The anime industry is growing faster than ever before, but it looks like some parts of the industry are falling behind. It’s no secret that animators and artists have been suffering from low pay for decades, after all. What you might not know is that dub actors are also often overlooked, and one of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s stars open up about the ordeal.
The conversation erupted online after an in-depth report from Anime News Network explored the reality of working in anime. This is where the voice actors shared their own experiences, and Jujutsu KaisenKaiji Tang, from , tweeted some of his own comments.
me: “brother i promise you you won’t make a living just by doing anime”
them: “lol I have faith”
— Kaiji Von Tang (@KaijiTang) March 28, 2022
As you can see above, Tang responded to part of the article that broke down Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and its salary model. According to an industry expert, the anime’s English dub actors were likely paid between US$150 and US$600 for their roles. This total is cumulative rather than hourly, and Tang scoffed at the daunting situation.
In a separate tweet, Tang went on to share his own hopes for the dub industry, and that goes way beyond a raise. The actor said better dubs will take longer to reach the recording booth. After all, cold reading is a challenge for any actor, and it’s become the norm for voice acting.
“You know what would make your Anime dubs amazing? One week of preparation per episode. A day when the actors can read a table. Actual repeat time. Instead, we have to be master cold readers week after week. Elsewhere, all this new money can go,” he shared. “They’ll never do that, they’ll ironically raise all of our salaries before we even think about it.”
As you can see, Tang has her own take on the situation, and her role as one of dub’s new generation stars has fans listening. Anime veterans like Stephanie Sheh are also lending their voices to reinforce the industry’s wage inequality, so Tang is far from the only one with his point of view. So, as the anime industry continues to grow, fans will want to take a close look at how its dubbed shows and their casts are handled.
What do you think of this growing debate in the anime industry? Are you on the side of the voice actors here…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.