JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Artist Reveals Why Fans Shouldn’t Work in the Anime Industry

For anime lovers, there are few dreams as lofty as going to Japan and working in the industry. Fans have dedicated their lives to becoming artists capable of animating their favorite shonen heroes, but it seems those dreams aren’t quite what they seem.

In fact, it seems a rather beloved artist from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure just got real about the industry, and she didn’t pull any punches.

Taking to Twitter, Terumi Nishii got netizens buzzing when the character designer addressed fans who dream of working in anime abroad.

“No matter how much you like anime, it is not advisable to come to Japan and participate in anime work. Because the animation industry is usually overworked,” the artist wrote (via ANN).

For fans, this note hit hard given Nishii’s status. The artist is well-known one thanks to their work on Diamond is Unbreakable as well as Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya. Even with these successes under her belt, Nishii finds herself overloaded with work, and the designer went on to say artists suffer more good than anything else when they join the industry.

“Japanese animation is maintained only by the feelings that the creators “like anime”. However, with the increase of the number of works in recent years, some people have broken mind and body,” the artist wrote. “The environment is the most difficult for beginners. There is almost no employee system. However, there is no time to go to bed. Everyone works for a long time and finally earns 80,000 yen. Many are supported by parents. Make an animation using the creator’s parent’s money.”

For those curious, that 80,000 yen doesn’t go a long way. Some simple math will show that paycheck rounds to about $700 USD. Nishii goes on to explain how the industry’s reliance on cheap freelance work has created a toxic workflow for animators across the board, and the beloved designer says she cannot recommend others pursuing work within the industry if it means moving halfway across the world for subpar wages.

Are you surprised by this artist’s open push back? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

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