"As production houses cut costs by sending animation jobs to South Korea, India and
Vietnam, the number of experienced workers in Japan is shrinking. Competitors in
China are another threat to Japan's cultural icon."
See:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,7946983.story
Quote:
"For the last two years, she has spent up to 100 hours a week at her workstation — a
low-paying, labor-intensive job that helps bring Japan's famous style of animated
cartoons to life. Although the 26-year-old earns only about $10,000 a year and lives
with her mom to make ends meet, she and a few thousand Japanese artists like her fill
a crucial role in the technical process of creating this visual entertainment form, known
as anime."
Hmm, $10,000 a year and 100hrs a week. I guess being an anime artist really is a
labor of love. Or maybe the economic situation in Japan has something to do with it.