by Why is anime production delayed?
In recent years, delays in animation production have become more and more popular in the news. In the past few months alone, there has been a significant delay in broadcasting from episode 4 onwards for ‘KanColle’ Itsuka Ano Umi de. We have secured a new frame. However, the 13th episode, scheduled to be broadcast on December 29, 2022, has also been postponed. In addition to these two works, news of postponement and cancellation of broadcasting is flowing like a matter of course, and it is clear that it is tough to keep the originally planned schedule.
Why is there a delay in animation production? Currently, the biggest reason is the impact of the new coronavirus. The animation industry has been hit hard since the new coronavirus began to rage. Anime production consists of various group work, such as meetings, script meetings, drawings, and recordings.
It is possible to work remotely, but it is difficult to adjust the fine details, so it is easy for inconsistencies to occur in the deliverables. Of course, the number of times it is sent back has increased, and the efficiency has fallen considerably. In addition, the cooperation of overseas studios is essential for animation production, but since the end of 2022, a large-scale epidemic has occurred in China, and the situation is unpredictable.
The anime, starting in January 2023, will also be affected somehow. However, production delays were a frequent occurrence even before the outbreak of the new coronavirus. If the broadcast cannot be postponed, it may be broadcast in such a terrible state that it cannot maintain its appearance as an anime, and it has caused controversy each time. With the new coronavirus, the main reason for the delay in production is the need for more workforce.
The number of animators is limited, and there is only a handful of those who are exceptionally skilled. As anime increases, scrambles for people will occur, and if the necessary human resources cannot be secured, production will naturally be delayed. It is sometimes impossible to gather people due to a lack of funds.
In the past, it was a ‘collapse of drawing,’ but now it is a ‘delay of broadcasting’ Of course, there are many other reasons for production delays besides a lack of workforce.
A work that caused a drawing collapse about ten years ago has had to produce one course of animation in just three weeks because the script was late. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard the story from the staff participating then, but after that, I listened to the same story from other people, so it’s true. Recently, there was a shocking event that production was postponed due to the sudden death of one of the central staff during the broadcast of the 4th season of “Golden Kamuy.”
It can be seen that animation production is being done in a harsh situation. In addition, there are cases where production was delayed because the director showed firm commitment and cases where the original side repeated retakes and the schedule collapsed. However, in the case of the 4th episode of “Lost Universe,” which always comes up when talking about animation collapse, the situation was a little different.
The work ordered from overseas was terrible, and the Japanese site repaired it and finished it to a level that could withstand broadcasting. As a result, there is a story that a controversial work that is still talked about even after 25 years has come out.
I’ve also heard of cases where the producer rushed the broadcast time alone, so it didn’t work out from the beginning. Ultimately, production delays and collapses will occur when there is something wrong with the handling of both the management side and the field side. However, when I researched the delay in production this time, I noticed that works that caused animation collapse were broadcast as they were in the past. Still, there are more and more cases of reorganizing and securing new frames.
A big reason for this is that once the drawing collapses, the topic will be revived at some point. Also, broadcasting on TV was the main focus in the past, but now it can be said that distribution is the primary means of viewing. Therefore, compared to before, it may be easier to respond to production delays.
In the first place, even if you try to force yourself to rebuild the collapsed site, there is a high possibility that the anime in recent years will not be able to rebuild it due to the small number of episodes, so it will be a better work to start over. If possible, I want the production to be on time, but the people involved, including the production staff, think the most.
