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INTEREST: Veteran Producer Explains the Problems of Unionizing In the Anime Industry


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evan77



Joined: 02 Nov 2021
Posts: 43
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 5:41 pm Reply with quote
If there is a union in the anime industry, only 10 or 15 anime will be made per year
Like the animation industry in America, Only animations for kids that make money at the box office, without any boldness or innovation, just repeat the same old formula (which, of course, only big companies like Disney can succeed and make money, and small and new animation studios are crushed)
According to one of the main ufotable animators who participated in the Demon Slayer movie, "many people in this industry will lose their jobs if there is a union in the anime industry"
I know that the income of animators in the anime industry is very low, but they have the right to choose and can go to another job, but those who are still in this industry like making anime more than money.
The union in the anime industry only makes it impossible for these people to do the job they love.
The global anime market is also growing rapidly, and anime studios can make more money than ever before
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otastorian



Joined: 02 Aug 2018
Posts: 64
Location: otakuhistoryguy.blogspot.com
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 5:51 pm Reply with quote
evan77 wrote:
If there is a union in the anime industry, only 10 or 15 anime will be made per year...


Is this a anime production committee sockpuppet account or something?
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Blanchimont



Joined: 25 Feb 2012
Posts: 3453
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 6:12 pm Reply with quote
evan77 wrote:
If there is a union in the anime industry, only 10 or 15 anime will be made per year

Aside from the fact I very much doubt that would happen, even if it did, it doesn't excuse current labor conditions.

Quote:
I know that the income of animators in the anime industry is very low, but they have the right to choose and can go to another job, but those who are still in this industry like making anime more than money.

That's not an excuse either, and actually a perfectly valid issue for an union to take up. It's the same issues nurses in England faced when they took to unionizing right after the war and yours is the same kind of argument the management side had used to keep wages low. The profession was seen as a 'calling' and people were not expected to be in it for the money. The post-war unionization effort helped to finally change that.

Quote:
The union in the anime industry only makes it impossible for these people to do the job they love.

And how does this follow? If there is demand, someone will be hired for the job.

Quote:
The global anime market is also growing rapidly, and anime studios can make more money than ever before

Ever the more reason for studios to pay livable/fair wages as well as reign in excessive work hours.
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RockSplash



Joined: 28 Oct 2019
Posts: 495
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 6:52 pm Reply with quote
evan77 wrote:
without any boldness or innovation, just repeat the same old formula (which, of course, only big companies like Disney can succeed and make money, and small and new animation studios are crushed)


Yes, because 3 hundred Isekai and harem ecchi shows surely prove the "boldness" and "innovation" of the Japanese industry.

Ignoring that non disney hits such as Spider-verse(technically not disney), dreamworks, and other kid friendly studios do in fact exist, what about Castlevania, She-Ra, Arcane, and plenty of other animated movies and Tv in America that can be just as "bold"?

Seriously, guys, admit its Japanese society. If you look at the hostory of labor unions and just labor in Japan and many Asian countries, you can see its a societal problem. I think unionizing would be great for the anime industry. Everything has drawbacks, but to argue that people should change careers because they don't have enough "passion" is the same as bosses forcing enployees to work free overtime because of the "dedication".
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evan77



Joined: 02 Nov 2021
Posts: 43
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 6:52 pm Reply with quote
otastorian wrote:
evan77 wrote:
If there is a union in the anime industry, only 10 or 15 anime will be made per year...


Is this a anime production committee sockpuppet account or something?

Take a look at the American animation industry
How many quality animations are made per year?
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jari428



Joined: 30 Dec 2021
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:04 pm Reply with quote
evan77 wrote:
otastorian wrote:
evan77 wrote:
If there is a union in the anime industry, only 10 or 15 anime will be made per year...


Is this a anime production committee sockpuppet account or something?

Take a look at the American animation industry
How many quality animations are made per year?


