Over the past few years, the anime industry has reached new heights on the global stage. Netflix reported that over half of its global viewers watch anime. And, certain anime titles will soon be streaming on Delta flights.

But the industry’s financial success is not always shared with the animators who make it possible.

“They burn out and end up leaving the industry, so there's a high turnover rate,” said Anime News Networks’ Egan Loo. “It's really intense work.” 

On the show today, Loo makes us smart about the rise of the anime and manga industries, the global dynamics of anime production, and how AI could change everything. 

Later, we’ll get some advice on making a career change from a listener. And chess player-turned-economist Kenneth Rogoff answers the “Make Me Smart” question.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Anime Is Booming. So Why Are Animators Living in Poverty?" from The New York Times

• "From Piracy Problems to Labor Shortages, the Anime Industry Is Facing a Reckoning" from Screen Rant

• "Thousands of Anime Titles Will Soon Be Streamable on Delta Flights" from Timeout

• "Sony’s Crunchyroll Makes Layoffs as It Restructures to Lean Into International Growth Markets" from Variety

• "The Biggest Movie You Haven't Seen Is Finally Coming To U.S. Theaters" from Inverse  

• "How Korean webtoons are changing the comic industry—and the careers of creators" from Fast Company

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