The recent announcement of several anime this season being delayed because of the Coronavirus might only be half true, as an anonymous anime director has claimed that increased dependence on China has led to this situation, a sad fate that could very well impact the industry greatly.
Isekai Oji-san, UniteUp!, NieR Automata Ver1.1a, Ayakashi Triangle, and Kubo-san wa Mob o Yurusanai were only some of the shows that announced a delay in broadcasting episodes and blamed the Coronavirus for this turn of events.
With all the delays, some critics assumed the studios were using the Coronavirus as an excuse to improve the anime they’re working on.
Website Bounding Into Comics conducted an interview with a Japanese director of the anime industry to try and get some answers in regards to this – the director has chosen to remain anonymous to protect themself:
I sincerely hope, that the industry sees that how western gaijins don't deserve it at all because of how nasty the fans here can really be and that they do find a way to thrive and get things better in the industry as it sux rn to be an animator. :(Nerdigans Inc.: With studios announcing multiple productions are going on indefinite hiatus due to Covid-19, Western anime fans are concerned and confused with how this happened. Some have even claimed that the studios are using COVID-19 as an excuse to allow for further polishing of their series’. What is the real story behind these delays?
Director: Regarding the delay of some work this quarter, this is due to the increased dependence of the Japanese animation industry on foreign countries. Although the problem of this structure has been recognized for more than 10 years, time has passed without improvement.
Director: There has been a complete stoppage of work by Chinese subcontractors due to infection. Animation production, which relied on foreign countries for most of the moving images and finishing touches, have come to a standstill, and there are delays in work due to creators working at home.
The structural problems we originally had finally broke down. It is not a problem that can be solved with money alone. Other companies I know of are approaching countries other than China and Korea, but it will take more than a few years for them to succeed.
Nerdigans Inc.: Are the anime studios using the additional time granted to them by these delays to improve the quality of their anime?
Director: It requires separating the issues. In the current situation, a grace period of two or three weeks is only a first-aid measure to stop the bleeding. In other words, the video must be completed in time for broadcast. This should be considered separately from quality improvement.
Director: As for the other issue, I’m sure you’ve heard of some studios telling fans, “in order to improve quality, we are postponing the release of the BD DVD.” That’s where such quality improvements will take place. Incidentally, they set aside a budget for corrections, but use up most of it before they get there.
Admittedly, the extended schedule will guarantee some quality. I don’t know about all this for sure because I’m not at that site. It all depends on the work site’s respective conditions. I think… We are very sorry for all the fans who were looking forward to the work.
Nerdigans Inc.: A recent Anime News Network article claimed that throughout the pandemic, there has been a noticeable increase in “staff overlap for titles that were supposed to be handled by different sub-teams within the studio,” resulting in each production team being spread too thin to keep up with all the work. Is this really happening in the industry?
Director: I don’t know all the details of the circumstances of the work, but such a practice is routine for the industry as a whole. The production companies have been aware of the problem for over 20 years, but they have no intention of solving it because they have to meet a set sales target. They say, “It can’t be helped” and “Let’s fix it before we sell the package