It is
already a well-known fact that the anime industry is constantly being accused
of offering low wages to its workers , and they are forced to either have a second job (if
they have enough time), sell online (sell illustrations, well) or simply
continue asking for support from their parents while they do their best to
climb the company ladder and get raises.
Although
this is already known, rarely has an animator shown his salary (that is, his
payment receipts) and “ゆゆ (@ebinoyu)” decided to break the
silence and show the money he raised for participating in an anime production. Obviously his publications were
censored so as not to reveal the anime or the study in which he participated,
since this would get him into trouble.
There is a
lot to explain so that you understand how animators are paid, but in essence it
is “per cut” or per frame.” Paying “per cut” means that the animator
has to perform a scene (i.e. a sequence of keyframes) to
receive payment. This is quite dynamic, since not all scenes require
the same amount of work and are always paid equally.
The other
method is “per frame”, and it is assumed that these are the lowest rates and on
which the least salary increases have been made in recent decades. It is this type of work that
newbies in the industry do while learning from their superiors, so they have
become standardized as “a kind of low-paid internship.”
Seeing the
number of deliveries that “ゆゆ (@ebinoyu)” made, we can
realize that they are paying him by the second method. Her paystub
shows that she did “4 frames” for “Episode 1,” 63 frames for “Episode 8,” and
15 frames for “Ending.” With a payment of 220 yen each (about $1.46)
plus tax, her first monthly payment was just 19,844 yen (about $132).
Depending on
your country, you will surely think that it is “very little” or “a lot”, but in
the case of Japan it is an insignificant figure. Just to give you an
idea, the average monthly salary in 2023 was 471,000 yen. How does 20,000 yen
compare against that? Furthermore, many of the studios are based in
large Japanese cities, so the costs of living there are very high, this forces
those who want to start in this industry to work elsewhere or continue asking
their parents for support.
And how much
did you earn in the second month? Well, he made 82 frames for “Episode
1”, 49 for “Episode 8” and 31 for “Episode 2” , at a rate of 220 yen
each, adding up to a total of 35,640 yen (only $237).
And one
month when he got sick and couldn't work much? Well obviously there is no
fixed salary, you are paid for what you do. In this case, “ゆゆ (@ebinoyu)” could only make 4 frames for “Episode 1” and 2
frames for “Episode 8” , which at a rate of 220 yen each, adds up to only 1,452
yen ( almost 10 dollars).
If you think
these receipts are very old, you will be surprised to know that they are from
the year 2023, as confirmed by the animator. This is the reality that anime
industry workers live every day, without unions to represent them before
leaders and without a way to fight for better salaries because studios
have the possibility of hiring foreign animators who accept any mediocre
salary. just for the opportunity to brag on social media that they “worked on a
certain anime.”
And what did
they think on social networks about it?
- " Well, they will
have to continue living at the expense of their parents for a while ."
- " I guess only
those who can still count on their parents can afford it ."
- " It is because of
those who watch anime for free and illegally, animators do suffer a lot ."
- « It means that you
cannot make a living from this unless your family continues to support you
financially. With the current times, you don't even have the opportunity
to have a part-time job .
- « Well, they will have
to fill their stomachs with dreams and illusions, right? ».
- « That's what it's like
to work on what you like, to work as an entertainer. Still, I guess the
satisfaction is enough to mitigate the horrible salary, right? ».
- « And from now on AI
will do part of the work, so they will earn less, what things! ».
- « If you've only
participated for three months, I think it's okay. I hope she gets
promotions and stuff soon ."
- " And eventually
animators will be unnecessary with the rise of AIs, I guess ."
- « Animators also have
human and labor rights! ».
- « The number of frames
is very limited, if you want to live on frames at least you have to make
about 300 a month. If you are a good novice you will be able to do it
eventually .
- « Entertainers,
comedians and idols are jobs that are done by people whose parents have
money to continue supporting them for a while .»
- « He is not an employee,
therefore he does not have a fixed salary. Because if they hired him, the
company would be obliged to set a rate, precisely for this reason they do
not hire anyone .
- « But it is gratifying
to have your work broadcast on television, isn't that payment enough? ».
- " First they ask
you if you can move from your parents' house, and obviously you have to
pay rent if you can't do it ."
- « If you don't finish
your order in ten minutes, you are in the red as an entertainer. Don't
complain about entering a poor industry if you already knew it was poor.
- « But it's challenging
and fun, right? ».
Source: Yaraon!
