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Extremely Low Salary of Japanese Animators

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May 22, 2009 7:45 AM
#1

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Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) held a symposium about the working environment of Japanese animators in Tokyo on May 22nd. They reported that the average annual income of animators is considerably lower than that of normal office workers and 47% of them haven't signed an employment contract with the production studios.

Average Annual Income ($1 = 93 - 100 yen)
Animators
20 - 29y: 1.10 million yen
30 - 39y: 2.24 million yen

Male Office Workers (2008)
20 - 24y: 2.71 million yen
25 - 29y: 3.81 million yen
30 - 34y: 4.63 million yen
35 - 39y: 5.60 million yen

JAniCA concluded that it's impossible to foster young animators in such a poor working environment and there is a great fear for the future of the anime industry.

Sources:
NHK news
Nensyu-lab
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May 22, 2009 7:51 AM
#2

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Wow, I knew it was low but not quite that low. That's starting at ~$10,000 or so. Not enough to live on. ;.; Though I guess those sorts of people would probably still live with family or something so manage to get by. But it certainly isn't an attractive career to get in to for newcomers.
May 22, 2009 8:01 AM
#3

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Asako said:
Wow, I knew it was low but not quite that low.


Same here. Kinda expected it to be low but not THAT LOW.
May 22, 2009 8:03 AM
#4

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Argh, poor people :/
May 22, 2009 8:03 AM
#5

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I wish I was a japanese animator...their annual salary is still about 4 times higher than my teacher's salary was here in Russia...
May 22, 2009 8:05 AM
#6
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I actually expected lower because of all the stories I've heard. Still, that's pretty bad.
May 22, 2009 8:13 AM
#7

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seishi-sama said:
I wish I was a japanese animator...their annual salary is still about 4 times higher than my teacher's salary was here in Russia...



the purchasing power of the yen to the russian currency(and all other currencies) is also different and should be taken into account
May 22, 2009 8:24 AM
#8

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They're being cheated. D:
May 22, 2009 8:27 AM
#9

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The problem is not low salary, the problem is overpriced DVDs and the fact almost nobody that watches anime actually buys it. Shows that get 1% ratings only sell about a thousand copies? 1 in 1000 buys it? It's ridiculous.
May 22, 2009 8:30 AM

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Good god.

Anime is doomed.
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May 22, 2009 8:48 AM

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That's really awful :< I feel so bad for them..
May 22, 2009 8:57 AM

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In my opinion, the average office worker should be one of the lowest income earners, animators deserve abit more than that.
May 22, 2009 10:19 AM

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Not surprising, in that kind of work I expected them to be slaved.

The economic crisis affects everyone. Entertainment industry shall not be saved.
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori
May 22, 2009 10:34 AM

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I thought it would be higher.
God, that sucks.
May 22, 2009 10:39 AM

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i thought it would have been higher but by maybe only $5000 or so. can't believe they start at such a meager salary, i made more than that in high school
May 22, 2009 10:40 AM

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Does anyone in Japan ever get paid well anyway? I swear the only ones who make enough to live on are the presidents of mega corporations and the hostesses they bang.

That's it.

Everyone else gets paid wages even Brits would balk at.
"I'm starting to think mal is run by Xinil generating electricity on a bicycle." - idklol
May 22, 2009 10:49 AM

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I really do wonder how the industry survives. The animators who work on the show get paid peanuts and the voice actors are also not paid a lot, often having to do other things on the side to support their voice acting jobs.

May 22, 2009 11:07 AM

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Mar 2009
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to make the industry profitable they really need to change their business tactics

nobody's going to buy ¥6000 dvds when all they're getting is 2 or 3 episodes

in addition to lowering dvd prices, the route that the industry seems to be taking, and this is a good move for them, is in-show advertisement e.g. the pizza hut stuff in code geass
they either need to do that or just plain cut down on show length in order to fit more ads

it's not the prettiest or the most popular method of fundraising but it sure makes them more money.
May 22, 2009 12:01 PM

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seishi-sama said:
I wish I was a japanese animator...their annual salary is still about 4 times higher than my teacher's salary was here in Russia...