And how many quality animations come out of Japan's industry per year? It honestly doesn't matter if it's more or less than in America. In the last couple of years alone we have seen a lot of anime either crash and burn in terms of quality, or just never get off the ground. It seems like currently there are far more productions than there are artists to produce them.
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evan77



Joined: 02 Nov 2021
Posts: 43
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:05 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
That's not an excuse either, and actually a perfectly valid issue for an union to take up. It's the same issues nurses in England faced when they took to unionizing right after the war and yours is the same kind of argument the management side had used to keep wages low. The profession was seen as a 'calling' and people were not expected to be in it for the money. The post-war unionization effort helped to finally change that.

The situation of nurses is completely different from that of animators
All countries need nurses and hospitals, but what about anime and animators? Is anime a vital thing for countries?
Do you really compare the entertainment industry to one of the most important jobs in the world?
Many anime studios will go bankrupt because they do not have enough funds if a union is formed in the anime industry.
Even the head of ufotable said in his latest statement in court that the reason for his tax evasion was due to better payment to the animators of ufotable studio, but he did not earn enough and the studio was always on the verge of bankruptcy.

link :
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/4bf37f747c923a32307ec27416095a17150b3b20
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Rogueywon



Joined: 01 May 2011
Posts: 252
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:11 pm Reply with quote
Unions only work where they have market power. That can apply in situations where labour is scarce (e.g. an unpopular industry) or where the supply of labour is constrained, either through a "closed shop" (e.g. US screen-writers) or through rigorous entry barries (e.g. safety-critical industries).

Anime production is unlikely to ever fall into any of those categories. It's very similar to video games development - there's an endless queue of bright-eyed ambitious young things willing to come in and undercut the market. Know another sector with horrible working conditions? International development NGOs. "Endless Queue of Passionate Youngesters" + "Limited Demand For Labour" = "Horrid Working Conditions".

For anime production, as with games development, unionisation won't fix anything. The only answer is to broadcast loud and clear how sheer bloody awful these industries are to work in, reducing their pull-factor.

There's a bit of a chance that anime might be at a tipping point. Certainly, labour is starting to look constrained. But so long as China, with its essentially unlimited workforce, can plug the gap, nothing will change.
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evan77



Joined: 02 Nov 2021
Posts: 43
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:12 pm Reply with quote
jari428 wrote:
evan77 wrote:
otastorian wrote:
evan77 wrote:
If there is a union in the anime industry, only 10 or 15 anime will be made per year...


Is this a anime production committee sockpuppet account or something?

Take a look at the American animation industry
How many quality animations are made per year?


And how many quality animations come out of Japan's industry per year? It honestly doesn't matter if it's more or less than in America. In the last couple of years alone we have seen a lot of anime either crash and burn in terms of quality, or just never get off the ground. It seems like currently there are far more productions than there are artists to produce them.

Only quality anime fall 2021 :

Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu Part 2
Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu.
Takt Op. Destiny
Mieruko-chan
Sekai Saikou no Ansatsusha, Isekai Kizoku ni Tensei suru
Blue Period
86
Senpai ga Uzai Kouhai no Hanashi
Ousama Ranking
Shin no Nakama
Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu
Taishou Otome Otogibanashi
World Trigger 3rd Season
Isekai Shokudou 2
Selection Project
Visual Prison

In just one season we have all these quality anime
I do not know what you mean by good quality or story, but first look at the stories in Western animations and then criticize the stories and the quality of the anime.
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AJ (LordNikon)



Joined: 14 Apr 2009
Posts: 504
Location: Kyoto
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:29 pm Reply with quote
Good luck with that. America outsourced steel to Japan in 70s to reduce labour costs, and you see Japan now outsources labor to China to reduce costs. Only time till Japan realities anime is too much commodity to be produced viably here even with today's rate. Japan will eventually send all animation jobs to Kora or China. My brother worked many years if not decades with Ueda-sama, so I no doubt have faith in his words. But anime is business that has to make money to stay afloat and is something barely does now. Unionization will spell end. hen again industry has over expanded in past decade or so. Perhaps time for entire industry to scale back.
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DRosencraft



Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 665
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:37 pm Reply with quote
First, I'll say the "quality" argument in the comments is fairly vapid as there is little to no factual evidence on either side to make a real determination.

