It was revealed in a piece by The Hollywood Reporter that the anime industry has broken records and pulled in $17.7 billion. In Japan this amounts to ￥2.01 trillion, and marks the first time the industry has made it past the ￥2 trillion.
The article points out Makoto Shikai's critical darling as a major player in this impressive growth of revenue. Your Name took the world by storm when it was released last year. It earned $355.3 million at the box office and boasts an impressive 97% percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with Empire calling it "This decade's Spirited Away" and has gone on to become the fourth highest grossing film of all time in Japan.
This is a major feat for the film so it's not surprising that it would play a massive role in bringing in so much revenue to the industry. JJ Abrams' production company Bad Robot also recently won the rights to develop a live action adaptation alongside Paramount. The bad news is that the anime industry is notorious for its gruelling work schedule. Most major studios are also fully booked until 2020, which has resulted in a shortage of workers.
Many have spoken out in the past about the harsh working conditions, unsociable hours, and low pay. Let's hope that these problems are addressed so that they don't hinder any further growth for the industry.
What are your thoughts on the news? Do you think the anime industry will continue to grow or will the working condition problems need to be fixed first? Let us know what you are thinking in the comments below!
Your Name Synopsis: Two high school kids who've never met - city boy Taki and country girl Mitsuha - are united through their dreams.
Your Name is a 2016 Japanese animated youth fantasy film written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, with animation by CoMix Wave Films and distributed by Toho. The film is inspired by a novel of the same name written by Shinkai that was released on June 18, 2016.