That is quite sad. ;_;

We might never get anime again! DDD=
Hello!
May 22, 2009 12:33 PM

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Ouch, I knew it was pretty low, but seeing the actual numbers make me cringe.
May 22, 2009 1:28 PM

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And even with those low wages, they still have to farm the bulk of animation out to korea. I wonder how much they get paid. Must be worse.
May 22, 2009 1:46 PM

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iTom said:
We might never get anime again! DDD=


Trust me, even if they stopped making anime today, you'd have enough unseen material to last you the rest of your life.

In fact, I just might destroy the industry just to force po-faced animation junkies to check out older anime.
"I'm starting to think mal is run by Xinil generating electricity on a bicycle." - idklol
May 22, 2009 2:27 PM

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i do what i can to help them...
May 22, 2009 2:41 PM

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Have they always been paid that low? That sucks.

I would think if you know how the industry really is, you would really have to love animating to be in it. There are other careers where people are paid crap and they stay because they love what they do. Very commendable ^.^
May 22, 2009 2:47 PM

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considering how much work animating is, that is just ridiculous. even I get paid more than that...

I guess Ill just have to rule the world so I can get these hard working people a decent livable salary.
May 22, 2009 3:26 PM

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Frenz said:
In my opinion, the average office worker should be one of the lowest income earners, animators deserve abit more than that.
Lol wut.

Both are wasting their lives, but office worker does something for company/country/whatever, and animator does something for enterteinment. Feel difference.
May 22, 2009 3:27 PM

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Whoa, that is low.



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May 22, 2009 4:01 PM

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Wow that is a low salary, I tell you it must be a true labor of love for some people to work for such a minimal amount.
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May 22, 2009 4:34 PM

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dtshyk said:


Average Annual Income ($1 = 93 - 100 yen)
Animators
20 - 29y: 1.10 million yen
30 - 39y: 2.24 million yen

Male Office Workers (2008)
20 - 24y: 2.71 million yen
25 - 29y: 3.81 million yen
30 - 34y: 4.63 million yen
35 - 39y: 5.60 million yen

JAniCA concluded that it's impossible to foster young animators in such a poor working environment and there is a great fear for the future of the anime industry.

Sources:
NHK news
Nensyu-lab


Its is number for their income per year or ?

well if that number is for per year income, yeah it kinda hard for live in high expense country like Japan.

but in my country this more than enough for live more than
May 22, 2009 4:40 PM

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*hopes Aso-sama's plans will be in action soon*

Wasn't it reported that there'll be funds to help popularize anime overseas? i hope that will raise animator's salaries >_>
May 22, 2009 4:46 PM

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Beatnik said:
iTom said:
We might never get anime again! DDD=


Trust me, even if they stopped making anime today, you'd have enough unseen material to last you the rest of your life.

In fact, I just might destroy the industry just to force po-faced animation junkies to check out older anime.


I agree with your first statement, but please don't destroy the industry. Sure, I wish younger fans, although I my self am only 18, would get over the whole "old anime sucks" mindset, but if/when anime dies prices will boom. Have you seen the prices of discontinued shows? Paranoia Agent sells for no less than $90 dollars and don't get me started on Sailor Moon. Of course I could make some easy money selling off my DVD's.

Note: I hope this gets through to some of the people who absolutely refuse to buy anime.
May 22, 2009 5:01 PM

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Wow... that's like.. almost nothing...

damn...
May 22, 2009 5:13 PM

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Yeah, it's their annual salary which equals to around 11 grand a year, about 970 something odd dollars a month. (For the 20-29 demographic)

Anime dvds are way overpriced which is why the industry is failing hard and these guys are paid shit.
リスト 。。

May 22, 2009 6:22 PM

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Xenzio said:
Wow... that's like.. almost nothing...

damn...


If you lived in my country, that is more than enough money. It's just that the industry hasn't realized yet that they can make the animations on other countries for cheap, like almost all industries in USA and Europe do (thing that now their governmets regret due to lack of employment)
May 22, 2009 6:25 PM

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they'd make more money on their knees.
in your nostromo.

eating your crew.
May 22, 2009 7:29 PM

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Poor animators! D:

Music is from the soul~ ♥
May 22, 2009 7:52 PM

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What's the surprise? Two factors to consider;

1. In general, people doing the grunt work/manual labor in creative industries like music, television, film, or anime always get paid little. It's simply not very valued or skill intensive work.

2. Not that many anime DVDs are sold, and there's less sponsor money with the recession, so isn't it reasonable the workers wouldn't get paid as much?

