The anime industry is going through a period of unprecedented growth, but challenges involving the production of anime series in Japan continue to surface. Yuichi Fukushima, producer of Spy x Family, recently highlighted the difficulties of making longer anime series, especially those spanning two cours (around 24 episodes).
At the Anime Connect event in the United States, prominent producers such as Wakana Okamura (Your Name, Weathering With You and My Hero Academia), Yuichi Fukushima (Spy x Family and Wind Breaker) and Tetsuya Nakatake (Attack on Titan and Spy x Family) discussed trends and issues in the current anime industry. During the event, Fukushima (producer of Spy x Family) pointed out that long-term planning for two-cour productions is becoming increasingly complex due to planning constraints and changes in the production environment.
Structural problems in the production of anime such as Spy x Family.
According to Fukushima (producer of Spy x Family), the difficulty lies in several factors such as the decrease in talented animation personnel, which increases the need to redo scenes, and unfair contractual conditions. These force studios to prioritize their short-term survival, even accepting financial losses for producing anime, as this is often their only source of income.
Data from the Japan Research Institute (JRI) show that anime studios receive only 10% of the revenues generated by anime productions in Japan. The remainder is distributed among rights holders and participants in fundraising, marketing and distribution activities. This leaves studios in a precarious financial position, limiting their ability to invest in talent and technology over the long term.
Changes in budgets and business models
The success of films such as Demon Slayer has been cited as a turning point in the industry, as has the impact of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Crunchyroll. The latter have significantly increased licensing fees, allowing studios to allocate more resources to production and creative retention.
Fukushima (producer of Spy x Family) stressed the importance of paying retention fees to talent, as most animators are freelancers or work on short-term contracts. Retention fees allow studios to guarantee exclusivity on the part of animators, in exchange for more stable and higher remuneration.
However, increased budgets do not always translate into better working conditions. A recent report by the Animation Association of Japan (AJA) criticized practices such as Netflix’s upfront and lump-sum payments, which do not take into account the subsequent success of the works and limit the studios’ potential earnings.
Initiatives to improve the production environment
In an effort to address these issues, Fukushima (producer of Spy x Family) and Nakatake founded JOEN in 2022, a planning and production company backed by CloverWorks, WIT Studio, Aniplex and Shueisha. JOEN seeks to ensure greater financial returns for the staff involved in production by allowing them to participate in the entire process, from planning to distribution. This strategy has proven successful, generating profits of 16 million yen by the end of fiscal year 2023-2024.
Another proposal highlighted by the National Animation Producers Association (NAFCA) is to establish a mandatory minimum percentage of royalties to be given to anime studios. This would ensure that studios earn future revenue without the need to invest upfront capital, a practice that remains uncommon in the industry.
Government Intervention and the Future of the Industry
NAFCA has also urged the Japanese government to intervene to ensure the sustainability of the industry by proposing fair wages and reasonable working hours. According to NAFCA, working conditions in anime studios have not improved significantly, with wages often below Tokyo’s minimum wage.
Despite these challenges, Fukushima remains optimistic about the future. His goal for 2025 is to develop a planning system that allows projects to be created several years in advance, rather than relying solely on quick turnarounds. According to him, it is essential to continue to invest in developing talent and improving e