Illustrator: Ari Liloan
Japan Cracks Down on Exploitation in $21 Billion Anime Industry
After a scathing UN report, the government tries to improve the working conditions of animators and voice actors.
For Yumiko Shibata, being a voice actress was always a dream as much as a career. Bringing popular manga characters to life in animated movies and video games was rewarding, but paid so poorly that she spent her 20s working at nightclubs to make ends meet.
“I was playing heroines, but in real life I wasn’t earning a living,” said Shibata, now 60. These days, she also works as a home organizer, helping people de-clutter. “Voice acting as a profession just doesn’t pay,” she said.