Honestly, this isn't a good thing, but we've already seen the effect of this during the last two years; endless re-makes, sequels, and prequels of extremely popular franchises, from Clannad to FMA to Hokuto no Ken.
May 22, 2009 7:57 PM
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hope this will spur the growth of the Japanese Communist Party...bring equality to all of japan should be a top priority
"Forged in darkness with wheat harvested from Hell's half acre. Baked by Beelzabub; slathered with mayonnaise beaten from the evil eggs of dark chickens, force-fed to dogs by the hands of a one-eyed madman. Cheese boiled from the rancid utters of fanged cows. Layered with 666 separate meats from an animal which has maggots for blood."
ATHF
May 22, 2009 8:04 PM

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renjikuchiki1 said:
hope this will spur the growth of the Japanese Communist Party...bring equality to all of japan should be a top priority


Sounds like an awesome idea...I'd like to get paid as much for scratching my belly all day as a doctor in the ER does for saving lives.
May 22, 2009 8:06 PM
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hey, some of us hav faith in the system, capitalism isn't exactly working right now is it? so plz respect my ideas and i shall respect yours
"Forged in darkness with wheat harvested from Hell's half acre. Baked by Beelzabub; slathered with mayonnaise beaten from the evil eggs of dark chickens, force-fed to dogs by the hands of a one-eyed madman. Cheese boiled from the rancid utters of fanged cows. Layered with 666 separate meats from an animal which has maggots for blood."
ATHF
May 22, 2009 8:11 PM

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renjikuchiki1 said:
hey, some of us hav faith in the system, capitalism isn't exactly working right now is it? so plz respect my ideas and i shall respect yours


Yes, if there's anything that will help us recover from a recession, it's artificially increasing the amount Japanese animators get paid. I'm in complete agreement with you there.

Oh, and I was born in the USSR, so I've lived under "communism". It was such an economically viable, fantastic system, that it collapsed shortly after I was born, and my family went to live in the US.
May 22, 2009 8:13 PM

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ITT Shaolin gets trolled
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May 22, 2009 8:14 PM
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well, russia and the soviet bloc countries dont seem to be anywhere near as well off as they were, no more established wages and little inflation...many people would like it back that way....
"Forged in darkness with wheat harvested from Hell's half acre. Baked by Beelzabub; slathered with mayonnaise beaten from the evil eggs of dark chickens, force-fed to dogs by the hands of a one-eyed madman. Cheese boiled from the rancid utters of fanged cows. Layered with 666 separate meats from an animal which has maggots for blood."
ATHF
May 22, 2009 8:25 PM

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Neverender said:
ITT Shaolin gets trolled


On any other forum, I would agree. Here...I'd say it's about 50/50.
May 22, 2009 8:26 PM

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ShaolinRibeiro said:
Neverender said:
ITT Shaolin gets trolled


On any other forum, I would agree. Here...I'd say it's about 50/50.

True enough.
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May 22, 2009 8:27 PM
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im not trolling
"Forged in darkness with wheat harvested from Hell's half acre. Baked by Beelzabub; slathered with mayonnaise beaten from the evil eggs of dark chickens, force-fed to dogs by the hands of a one-eyed madman. Cheese boiled from the rancid utters of fanged cows. Layered with 666 separate meats from an animal which has maggots for blood."
ATHF
May 22, 2009 8:29 PM

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renjikuchiki1 said:
im not trolling

You might as well be.
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May 22, 2009 8:32 PM
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well im not
"Forged in darkness with wheat harvested from Hell's half acre. Baked by Beelzabub; slathered with mayonnaise beaten from the evil eggs of dark chickens, force-fed to dogs by the hands of a one-eyed madman. Cheese boiled from the rancid utters of fanged cows. Layered with 666 separate meats from an animal which has maggots for blood."
ATHF
May 22, 2009 8:53 PM

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These figures scare me.
May 22, 2009 8:53 PM
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indeed
"Forged in darkness with wheat harvested from Hell's half acre. Baked by Beelzabub; slathered with mayonnaise beaten from the evil eggs of dark chickens, force-fed to dogs by the hands of a one-eyed madman. Cheese boiled from the rancid utters of fanged cows. Layered with 666 separate meats from an animal which has maggots for blood."
ATHF
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