The allegations against Mappa Studio by the Jujutsu Kaisen Animators continue to spark debates on Social Media. Many animators have come forward, raising grave allegations against the studio for continuing to treat its employees poorly. Mappa is known for its top-quality animes like Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack On Titan, Chainsaw Man, and many more, and people all over the world get to enjoy these series within the stipulated time. But at what cost? At the cost of these animators’ mental health, overworking at a minimal salary base. Meeting rough deadlines and maintaining top quality is not a cakewalk, and Mappa seems to be paying no heed to the demands of the employees.
Jujutsu Kaisen Animators Continue to Raise Grave Allegations Against Mappa: CEO Manabu Otsuka Is Being Blamed For The Mismanagement
Within a few months from the start of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, several animators have come forward to expose Mappa’s inhumane work hours. This does not stop here as Mappa deliberately asked these animators to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), to say nothing about the conditions they are required to work in. The Jujutsu Kaisen animators have decided not to set their foot down until Mappa fulfills their demands from the upcoming seasons, indicating that fans may have to wait a lot longer than usual for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3.
Mappa has several projects on its court, including Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, Jigokuraku, Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, and many others. Rumors suggest Mappa has already bagged One Punch Man Season 3. Mappa is a very young company, started in 2011. And having so many projects at once, with overworking all the staff within a short period, has caused this mismanagement. Mappa has bagged the right to CSM alone, meaning they do not have to share profits with other studios. As a result, the JJK animators not only had to work on JJK and JJK 0 but also CSM at the same time.
Interestingly, JJK Season 1 had a year and a half to come live. Chainsaw Man ended in December 2022, and JJK Season 2 kicked off in July 2023. The rough calculations suggest that of the two years given to Mappa by the committee to animate JJK Season 2, CEO Otsuka gave his animators only six months to complete the series by making them work on all these projects simultaneously. It gets worse because these animators had to work on JJK Season 2 episodes the day before they were released.
Can Mappa Studio Delay The Further Episodes?
Mappa could have delayed the release of a few episodes to give their employees a break, but withholding one episode is more complicated than it sounds. It would be a costly decision for the studio, and it’s not only up to Mappa to make that call. The production committee involves other parties, such as TOHO and Sheuisha, and they collectively would have to agree to the delay. Additionally, rescheduling a time slot, redoing the marketing, investments in advertisements, and releasing Blu-Ray Discs, among other things, would increase the production costs significantly.
JJK Season 2 Animators Have Come Forward Expressing Their Dissatisfaction With The Animation Quality
Many animators have complained about having to work on both Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, causing a significant meltdown among the team. JJK S2 Episode 13 director and storyboard artist Arai Kazuto tweeted that he is unsatisfied and irritated with the episode’s ending.
まーじで萎えた。もう何も楽しくないよこれじゃ。おもんね〜。
— バリキオス (@Barikios) November 14, 2023
Ookubo Shunsuke, director of JJKS2 episode 12, has uploaded an image of a girl from Shirobako hanging herself, implying that the director is blaming himself for not meeting the fans’ expectations.
— B (@wuokb) November 14, 2023
Kevin from Sakuga Blog has also raised his voice about the appalling working conditions Mappa has imposed on these animators.
Reminder that if you hire teams of young, materially ambitious creators because you want to exploit the bombastic appeal of their work, it's not their failing if it becomes impossible to comply with your studio's pathetic planning. *They* didn't doom the schedule, it already was
— kViN 🌈🕒 (@Yuyucow) November 14, 2023
Many of the animators of Mappa have resigned after being subjected to such awful treatment, and the report says that the JJK director from Season 1 started his animation studio, E&H Productions, after leaving Mappa due to these inhumane working conditions. Fans are now worried about how things may turn out after this terrible reputation of Mappa dealing with JJK S2. Burning out the animators with overwork and keeping them underpaid is one of the most unethical things a company can do to their employees.
Jujutsu Kaisen Production Meltdown continues.
byu/mango_yogurt10 inJuJutsuKaisen
