Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Anime Industry

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This article lists the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the anime industry . Events are listed that are related to the anime industry, such as trade fairs , conventions , award ceremonies or film festivals that have either been postponed to an alternative date, completely canceled or otherwise influenced by the pandemic.

Anime productions that have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan are also listed. The main focus is on Japan, although the list also includes international events.

Japan

General

Some animation studios advised their employees to work from home , which can have different effects on production depending on the studio. This is a big problem, especially for studios that specialize exclusively in CGI animation, as employees need expensive software to do their work. This is only available on the work computers, so that a virtual private network is necessary in order to be able to access the company computer from home, whereby the VPN setup can cost valuable time.

The studios cite “production problems” as the most common reason for postponing anime productions. This refers to studios that have part of their production done abroad rather than in Japan. One reason is the tight schedule for productions, so that many drawings and frames are not made in Japan but in the People's Republic of China in order to meet this production schedule . This explains the more and more frequent "recap" episodes that reflect the previous plot of the respective series. These are produced in order to occupy the TV slot, which costs additional money. Despite COVID-19, the film for the Shirobako anime was finished three days before its cinema premiere in Japan. The broadcast took place on February 29, 2020. However, promotional events for the film on February 29, March 1, and March 7 and 8, 2020 had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 8, 2020, the animator Hatsumida Shiyo announced on the Twitter platform that numerous production studios were suspending their work due to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 disease it causes . As a result, the broadcasts of various anime series were postponed for an indefinite period. Shiyo does not expect the situation to improve anytime soon, but sees the entire summer season in danger.

With Eiichi Kuboyama another animator for Corona crisis spoke up to April 13. In his opinion, it doesn't matter for the regular airing of anime series when the animation studio closes. According to Kuboyama, it creates a lot more problems when compositing studios close their doors, because then production has to be stopped. However, he also agreed that a restart in July is not realistic given the current situation.

Between February 25 and March 17, 2020, the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka was temporarily closed due to concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Two days later, the cancellation of one of the most important trade shows in the anime industry, AnimeJapan , which should have taken place from March 21 to 24, 2020, was announced. The Comiket , one of the most important and influential measuring Anime - Manga - and dōjinshi scene is affected by a cancellation. It is the first time Comiket has been canceled in 45 years.

On April 16, 2020, Mayumi Tanaka , the Japanese spokesperson for Monkey D. Luffy from the One Piece series, announced that there would be no dubbing work for the series, which could lead to a forced hiatus from the anime in the coming weeks or months. The Japanese website Sponichi reported that talks are ongoing about further postponements of anime series and films that are announced for the summer and fall seasons, respectively. The reason for this is the production time, which is considerably longer compared to other television formats. Above all, the currently shut down synchronization work and animation production, some of which are taking place in China or South Korea , are decisive for the talks.

It is still unclear what financial impact the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan will have on the anime industry.

Postponed anime productions (selection)

This list shows a selection of anime projects that have been postponed or interrupted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan . For the complete listing, see the list of anime titles postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic .

title planned start postponed / canceled source
A Certain Scientific Railgun T started regularly The seventh episode has been postponed indefinitely. The reason is that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the production of the series. Production chains that have been relocated to the People's Republic of China are particularly affected. Another postponement, this time for an indefinite period, was announced on April 17, 2020.
A3! started regularly The broadcast of the fourth episode has already been postponed several times. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has further exacerbated the production problems. A planned restart of the series has been set for April. A broadcast of the second half, which has already been announced for the summer, has not been clarified.
Asteroid in Love started regularly Production backlog due to the coronavirus outbreak, causing the seventh episode to be delayed by a week. A flashback episode summarizing the plot of the first six episodes was broadcast.
Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater started regularly Postponed indefinitely after broadcasting the third episode due to production problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The break should last at least ten weeks.
Re: Zero - Starting Life in Another World April 2020 Postponed to July 2020 before the planned start.
Given May 16, 2020 The film, which was intended as a sequel to the anime series, was due to open in Japanese cinemas on May 16, 2020. On April 13, 2020, the broadcast was postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19.
Violet Evergarden: The Movie April 24, 2020 The movie was originally supposed to be shown in January 2020, but was postponed to April 24th due to the arson attack on the animation studio. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the broadcast on April 6, 2020 was postponed again, this time for an indefinite period.
Hatena illusion started regularly After the series had to be interrupted at short notice, the broadcast of the twelfth and final episode of the anime was postponed indefinitely. The studio did not provide any direct information on whether COVID-19 was the trigger.
Infinite dendogram started regularly The seventh episode was shown delayed by a week because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
OreGairu Kan April 2020 The start of the twelve-episode third season was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early April.

