These days, few animation studios are as widely recognized as MAPPA. The name has become synonymous with shonen enthusiasts, thanks to its track record with hits like Chainsaw Man and Attack on Titan.
Recently, MAPPA achieved great success with the release of Jujutsu Kaisen season two. However, the anime comeback was overshadowed by vocal critiques from animators, shedding light on the challenging experiences faced by industry professionals at MAPPA.
The discussion arose on Konoha TV, a French channel dedicated to anime and animation. Vincent Hansard and Dorian Culon shared their personal experiences working with MAPPA on Jujutsu Kaisen. Hansard expressed his reluctance to work with MAPPA again, citing the studio’s disregard for working conditions as a primary concern.
Jujutsu Kaisen Animator’s Statement
“I simply don’t want to show my support as a worker to a society that, ideologically, simply doesn’t care about the work conditions. I don’t want to support them, that’s all. I did it this time because Hakuyu Go-san asked me personally,” shared Hansard.
“I like to work with him! If he asks me personally it’s because he really wants to work with me, which made me accept. But he doesn’t want to work ever again for Mappa himself so I can tell you, and I am absolutely sure that I won’t ever again work for Mappa.”
Culon recounted his introduction to MAPPA while working on Jujutsu Kaisen, describing it as memorable for all the wrong reasons. He joined during a crunch period and found himself picking up the slack left by other animators due to scheduling issues.
“I had horrifying deadlines because of that person who didn’t do his work. I had to replace him in the last moments and it was horrible for everyone because, I couldn’t do anything, I had to give them some roughs, I wasn’t happy about my work,” explained Culon.
“My first experience on Jujutsu Kaisen was pretty tense. As for the second one, I have some funny anecdotes, some are positive, others are negative… The 44th episode was the most simple one, let’s say, at least for me. I had more time, I was free, I could do pretty much what I wanted.
The 44th was a good experience! The 41st was catastrophic. They contacted me after the episode, there was the PV at the end of the episode for the episode we worked on and my name wasn’t on it yet.”
These animators’ struggles working on Jujutsu Kaisen season two echo similar sentiments expressed by other industry professionals. As the anime industry continues to expand globally, issues concerning animator welfare are increasingly coming to light. While fans hope that MAPPA will address its production scheduling to support its staff better, for Hansard and Culon, it appears unlikely that they will collaborate with MAPPA again in the near future.