This time, we interrupt the regular reader-submitted questions with some “behind the headlines” analysis.
Kim asked:
Three Aniplex shows—NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a, UniteUp!, and Ayakashi Triangle—have recently announced delays due to COVID-19. Is COVID actually a problem right now, or is this just a case of mismanagement?
COVID-19 is a legitimate problem—and this is particularly true right now because of the all-time high infection rates in China. If the accounts from those working at Chinese subcontracting studios are to be believed, the bottlenecks have been building up for months, as Japanese companies have been pushing more and more last-minute work on overburdened studios.
The thing is, though, people should have seen this coming. The industry faced its first reckoning with the virus three years ago, and one of the big lessons then was the need for ways to…