Postponed or canceled events

event planned period postponed / canceled source
AnimeJapan 21.-24. March 2020 called off
Family Anime Festa 21-22 March 2020 called off
Tokyo Anime Awards Festival 13-16 March 2020 called off
Seiyū Awards 0March 7, 2020 called off; Prize winners announced later
Nippombashi Street Festa March 15, 2020 called off
Comiket 98 00May 2-5 , 2020 called off

Germany

General

In mid-March 2020, the dubbing association “Die Gilde” announced that all dubbing studios organized in the association would initially cease voice recording operations by April 19, 2020. So put Arena synchronous , Munich synchronous , Berliner Synchron , FFS Film & TV sync , Hermes synchronous , the Interopa Film GmbH , the new sound film München GmbH , RC Production , Scalamedia and Splendid Synchron their works. Even Cologne synchronous announced to leave the work to rest for an indefinite period. On April 22nd, 2020 it was announced that all dubbing studios organized under the association “Die Gilde” have resumed their work.

As a result, various anime publishers in German-speaking countries announced that they would postpone several disc releases. At times it was not possible to pre-order Anime from the online mail order company Amazon . Several film events, such as for Psycho-Pass , Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown or DanMachi: Arrow of the Orion have been postponed or canceled completely.

Various anime conventions such as the Hanami in Ludwigshafen or the Animuc in Fürstenfeldbruck have been completely canceled, while the DoKomi in Düsseldorf has been postponed to September 12 and 13, 2020. The organizers of the Nippon Connection announced in early April that this year's edition would be held as an online event.

On April 15, 2020, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a general ban on major events until August 31, 2020. This affects, among others, AnimagiC and Gamescom . While the organizers of Gamescom announced that they would like to host the games fair in online format, the organizers of AnimagiC announced on April 23 that the event for 2020 would be canceled completely.

Postponed or canceled performances and disc releases

Performances

title planned start postponed / canceled source
Psycho-Pass film event March 31, 2020 called off
Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown March 22, 2020 Postponed to an unknown date due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
DanMachi: Arrow of the Orion April 28, 2020 Postponed to an unknown date due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Postponed disc releases (selection)

Postponed or canceled events

event planned period postponed / canceled source
Hanami 09-10 May 2020 canceled after the city Ludwigshafen by general decree has forbidden events from 200 persons.
DoKomi 23–24 May 2020 postponed to September 12 and 13, 2020.
Animuc 17th-19th April 2020 canceled after the state government of Bavaria decided to ban events with more than 1,000 visitors.
Nippon Connection 09-14 June 2020 will be held as an online event
Erlangen Comic Salon 11-14 June 2020 canceled after a general ban on hosting major events was issued until August 31, 2020
Connichi 00September 4-6 , 2020 canceled due to safety concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic; Tickets that have already been purchased remain valid for 2021
AnimagiC July 31 - 0August 2, 2020 canceled due to the ban on major events passed by the federal government until August 31, 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany .
Anime Messe Berlin 17th-19th July 2020 canceled, tickets valid for 2021.

Worldwide

While numerous events related to the anime industry have been postponed or even canceled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic , the organizers of the Anime Expo , which has been taking place since 1992, announced that the event would take place as planned April 17th finally announced the cancellation of the event. The Crunchyroll Expo also announced in a statement that, after consultation with the city of San José , the city's Ministry of Transport and the San José Convention Center , it would stick to the planned event date. The Crunchyroll Expo 2020 will take place from September 4th to 6th.

Several organizers of anime conventions fear that after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous such events will no longer be able to take place.

