Every time a new season of Jujutsu Kaisen comes out, it is very well received.
However, the popularity and fascinating plot of the series sometimes overshadow the shortcomings of the MAPPA studio. While season 1's animation was groundbreaking, some fans may be angered by the fact that some scenes in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 fail to maintain the same standard.
From Sukuna's first battle with Gojo in season 1 of the series, the animators delivered a great performance. But what changed during the production of season 2, making the battles no longer so exciting?
Yuji's battle against Mahito in Jujutsu Kaisen part 2 cannot be compared to part 1
While most of the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom is trying to cover up MAPPA's poor treatment of some Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 matches, Yuji's fight scene with Mahito is inexcusable. Episode 21 of season 2 has a fight scene between Mahito, Yuji and Sukuna. However, this scene is not as well animated as the scenes in season 1.
Some scenes cut from this battle feature rough background animation. If compared to other scenes done by Keiichiro Watanabe, this action scene was not well done. There are very few keyframes and the combat looks a bit disjointed.
However, since this is a work created by Keiichiro Watanabe, it is difficult to find faults in the animation. Only the animators' own stock footage proves how much better the animation could be. The main suspect in this mistake is of course the studio and management itself.
Why did the animation quality of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 decrease?
Jujutsu Kaisen's animation team is as ambitious and good as ever. However, MAPPA took over several projects with overlapping schedules and many intense action scenes. Employees are overworked, with little time to pay attention to details.
Roccia Nobili, a lead animator on Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 spoke out about what happened. In a post on X, the animator explained that the deadline was tight. The animators also expressed disappointment because they wanted more time to complete the scenes.
MAPPA's poor management and tight deadlines really affected the film, and the studio has been criticized many times in the past for its poor treatment of animators and staff.