Answerman

What is 'NAFCA' and How Are They Trying to Help Animators?

Worried in Wisconsin asks:

I am alarmed to read more and more news stories about what sounds like an existential crisis for the Japanese anime industry. Headlines such as "Anime in crisis: Japan's signature art form at risk" seem to suggest that Japan's changing demographics and what sounds like the generally poor working conditions of animators are creating a situation where there aren't enough people to do the work at a time where demand for new anime seems to be outstripping supply. How is the industry going to reverse this worrying trend? Is it even possible?

This question plays on my mind a lot. I see it as both a challenge and an opportunity for the entire animation industry, but to understand what steps are being taken to address it, we need to hear from some of those people who are standing at the coal face. I was lucky enough to be invited to interview Ayano Fukumiya, a representative of the Nippon Anime & Film Culture Association (NAFCA), the folks behind the “NAFCA Animator Skill Test,” which is a proficiency test for Japanese animators or those who aspire to work in the local industry. NAFCA aims to arm these students with the “correct foundational knowledge and skills required in the production studios.”

The content is designed not just for would-be animators but also for people who may want to work in other anime industry roles, such as production, coloring, compositing, and delivery. It's an amazing resource. If only it were available in English.

Good news! In early November, NAFCA launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to create an English-language version. The campaign, which ended on November 27, had an original goal of 2,000,000 yen (about US$13,365); as of today, it has raised over 6,269,801 yen (US$41,898).

This isn't any ordinary “How to draw anime” book. This guide is the first step in what NAFCA hopes will be the successful reformation of the Japanese anime production industry that addresses some of the fundamental causes of the industry's current capacity problems.

I started by asking Fukumiya what the purpose of the NAFCA Animator Skill Test is.

“The purpose of the book, as I understand it, is to help animators up-skill so that there is an equal baseline of ability and competence amongst the production line on any anime project. This should improve efficiency, quality, and consistency. A common complaint from producers is that the animation directors are often too busy correcting other team members' mistakes to supervise every cut and ensure the level of consistency and continuity is satisfactory.”

So, could having a better-trained junior animation workforce be an important first step in addressing the current capacity challenges many anime studios face?

“The general idea is correct. However, since this textbook explains the basics, it remains whether it can immediately improve the entire industry's quality. Even so, there are now many revisions to the foundation parts, so I think the time devoted to revising them can be used to improve the overall quality. Again, this textbook explains the basics of "douga"[in-between animation] skills.”

After reading Fukumiya's replies to my questions, I quickly realized that some foundational challenges may be unique to anime training, so I asked her what exactly was going wrong with the education and training program for Japanese line animators.

“The problem is that animation schools are not able to educate specialized people properly. To teach anime, you need to draw a lot of pictures, but due to copyright and other issues, it is impossible to use the material of the broadcast anime. Therefore, when it comes to materials each school prepares, it is difficult to teach all the knowledge and skills necessary in a professional studio setting.” I think this adequately addresses why students are missing out on some of the specific line training required to enable them to slot in comfortably and quickly on a douga production line.

Another contributing factor to the recruitment and training challenge is the decreasing number of new students due to the declining birth rate, which increases the competition between schools to attract the most talented students each year.

If you do make it into an animation training school, the grueling training that is the basis of anime production, otherwise known as "line practice," may not be for everyone. Line practice is “very deliberate and sober work.” Fukumiya admits that “if you force students to practice this traditional and earnest way, the number of students who will quit will increase. As a result, schools will be unable to manage the business, so it is difficult to educate students too strictly. Therefore, even if you have graduated from an anime vocational school, you will need to be educated almost from scratch when you enter a production company.”

While an encouraging and useful first step, it is clear that this book and the Animator Skill Test alone will not solve all the problems production companies face. “The test is just a starting point and shows the direction of practice, but to become a truly talented animator, it is necessary to have someone teach you directly, that is, to have many of your drawings corrected. It could be a cram school somewhere, or it could be receiving feedback on daily at work. There are several ways to do this, but if you don't go through this process, you won't be able to develop animators with proper skills. And I don't think we can solve the capacity problems of the current industry unless we develop skilled animators.”

