($40 billion), rivaling the country's export value of semiconductors and steel
To the outsider, Japanese television is an alien planet. It is a curious mix of high-budget historical epics ( Taiga dramas ) and low-budget, chaotic variety shows featuring comedians eating spicy food or trying not to laugh. ($40 billion), rivaling the country's export value of
Entertainment agencies exert extraordinary control over artists: A single key animator might draw 300 frames
Animators in Tokyo earn an average of $22,000 per year—below the poverty line for the city. A single key animator might draw 300 frames per week, sleeping in the office for days straight. In 2019, a 25-year-old animator at Kyoto Animation (before the arson attack that killed 36 staff) tweeted a photo of his monthly paycheck: $980. He worked 260 hours that month. The Japanese aidoru (idol) is not a musician
The Japanese aidoru (idol) is not a musician. She is not an actor. She is a .