Anime is hugely popular in China, and China has recently been giving back to the anime industry in its own way. The dongua (basically Chinese animation, in a similar sense to manhua meaning Chinese manga) scene has been expanding rapidly these past few years, but China already has a foothold in the hearts and minds of anime fans worldwide with  games like Azur Lane, Girls' Frontline and Genshin Impact, which have featured collaborations with Japanese artists and animators for promotional material. Now it seems animators from Japan are fed up with the anime industy in their own country and would rather be working on donghua.

According to journalist Rei Nakafuji, the average monthly wage for an animator is ¥175,000 (about US$1621) - only ¥45,000 higher than the national average. Meanwhile, animators in China are paid a much higher monthly wage of ¥520,000 (about US$4820), almost three times the Japanese wage. Industry researcher Daisuke Iijima also said:

 "For China, whose market is expanding, there is a need for Japanese animators. Being able to pay three times the salary that Japan offers, it is not surprising that the Japanese prefer to work there, causing a massive brain drain“

The higher wages aren't the only factor animators are moving to China. Japanese animation studios tend to have zealous working environments, with employees expected to work long hours, even crunch at times, in poor conditions. Chinese studios tend to be more lenient and have more supportive environments, making Japanese animators more likely to lend their skills to another country rather than their own.

If Japan is unable to better support its animators with higher wages and better working conditions, it could potentially put the anime industry as we know it at risk. Do you think we'll all be watching donghua instead in a few years time? Let us know below!