Unionization has always been the best answer for the animators in Japan, but the hesitancy to the idea seems to be one of the largest issues. Even in the US the fears stoked by anti-union groups and the companies that prefer to keep unions out scare away workers from unionizing even when they get close to a vote. Just look at the saga of workers at various Amazon warehouses in the US trying to unionize.

Having experience in both union and non-union workplaces, the difference can be night and day for the workers. But the horror stories and scare tactics will commonly push workers away who haven't known any different personally. But this is only part of the problem.

There must be laws in place too to help support unions. I'm not cure of Japan's legal footing here, but I don't believe they have particularly union-friendly laws in place. Just unionizing won't mean much if the laws aren't in place to help make them effective.
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ab2143



Joined: 09 Jan 2021
Posts: 715
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:42 pm Reply with quote
evan77 wrote:

Only quality anime fall 2021 :
86


Didn’t the 86 anime’s second cour experience a production meltdown? I wouldn’t call it a quality anime if the final 2 episodes will be airing in March…

To me, a good quality anime is a series with a good schedule that maintains consistent quality throughout the duration of the series.

I would rather have less anime each season if it means better schedules
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evan77



Joined: 02 Nov 2021
Posts: 43
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:53 pm Reply with quote
ab2143 wrote:
evan77 wrote:

Only quality anime fall 2021 :
86


Didn’t the 86 anime’s second cour experience a production meltdown? I wouldn’t call it a quality anime if the final 2 episodes will be airing in March…

To me, a good quality anime is a series with a good schedule that maintains consistent quality throughout the duration of the series.

I would rather have less anime each season if it means better schedules

So you ignore all the quality animes that have only aired in one season, and just because of an anime that has a few episodes delayed, you call all the animes low quality.
interesting
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evan77



Joined: 02 Nov 2021
Posts: 43
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:57 pm Reply with quote
AJ (LordNikon) wrote:
Good luck with that. America outsourced steel to Japan in 70s to reduce labour costs, and you see Japan now outsources labor to China to reduce costs. Only time till Japan realities anime is too much commodity to be produced viably here even with today's rate. Japan will eventually send all animation jobs to Kora or China. My brother worked many years if not decades with Ueda-sama, so I no doubt have faith in his words. But anime is business that has to make money to stay afloat and is something barely does now. Unionization will spell end. hen again industry has over expanded in past decade or so. Perhaps time for entire industry to scale back.

No I don't think so
Last year, the anime industry expanded its boundaries thanks to the demon slayer movie, and this year it is doing so with the jujutsu kaisen movie.
The entertainment industry is not like an steel production line that has a fixed formula and you can produce infinite quality anime like steel production line
China has not yet succeeded in 3D animation like disney, let alone adult anime With all that censorship
In South Korea, too, people do not value animation at all, especially with the new wave created by the squid game in the South Korean film industry.
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ab2143



Joined: 09 Jan 2021
Posts: 715
PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 8:01 pm Reply with quote
evan77 wrote:

So you ignore all the quality animes that have only aired in one season, and just because of an anime that has a few episodes delayed, you call all the animes low quality.
interesting


lmao quality is subjective. I have watched a couple of ‘quality’ shows that you listed. I singled out 86 as it didn’t fit my definition of good quality (which is having a good schedule)

Your definition of what constitutes ‘quality’ anime is subjective just like my definition of what makes a good quality anime.

The main point of watching an anime is for the animation. I personally don’t think it’s not really a good-quality anime if the schedule is bad and the series ends up having a production meltdown. It’s fine if you think different and like shows that experience a production meltdown. I know some of my favourite anime from this season didn’t have stand-out animation (Vampire Dies in no Time) and I still enjoyed it because of the comedic timing, VAs etc.

That’s all I’m going to say for that matter.
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