The anticipated second season of the anime “The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You“, which will be released on January 12, 2025 in Japan, appears to be facing serious production problems. Akane Yona, this season's character designer, has alarmed fans with a series of cryptic messages published on their official Twitter account on January 5, 2025.
Among the most worrying messages are statements such as:
- «I would like to be able to buy time from people who say they have free time.».
- «The countdown to despair has begun».
- «The tears don't stop, and I can't draw».
Until now, Yona has not offered any further clarification about her situation, but her posts have sparked concern among fans.who believe that these messages are directly related to the production of the series. Akane Yona's situation is reminiscent of other recent cases in the anime industry, where workers have denounced the extreme working conditions they face.
One of the most notable examples occurred during the production of “Jujutsu Kaisen” Season 2, when episode director Shunsuke Ookubo shared social media posts reflecting his extreme exhaustion. In one of them, Ookubo used art of a character from “Shirobako,” a series that addresses the difficulties of anime production, showing the character on the verge of suicide due to work exhaustion.
Another worrying case was that of Hiroto Nagataa noted animator known for his work on “Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story.” Nagata revealed that his boss threatened to “erase” him from the industry if he did not hand in his work on time. In a since-deleted post, he wrote:
- «The production manager tells me: 'If you don't do a good job this time, you will be erased from the industry.' So I'm working while crying, telling myself I have to do my best so I don't get eliminated.».
These cases are not isolated. In recent years, international lawsuits for anime have grown exponentially, resulting in a rise in reports of overexploited animators, forced to meet extremely tight deadlines while facing low pay and hostile working conditions.
Yuichi Fukushima, producer at CloverWorks and responsible for hits like “SPY x FAMILY,” recently addressed this topic when talking about the challenges of producing long-running anime series. According to Fukushima:
- «It is absolutely necessary to develop creators and improve the production environment. Personally, I would like to create a system that allows planning and producing not only works for the next year, but also works that can be released in several years. It is increasingly difficult to produce anime with two consecutive seasons».
Akane Yona's case joins a growing list of workers who have used social media as a platform to expose the harsh realities of the industry. Although these complaints have generated outrage among fans, they have also highlighted the risks faced by those who decide to speak out, such as workplace harassment or fear of being excluded from future projects.
As the second season premiere of “The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You” approachesfans are not only looking forward to the return of anime, but are also demanding better working conditions for those who make these productions possible.
Fountain: reddit
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