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INTEREST: Veteran Animator Toshiyuki Inoue Gives Young Animators Advice to Negotiate Better Wages

According to Inoue, another factor to take into consideration is how long it takes to draw an in-between frame. 35 years ago, Inoue knew of people who drew 1,000 in-between frames in a month, but this would be impossible nowadays because the complexity of the character designs mean that drawings take longer to produce. This implies that in-between animation nowadays should be worth more comparatively.

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According to Inoue, another factor to take into consideration is how long it takes to draw an in-between frame. 35 years ago, Inoue knew of people who drew 1,000 in-between frames in a month, but this would be impossible nowadays because the complexity of the character designs mean that drawings take longer to produce. This implies that in-between animation nowadays should be worth more comparatively.

OK then, we just need all Anime characters to have really simple designs like the sort ONE draws, thus in-betweeners can draw a lot more of them. Failing that just pay them more per tween.

I wonder how far this goes back to, at least the 80s, I feel that it was better in the 60s. Maybe conditions got worse in the 70s, I know the horrible working conditions on The Castle of Cagliostro was not made him want to start his own studio.

In a later tweet thread, Inoue shared his belief that the best person to talk to on the production side is a "sympathetic producer" because they have influence over the budget. He said that talking to the Association of Japanese Animations won't produce results because the group is made up of affiliate animation production companies. The most you can expect after filing a request is a diplomatic non-answer like "We are looking into the issue."

In reaction to Inoue's tweets, other animators have been speaking up about money matters. Akiko Nakano tweeted that around 40 years ago, in-between animation frames used to pay around 150 yen. She stated that when you take into account the complexity of the drawings these days, then even 600 yen per frame is too low. Even in the past, 150 yen was far too low, so just raising the rates to a comparative level to the past would still be grossly unfair to animators.

Even JAniCA, which is an advocacy group for workers in the anime industry, has encountered roadblocks when it comes to creating tangible change at the top level. According to Inoue, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood director and JAniCa representative Yasuhiro Irie submitted a request to hold a conference where animators and companies could freely exchange opinions about improving anime production schedules, but this was ultimately ignored.

Inoue noted that structural change won't happen unless there is momentum coming from many different sides. This means that young animators shouldn't feel the need to approach the issue rashly, especially if this can result in them losing work. If the data from the JAniCA report is spread widely and even high-profile voices from around the industry speak up, then those at the top (such as company presidents and production committees) can be convinced. Inoue hopes that if these voices can prompt the Fair Trade Commission and the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency to lay out guidelines, then there will be true momentum.

Oh, you know, have them completely shift to 3D animation.

Just in case it wasn't 100% clear, the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) and the Association of Japanese Animations are separate organizations.

Although this article just focuses on Inoue, I have been looking into Morita's statements, and I plan to address his criticisms and others in a follow-up article. I am also planning to reach out to JAniCA to hear their side of the story.

What I have previously suggested to Answerman might still deserve an answer on ANN:
how the Japanese voice actors / actresses ended up getting decent pay.

At this point I think the only way these artists will get the respect they deserve is if all the animators go on strike and demand better pay so they can have better lives. Thing is, strikes in Japan are not that common, and they tend strike in a rather peaceful way sometimes to the absurb; where for example striking busdrivers would give passengers free rides. They are very civilised, too civilised I believe. They should really take stand for themselves as one unit and not just on twitter. I know it is in their culture to not complain and be loyal but there's comes a moment to where you need to put your foot down.