Production committee

A production committee is joint venture made up of a group of companies that control, coordinate, finance, and produce an anime as well as any related products (Blu-rays, CDs, DVDs, merchandise, etc.). Early on most anime were funded primarily by the TV station it was intended to broadcast on and the lead animation studio that creates the anime. However, as anime diversified in its distribution and production, groups of companies started working together to do the work as things got more complicated.

Part of the reason production committees formed was supposedly based on more anime being aimed at and older demographic including adults which allowed more different types of anime to be created to reach different audiences. Also, it may be that pioneers of more adult-oriented anime made production committees more of a necessity.

However, the production committee system has also been criticized as a poor way to share the profits of successful anime, led to more restrictions on creative parts of the committee, and the system often pushes many of the losses on the studios without taking as much risk. This system may also create conditions that perpetuate low animator wages.