The anime industry is growing faster these days than ever before, but it seems some parts of the industry are falling behind. It is no secret that animators and artists have been plagued with low wages for decades, after all. What you might not know is that dub actors are also often overlooked, and one of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s stars is opening up about the ordeal.
The conversation arose online after an in-depth report by Anime News Network explored the reality of working in anime. It was there voice actors shared their own experiences, and Jujutsu Kaisen‘s own Kaiji Tang hit up Twitter with some of their own commentaries.
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As you can see above, Tang responded to part of the article that broke down Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and its wage model. According to one industry expert, the English dub actors of the anime were likely paid between $150 and $600 USD for their roles. This total is cumulative rather than hourly, and Tang poked fun at the disheartening situation.
In a separate tweet, Tang went on to share his own hopes for the dub industry, and it goes well beyond a pay raise. The actor said better dubs will require longer lead times before hitting the recording booth. After all, cold-reading is a challenge for any actor, and it has become the norm for dubbing.
“You know what would make your Anime dubs sound amazing? A week’s worth of prep per episode. A day where the actors can have a table read. Actual rehearsal time. Instead we have to be master cold readers week after week. Somewhere else all that new cash can go,” he shared. “They’re never going to do this, they will unironically raise all our pay before even thinking about this.”
As you can see, Tang has his own thoughts on the situation, and his role as one of dub’s new-gen stars is making fans listen. Anime veterans like Stephanie Sheh are also lending their voice to bolster the industry’s wage inequities, so Tang is far from alone with his views. So as the anime industry continues to grow, fans will want to look closely at how its dubbed shows and their casts are treated.
What do you think about this growing debate in the anime industry? Do you side with the voice actors here…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
