However, steps to remedy this issue have been very slow in coming from within the industry. To help these animators, we need to raise these as fast as possible. The root cause of animators’ financial struggles is low production budgets. The anime industry is in dire straights and we need help from the fans to fix it. Although foreign investment in anime has boosted animators' pay temporarily, we need long-term, sustainable solutions from Japan to keep the industry alive. Poor working conditions lead talent to flee to other countries, and the exact same thing is about to happen to the anime industry. This has already happened to the Japanese consumer electronics industry. These conditions mean that Japanese talent is incentivized to take their skills elsewhere. There's concern that, due to poor wages and working conditions, Japan may lose its place in the animation industry.

Actually, Chinese animation wages have exceeded those of Japan. As a result, animation quality is declining across the industry, and cancelations are becoming more and more frequent. This means that there's a lack of staff who can bring up newcomers and teach them proper technique. The anime industry is currently suffering an extreme shortage of manpower due to high turnover rates caused by low wages. You can learn more about The Animator Dormitory on our YouTube channel here: Located in Tokyo, animators can live at our dormitory for less than 250 dollars a month (utilities and internet included). Here, we provide direct housing assistance to underpaid animators. Then, in 2014, we opened The Animator Dormitory. We started by giving underpaid animators a housing stipend of 6,000 thousand dollars per year. Our purpose is to improve the lives of animators and provide solutions to their low-wage problems! 10 years have passed since our founding. We’re Animator Supporters, a Japanese non-profit company founded in 2010.

Haiki anime production