In the 1970s and 1980s, the animation industry in Japan saw the emergence

of distinctive consumers, called “anime fans.” This brought quantitative and

qualitative changes in products in the animation market. The aim of this paper

is to reveal how animators dealt with this change and how they reformed their

working culture. The authors have shown that the working culture underpinned

market movements in the 1970s and 1980s.

　　Historically, animators preferred working as freelancers on a piece-rate

system rather than as regular workers on a fixed salary. This was due to their

meritocratic occupational norm. However, the number of animation programs

increased during the anime-boom period, and animators were forced to cooperate

with a much broader workforce to produce many programs suitable for the

diverse demands of fans. This limited animators’ discretion. In this study, the

authors wanted to understand how it was possible for the animation industry to

continue supplying the workforce necessary to adapt to market changes during

this time.

　　For this purpose, the authors analyzed texts in animation magazines from

the perspective of the labor process theory, which explains the relationship

between workstyles and the transformation of markets. One of the key concepts

of this approach is workers’ shared norms. The authors also employed

ethnomethodology, which elicits vivid insights regarding such norms, to analyze

round-table talks and interviews with animators working at animation magazines.

　　While animators understood the quantitative expansion of the animation

market as limiting their discretion, there was a disparity in how they coped

with the situation. The older generation recognized their skills in detail and

relied on networks built by longtime co-working. The younger generation

accepted the new situation and found their occupational value in the new working

environment through the occupational image of “the artisan.” This image

reflected the new occupational competence and made the formation of peer

communities of young animators possible. This industrial transformation sustained

the supply of a broad workforce, which drew on various expressions during

the anime-boom period.

This paper focuses on the transition of name and concept in Japanese Animated films, Senga (“line drawing”). This name was used for about half a century from late Meiji era (around 1910) to the World War II. At first, it was generally a neutral word to express animated films, and it became the genre for enlightenment and diverged with Manga (“cartoons”) to express an entertainment at the later time. But Senga is not memorized widely today. How and when was Senga born, and why did it disappear?

Japanese Anime did not develop easily, but get repeatedly into danger of disappearing, because they are suffered from a lack of human and economic resources, in addition, have also been overwhelmed in quality and quantity by Disney and other films from the United States, the producers asked themselves the significance again each time. On the other hand, How the animated films have it been hoped as the media to give the audience what kind of action and effect?

Therefore, this paper does not depend only on the content analysis. I examine the national newspaper and refer to a magazine, the book historical materials in the period mentioned the above. There are thought to related at the times when a concept of Senga changes. I argue in three questions, First, “when was Senga born?”, Second, “How has Senga be consumed?”, Third is “how did Senga disappear?”. The transition of the concept of Senga is engraved the aspects of dynamism which represents the changes in consciousness and behavior of the creators, the governments, and the audience of those days.

芸能などの芸術産業に比して，労働集約性が高く熟練した制作人口を大規模に必要とする

近年の技術革新に伴い現場の管理側が若手中心になり，管理側からの

産業への定着志向が維持されるためにはインフォーマルなコミュニティが必要である．本稿はそのコミュニティがどのように揺らいでいるかの構造的条件の解明の重要性を指摘した．

2012 年にテレビ

This article reveals how veteran animators in the Japanese animation industry understand the technologies introduced recently regarding their occupational careers. The animation industry in Japan has promoted the digitalization of the picture drawing process. However, previous research has not mentioned how workers built their careers to introduce new technologies while working in the creative industries with precarious work conditions. Management studies on the technology introduction fail to grasp the diversity of animatorsʼ understandings. Even sociological research has not paid attention to the occupation like animators, in which workers donʼt have the rigid objection in their careers, such as becoming independent self-employment.

Based on the interview research on the animators who started their working life in the 1980 s, one of the most significant transformation periods of the animation industry, this article clarifies the narratives of technology introductions. Animators who worked at only a few firms donʼt see the technology introductions as they should deal with.

On the contrary, animators who worked at many studios interpret the technology introductions as directly affecting their career formations. Among such animators, this article compares two animatorsʼ narratives concerning turning points in careers, reference groups in the occupation, and the stance for digitalization. This analysis revealed the two has quite different understanding on new technology and artfully deal with the digitalization in their careers. Moreover, the difference in coping practice stems from the difference in the working process, skills and reference groups.

In the light of these findings, this article pointed out that the introduction of technology should also be promoted progressively, taking into account the logic of the workersʼ side.