Japan’s Animators earn Breadcrumbs!

September 11, 2009 by Toonleap
Filed under Anime, Japan, News

If you still wonder how much an Animator or anyone in the staff that works for an anime project earns in Japan, We have some light to shed for you and the numbers are not pretty.

Anime Director Yamazaki Osamu objected to the recent reports about the low salary of anime staff. He said there are large differentials among them. According to Yamazaki, the average salaries of the main staff for one episode of TV anime are:
($1 = 90 – 95 yen)

Director: 200,000 – 250,000 yen (2,210.62 – 2,763.31) USD dollars
Episode graphic director: 300,000 yen (3,315.97) USD dollars
Audio director: 150,000 – 180,000 yen (1,989.16) USD dollars

Episode graphic directors are tied down to one episode for one and half a month. On the other hand, audio directors can finish one episode in two days and they usually work on several series at the same time. Taking the total working hours into account, the monthly earnings are as follows:

Director: 500,000 yen (5,525.45 USD$)
Episode graphic director: 200,000 yen (2,210.62 USD$)
Audio director: ~1,800,000 yen (19,892.22 USD$)
Scenario writer: 300,000 yen + royalties (3,315.97 USD$)
Filming staff: 800,000 – 1,000,000 yen (8,840.02 – 11,048.32 USD$)
Normal animator: 100,000~ (1,104.83 USD$)

Yamazaki claimed the correction of the wage inequalities between the animators and the other production staff.

Episode graphic director is the chief of the key and in-between animators.
Audio director is in charge of the directions of voice actings, sound effects and BGM.

Source: JAnica Club via MAL News / Image Source

We know that technical positions like the audio directors deserves a good salary but I think the Animators should receive at least a more “honorable” payment. Director Yamazaki said “There are large differentials among them” You better believe it.

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