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🔥 English Version（Natural, Semi-Formal, Easy to Read）

Why Anime Studios Don’t Make Money — And How They Actually Could

Why aren’t Japanese anime studios making money in the first place?

There are four major reasons.

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1. The Production Committee System Makes It Almost Impossible to Profit

▼ How the traditional structure works

• Anime studios work as contractors.
• Almost all rights are owned by the production committee.
• Profit from DVDs, streaming, and merchandise doesn’t go to the studio.
• Studios only receive a fixed “production fee.”
• Even if the budget goes over, the studio eats the loss.

In other words, anime studios have never been the main beneficiaries of their own work.

✔ Example

Even if a show becomes a massive hit…

• The studio’s profit barely changes
• No bonus
• No pay raise for animators

This structure is the root cause of low animator salaries.

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2. Human-Heavy Production Makes Costs Extremely High

Traditional anime production is incredibly labor-intensive:

• Huge number of drawings
• Tons of in-between animation work
• One cut can involve 10–100 people
• Even with a ¥100M (≈$700k) budget per episode, profit is often zero

Labor costs crush the profit margin.

Many animators earn around ¥200 per cut, meaning:

• 20 cuts per day → ¥4,000
• Barely enough to survive

Anime has hit the limit of the labor-intensive model.

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3. As Subcontractors, Studios Have No Power to Decide Prices

Since most studios work under larger committees:

• The committee decides the price
• Production fees are fixed
• Almost no room to negotiate
• Deadlines are often unreasonable

With no pricing power, studios can’t increase revenue,
so raises and better working conditions become nearly impossible.

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4. Without Their Own IP, Studios Can Never Truly Profit

This is the biggest issue.

If a studio doesn’t own any IP:

• They can’t raise production fees
• They earn nothing from hits
• No profit from merch, streaming, or overseas deals
• They remain stuck in “time-for-money” contract work

But…

Owning an original IP = long-term profit streams

• 50–70% profit from merchandise
• Licensing royalties
• Game adaptations
• Overseas distribution revenue
• Movie box office shares

Example:
If Demon Slayer were ufotable’s own IP, its profit would be hundreds of billions of yen.
(Chainsaw Man’s profit-sharing model at MAPPA became a huge debate for similar reasons.)

Studios like TRIGGER and Kyoto Animation are strong because they have their own IP.

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🔥 So… How Can Anime Studios Actually Make Money?

Two things can truly change the future:

1. Introducing AI to Cut Production Costs (40–60% Reduction)

AI can drastically reduce labor-intensive work such as:

✔ Background roughs → 1/3 of the time
✔ In-between animation → huge reduction in manpower
✔ Fixing drawing errors → fewer correction passes
✔ Auto-converting 3D to 2D → less manual drawing

Realistic impact

• Episode cost: ¥20M–¥100M → potentially cut in half
• Schedules: 30–40% shorter
• Staff exhaustion: significantly reduced

Lower production cost = higher profit margin
This alone is a major revolution.

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2. Developing and Owning Original IP

Even with AI, the business structure won’t improve unless studios own IP.

Benefits of IP ownership

• Merch sales → high margins
• Licensing → stable royalties
• Game adaptations → massive revenue
• Overseas distribution → additional income
• Movie success → huge jumps in profit

Example:
Kyoto Animation has its own label (KA Esuma Bunko),
allowing them to create and control original IP—this is their strongest advantage.

AI × Original IP = 10x Revenue Potential

Let’s visualize it:

■ Current Studio Model

• Production fee: ¥100M
• Costs: ¥90M
• Profit: ¥10M (often less)
  → Almost no profit

■ After AI Adoption

• Production fee: ¥100M
• Costs: ¥50M–¥70M
• Profit: ¥30M–¥50M
  → 3–5x more profit

■ With Original IP

If the show becomes a hit:

• Merchandise
• Collaborations
• Licensing
• Overseas distribution
• Stage plays
• Movies

→ Total business can reach tens of billions of yen

Studio profit can grow 10–20x.

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🔥 How Much Could Animator Salaries Improve?

Current reality

• Average: ¥1.5–2.5M/year
• Living is barely possible

AI + IP Era (realistic prediction)

• Average: ¥3.5–5M
• Veterans: ¥6–7.5M
• Directors/leads: ¥8–12M

Kyoto Animation already shows this model:
with strong IP earnings, average salaries are significantly higher.

AI adoption could help other studios reach similar levels.

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📚 Recommended Japanese Sources (for Further Reading)

Click to open each reference.

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1. 図解入門業界研究 最新アニメ業界の動向とカラクリがよ〜くわかる本

A detailed visual guide to the anime industry structure, revenue models, and challenges.
👉 Amazon Japan:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4798067060
👉 紀伊國屋書店（Kinokuniya）:
https://www.kinokuniya.co.jp/f/dsg-01-9784798067065

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2. アニメーターの仕事がわかる本（西位 輝実／餅井アンナ）

Explains real working conditions, income, and daily workflow of professional animators.
👉 Amazon Japan:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4791628617
👉 ダ・ヴィンチニュース（記事紹介）:
https://ddnavi.com/book/4791628617/

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3. アニメプロデューサーになろう！ アニメ「製作（ビジネス）」の仕組み（福原 慶匡）

A deep dive into planning, funding, and the production committee model.
👉 Amazon Japan:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4046046470
👉 flier (Summary Service):
https://www.flierinc.com/book/3291

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4. アニメビジネスがわかる（増田 弘道）

Statistical overview of the anime industry and its business frameworks.
👉 Amazon Japan:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4334037040
👉 honto（紀伊國屋系列）:
https://honto.jp/netstore/pd-book_26345558.html

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■ Editor’s Note: Tora’s Perspective

The deeper I study the anime industry,
the more I realize how strange it is that something built on so much talent and passion
can be held back by an outdated business structure.

But with the rise of AI and new production workflows,
I finally feel like there’s a real path forward—
a future where studios won’t remain stuck as subcontractors forever.

Animators’ skills deserve far more recognition,
and if studios can take the leap toward owning original IP,
the entire atmosphere of the industry will shift.

Personally, I hope the future of anime isn’t built on low wages and exhaustion,
but on a system where creators can actually thrive by making the work they love.
And I believe AI can be a tool—not an enemy—to help make that possible.

I want to keep exploring, together with readers,
how Japanese anime can become truly strong again.