't think Japanese companies would care all that much about keeping their projects homegrown. The cost is the biggest factor, and the unfortunate thing is, if Japanese animators clamor for higher wages, there's still a ton of people in foreign countries who are available to work for dirt cheap.

[Speedy Boris]

If it meant less shows, I'm all for it. Quality > Quantity, after all.

[Suwako Moriya]

If it meant less shows, I'm all for it. Quality > Quantity, after all.

Perhaps, but a lack of quantity does not always mean an increase in quality. Plus it's possible to have both at the same time. Thus just because I throw away nine of twelve rotten eggs that will not result in the remaining three suddenly becoming fresh. Like wise nearly every single grape in a bunch could end up being delicious. Yes the fact I'm using food for an analogy probably reveals too much.

Seriously even if a company were to end up making less series than normal there's nothing saying they'll put extra effort into them because they're making less. They may in fact decide to cut corners even further. So a lot of it depends on the attitude and various other elements of each company.

[Speedy Boris]

Perhaps, but a lack of quantity does not always mean an increase in quality. Plus it's possible to have both at the same time. Thus just because I throw away nine of twelve rotten eggs that will not result in the remaining three suddenly becoming fresh. Like wise nearly every single grape in a bunch could end up being delicious. Yes the fact I'm using food for an analogy probably reveals too much.

Seriously even if a company were to end up making less series than normal there's nothing saying they'll put extra effort into them because they're making less. They may in fact decide to cut corners even further. So a lot of it depends on the attitude and various other elements of each company. I know that. I didn't mean to imply that if there are less series that need to be worked on, the quality of those fewer series will automatically go up. But assuming one (or a team) wants to do the best job they can for a show and being swamped with work is really the only thing currently holding them back from achieving that, the likelihood of those fewer series having a higher quality than a lot of series with only average quality may be greater.

[mk2000]

Perhaps the key question in all of this is how much profit is there from an anime production?

Obviously, there are different entities involved such as the animation studio, network, etc.

If I understand correctly, the animation studio itself receives the least compensation from the process?

I'm having a hard time finding the AP articles discussing this but perhaps someone here can shed some light on the cost and profit distribution?

[Lego]

Perhaps the key question in all of this is how much profit is there from an anime production?

Obviously, there are different entities involved such as the animation studio, network, etc.

If I understand correctly, the animation studio itself receives the least compensation from the process?

I'm having a hard time finding the AP articles discussing this but perhaps someone here can shed some light on the cost and profit distribution?



Well it was revealed recently that Japanese companies are already factoring in US sales when they balance out the costs of a new show, so that doesn't bode to well for my confidence of the market.

[HellKorn]

Well it was revealed recently that Japanese companies are already factoring in US sales when they balance out the costs of a new show, so that doesn't bode to well for my confidence of the market.

20%-40%, wasn't it? Of course that doesn't detail what genre of shows, or if it refers to total money made.

And some of the comments posted since yesterday by the ANN staff pretty much confirm that the majority of animators are not earning what they should to live well enough.

[stfram]

And some of the comments posted since yesterday by the ANN staff pretty much confirm that the majority of animators are not earning what they should to live well enough.


Yup, and other comments reflect my skepticism about the actual validity of the article.

Take that 59-year old, for example. Let's say the article is correct about his situation, but convienently leaves out the fact that he has had a major drinking problem for most of his life.

That affected his career in such a fashion that the only work he could get (and keep) was that of an in-between animator, and thanks to his drinking, he's unpromotable.

Crap like that abounds in the real world. A friend told me about a construction worker that he knew who would work hard for a few months until he made enough money to be able to get drunk, and stay drunk for months. Once he ran out of money, he'd go back to work again.

That same loser would be a sob-story on how little money contstruction workers make annually.

Contrast the animators article with this one, from the NY Times, on welfare in Japan:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/world/asia/12japan.html?_r=2&ref=world&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

It starts off with this rather heartbreaking account:


In a thin notebook discovered along with a man’s partly mummified corpse this summer was a detailed account of his last days, recording his hunger pangs, his drop in weight and, above all, his dream of eating a rice ball, a snack sold for about $1 in convenience stores across the country.


but the kicker is this, near the end of the article:


But the dead man’s next-door neighbor, Yoshiaki Kita, 72, said the city had handled his case appropriately.

“He may have starved to death, but I believe he reaped what he sowed,” Mr. Kita said. “He was still young, so he could have taken on any job to feed himself.”


That's a pretty fair and balanced article, it gives constrasting views on the same issue.

[relentlessflame]

Well, still though... even if you dismiss the story of the 59-year-old, even starting at those salaries seems pretty demoralizing. It's absolutely bottom of the barrel living, especially since most of them have to live in Tokyo to get work. Of course everyone who enters the field sees it as having to go through the painful stages to hopefully eventually get promoted to key animator, storyboard artist, and eventually director, but the salary curve is more than a little bit steep. No wonder Japan is facing such a labour crisis in the animation industry -- what talented artist would want to subject themselves to those working conditions, when just about any other job imaginable would be better?

Sure, sob stories are absolutely suspect. But the quoted budget figure seems to be real. When you consider the amount of work and people required to make a single episode, and divide it out, the standard of living is just crap by most any standard.