Animation director says the anime industry is on the brink of collapse unless something is done

On her twitter the animation director Terumi Nishii revealed a dark future for the future of anime and that something has to be done to reverse this situation.

Terumi Nishii has worked in the anime industry for many years, participating in multiple works since Jujutsu Kaisen 0 The JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure passing by Death Note. She is a well-respected voice in the industry and her words sparked a lot of reactions online.

Terumi Nishii stated:

Seriously, it’s over. Once Kagawa’s generation leaves, everything will end at once. We need to do something about training courses by then. Animation studios can’t handle training new employees. This is because those who have been creating animators so far are all freelance animators. It’s impossible for clueless companies that only understand numbers.

Looking back to the days of Hisashi Kagawa (he gained popularity as the animation director for Sailor Moon), Nishii’s message shows how much the anime industry has changed since then. With mandatory overtime and very low freelancer salaries, the anime industry has some terrible flaws.

Studios like MAPPA have been in the headlines lately because of their demands on production schedules, and according to Nishii, this environment will spell the end of anime’s dominance in Japan unless something changes. The next generation of animators needs some guidance and is not getting the training they need.