You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz regarding Netflix’s recent criticism for using AI art in an anime. This criticism began with the release of a short Japanese 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, anime fans take this issue to another level and provide their support to the animation industry. As an avid manga and anime fan, you are also desperate to know the entire situation and whose fault it is.
Also Read: Haikyuu Season 5 – Everything You Should Know
Moreover, why does the anime industry take it so personally and begin criticizing Netflix, a popular streaming company? So don’t worry. In this post, 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 Anime Industry Criticizing Netflix for Using of AI Art in an Anime?
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 were created by staff. While all the background images were AI-generated artwork created by AI art tools.
Netflix just wants to fix the labor shortage issues by helping anime studios by reducing, which most Japanese animation studios lack the most. On the other hand, the backgrounds were not entirely created by AI. Several human artists 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 background designers who work on background artwork 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. They also very against for using off AI art in an anime.
About “The Dog & the Boy” Short Video
The Dog and the Boy is a 3-minute short anime video featuring the wonderful story of a boy and a dog. It was released on January 31, 2023, on Netflix Japan, one of the best anime streaming platforms.
Here are the following staff members of “The Dog and the Boy” short video:
- Anime Director, Story Boarder, 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.
Why Anime Industry, especially Manga Artists, are Against Using of AI Art in an Anime?
Artists are not only criticizing Netflix for not giving credit to some anime workers. They are also against the use of AI-generated art (artificial intelligence) in producing anime series. They state that it is completely wrong to use AI tools in hand-drawn image generation for anime series.
This is because it is completely unfair to those renowned animators 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 especially young manga artists are afraid that AI could soon replace them in the industry. But this is not true; anime fans already know how it feels to consume content from human-made art or AI-generated anime.
Furthermore, both experiences are completely different from each other. We know that the production company is currently producing series at an incredible pace. They 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 filling the shortage of talent (human artists) by providing employment to skilled animators, 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.
That’s it for today’s post! We hope you found this informative news useful and know everything about Netflix’s recent controversy of using AI art in an anime. Stay tuned for more of the latest anime news and upcoming anime adaptations.
FAQs:
1. Who is criticizing Netflix, and why?
Netflix is criticized by the anime industry for using AI tools in anime to increase the workflow for anime productions. Moreover, they are also not giving credit to the human animators who are working behind the development of the animation background.
2. Is Netflix producing any series?
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 anime on Netflix.
Source: Netflix Japan Twitter
