UlasanAnime.com – The results of the animator wages survey, published by JAniCA a couple of weeks ago, have circulated widely. This article aims to provide context beyond the typical reactions found on matome blogs or online forums.
While I don’t possess firsthand experience as an animator in the industry, it’s worth acknowledging that the challenges faced by veterans of 10+ years might differ from those of aspiring animators today.
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For most, learning animation is an on-the-job process. While academic institutions offer specialized training, the industry often treats it like an associate’s or trade degree. Graduating from a specialized school like Kyoto Animation’s might offer a strong start, but it represents a very specific path. Self-teaching animation has also become increasingly feasible over the past decade and a half, thanks to advanced (and often piratable) software that can run on consumer laptops, with rendering times for short clips taking only tens of minutes. This accessibility allows artists to experiment with animation, much like Makoto Shinkai famously did.
The typical career path for aspiring animators in Japan begins with in-betweening. The JAniCA report highlights the low monthly earnings for this role. We can infer the workload by working backward from the per-drawing payment, often as low as 100 yen. At this rate, an in-betweener would need to produce approximately 925 drawings per month to earn a modest income. Considering a standard work month of 22 days, this equates to roughly 42 drawings per day. This figure might seem surprisingly low.
A significant factor contributing to these low earnings is that many in-betweeners do not work full-time. This part-time arrangement is understandable given the pay, akin to graduate students working to fund their studies under a form of academic apprenticeship. Animators, to a degree, also operate under this model. The freelance nature of the work provides flexibility, allowing them to seek better-paying opportunities elsewhere.
The core issue with low in-betweening pay isn’t just that it’s insufficient for a living, though that is a problem. The primary concern is that the entry-level compensation is too low compared to alternative career paths for individuals with similar aspirations and skills. This low starting wage is a critical long-term issue for Japanese hand-drawn animation, and indeed any industry plagued by low wages, excessive working hours, and high stress. Without a steady influx of new talent entering the apprenticeship ladder, the industry risks a talent drain. Fewer individuals will learn the craft as senior animators retire or quit, and fewer still will be able to sustain themselves through the initial stages. While surviving as an in-betweener is technically possible, it would be exceptionally difficult and might limit applicants to those with financial support or those fortunate enough to work for studios like KyoAni.
It’s also important to recognize that in-betweening is often considered grunt work, delegated to newcomers to gain experience. However, this is precisely the type of task that could be streamlined or eliminated through advancements in automation and computing. Software capable of auto-inbetweening by analyzing keyframes already exists and will continue to improve, potentially being adopted by established animation companies. Since in-betweened frames are typically checked during the coloring process, this low-paying job might eventually be absorbed into quality control or finishing roles.
Ultimately, understanding the freelance, part-time, and full-time employment structures prevalent among Japanese animators is crucial for interpreting data like the JAniCA survey. Without this context, the reported figures can appear perplexing.
