An anonymous update posted on the service was shared on comment forums in Japan Hatelabo, where a former industry worker from the anime industry revealed all the problems that exist, noting that “currently the anime industry is finished”. The lengthy post he wrote:
I quit my job in the anime industry. I am going to take advantage of the fact that I am anonymous and I am going to reveal all the dark truths while keeping myself hidden. Honestly, the anime industry is over. Anyone trying to get in now should reconsider. First of all, there is no money to be made. Do you know the production committees? Even if you buy merchandise, CDs, or whatever, the money goes to the production committee. The animation studio only earns what the committee gives it. I don’t even think that Ufotable will make the millions that many believe with “Kimetsu no Yaiba”. Ufotable’s name recognition may have increased, but only the production costs will end up increasing. It’s Shueisha and the other high levels that are filling up with money. Also, the money that can be earned from original animes is very limited. Still, making original anime is the best option. The original property belongs to the studio, so all derivative products are owned by the studio, so there is a feeling of “earning extra”. It’s like Koyoharu Gotouge, part of the money that “Kimetsu no Yaiba” generates goes to the author. So why don’t animation studios create their own stories and sell them?Sure many think that, but the truth is that nobody is interested in original anime. Being original, it is difficult for anyone to pay attention to it until it is broadcast. Also, making original anime is even more expensive because we have to prepare the scripts ourselvesand there is no guarantee that you will be able to cover those expenses in the future. Also, if the original anime fails, that’s the end of you.

In animation work, sometimes I call other companies in my industry, but when I look in the company’s phone book, I see that many of them are out of business. If you call 10 companies, at least one of them will have collapsed. There are many small animation companies. It’s a time when streaming distribution is at its peak and Blu-rays aren’t selling well. For this reason, we have no choice but to bet on original works, which are not very profitable even if they are successful, but which can generate some income just for the studio.Now I’m working on a lot of well-known titles for various companies, but the reality is not that different everywhere. Naturally, the production process is exhausting. Animation is a job that is made up of animators making drawings, but animators are paid a ridiculous salary to start with. People in this medium usually earn about 250 yen for each frame they make. But how long do you think it normally takes to draw a talking, clothed man or girl? If it were done by an amateur, he wouldn’t be able to draw a decent line even if he spent an hour. But if you did eight frames in eight hours a day, 250 x 8 would be 2,000 yen (almost $13).It’s a salary that would make a convenience store worker laugh. Thus, during the interview, you will be asked if you move to your parents’ house. She may also be asked if she is going to live in a dorm. The reason is that if it isn’t, you won’t have anything to eat. Social care? Sure? Something like that is impossible here. Let’s say you graduate to an animation job and land a job as an original artist (the person who does the main frames that will be filled in with the in-betweens). They usually earn between 5,000 and 7,000 yen per cut. A cut is like a pause in a scene.There is also a process called layout, which is like a layout, before the original drawing, so this salary includes that. It depends on a lot of things, so you won’t even do one cut a day. What are the facial expressions? What are the movements? They are correct? Is it unnatural? Does it stand out from the background? And so on they will make the corrections. There are too many things to think about. Hand drawn animation is hard work.

Although drawing people in motion is liberating, it can quickly fall apart if you don’t think about a lot of things. They don’t seem to move nor do they seem to stop. The color appears puckered. The movement seems to go backwards. Still, I’d appreciate it if someone would think of those various difficulties and draw them properly. Animators don’t make a lot of money. If he thought about it, he wouldn’t be able to draw at the rate of one cut a day. Even if he tried his best, it would only be a few thousand yen, which isn’t much to eat decently. So what should you do? get outThose who made it through the hard and painful work of this process and became animation directors or project managers should be able to do the jobs that lead animators do as well. You have to carry everything. It is common to have to redraw from scratch because the material is not satisfactory. Japanese animators don’t get paid as much anymore, and the number of people who want to be animators is rapidly declining. Many people quit even if they get in. Before, people used to joke that it would have been better to send the job abroad, but it has reached a level where it is no longer a joke. If we talk about the lower level, people from abroad are better than Japanese animators. If there was a production schedule we could improve, but that doesn’t exist anymore. There are no people. There is no schedule. There is no budget because there is no prospect of making money. You can’t get good people without a budget, so a few good ones waste their time fixing bad guys’ drawings and leave the industry when they get fed up. This is the current state of the animation industry. It is common to hear that a television series, in particular, takes a month to make a single episode.

(…) When I’m busy, I usually finish the work in 12-13 hours, so if I practice coloring for 4-5 hours, go to bed, wake up and go to work, I can do it. It’s even more efficient if you stay overnight. So sleeping bags are always available in the studio. There is no one in the industry who cares about the production process, so meetings have to be arranged early in the morning or late at night, depending on the availability of other staff. And basically, you have to be there for those meetings. Some people leave because of mental illness, others because of physical injuries, others because they suddenly disappear. There are all kinds of people.Managers have already abandoned the idea of ​​training staff and only order: “If they left, replace them.” You might think that’s too much, but even Kyoto Animation, which is considered better, isn’t much different. However, Kytoo Animation is in a much better situation than other companies because its employees are properly trained.Regarding the rest, the extra time is not paid. They make you clock out, but in reality you keep working. Many companies would be finished if the Ministry of Labor found out about it. You can work long hours for low pay, throw your life away, and still have hope. But even if you become a director, don’t think that you will earn much more than the rest. And if you’re a freelancer, you may not have anything left after taxes.And back at the desks, producers just look over their shoulders and blame everyone else when production is delayed. Tell them to get decent people, budgets, and hours first. Today there is nobody decent in the freelance regime. We are in an industry where there is nothing decent, and the future is very dark. Even so, surely this year there will be new hires.For my part, I resign and return to being a normal person. That only the crazy ones remain working in that hell. Yes, this is “the proud Japanese animation”. When you’ve been through there, you can only laugh at it. I think the experience is valuable, but I don’t recommend it. Think twice if you want to get in here. Font: Hatelabo Anonymous Diary