Japanese animator’s first monthly wage is barely over $100
On March 2, an animator working in Japan’s anime industry took to X to show exactly how low the initial wages are, sharing photographs of their monthly invoices. As reported on Otakomu, the (now deleted) thread attracted over half a million views and many comments expressing concern over the shockingly low payments.
Video 1: 4 frames, total: 880yen
Video 8: 63 frames, total: 13,860yen
ED video: 15 frames, total: 3,300yen
Added tax: 1804yen
Total: 19,844yen
As the post above shows, in their first month, the animator made only 19,844yen (approx. 132 USD). For the second month, their workload increased but they were still only able to make 35,640yen (approx. 238 USD). They then shared a month in which they were not able to work as much due to health conditions, and thus only managed to make 1,452yen (about 10 USD).
Video 1: 82 frames, total: 18,040yen
Video 8: 49 frames 10,780yen
Video 2: 31 frames 6820yen
Total: 35,640yen
Commenters reacted with shock to the revelations saying that “this is hell,” “the anime industry is a joke for paying such a meagre salary yet suffering from a shortage of workers,” and “From here on out, animators will be competing with AI, so pay will be reduced even more.” Others advised that animators should try to establish a presence on social media and the creator community Fanbox so that they have a possible sideline to fall back on.
One person was more positive, pointing out that “This animator was suddenly entrusted with doing the ending animation, so I think they are a star in the making.” A more critical commenter explained that “Entry level animators are made to do inbetweens to see if they have what it takes to be an animator or not. Not everyone can be an animator. It’s a job that requires skill and speed. If you don’t think you are cut out for it, then get a new job ASAP.”
Others shared similar experiences:
The payment for the entire job was only 16,250yen. If you want high quality in such a short timeframe, you should pay at least 3 times that amount.
I think people need to value inbetween animators more.
This is not the first time that such practices have come to our attention. Last year, we looked into other examples of the tough working conditions and low pay for animators in Japan’s anime industry (Related Article), as well as the exploitative practices that affect manga artists (Related Article). Therefore, it’s not surprising that almost one fifth of animators in the industry apparently suffer from depression (Related Article).
Wages should be livable in the sense that it can pay the rent and have enough room to be able to save and eat a meal daily. The fact that it’s being treated like a side gig economy is very bad and the Anime Industry should do better.