If you’re a fan of anime, then you’re likely familiar with Studio Mappa.
The new golden child of Japanese animation, producing some of the highest quality in the
medium.
Heck, it seems as if every series they touched have been enhanced by Mappas glorious animation.
However, recently some frightening news have come out regarding studio Mappa.
Apparently, a ton of animators are quitting Mappa because of horrible working conditions
and stress from overworking.
Here’s a source from one of the key animators of AOT season 4 part 1 detailing his and his
fellow comrades' issues with Studio Mappa.
I'm not sure why i'm here because im certainly not here to animate.
It seems i'm just here to do retakes (like adding missing details to buttons or fixing
up aliased 3dCG). is this a factory?
I don't know why i worked so hard to get into this company.
I don't understand why us employees are spread all over, like we're in the fields.
It's filthy.
The thing that makes me want to quit is that every week, every week, every week, every
week, every week, every week, every week, every week, every week, every week, every
week, every week, we don't finish our work until morning hits*
Of course, there are some great companies that put a lot of effort into educating their
staff**. this is just my personal opinion and experience - I don't know if everyone
feels this way - but as far as i can tell, a good 80% of the employees complain about
this kind of thing.
One of my superiors who quit told me I should take care of myself, and he was right.....
On top of that, I got yelled at for fixing an ugly drawing...
What the hell?!
A choice without regret....if only we could all choose.
[A fan asks: "are you leaving MAPPA?"]
Yes.
*Note: he's probably complaining at the second paragraph because Mappa literally asks anyone
with a pen to do animation for them whether overseas or in japan. even if its a guy who
never drew in his life.
and the animators have to clean it up.
this is also why there's so much inconsistent animation and models.
**He's referring to how many animation studios will ensure their lower-level staff receive
animation training while working as inbetweeners and clean-up artists, as this ensures they
continue to improve and flourish within the company.
Famously, studios like Kyoto animation (Kyoani) and Toei animation have their own schools
to facilitate this.
Now after reading this depressing statement, I’m shocked it took this long the bad side
of Mappa to be exposed to the public.
Because, while Mappa has been producing S class craft in the medium, they’ve been
popping out anime in rapid succession with no breaks for their animators.
And it’s not like the grunts have been receiving great bonuses for their hard work unlike the
upper echelon.
They most likely receive substandard pay like the rest of the industry while expected to
slave away to pennies in exhausting all nighter shifts with poor management screaming behind
their back.
Hell, the deplorable working environment of the japanese animation industry has been well
documented for ages.
There’s plenty of information describing horror stories from animators' experiences.
Nevertheless, what I fear most is that Chainsawman and AOT S4 part 2 will suffer tremendously
form this.
Because if the key animators and their seniors; A.K.A the most important in the production
are departing, this is just the start of far bigger turmoil in studio Mappa.
I wouldn’t be shocked if we similar news in the near future.
I pray chainsawman at least has decent production; hell I’m all for a CGI fest, as long as
it’s good CGI like land of the lustrous or dorhedoro.
But if the disorganization of Mappa escalates, then the CM anime will likely fail because
that series requires stellar coordination and care to grant it it’s glory it deserves.
Nevertheless, the worst-case scenario is that Mappa suffers a heavy decline akin to Madhouse,
which is quite ironic because Mappa originated as an exodus of many madhouse animators departing
because of horrible working conditions.
So, it would be tragically poetic if Mappa imploded for the same reasons they left Madhouse
for.
It seems like the only studios that have a positive track record are kyonai, bones and
Ufotable.
They’re actually known for training their new blood, providing a healthy working environment
and awarding great benefits.
If the CM anime fails, then I’d be all for seeing any of these series attempt a reboot.
Nevertheless, I’m curious to hear your opinions on this news.
Are you worried about the CM anime and AOT S4 part 2?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and if you enjoyed the video