The anime industry could see a significant decline in production by 2030 – at least according to recent warnings from a key industry supporter. We summarize below.
Concern about anime production
According to Jun Sugawara, founder of the Japanese non-profit organization Animator Supporters, the total amount of anime produced could decrease by around ten percent by 2030 compared to 2019.
Based on the current production volume, this would correspond to around 10,000 minutes of animation or around 400 episodes of normal TV anime with a running time of 25 minutes per episode.
Sugawara cites the increasing staff shortage as the main causes, due to poor working conditions and low wages.
The average hourly wage for many animators is currently 1,100 yen (around 6 euros), while young professionals sometimes earn significantly less. For comparison: the average salary for all sectors in Japan is currently 2,400 yen (around 13 euros) per hour.
The resulting migration of experienced specialists also has negative consequences for the training of young talent. New employees are often not adequately supervised and are therefore directly integrated into larger productions without much support, which can affect the quality of the anime.
Support for career starters
To counteract this threatening development, Animator Supporters has been running so-called “Animator Dormitorys” since 2014, where aspiring animators can live, work and be trained by industry veterans.
The rent for the accommodation, including utilities and internet, only amounts to the equivalent of around 215 euros per month for the residents. To date, the project has supported over 60 animators, some of whom are now directors.
However, Sugawara doesn’t want to leave it at that and plans to further expand the housing and training opportunities for young animators. For this purpose, the crowdfunding campaign “The Animator Dormitory Project 2026” has been launched, which has a funding goal of $30,000.
The initiative has been crowdfunding every year since 2019 and has been able to regularly achieve its set goals, especially in the early years. If you want to support the Japanese anime industry financially, you will probably find the Animator Dormitory Project a trustworthy way to do so.
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Via GoGetFunding
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