Panel in Collaboration with the Japan Society for Animation Studies: Examining the Survey of Animation Creators

Akiko Sugawa-Shimada, PhD, specializes in visual culture and fan studies. Her publication includes: Girls and Magic (2013, the 2014 Japan Society of Animation Studies Award), 2.5-¬ dimensional Culture (2021), Mechademia: Second Arc vol. 15.2, “2.5D Culture,” joined as guest editor (2023), Introduction to the 2.5D Studies (2024), Cambridge Companion to Manga and Anime (2024) and Music and Contents Tourism (forthcoming). She has been involved in the projects: a research project “Women in Japanese Animation,” and “WIA-J” to aim to promote diversity in the Japanese animation industry.

Shintaro Matsunaga specializes in the sociology of work, human resource management, and workplace studies. His sociological research focuses on sustainable work practices, career development, and management strategies for freelancers. Since around 2013, he has conducted continuous fieldwork on the animation industry, focusing on creators and production companies to examine animators' occupational norms, careers, and life courses, as well as the practical management of production processes by production managers. Major publications include How Animators Work: Sociology of Work on Freelancers Working Together (Nakanishiya Shuppan, 2020; in Japanese) and Sociology of Work in Industrial Change: An Experiential History of Animators (Koyo Shobo, 2022; in Japanese).

Born in 1968 in Shizuoka prefecture. Originally a newspaper reporterand weekly magazine editor, Fujitsu started writing about animation in 2000. Fujitsu’s works include books such as "Anime Hyoronka Sengen – Revised Edition" (Chikuma Bunko), "Anime to Senso" (Nihon Hyoronsha), “Tomino Yoshiyuki Ron” (Chikumashobo). He serves as lecturer at Tokyo Polytechnic University.

Photo by Kaede Nakazato