CATDOLL: Foreign netizens complain: Japanese animation practitioners' salaries are shockingly low

Although animation production seems to be a glamorous job, how much does it actually pay? Recently, some foreign netizens complained that the salaries of Japanese animation practitioners are "unimaginably low" and "almost on the verge of bankruptcy."

The table titled "2015 Average Annual Salary Survey Results for Japanese Animation Practitioners" lists the average annual income of various related professions, including supervisors, producers, and original artists. Although overall, the salary of animation practitioners last year was relatively normal, compared with the actual workload, the job of "secondary original artist" has become a hot topic of debate among netizens - the work is tiring and the income is low, the treatment is severe, and the average age is generally low.

Along with the second-highest original artist, the "animator" occupation also received sympathy from foreign netizens. The average working age is 24 years old, and the annual income is 1.11 million yen. Although it is only 10,000 yen less than the second-to-last, the degree of hard work of this job is unimaginable to ordinary people.

"2015 Japanese animation practitioners' average annual and monthly salary survey results"

Many foreign netizens were amazed by this - "I can't believe it...", "It's really strange, it's almost on the verge of bankruptcy", "Many new animation practitioners probably leave for this reason (too low salary)?", "With such a low salary, plus long working hours, all kinds of diseases (such as stomachache) come", "Although I liked this job when I first entered the industry, I will feel the cruelty of society after a long time."

In fact, the average annual income in Japan in 2014 was 4.15 million yen, and the average income in Okinawa was 3.12 million yen. In comparison, those animation practitioners with an annual income of less than 3 million yen are even lower than the average standard in small and medium-sized cities. In addition, many people live in Tokyo, where prices and rents are high, and this meager salary is not even enough to support their daily lives.

Some worried netizens linked the low salaries of practitioners with the quality of animation - "The salaries of animators are so low, won't it affect the quality of the work?", "I seem to have seen the reason for the collapse of "Mitsuya Mitsuha" (a new animation in April, the quality of its drawings is the biggest complaint point)", "Combined with the high-pressure working environment in Japan, I'm really worried whether these people can hold on."

Of course, there are also outstanding people in this seemingly "bankrupt" industry. According to a survey, there are Japanese animation original artists who earn 14 million to 16 million yen a year, which is even higher than the salary of supervisors! Original artists who can reach this level must have outstanding abilities and impressive performance, but many original artists are still under great pressure.

There are also original artists who earn a high salary of 14 million to 16 million yen

"The domestic economy in Japan is very depressed, and the Japanese have no idea how much debt the country holds or how to maintain social balance. In addition, otakus make up a large part of the Japanese population, and animation is a high-priced commodity. If it is produced in a poor manner, it will only make the industry more unbalanced." This is the opinion of a foreign netizen, from which it seems that we can also find some reasons for the uneven salary ratio of animation practitioners.