November 2016 Interview 19

-No matter how much profit a company makes, whether or not that profit is distributed to the production site depends on whether or not the person at the top of the production company has the backbone. The backbone that Harada-san mentioned earlier.

H: That's right. Once in the 80s, Mushi Productions tried to distribute royalties to the production site.
Before Studio Ghibli.
When President Ito made a feature-length anime film, he said, "Let's give it back to the staff." (*President Ito is from a labor union).
So he gave the profits back to the main staff, but the administrative work increased and it was hard.
He said, "I can't run the company if I do this," and I think he quit after just one time.

I know a key animator at Studio Ghibli, and I think it was around the time of "Grave of the Fireflies," that Studio Ghibli also tried to give back to the staff.

- Based on the amount of sales?

H: I think that instead of returning all the profits to the production staff, they give a small amount as a thank-you gift. This is also the case with Mushi Productions.

-From my experience, I've come to realize that the determination of the producers and managers on-site affects how the people working there are treated.

H: That may be true. In the end, it may come down to personal qualities, or individual differences. There aren't many (small business managers) who can do that.