Japan's Anime Association Apologizes For Calling Foreign Animators Completely Useless; Cites Translation Error
The Nippon Anime & Film Culture Association (NAFCA) has issued an apology over a post that appeared to belittle the skills of foreign animators.
The original tweet, stating that many production companies view foreign animators as completely useless despite their drawing abilities, was met with sharp criticism online.
In the post, NAFCA claimed that foreign animators often lack knowledge of the intricate workflows specific to Japanese animation, resulting in Japanese animators needing to make extensive corrections.
This post was a part of their effort to promote their Animation Skills Test Book, for which an English version has been announced.
Many accused NAFCA of undermining the dedication and expertise of international artists.
Some voiced frustrations over the Japanese industry’s well-known tendency to underpay outsourced studios while maintaining high expectations, describing the situation as “expecting them to outperform domestic studios for minimal pay.”
They also noted the broad skills of many foreign animators and found it insulting to categorize them as “completely useless” without acknowledging their varying levels of experience.
Following the backlash, NAFCA immediately posted an apology on X, explaining that their initial post had been poorly translated using automated software.
They explained that their aim was to address the challenges production companies face in training overseas animators unfamiliar with Japan’s unique and complex animation processes. NAFCA emphasized that foreign animators often face similar hurdles to new Japanese animators who are also inexperienced with local industry practices.
The association reiterated that they support foreign animators entering the Japanese industry and emphasized the role of the upcoming English textbook in providing the necessary guidance for animators working with Japanese studios.
The complete statement can be viewed below:
Source: X (, )