The anime industry is repeatedly criticized for its working conditions and production structures, which animator Weilin Zhang, who worked on “Jujutsu Kaisen”, “Mob Psycho 100” and “Pokémon: Twilight Wings”, among others, has now made an unusually clear statement about. We summarize.
Clear criticism
In a detailed blog post, Zhang was extremely critical of the current development of the commercial anime industry. In his opinion, the industry has increasingly moved away from the ideals that once defined animation in recent years.
He emphasized that his criticism was not directed against animation as a medium. Instead, he sees the problems primarily in the structures and work processes that, in his opinion, determine large parts of today’s industry.
In many modern productions, the focus is primarily on economic interests, while artistic demands and social values are becoming increasingly less important.
Personal experiences
The animator also spoke about the challenges of his everyday working life. As an internationally active freelancer, he is confronted with rising living costs, growing financial pressure and an increasingly difficult economic situation.
At the same time, he described an internal conflict between his desire to have a positive impact through his work and his current perception of the anime industry. He linked these considerations to fundamental questions about creativity, responsibility and the future of animation.
Zhang emphasized several times that his statements were deliberately worded pointedly and, above all, reflected his personal perspective. He underlined this with a passage in which he self-deprecatingly stated that he could not simply leave the industry because he considered himself the best animator of his generation.
Opposition from the industry
The reactions to the blog entry were correspondingly mixed. While some readers were able to understand his criticism of the production conditions, other statements were met with incomprehension and contradiction.
This was expressed, among others, by animator Curie Lu, with whom Zhang had previously worked on the opening sequence of “Heavenly Delusion”.
He indirectly criticized his behavior towards colleagues and questioned whether personal responsibility should also include dealing with other people – a requirement that Zhang himself regularly places on the industry.
Regardless of the choice of words, the debate makes it clear that questions about creative freedom, economic pressure and working conditions in the anime industry continue to concern many employees.
More on the topic:
Via “I’ll of You” blog
© Gege Akutami / Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Production Committee