Anime fans often feel frustrated because their favorite shows aren't taken as seriously as movies.
So, when Sony announced they wanted to elevate anime to the level of movies, it initially sounded like great news. However, there's a catch.
Sony may choose to create anime using artificial intelligence instead of human animators, potentially resulting in the loss of many animators' jobs.
Putting Animators Out of Jobs
Since 2021, Sony has owned Crunchyroll, a popular anime streaming service. It makes sense for Sony to focus more on anime, especially since they also own it.
However, there's a catch. Sony's plan to use artificial intelligence to make anime could leave animators unemployed. This means they might not get to work with Crunchyroll, the biggest anime streaming platform, or have their shows featured.
Sony Group Corp's CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida, recently spoke at a press conference in Tokyo about their plans for anime.
He mentioned how animation has become a huge form of entertainment and that Sony wants to be a part of it.
Sony aims to elevate anime to the same level of competitiveness as video games, movies, and music.
To this end, they've mentioned using animation-creation software and artificial intelligence to speed up production.
Yet, the specific method through which Sony will integrate AI into their anime production process remains unclear.
Although they have expressed their desire to use this technology, this does not automatically imply that they will depend entirely on it to produce an entire anime.
Instead, they might employ it as a resource to support human animators in enhancing their creative workflows.
Preserving Unique Styles in Anime
Anime is beloved for its unique look and feel, often attributed to the individual touch of each animator.
Fans can easily spot the work of famous animators and notice when there are changes between seasons. However, if Sony starts using AI to produce entire anime, it might lead to a loss of this distinct style.
Sony's animated movies could potentially lack the recognizable touch that individual animators bring to their work, making them less identifiable to fans.
The Worrying Impact
The main concern here is that this move could ultimately lead to fewer job opportunities for animators, which is quite distressing.
Often, when companies talk about boosting competitiveness and profits, they mean laying off a significant number of employees.
While Sony hasn't explicitly mentioned anything along those lines, it would be a tragic twist if their efforts to make the anime market more competitive resulted in fewer jobs for animators working on Sony anime movies.
Sony's Dominance in Anime
Considering Sony's ownership of Crunchyroll, they seem to wield considerable influence over the anime industry. This raises concerns about the emergence of monopolies, as having limited competition could allow companies to act without restraint.
Many anime enthusiasts closely monitor this situation and are concerned about the potential consequences.
However, it remains uncertain what actions could be taken if Sony were to start downsizing its animator department in the production of Sony animated movies.