Postponed or canceled events

event planned period postponed / canceled source
Otafest CanadaCanada 21-23 May 2020 postponed to 2021.
Anime Boston United StatesUnited States 10-12 April 2020 called off
Anime Central United StatesUnited States 15-17 May 2020 called off
FanimeCon United StatesUnited States 22-25 May 2020 called off
Sakura-Con United StatesUnited States 10-12 April 2020 canceled, the organizers announced that purchased tickets will remain valid for 2021.
Nadeshicon CanadaCanada 00April 3-5 , 2020 called off
Anime North CanadaCanada 22.-24. May 2020 called off
SMASH! AustraliaAustralia called off
Japan Expo FranceFrance postponed to 2021
Annecy Film Festival FranceFrance 15-20 June 2020 called off
Anime Expo United StatesUnited States 00July 2-5 , 2020 called off
San Diego Comic-Con United StatesUnited States 23-26 July 2020 called off

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Evan Minto: How Deeply Is COVID-19 Impacting Anime Production? March 18, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Infinite Loop: Coronavirus and the Impact on Anime and Manga. Animespiegel.de, March 22, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Robin Hirsch: "Shirobako" film completed three days before its cinema release. Anime2you.de, February 26, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Robin Hirsch: Animator: Completion of current series endangered by Corona. Anime2you.de, April 8, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Robin Hirsch: Another animator comments on the current Corona situation. Anime2you.de, April 13, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Robin Hirsch: Coronavirus: Ghibli Museum is temporarily closed. Anime2you.de, February 24, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Robin Hirsch: AnimeJapan: Important trade fair canceled due to coronavirus. Anime2you.de, February 27, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Robin Hirsch: Comiket 98: Biggest dōjinshi fair was canceled. Anime2you.de, March 27, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  9. ↑ a b c d Roland Kelts: Anime cons 'will never be the same' after the coronavirus. Japan Times , April 4, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
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  11. ↑ ア ニ メ 業界 、 3 密 で 三重 苦 ア フ レ コ で き ず 、 作画 進 ま ず 、 関 連 事業 展開 も… Sponichi , April 20, 2020, accessed April 21, 2020 (Japanese).
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  13. ^ Robin Hirsch: Next episode of "A Certain Scientific Railgun T" postponed. Anime2you.de, April 17, 2020, accessed April 17, 2020 .
  14. ^ Alfred Drobisch: "A3!" Pauses until at least April. Anime2you.de, February 14, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  15. ↑ Endo: After Postponement: Idol Anime A3! reboots. Ninotaku.de, February 21, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  16. ^ Robin Hirsch: "Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater" paused indefinitely. Anime2you.de, April 15, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  17. ^ Robin Hirsch: "Breakwater": A break planned for at least 10 weeks. Anime2you.de, April 20, 2020, accessed April 20, 2020 .
  18. ↑ Hayley Williams: Re: ZERO Season 2's Release Date Postponed Due To Coronavirus. Gamespot , March 17, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  19. ↑ Crystalyn Hodgkins: Given Anime Film Delayed Due to Coronavirus Disease COVID-19. Anime News Network, April 13, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
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  22. ↑ a b Rafael Antonio Pineda: Infinite Dendrogram Anime Resumes on Thursday After Delay Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus. Anime News Network , February 25, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
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  24. ↑ Kyle Cardine: AnimeJapan 2020 Officially Canceled Over Coronavirus Concerns. Crunchyroll , February 26, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  25. ↑ Tarun Mazumdar: Coronavirus Updates: AnimeJapan 2020 And Family Anime Festa 2020 Canceled Due To COVID-19 Outbreak. International Business Times , February 27, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  26. ↑ Mikikazu Komatsu: All The Programs at Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2020 are Canceled. Crunchyroll, March 1, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  27. ↑ a b Rafael Antonio Pineda, Egan Loo: Seiyū Award, Key, Aikatsu Events Canceled Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus Concerns. Anime News Network , February 26, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
