Today, few animation studios are as widely recognized as MAPPA. The name has become synonymous with shounen 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's return was overshadowed by vocal criticism from the 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 reluctance to work with MAPPA again, citing the studio's primary concern for disregard for working conditions.
Jujutsu Kaisen animator's statement
“I simply do not want to show my support as a worker for a society that, ideologically, simply does not care about working conditions. I don't want to support them, that's all. I did it this time because Hakuyu Go-san personally asked me,” Hansard shared.
“I love working with him! If he asked me personally it was because he really wanted to work with me so I accepted. But he doesn't want to work for Mappa anymore so I can tell you and I'm absolutely certain that I will never work for Mappa again.
Culon recounted his introduction to MAPPA while working on Jujutsu Kaisen, describing it as memorable for all the wrong reasons. He joined during a difficult time and found himself filling in the gaps left by other animators due to scheduling problems.
“I was faced with horrible deadlines because one person didn't get his work done. I had to replace him at the last moment and it was terrible for everyone because I couldn't do anything, I had to be rough with them, I wasn't happy with my work,” Culon explained.
“My first experience with Jujutsu Kaisen was quite stressful. Regarding the second part, I have some funny anecdotes, some positive, others negative… The 44th episode is the simplest, at least for me. I have more time, I have more freedom, I can do pretty much anything I want.
The 44th was a great experience! Day 41 was disastrous. They contacted me after the episode, there was a PV at the end of the episode that we did and it still didn't have my name on it.”
The efforts of these animators in making Jujutsu Kaisen season two also reflect similar views of other industry experts. As the anime industry continues to expand globally, issues related to the welfare of animators are increasingly coming to light. While fans hope that MAPPA will address its production schedule to better support its employees, as for Hansard and Culon, it seems unlikely that they will be working with MAPPA again in the near future. .