by The findings of NAFCA underscore severe financial difficulties and taxing working circumstances.
Recent disclosures have highlighted the terrible circumstances that many anime employees confront and the hard realities they must deal with. According to research released by the Nippon Anime Film Culture Association (NAFCA), the average hourly payment has dropped to a meager $7, which is concerning.
323 people employed in the anime industry were included in the NAFCA study. Of them, 191 (59%) worked as animators, and 44 (13.6%) as unit directors, which meant they were in charge of particular production sections.
35 members of the production team (10.8%), 27 character/mechanism designers (8.4%), 23 voice actors (7.1%), 20 directors, 15 colorists, 14 artists, 14 cinematographers, 11 computer-generated imagery, 10 sound designers, and 4 screenwriters were also included in the poll.
The report’s conclusions presented a sobering picture of the situation; the median hourly pay was determined to be 1,111 yen, or around $7.33. Surprisingly, 14% of respondents said they made a pitiful $5.23 per hour.
Interestingly, voice actors were left out of the revenue report since their particular working circumstances in the anime business called for a different analysis.
The NAFCA organizers recognize the necessity for thorough analysis and activism in solving the issues that affect every member of the anime community, which is why they want to conduct a poll targeted exclusively for voice actors in the future.
The anime industry is known for its harsh working conditions and financial struggles.
The most recent data from NAFCA highlights the severe financial circumstances as well as the difficult working conditions animators face in the business.
A stark picture is painted by the typical monthly working hours, which average 225 hours. Some people register an astounding 336 hours, or 42 days, in a single month.
Given that Japan’s average monthly working hours are 162.3, these numbers show how cruel the anime industry is in comparison.
The financial difficulties that those in the profession encounter are further highlighted by the most recent animator-specific report published by NAFCA. Startlingly, forty percent of animators who responded to the study claimed to make a pitiful $16k a year, or $8 an hour, assuming that they work 40 hours a week for fifty weeks.
The problem of low pay was brought to light last month when a pay stub showing an animator’s beginning salary went viral. This revealed the industry’s startling contempt for statutory minimum wage standards, as it frequently relies on unstable freelance contracts.
Notably, the most recent analysis from NAFCA examines the difference in compensation between independent contractors and full-time staff, finding that although independent contractors may have better earning potential, their median salary is lower.
Positive gender patterns do, however, arise in spite of this discrepancy; the anime sector, for example, has lower levels of income gap than the general community, pointing to a more merit-based system at work.
NAFCA has not wavered in its advocacy efforts in the face of these obstacles, using social media campaigns, lobbying, polls, and instructional materials to promote substantive reform.
Terumi Nishii, an animator, has joined the chorus of people demanding compensation reform so that senior animators can continue to use their abilities, which are in danger of being lost.
Furthermore, Nishii and NAFCA support the requirement that studios have a minimum mandatory share in copyrights for anime, so that animators can profit from ancillary revenue sources like item sales and licensing.
Recent copyright ventures by studios like MAPPA and Pierrot signal a promising shift toward long-term sustainability within the industry.
