The problem, she says, was the workload: “This year, Science Saru took on Inu-Oh (a feature), two single-season productions, as well as Star Wars: Visions — I do not believe this was a manageable number of productions. Its core employees range 40–50 in number, and though they liaise with many freelancers, the burden on the core team was heavier than it should have been.”
The pressure resulted in some “horror stories,” says Chung, adding, “a studio should not have its twenty-something girls crying in the bathroom, doing all-nighters.” These conditions eventually convinced her, as well as several colleagues, to leave.
Chung makes it clear that there are worse offenders than Science Saru. She links its woes to systemic problems with the Japanese industry, where the pay received by studios and their staff remains chronically low. With demand for anime growing,…
