You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz regarding Netflix’s recent criticism from the anime industry as well as their massive global fan base. This criticism began with the release of a short anime series titled “The Dog & the Boy” on January 31, 2023.
As time goes on, it creates more buzz and becomes an international issue. Furthermore, due to the involvement of the anime industry, fans take this issue to another level and provide their support to the industry.
As an avid anime and manga lover, you are also desperate to know the entire situation and whose fault it is. Furthermore, why does the anime industry take it so personally and begin criticizing Netflix?
Also Read: One Piece Live Action Is Coming In 2023
So don’t worry; in this article, we shared every necessary piece of information about Netflix’s recent criticism and the actual reason behind it, so keep up with us till the end.
Why is the anime industry criticizing Netflix for “The Dog & the Boy”?
On January 31, 2023, Netflix released a 3-minute short anime named “The Dog & the Boy” that was produced by Wit Studio. In this video, the characters are created by staff, while all the backgrounds were created by AI-generated tools.
Netflix just wants to help the studio by reducing the manpower, which most Japanese studios lack the most.
On the other hand, the backgrounds were not entirely created by AI; several staff members worked on the concept art as well as the final touches to the backgrounds.
But Netflix made a mistake by not giving credit to those staff members who work on concept art and final touches. They just wrote the credit simply as “AI + humans,” which is completely wrong.
As a result, a large number of well-known Japanese artists came together and criticized Netflix for doing that.
Why is the anime industry, especially manga artists, very against AI tools in producing series?
Artists are not only criticizing Netflix for not giving credit to some staff members. They are also against the use of AI in producing anime series. They state that it is completely wrong to use AI tools to create hand-drawn images for anime series.
This is because it is completely unfair to those artists who have dedicated their entire lives to honing their craft and illustrating skills. On the other hand, most AI tools lift images from the internet without the artists’ permission.
However, some people think most anime artists and staff are afraid that AI could soon replace them in the industry. But this is not true; we already know how it feels to consume content from humans or AI. Furthermore, both experiences are completely different from each other.
We know anime currently takes place at an incredible pace and has brought us several global hits, including Demon Slayer: Mugen Train and Jujutsu Kaisen.
As a result, every company wants to have something like that to increase their productivity, which leads to a labor shortage. So it is a great opportunity to spread awareness about the skills of animators and encourage people to join them.
But instead of providing employment to people, they try to bring AI into this field. So let’s hope Netflix can’t make the same mistakes in the future and try to help the anime industry by not demolishing it.
About “The Dog & the Boy” short video
The Dog & the Boy is a 3 minute short anime video featuring a wonderful story of a boy and a dog. It was released on January 31, 2023 on Netflix japan.
Here the following staff of “The Dog & the Boy” short video:
- Director, Storyboarder, and Key Animator: Ryotaro Makihara
- Composition Director: Koji Tanaka
- Character Designer and CG Animator: Mathias Demongeot
- Color Supervisor: Yuko Fujita
- Editor: Aya Hida
- Producer: Taiki Sakurai
- Animation Supervisor: Chieko Ichimanda
- AI Development: Rinna AI company
- Production: Netflix Anime Creators’ Base
- Production Support: Production I.G and Wit Studio
- Post-Production: Qooop inc.
- Sound Production: Dugout Inc.
FAQs:
Netflix is criticized by the anime industry for using AI tools in anime and not giving credit to the staff behind the concept of AI.
Yes, Netflix produced plenty of well-known original series such as Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045, Record of Ragnarok, Baki the Grappler, The Way of the Househusband, Kengan Ashura, Devilman Crybaby, and so on. However, you can watch some of the best action anime on Netflix.
Source: Netflix Japan Official Twitter: @NetflixJP
