Manga-based anime films and series like the ones from the Jujutsu Kaisen franchise have been upholding the interest of readers and watchers in the animation industry for quite some time now. However, considering the dire state that the anime industry is currently in, ‘it is on the verge of a collapse’ is pretty much the only fitting description the industry can be described as.
So says the Chief Animation Director for the movie Jujutsu Kaisen 0 as well. According to Terumi Nishii’s harsh predictions, the industry will most likely be collapsing within a few years at most–something that can easily make anime fans from all around the globe shake in fear.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 CAD Believes The Anime Industry Is ‘Over’
Judging from the current dire state of the anime industry with animators having to work overtime on unrealistic production schedules with continuously stalled pay negotiations–especially referring to the Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 staff here–it seems unlikely that the industry will be able to sustain itself for a long time now.
This prediction about the undoubtedly jarring reality of the industry was initially made by Jujutsu Kaisen 0‘s Chief Animation Director Terumi Nishii. Taking to X, she stated:
“Seriously, it’s over. Once Kagawa’s generation leaves, everything will end at once. We need to do something about the training scheme by then.”
The ‘training scheme’ that Nishii was talking about here is actually a standard skill test to test the animators and their skill level that could help in improving the working standards for animators in Japan as a whole–something that she had been calling for years now.
Continuing to state the reasons why such training schemes are truly necessary to save the industry from collapsing, the prominent director wrote in a follow-up tweet:
“Animation studios can’t handle nurturing new personnel. Because the ones who have been nurturing animators until now are freelance animators. It’s impossible for clueless companies that only understand numbers.”
制作会社はアテにならない。なぜなら今でアニメーターを育成してきたのは、フリーランスのアニメーターたちだから。数字しかわからない、ボンクラ会社には無理だよ。
— 西位 輝実 NlSHII Terumi (@NishiiTerumi) November 28, 2023
As harsh as it may sound, Terumi Nishii’s predictions are most likely to come true if the companies in the anime industry don’t start investing and working on training their own staff as soon as possible.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 CAD Echoed Similar Predictions Before As Well
While her most recent productions are some hard-to-swallow pills, this wasn’t the first time Jujutsu Kaisen 0 director Terumi Nishii blasted the anime industry on its lacking areas.
Previously, during an interview with Full Frontal, she echoed similar predictions all the while calling out the rising trend of companies trying to take the easy way out by outsourcing their work to X/Twitter animators instead of training their own staff. She said:
“People who start out this way begin their career in the worst way possible, without any knowledge of the basics. The moment such people become the norm in the Japanese animation industry is the moment it collapses.”
However, at the same time, she also mentioned how it wasn’t the fault of the animators but instead of the companies that chose to go on this path.
“It’s not like it’s those people’s fault, though. It’s the fault of the entire industry for having to rely on them. Some also say that it’s because we don’t have any opportunities to teach the basics anymore. That’s why we created the Animator Skill Test. I believe it’s important to have something open to anyone who wants to learn animation.”
So far, the reality that Jujutsu Kaisen 0 CAD Terumi Nishii is trying to bring to light is more or less scarily coming true, with the only way to save the anime industry being to make the required amends.
