Interest
Veteran Anime Unit Director Says He Wants to Rectify Industry Abuse
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Anime unit and episode director Taiki Nishimura recently spoke of his desire to rectify the abuses in the industry. In a tweet posted on Monday, he wrote: "When I told lawyers that my anime work doesn't involve a contract, they were all shocked. I want to do my best to help straighten out this industry which is rife with sexual harassment and power harassment. By doing that, I'd be out of a job (awkward smile). I want to rectify the problems with the help of the Directors Guild of Japan."
The Directors Guild of Japan advocates for the rights of film directors in Japan. According to its English website, the guild "endeavors to establish and protect freedom of expression, to improve the status of film directors, and to enhance various rights of its members." In particular, the guild calls for reform of copyright law in order to expand and protect the rights of directors.
Nishimura is himself a member of the Directors Guild of Japan. He has been working in the anime industry for over 20 years, and is primarily active as an episode director for anime such as Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, Aldnoah.Zero, Glass Fleet, School Rumble, and Valvrave the Liberator. He worked on storyboards for Glass Fleet, Gilgamesh, and Shutsugeki! Machine Robo Rescue. More recently, he worked as an episode director on episodes 5 and 8 of Combatants Will Be Dispatched!.
In 2017, he disclosed that his monthly income was 100,000 yen (about US$900 at the time) for each anime that he works on. He said that he wants to concentrate on one anime at a time, but he has to work on two television anime to have enough income.
