Jujutsu Kaisen, Best Anime of 2021, Poster Child for Exploitation!

Behind the current boom in the Japanese anime industry lies an intensifying level of exploitation. Multiple animators from the Jujutsu Kaisen series have made public statements about their working conditions at Mappa, the studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen. They have reached a breaking point working on the most popular anime of 2021. How can we support the struggle of these workers at the international level?

Artists at the MAPPA studio are reaching their limits

In November 2023, several employees of the MAPPA studio—which produces some of the most popular anime such as Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and Vinland Saga—denounced their working conditions on Twitter/X. This fall, episode 17 of the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen was released, even though it was only 30% completed. The employees requested a delay in its release, but it was denied. However, a delay did occur for episode 18. After all, if the work is not done, it won’t be finished by the bosses.

This mounting pressure demonstrates a widespread “crunch” culture in which artists face immense pressure in the months leading up to a product’s launch. In 2021, an independent animator from MAPPA said that working for MAPPA was like “working in a factory.” According to him, 80% of animators in the company are exhausted to the point of burnout. Other sources corroborate that this proportion is 60% in the rest of the industry.

These expectations are exerted on young anime artists who earn an average annual salary of 1,550,000 yen (14,000 USD/year), which is one million yen less than the rest of the employees of the same age. It is no wonder that nearly 90% of animation staff leave their jobs after only three years.

The planet wants anime, the owners want their profits

Anime is more popular than ever. In 2023, nearly a third of the world’s population, or 2.88 billion people, watches anime. On Netflix, 100 million people watched at least one anime in 2020. This figure is 50% higher than the previous year.

The popularity of anime on Netflix demonstrates a growing interest that mostly comes from outside Japan. Looking at the overseas revenue of the Japanese industry, it is at its highest point since 2012. The industry experienced a staggering growth of 13% in 2022.

Moreover, the industry is predicted to experience 9.5% compound annual growth until 2030. In comparison, the overall global economic growth perspectives for all sectors combined are 2.2%. How is it that an industry making more money than ever has such miserable employees?

The worst contracts for artists are the best for MAPPA

The current economic form, therefore capitalist, dictates a single purpose for businesses: to maximize the owner’s profits. From its creation in 2011 until 2016, MAPPA accepted for production one or two projects at a time. In 2016, this number doubled, and even tripled after the arrival of a new president. MAPPA didn’t “win” these new projects by being a “better” company. MAPPA got these projects because it agreed to do them at a lower cost. For example, companies like Netflix offer production contracts. Some have such low budget proposals that most companies refuse to take them up, but not Mappa. The production company has the reputation of taking the worst contracts.

Typically, the production of anime requires the participation of a production team composed of different companies. These companies share the work, financing, and expertise of a project, but also the profits. MAPPA is part of several of these teams but is attempting a new approach, it started going solo. Mappa took on the entire Chainsaw Man project by itself. The company now can maximize its profit share, but it now has more work to do.

Jujutsu Kaisen is the anime that made the most profits in the industry in 2022. The studio decided to produce a film after the first season, Jujutsu Kaisen 0. The production lasted only four months. The production of a normal 24-minute episode takes between four and seven weeks. Making a 105-minute film in just four months is a monument of human suffering. But, the profits? Staggering.

One can understand the request for an extension from last November under the same context. Accepting this extension would mean changing broadcast schedules, breaking contracts, modifying toy distribution, etc. Regardless of the magnitude of profits, the idea of limiting them is and will always be “impossible” for the owners. Impossible? Impossible for them.

The Japanese working class has tremendous potential for struggle!

Japan has a working class that has achieved incredible historic victories. In 1968, over 150 universities went on strike, with some students even erecting barricades. In the 1970s, there were, on average, over 6,000 strikes per year, and more than 55% of the population was unionized. One of the greatest victories of the Japanese labor movement was the imposition of simultaneous negotiations by all unions in the same industry, each spring. A practice named Shunto. The gains from these spring negotiations then apply to all employees in the sector, even to the non-unionized.

Now, this level of struggle needs to be rebuilt. The manufacturing employees of the last century have been replaced by a greater proportion of temporary, precarious, part-time jobs. The so-called socialist or communist parties set aside their revolutionary stance with the neoliberal wave of the 80s and 90s. Currently, only 16.5% of workers in Japan are unionized, the lowest rate since this statistic began being measured in 1947. From 6,000 annual strikes, we are now at 68. Motoaki Nakaoka, the general secretary of Zenrokyo, a Japanese trade union confederation, said in an interview, “The current era is one where union leadership doesn’t know what it means to win through a strike.”

Contradictions are intensifying. On one hand, Japanese capitalists can realize their most voracious ambitions, even setting new records in tax avoidance. The consequences of these decisions manifest themselves in fierce exploitation and a declining quality of life for our social class, year after year. Many animation employees may change careers, but not all. What are the prospects for those who want to stay and fight?

The injustice at MAPPA is the fertile ground for a new wave of unionism

At the current stage, the level of organization among workers is very low. Some people place their hopes in organizations like JAniCA (Japanese Animation Creator’s Association). This organization is mostly funded by the Japanese government through payments to companies to provide animation training. Since employees do not have independent control of this organization, its contradictions may become a hindrance to future struggles. For now, JAniCA can play a role as a think tank. It produces industry statistics and distributes them.

The real power of animators is that the entire billions of dollars in profit depend on their work. Atomized, these individuals risk being laid off if they fight. Together, their collective weight changes the odds; laying off all of them means losing all those profits. Therefore, through organization, animation employees can maximize their chances of winning. The larger and more representative the organization, the more powerful the impact.

To support this organization, we call on Japanese unions to allocate new resources to unionize animation employees!

International unions, such as SAG-AFTRA, and in other countries, could also provide resources in Japanese online for animation employees!

We call on Japanese speakers to contact us so that we can ensure the translation of this article and have a presence on Japanese social media!

We call on students in fields connected to animation to show solidarity with their counterparts in Japan to discuss strategies and international solidarity struggles!