Zom100 is becoming more and more like a real zombie.
The currently airing anime Zom100 is a very interesting series with a great premise, it tells the story of average Japanese salaryman Akira Tendou, who views the zombie apocalypse not as a tragedy, but as freedom from overwork. It features strong animation, stellar voice cast and is generally one of the fan favorites this season.
However, such strong production values seem to have come at a great cost to the production team behind the anime, as they have been forced to delay the anime's release date for the third week in a row. This is in no way a criticism towards the staff, they are doing a great job, however, it does highlight a big issue that has been plaguing the anime industry for years now, if not forever. Simply put, the conditions animators have to work in make it unsustainable for healthy production, as Zom100 is merely another victim of the situation within the industry rather than an exception. It would be no exaggeration to say the episodes are being finished mere hours before they are actually on the air.
Another prominent example of such delays is the recent anime adaptation of the video game Nier: Automata, as it stopped airing entirely after releasing only 4 episodes, citing the impact of COVID-19 on production. And in the end, some episodes had to be re-broadcasted from the beginning, while the series really finished in batches of several complete episodes, with the final 4 episodes airing on the same day, while also immediately greenlighting the sequel. They’re not going to even catch a breath.
Zom100 and Nier: Automata aren't the only ones suffering from the same troubled production, as the Ayakashi Triangle anime adaptation is still unfinished since it started airing in January of this year, and it is supposed to be only 12 episodes long. Before that, probably the most famous case of harsh working conditions in the anime industry in recent years was Wonder Egg Priority, as producer Shota Umehara had to be hospitalized due to overwork.
It’s not all doom and gloom, as there are studios that don’t have many such tragic incidents, for example Kyoto Animation studio is famously generous to its employees and isn’t known for having production troubles. And Toei Animation maintained a steady production of their hit shows such as One Piece, which is an amazing feat.
But unless the situation in the industry changes, the new studios such as BUG FILMS, which is in charge of Zom100, simply won’t be able to make any anime at all, as the quantity of projects is increasing, but the number of animators who can handle it is not.