New Company, Joen, Formed to Help the Anime Industry

Four companies, one new company called Joen, and one goal to make the anime industry a better place to work. We’ll see about that.

Four Japanese companies; studios CloverWorks and WIT Studio, publisher Shueisha, and Sony media subsidiary Aniplex, have come together to form a new company called Joen. What does Joen do? Apparently, a bit of everything as they have vowed to work together to not only create high-quality anime but also make sure that the revenue generated by the final product is distributed fairly to not just the production committee but the studios and creators as well. 

The official website (which has an English version) does a decent job of laying out its mission: 

“We aspire to introduce a new structure for those involved in the creation of animation, by creating an environment that allows for the continuous production of high-quality animation while ensuring studios and creators are rewarded in line with what they produce.”

Again, this sounds great in theory, but how do you plan on going about doing this? You might be asking. The website continues with: “CloverWorks and WIT STUDIO will work together to utilize their strengths to the fullest across the entire production process, from the planning stages to the final product… In addition to our collaboration with CloverWorks and WIT STUDIO, we also intend to use the industry connections provided by them to expand our scope and collaborate with various studios, producers, and creators to build a framework that allows us to prioritize those involved in the production process… In addition, we will also provide aid through financial support, creating an environment for these projects to flourish, and more.”

It’s absolutely no secret that the anime industry is in trouble and has been for quite some time. For years, there have been people who have strived to change things but so far have had only limited success. What’s sad about this news is how skeptical fans have been towards it in my social media communities. Everyone wants to see the industry improve, but any time someone actually tries, there are always naysayers who believe the people behind the effort have ulterior motives that will derail things before any real lasting impact can happen. 

In this case, I’m willing to say that Joen has the right idea, and being that it comprises some of the most successful and largest companies in the industry today, it’s worth giving them a chance to make a positive difference. Alright, Joen… you have our attention, make good things happen.

Sources: Anime News Network, Crunchyroll News, Joen Official Website