Another industry problem is that production companies haven't earned as they should have. It is common for studios to underbid one another to secure the production contract on a series or film production they want to work on. Sometimes, the studio works at a reduced fee for a bigger share of the back-end profits a hit series may generate in licensing and merchandise sales. I believe studios need to be rewarded for their work, irrespective of whether it shows success. Overworked and underpaid animators do not generally deliver their best work on a reliable basis. I believe that the noticeable lack of consistency and continuity in many new anime series is indicative of these problems.

I asked Fukumiya about her thoughts on this particular issue. “I think the amount of money that goes into the production side is small relative to the size of the market, but if there are no skilled animators, no matter how much money is raised, it will only increase the number of corrections needed, and it will not provide a fundamental solution. I think spending more money in the field and developing the animators' skills at the same time is necessary.”

“If you give a million dollars to someone who runs a hundred meters in under 15 seconds and order him to run it in 9 seconds, the request will not be realized. The problem in the anime industry is something like this.” Increased budgets alone will not fundamentally address the challenge of standards in production if there is no change to the in-work training of animators.

Demand for anime has never been higher, and production capacity is at an all-time low. I wonder if it would make things simpler if large anime buyers like Crunchyroll simply reduced the amount of new anime they invest in annually. Wouldn't this help improve the remaining projects' capacity and quality? Fukumiya explained that it is not as simple as one major player like Crunchyroll reducing how many anime they order. She agreed that the number of anime produced every year is too large for the capacity. Still, she thinks that “Rather than just reducing the number of productions each year, I think it would be a good idea to create industry rules, such as "You can't take orders for less than XXX yen to make a 30-minute anime," because it will correct the ratio of money in the industry and that itself would create a natural decrease in the number of titles being produced annually. The biggest challenge is to get that agreement [across the industry].”

If studios are reticent to agree to industry-wide minimum episode budget levels. A consensus on what is and isn't sustainable, if you will, I wonder if Japan can leverage inward immigration to help address the animator labor shortage. After all, it seems to me that there is no shortage of overseas animators who want to live and work in Japan. Don't pack your suitcase just yet, and you can leave that WACOM tablet at home.

“I feel that more overseas animators are working here than we have had in the past. However, rather than increasing the number of foreign staff to Japanese companies, I think it is very common to outsource the work (mainly douga) to overseas companies. I think the language barrier is a big part of that. The way Japanese anime is made is difficult even for Japanese people, and many things are Galapagos* I think it would be difficult for a production company that cannot afford to translate all of this into English and educate them.”

[*JM - This is a fairly common saying in Japanese anime circles, meaning unique and singular to that (eco)system, which in this context means the local animation industry.]

I argued with Fukumiya (very politely) that long hours, rigid work practices, and generally poor working conditions must be the main causes of their labor shortage.

“In terms of improving working conditions for animators, I think that's true. Right now, working hours are too long, and wages are too low. I think it will be difficult to increase the number of new entrants [into anime production careers] at this rate. However, people who like to draw often say, "Before I knew it, [a lot of] time had passed," so I think it would be a little different to blindly limit working hours.”

Even if you offered more time off and implemented office closing hours, even to remote workers, Fukumiya believes that there is something in how animators and illustrators can be consumed by their work to such a degree that they are working long hours without really thinking about it. I guess we call this “Being in the Zone,” and it is an almost meditative state we enter when we are doing something we enjoy. Think video gaming or working out.

“I think the important thing is to respect individuals' wishes and provide wages and social security that are commensurate with them. However, most of the social security systems in Japan are for full-time employees, so I think the question of how to deliver social security to animators who do not want to be tied down as full-time employees is another problem.”

Surely we can introduce digital tools and processes that reduce the manual workload for each animator and make the whole process more efficient? They've been working like this in the West for decades. Fukumiya disagrees. “As for digital tools, we don't know if they really will help us or not yet. Some think that practicing with paper and pencil improves skills faster and stronger. There are a number of current veterans who draw with paper and pencil at a godlike speed. On the other hand, I hear that by going digital, the "taste" of the lines is lost, and the screen becomes less attractive. I believe that the use of digital tools is still at a stage where discussions are needed.”

It was wonderful to read Fukumiya's comments and to better understand how Japanese animators will solve their problems themselves. I find it difficult to reconcile my love of the Japanese line and traditional anime styles and techniques with this amazing industry's existential challenges. Nonetheless, I am very confident they will solve their challenges because that is what Japan does. It eventually faces its problems and finds solutions for them collectively. It takes time, but change happens. Even in Japan.

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