Seulgi has vigorously learned how her drawings can jump into life in a span of six months as she tinkered with and explored every animation technique, tip and trick taught to them in class.

She also learned, however, about the unfair compensation practices that animators have to deal with, in Japan and elsewhere - a Filipino, for one, Raf Dla, complained that he was fired in 2019 by TopDraw, the company behind Netflix's cartoon series Carmen Sandiego, after he brought up the animation house's alleged illegal labor practices. Dla said his internship period was extended so he will not be paid any higher than the minimum wage.

In Japan, even as the anime industry rakes in $19 billion in a year, animators - most of whom are freelancers - are paid 200 yen or $2 a drawing, as Vox said in its 2019 report. An animator will have to do 400 drawings in order to make an even decent buck, but this obviously perpetuates a worrying culture of overwork. Entry-level animators in Japan called donga-man get the worst end of the deal, earning way, way lesser than their American counterparts even in the age of Netflix.

This problem of worker exploitation filled Seulgi's thoughts as she went into her favorite ramen shop, a hole in the wall in Shinjuku. As she places her bag down and takes her seat, however, these thoughts were temporarily replaced by a memory.

As the smell of ramen filled her nostrils, Seulgi couldn't help but remember one of her favorite scenes