Animator claims those working on the Pokemon anime make less than a part-time convenience store worker

[TopCat]

Jun Arai is a 45-year-old freelance anime animator, and he's been around the industry quite a bit. Arai recently opened up on Twitter about the Pokemon anime series, which he claims pays its animators a ridiculously low wage.

“The Pokémon anime pays 4,500 yen (US$42) per animation cut, which means it’s made with some of the lowest-paid artwork in the anime industry. If you work that out to an hourly rate, it’s less money than you get paid working part-time in a convenience store.”

While this is certainly disappointing to learn, it's pretty much par for the course in anime. Numerous anime production teams are paid a pittance in return for animating, and this has been an issue for a very long time now. I'm not quite sure what needs to happen to make things change, but it's clear the industry's approach towards payment needs to be addressed.

Animator claims those working on the Pokemon anime make less than a part-time convenience store worker

Something's wrong here...

gonintendo.com

 

[MarineTrainedTard]

I read an article a while back that stated junior animators at most anime production companies make less than $10,000 a year. Seems not much has changed since then.

 

[Bread Fetishist]

Damn, this industry’s a real shithole.

 

[Astro Galactic Megalul]

Walt Disney would be proud

 

[Hatoful Dandy]

And people wonder why streaming companies are clamoring for more anime content...

 

[Super Color Up]

The most profitable franchise in the world and you can't even pay your art-slaves a respectable salary.

 

[Queen Elizabeth II]

I'm guessing that animation must be a high entry career that lots of Japanese must want to do.

This is what happens in jobs with large labour pools. If you want a job that pays well pick a relatively unpopular degree like Mathematics and do some STEM work for the big bucks rather than gender studies.

Why is this so hard to grasp?

 

[Arcturus]

Was the Pokemon show always low paid? I'm just curious because the animation has gotten really fucking bad over the years. I'd probably shit out dA quality work too for that little pay.

 

[Iron Hamster]

Why are they still working there and not the convenience store?

 

[Idiotron]

Just like in every industry, the people doing most of the work get the least amount of money.

Why are they still working there and not the convenience store?

Because they're probably otakus who grew up with anime and always dreamed of being in the industry.
Giant corporations love to exploit these people.

 

[Pedosnake]

Why would you work there then?

With the skills they have, they are actually able to make more money by giving out fetish art commisions on Deviantart and that fact is sad.

 

[Fatafata]

Why are they still working there and not the convenience store?

You've got no chance at that point of getting up the chain. People that work at convenience stores in japan are either retirement age or immigrants.

You would have to guess there may be some progresson pathway in the anime business. What does the next step up earn?

 

[BrunoMattei]

I wonder how much hentai animators get paid?

 

[Travoltron]

Who gets all the profits from anime then? I always hear that the animators make nothing, the original manga artist makes nothing from it, the voice actors make nothing, etc.

 

[Raging Capybara]

Who gets all the profits from anime then? I always hear that the animators make nothing, the original manga artist makes nothing from it, the voice actors make nothing, etc.

Nobody. Anime is like porn, nobody pays for that.

 

[PS1gamenwatch]

Why do you think American companies loved outsourcing animation in the 80s-early 90s? The amount these anime artists make is the reason.

 

[Exigent Circumcisions]

Who gets all the profits from anime then? I always hear that the animators make nothing, the original manga artist makes nothing from it, the voice actors make nothing, etc.

There's almost no Jews in Japan either. Now I don't know who to blame.

 

[Oddjob OTP]

I'm guessing that animation must be a high entry career that lots of Japanese must want to do.

This is what happens in jobs with large labour pools. If you want a job that pays well pick a relatively unpopular degree like Mathematics and do some STEM work for the big bucks rather than gender studies.

Why is this so hard to grasp?

I think the problem is less how many Japanese people want to do it and more how they are competing directly with people from China and Southeast Asia who will do it (badly) for less.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

Who gets all the profits from anime then? I always hear that the animators make nothing, the original manga artist makes nothing from it, the voice actors make nothing, etc.

It's always the producers and the companies that commission the animators and VAs to do their dirty work (think Bandai, Kodensha and the ilk). And even then I get the feeling it's not by much.

 

[Tomboy Respecter]

There's almost no Jews in Japan either. Now I don't know who to blame.

The Japanese are literally Jews if you think about it. The castration of the Japanese Empire was the destruction of their Second Temple and they are subveritng gaijin youth via anime. Hell, they even have a hell of a presence in the porn industry.