Anime notoriously has grueling production schedules, and often not a healthy work environment, as depicted by MAPPA Studios and Studio Wit. However, despite its punishing schedule, a great product is yielded, which usually mesmerizes fans. But, it must be noted that quality is never assured in the anime industry, where one episode might look stunning and design accurate, while the other might have the protagonist sport a deformed face and two left hands.
Shinsaku Kôzuma, the veteran animator at MAPPA, revealed a lot about his tenure in the industry: from working for Hayao Miyazaki to making anime with MAPPA studios. The animator revealed a shocking piece of information regarding the making of TV shows, and how long it takes for certain episodes to be produced in the season.
It allegedly takes a year for MAPPA to arrive at episode 1 of any series
Speaking to Full Frontal, Kôzuma talked about the production process of various shows, and how long it takes to get them off the ground. Surprisingly, the industry veteran revealed an insane timeline for some first episodes of certain series, the kind that makes you wonder how the schedule for these things works”
“It’s better to avoid TV series! The first few episodes of any TV series are alright, but as it goes on, things get worse. In MAPPA, it’s not rare for the production of the first episode of a series to take up to one year, but it only applies to one episode!”
Given that MAPPA has been responsible for the release of such bangers as Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, and Chainsaw Man, the company must take the idea of making first impressions fairly seriously. However, taking a year to produce just the first episode of any property is a lot of time, given that the first episode of any property is often not more than just 25 minutes.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 saw a decline in quality
Despite a season that boasted some great animation in its initial episodes, Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen failed to not only wow fans but also produced some episodes that seemed wholly incomplete. It has been revealed that the deadline that was generated for the episodes for the animators prioritized animation over a healthy work environment, which would have caused the entire production to suffer.
The animation industry that operates out of Japan often sees itself suffering from the problem of time crunches, which usually results in products that are heavily scrutinized. It is almost as if such news comes out of the industry every day, which is a concerning repetition, to say the least. However, it is completely possible to produce work that is palatable for the audience without jeopardizing the work environment or the personal health of the people involved in the production.
