>‘Gundam’ Franchise Animator Says Shorter Anime Seasons Due To “A Shortage Of Professional Staff”, Reveals Studios Turning To Social Media For Help

>Where once a given anime season would present audiences with upwards of 20 episodes, more recent productions have seen their average episode counts dropping to the point where many end up with single-digit runs – and according to veteran Mobile Suit Gundam franchise animator Kyōko Kotani, the reason for this change is, simply put, that the Japanese anime industry is currently experiencing a severe workforce “shortage” across the board.

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>“Additionally, there is a shortage of professional staff across all sections relative to the total number of works being produced, which makes it difficult to produce and air two consecutive cours (seasons),” she added, per a machine translation of her statements provided by ChatGPT. “Even if staff are secured for a year, only one cour can be made.”

>“Actually, I think it was crazy that, until about 10 years ago, everyone worked through Sundays, pulling all-nighters, making an episode in about two months, and immediately airing it,” recalled Kotani in a follow-up post. “Now, the shortage of staff is even worse than back then, so while it’s still common for people to work through Sundays and pull all-nighters, it’s even more intense!”

https://boundingintocomics.com/anime/anime-news/gundam-franchise-animator-says-shorter-anime-seasons-due-to-a-shortage-of-professional-staff-reveals-studios-turning-to-social-media-for-help-2/

Thoughts?