The Anime Industry Is Troubled, But Some of Its Best Anime Are Already Addressing the Issue
The Way of the House Husband,Mr. Villain's Day Off, Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You, and The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again have a few things in common you never saw coming. The series are not only must-read slice-of-life manga, but they are also excellent guides to a better work-life balance. Each title emphasizes how important it is to balance work life with personal well-being. After all, the little things in life are easy to miss, and you can never notice them if your grinding yourself into the corporate pavement.
These lessons are inherent to the stories, and sadly, they're rather iconic. The tragic truth about these stories is that the anime industry itself does not value work-life balance as much as some of its source material does. While there are plenty of anime that emphasize the importance of such balance, the behind-the-scenes world of anime is infamously exploitative, a fact that all manga and anime creators are aware of.
The Anime Industry Is Mistreating Workers And Series Like Zom 100 Know It
The Anime Industry Is Not Supporting Its Workers
There is no denying there has been an anime boom in the past decade, and it has only sped up since the pandemic gave people across the globe a chance to watch television at home. With anime specifically, some even argue too much content is being made as there is a massive strain on those making these shows. Both Vox and the New York Times have reported on the dreadful working conditions animators endure as everything from mandatory overtime to unlivable wages are a concern. The pay anime creatives receive is insulting as many animators in their 20s and 30s earn well below the poverty line while working 60+ weeks.
The conditions plaguing the industry can be seen in one of anime's biggest studios, MAPPA, which saw numerous animators come forward about unreasonable deadlines and poor pay. To add insult to injury, a slew of Jujutsu Kaisen animators addressed the bleak future of the industry recently, noting studios aren't investing in the next generation of animators. This somber comment comes from animators working on one of the most popular anime series on the air, so things do not bode well for the rest of the industry.
Now, even manga and anime are directly calling out these industry issues directly, as is the case for Zom 100. The story's main character Akira works for an exploitative entertainment company, so once a zombie apocalypse hits, he is elated because he no longer has to go to work. The collapse of society is better for Akira than the working conditions he was stuck in. It's through the apocalypse that Akira gets a new lease on life, finally living for himself instead of working himself to death.
Slice-Of-Life Manga Are The Best Guide To A Better Work-Life Balance
Anime Like Mr. Villain's Day Off Show A Better Work-Life-Balance
Where Zom 100 is over the top in regard to its criticism of the anime industry, slice-of-life manga like Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You take a more grounded, realistic approach. In this manga, readers find a middle-aged salary man named Sasaki who has only two joys in life -- his interactions with a cashier at the convenience store and smoke breaks with their co-worker. Beyond that, he's beaten down by work and society's expectations.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You doesn't just show how draining work can be with all of its unrealistic expectations, but it also shows that finding joy in the little things can rejuvenate even the most tired of workers. Sasaki cannot change his working conditions as that is on the company, but he can find ways to cope and get through the day. He does this by leaning into small joys and his friends. Another anime that unpacks this truth is The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today, one of Crunchyroll's must-watch series.
Here, the overworked protagonist Saku Fukuzawa leans on a humanoid cat for help as she does not have the time or energy to take care of herself. There's a dark underbelly to this series as Saku is stuck in a job that drains her of all energy, but it shows that it is okay to ask others for help. Similarly, The Way Of The House Husband follows Tatsu, a yakuza thug turned husband, as he handles all the household responsibilities while his wife is at work.
If yakuza reform is not your thing, there is another anime you can peek. Mr. Villain’s Day Off follows a super villain on his days off, bringing a whole new angle to the superhero genre. While he dedicates himself to his evil causes, the villain also values a healthy work-life-balance for himself and his underlings a la Gru and his Minions. The anime has an overall joyful and comedic tone to it, and it is a delightful reminder that having boundaries with work and taking time for one's self is not just fun -- it's critical.
There is a clear problem in the anime industry when it comes to how its workers are treated, and those frustrations can be seen in some of the best anime and manga coming out nowadays. Whether we are talking slice-of-life or action thrillers, these stories address the pervasive issue in a multitude of ways, and this work-life dilemma goes well beyond the anime industry. Working is stressful, but these anime series give us a few ways to find joy and peace despite everything life puts against us.