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  29. ↑ Robin Hirsch: German dubbing studios start work again. Anime2you.de, April 22, 2020, accessed April 22, 2020 .
  30. ↑ Alfred Drobisch: AniMoon Publishing shifts diverse disc appointments. Anime2you.de, March 30, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  31. ↑ Robin Hirsch: KAZÉ: Over 50 anime releases postponed [Update # 2]. Anime2you.de, March 22, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  32. ↑ Robin Hirsch: Amazon: Anime pre-orders no longer possible. Anime2you.de, March 19, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  33. ↑ a b Robin Hirsch: Coronavirus: »Psycho-Pass« cinema event canceled. Anime2you.de, March 17, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  34. ^ A b Robin Hirsch: AniMoon: "Goblin Slayer" film postponed due to Corona. Anime2you.de, March 16, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  35. ^ A b Robin Hirsch: German cinema date of the "DanMachi" film postponed. Anime2you.de, March 12, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  36. ↑ a b Alfred Drobisch: Coronavirus: Hanami 2020 in Ludwigshafen canceled. Anime2you.de, March 14, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  37. ↑ a b Robin Hirsch: Coronavirus: Animuc 2020 is canceled. Anime2you.de, March 10, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  38. ↑ a b Robin Hirsch: Coronavirus: DoKomi 2020 is postponed. Anime2you.de, March 24, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  39. ↑ a b Frankfurt: Nippon Connection Film Festival 2020 takes place online! Frankfurter Wochenblatt , April 2, 2020, accessed on April 15, 2020 .
  40. ↑ Telephone conference between the Chancellor and the heads of government of the federal states on April 15, 2020. German Bundestag , April 15, 2020, accessed on April 17, 2020 .
  41. ↑ Robin Hirsch: Large events prohibited until the end of August. Anime2you.de, April 15, 2020, accessed April 17, 2020 .
  42. ↑ Gamescom 2020 will take place despite the Corona ban! - Only as a digital event. TV Movie , April 17, 2020, accessed April 17, 2020 .
  43. ↑ a b Robin Hirsch: AnimagiC 2020 in Mannheim officially canceled. Anime2you.de, April 23, 2020, accessed April 23, 2020 .
  44. ↑ Erlangen: Bergkirchweih and comic parlor canceled. Nordbayern.de, April 16, 2020, accessed on April 16, 2020 .
  45. ↑ Robin Hirsch: Connichi 2020 has been canceled. Anime2you.de, April 20, 2020, accessed April 20, 2020 .
  46. ↑ Steffen: Corona crisis: Anime Messe Berlin officially canceled. Animenachrichten.de, April 25, 2020, accessed on May 13, 2020 .
  47. ↑ Evan Valentine: Anime Expo Shares Update on Status Following Coronavirus Pandemic. Comicbook.com, March 17, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  48. ↑ a b Nick Valdez: Anime Expo 2020 Canceled Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Comicbook.com, April 17, 2020, accessed April 18, 2020 .
  49. ↑ Coronavirus Statement. Crunchyroll Expo , accessed April 15, 2020 .
  50. ^ Jon Roe: Calgary events postponed or canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. Calgary Herald , April 14, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  51. ↑ Anime Boston 2020 Announces Cancellation of Event. Anime News Network , March 15, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  52. ↑ Alex Mateo: Anime Central 2020 Convention Canceled. Anime News Network, March 19, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  53. ^ Rafael Antonio Pineda: California's Fanime Convention Defers Event to Next Year. Anime News Network, April 13, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  54. ↑ Jennifer Sherman: Seattle's Sakura-Con 2020 Convention Canceled. Anime News Network, March 16, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  55. ↑ Coronavirus Convention & Theme Park Impacts. The Geekiary, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  56. ↑ Cancellation of Anime North 2020. Anime North, March 25, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  57. ↑ COVID-19 announcement. SMASH !, accessed on April 15, 2020 .
  58. ↑ Japan Expo 21st Impact is postponed in 2021. Japan Expo , April 14, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  59. ↑ Elsa Keslassy: Annecy Animation Film Festival Canceled Due to Coronavirus. Variety , April 7, 2020, accessed April 17, 2020 .
  60. ↑ Steffen: Corona crisis: San Diego Comic Con canceled and Gamescom will take place purely digitally. Animenachrichten.de, April 19, 2020, accessed on April 23, 2020 .