Questionable practices and work conditions in theanimeindustry have been anever-present and ongoing discussion among fan bases of the art form’s biggest properties. Towering demands and grueling hours all while working within tight deadlines, those making a living while creating some of the most beloved content in the anime world do not have it easy. Horror stories have arisen from animators and directors on numerous occasions, and as the demand for anime continues to grow, so too do the demands placed on those responsible for the product.
Several of the biggest studios have faced accusations of poor or unfair working conditions from employees. Most infamously, in recent years, the famedStudio MAPPA has come under firefrom the staff responsible forJujutsu Kaisen’s masterpiece second season. As anime only continues to rapidly increase in quality, Japan’s Fair Trade Commission seems to finally have had enough, andis launching an investigation into the industry’s largest problems.
Japan’s FTC Is Investigating Unfair Practices in the Anime Industry
The Commission Is Looking Into Transactions Between Creators and Production Companies
While harsh conditions have defined the anime industry for years, those working under subcontractors are also often subject to low wages for meeting the unrealistic demands of larger companies. Asinitially reported by Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s FTC has taken notice of the unfair practices in the industry, and has uploaded a form to their website in hopes that creators will share their experiences andshed light on the nature of transactions between them and contractors.
Jujutsu Kaisen Animators Open Up About The Bleak Future Of The Anime Industry
More information regarding the catastrophe at Mappa shows that the anime industry has a huge problem they need to fix immediately.
The Fair Trade Commission is searching for any violations of the Antimonopoly Act, Subcontracting Act, and the Freelance Act. After collecting data and further investigating the state of the anime industry,a report is expected to be published sometime later in 2025. Given the increasing number of complaints and accusations placed on even the largest animation studios in the industry, an investigation into unfair practices is somewhat overdue. Stricter regulations will likely have an incredibly positive impact on the health of creators going forward.
Increased Demand for Anime Worldwide Has Led to Greater Expectations
Creators Are Forced to Work Harder Than Ever to Meet Expectations
It’s no secret that anime is the biggest it has ever been on a global scale. Shows like the aforementionedJujutsu KaisenandDemon Slayerhave raised the bar in terms of visual quality, and the popularity of these series has created greater expectations from fans and industry executives. Recently, the producer of the smash hitSpy x Familyexpressed a desire to return to the ‘two-cour’ format anime season, though explained that increased demands have made it entirely too difficult to produce anything more than 12-episode seasons.
Now that Japan’s FTC has taken it upon themselves to launch an investigation into unfair practices within the industry, it seems that the goal of producing longer seasonsmight be further away than it already seemed. However, the resulting findings are sure to create better, healthier work spaces for the creators responsible foranime’s biggest hits. And that will be a far better outcome than anything else in the current state of the industry.
Source:Asahi Shimbun
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisenis a Japanese anime and manga series created by Gege Akutami. The story is set in a world where Cursed Spirits, born from negative human emotions, prey on humanity. It follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he becomes entangled in the world of Jujutsu Sorcery after swallowing a cursed talisman—Ryomen Sukuna’s finger—and becomes the host for one of the most powerful curses. Yuji joins the Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College to learn how to combat curses while searching for the remaining fingers of Sukuna to exorcise him permanently.
