By Megan Atmadjaja, Trinity College Student
For the first time in cinematic history, a non-Hollywood production topped the 2020’s worldwide box office. This record is held by a popular Japanese anime, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, that managed to make USD 503 million since its international release. The Demon Slayer franchise has quickly become a fan-favorite with old and new fans rooted all over the globe. There are a lot of positive sides that come with the growing popularity of anime, but there are also dark sides of the industry that is not much talked about.
Image via Wallpaper Cave; Demon Slayer: Mugen Train (2020)
Anime has been one of the most effective ways to boost Asian representation in the pop culture industry. People from around the world become more educated and engaged with Asian culture through cultural representations in Anime. Most
Animes adopt Japanese settings from different eras. For example, Demon Slayer is set in a traditional Japanese period, and it showcases a lot of Japanese beliefs and cultural practices during the traditional era. There are also a few that takes on a more historical approach, such as Studio Ghibli’s From Up on Poppy Hill which is set in Japan post WWII. There are a lot of animes that are also set in modern-day Japan, such as the easy-going Haikyu! or the fantasy-action Jujutsu Kaisen. Even though most animes have a Japanese setting, some are inspired by other Asian cultures, such as Heaven’s Official Blessing which is heavily based on Chinese culture, and even Western cultures, one of them being the popular Attack on Titan or Moriarty the Patriot.
Image via Studio Ghibli; From Up on Poppy Hill set in Japan Post
Culture aside, anime is also one of the best media for learning Japanese. Although nearly all animes have subtitles and most of the popular ones have English dubbing, it is nearly not as fun as watching anime in Japanese. Little by little, you’ll get the hang of common Japanese phrases and what it means – although it would be a great idea if you take a step further and really study Japanese! Or even if you’re only watching anime for fun, this is a great way to get accustomed to subtitles and different pop cultures from around the world. Back when pop culture is dominated by Western media, subtitles for English movies were not as common, making it hard for non-English speakers to enjoy Hollywood entertainment, but since asian pop culture such as K-Pop, K-dramas, anime, etc. have surfaced, the use of subtitles is now normalized which makes it easier for everybody to enjoy entertainment from anywhere in the world.
But the anime industry is not always rainbows and sunshine; there’s always been a problem of labor exploitation of animators in Japan. Behind your favourite stories and characters, countless animators are drawing them almost entirely by hand. Animators use at least 12 drawings per second, which means that an average anime episode would have at least 15,000 drawings. Usually, studios pay animators $2 per drawing, and this does not account for the time and effort being put into it. This would be alright if animators can finish 200 pieces in a day, but a drawing usually takes about one hour – not to mention if it’s a more detailed piece, it could take up a few hours just for one drawing. Working conditions were also harsh, and most overworked animators would fall physically or mentally ill, leading to hospitalizations and in extreme cases, suicide. In fact, one popular production studio, Madhouse, who produces big-name anime such as Hunter x Hunter and One-Punch Man, was accused of violating Japan’s labor code back in 2019. Animators were working for approximately 400 hours in a month and 37 days consecutively, and some of the employees had to be hospitalized because of this.
Image via IMDB; Post WWII Moriarty the Patriot set in 19th century London (2020)
Putting it together, Anime is a great entertainment media that promotes open-mindedness and appreciation for other cultures. Along with K-Pop, it’s one of the most popular Asian entertainments that boosts Asian representation in worldwide pop culture. However, its industry does have its downsides, so don’t forget to support, and appreciate your favorite series by streaming them on legal platforms so production studios get paid!
References:
How has Japanese anime influenced the world? Japan Info. (2015, November 17).
Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://jpninfo.com/31964.
Margolis, E. (2019, July 2). The Dark Side of Japan's Anime Industry. Vox.
Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/7/2/20677237/anime-industry-japan-artists-pay-labor-abuse-neon-genesis-evangelion-netfli