Piracy, it’s a love-hate relationship, Yes we love free stuff but it’s illegal. It’s also tempting because the only way to access the majority of available anime is through subscribing through multiple streaming services. This makes things more expensive for the consumer. Ironically, pirating has SOME benefits such as vast catalogs and zero ads, but did you know that pirating actually hurts the anime industry?
What is piracy?
Argh, no it has nothing to do with pirates (except the stealing). According to Business Insider, “Piracy is the act of illegally copying protected content that infringes on the owner’s copyright”(Johnson, 2021).
I definitely sympathize with consumers because sometimes, the anime they desire to watch may not be available on legal streaming services, but that doesn’t excuse the action.
The anime industry in Japan is underpaid
The anime industry, specifically in Japan, is already severely underfunded, overworked, and understaffed. In Japan, an animator is typically paid around ¥1.1 million per year (approximately $10,000 USD) in their 20s, and they make around ¥2.1 million in their 30s, and they are still earning around ¥3.5 million in their 40s and beyond (Margolis, 2019). If you want to work in the anime industry, these are potential conditions that come with the job. Now in North America, I can’t say the same, per se, as it varies depending on the role and company. But piracy definitely affects viewership worldwide.
No second season?
How does it affect viewership you may ask? Well, legal streaming sites have legal agreements to share viewership data with Japanese licensors. If you’ve ever wondered why some really amazing titles haven’t received a second season, it’s probably because there’s not enough positive viewership data to support the idea of creating another season.
This is why piracy is so dangerous and hurtful, it robs the chance of a really good anime to gain a second season. It also affects decisions for merchandise, special editions, and more. Anime is technically more profitable in Japan, not only because Japan is where anime originated from, but because piracy laws are taken more seriously.
Again, I understand consumers, who would want to pay for all of these streaming services at once? And if you are able to afford all of them, sometimes streaming services don’t have the ones you’re looking for…
So what’s the solution? I wish I could have the answer. All I can say is this, if you love anime and want to support the creators, animators, and designers, please look for legal streaming options. There are also free websites, such as My Anime List and Anime Planet who offer 100% and legal anime with short ads. In fact, Anime Planet alone has over 45,000 legal anime episodes to watch!
References
Johnson, D. (2021, March 26). What is piracy? Here’s what you need to know about digital piracy, and how to avoid stolen digital content. Business Insider. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-piracy.
Margolis, E. (2019, July 2). The dark side of Japan’s anime industry. Vox. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/7/2/20677237/anime-industry-japan-artists-pay-labor-abuse-neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix.