There is no overlooking the popularity of anime these days. The industry is getting bigger by the year, so gone are the days where anime was considered niche. Of course, anime’s rise in popularity has put more strain on its workers, and the industry’s harsh conditions have come to light in the past decade. And now, anime veteran Terumi Nishii says the industry needs to train animators ASAP unless it wants other countries to usurp its anime throne.
The discussion comes from Anime News Network as the site spoke with Nishii recently about their work with the NAFCA, The Nippon Anime & Film Culture Association. The group was created in 2023 and is focused on combating the anime industry’s issues. According to Nishii, there are two big problems facing the industry: a reliance on novice animators and impossible quotas.
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“At vocational schools, you’re supposed to learn the specialized skills needed to act as a professional, but they only teach the general aspects of anime production. Take students who have not been able to acquire the skills specific to being an animator, for example. Just because they graduate doesn’t mean they can become a professional-level animator. They should have had more specialized learning,” Nishii shared.
“In general, overtime hours are extremely long, or there are strange quotas that you can never hit-and, therefore, you never get to go home.”
At the end, Nishii said they expect budgets for anime series to go up in the coming years. However, extra money will not address the issue of untrained animators. Training programs need to be created to transition artists as they begin tackling anime. And if not, well – Nishii admits Japan may lose its hold on anime.
“We’re getting to the point where no matter how much money you have for people who are good at the job, you won’t be able to find them-and once that happens, the number of skilled people won’t increase unless you develop them,” she admits. “[If we don’t,] we will probably be overtaken by other countries soon. In that case, I think the original creators would probably think that anime adaptations of their work don’t need to be made in Japan.”
What do you think about this confession from Nishii? Do you see their point? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!
