This post came about because of the recent tweet by animator Mushiyo which triggered reaction from anime fans about the working conditions at MAPPA and Japan's anime industry in general.
MAPPA has since put out an official statement rebuking these claims, and hinting at legal action against animators who spread such claims.
As a freelance translator in Japan, I can fully understand what the freelance animators here are going through. The freelance industry here in Japan is essentially a loophole for companies to hire workers at low salaries without having to pay other benefits such as insurance and pension. Such benefits can amount up to a a third of the actual salary being paid to regular employees, depending on age. Freelancers, however, do not receive such benefits; but they are legally required to pay for insurance and contribute toward pension, which means that up to a third of the meager sum being earned is further taken away from them. Freelancers are also not paid bonuses; even if they do get bonuses, it is a small token sum compared to what regular employees receive.
This become quite unfair when you think about how the company's business is being supported by the work of freelancers. I mean, an anime studio can't produce anime without animators. A translation agency can't produce translations without translators. The core workers that support the operation of a company are actually being paid the least.
Instead, freelancers compete with each other for work, and run the risk of being sidelined by a company forever if they do not accept work at unreasonable prices. It is because of this "internal competition" that companies are able to get away with exploiting freelancers. The availability of part-time freelancers (who have a full-time job doing something else and take on freelance work as additional income) does not help, because these part-time freelancers are usually able to accept work at lower prices because they already have a stable income. But the overall effect they have is to drive down prices in the industry as a whole, jeopardising the livelihoods of those who work full time.
The unfair power balance of companies is a factor that always looms over our heads. Freelancers are forced to sign binding agreements with companies; such agreements can be used by company lawyers to hang an axe over our heads all the time. Every freelancer runs the risk of being sued till bankruptcy for any mistake. And as mentioned, other than this legal risk, there is always the risk of being sidelined. Companies have a pool of freelancers, and if we refuse to take on work (for whatever reason, be it price or because we are sick), the companies may stop approaching us for work because they can always find someone else. What this means is that freelancers have to work, whatever the price, whatever their health may be.
I was told by someone that quality, time, and price: choose two because it is not possible to have all three. Here, freelancers are expected to deliver good work in short times at low prices. If you don't deliver in time, it is a breach of contract and you may be sued. If you do not deliver quality, it is a breach of contract and you may be sued. If you don't accept low prices, you don't eat.
It is no wonder that animators are suffering. It is no wonder that we have seen recent series run into trouble with schedules and quality. If companies exploit the people who actually bring in their profits, the long-term impact is a stagnation of the industry as a whole, as freelancers burn out and leave the industry only to be replaced by newbies, who go through the same process again and again.
But this is not an issue caused by companies. It is a much deeper problem arising from the entire industry structure, where companies are expected to deliver quality work in short time at low cost. The entire Japanese economy runs on such expectations, which is why we keep seeing systemic problems in many different industries. We have the fudging of seatbelt and fuel efficiency data in the automobile industry. There are construction companies who take shortcuts in the sourcing of construction material. There are television producers who stage interviews.
At the root is simply the fact that Japan is no longer the bubbling economy it used to be. Society's expectations are stuck at a time when they had the money to pay for good quality in short time. People continue to expect that same quality in the same short time; the problem is, they don't have that kind of money anymore. Companies are being driven to cut costs to survive, which ends up creating a vicious cycle of being unable to create true value and thus bring in real profits. The end result is that while corporate Japan tries to keep up appearances, the freelance industry bears the burden of such efforts.
So will the recent spotlight shone on the anime industry help change the situation? I am skeptical. The government here has been talking about giving better treatment to freelancers, temporary workers, part-timers, etc. but there has not been any concrete progress because of the deeper problems with the economy. It will take someone with exceptional political conviction and power to be able to pull off such an extensive reform of Japan's economy and society.
Until then, I will just keep working, day or night, healthy or sick. Because the alternative is bleak.
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