Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 has been a hit among the anime for its amazing plot and animations. The popularity and success of Gege Akutami’s magnum opus helped it earn several nominations at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. But it was not always that easy, and at one point, it looked like Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 would be stopped midway.
The problem arose due to MAPPA, the animation studio for Jujutsu Kaisen season 2. Since the beginning of the season, there have been several controversies regarding its work environment, and it went on to magnify with the season. While the animators were afraid to say anything against the company, they finally broke the silence on the hellish work conditions at MAPPA studios.
Jujutsu Kaisen Animators Raise Their Voices Against MAPPA’s Work Culture
The MAPPA controversy arose after it came to light that the animation studio had been overworking its animators without proper payments. The overtime became a daily schedule for the animators, and they were not allowed any rest until they finished the project. They were being milked too much, and it showed in the animation, which significantly deteriorated. Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 had several episodes where the animation was below half of what was intended.
The animators were given tight schedules and deadlines, and they had to wrap up their work before that. MAPPA knew that they were in no condition to accept further projects, but still, they accepted them and created a living hell for its workers. They did not postpone the production dates for their workers. The workload made them stay in their office without the chance to visit their families.
Low wages were also a massive problem for the animators. Overtime was just exhausting without any increase in payments. Even though MAPPA gives better retainer fees than the rest of the animation studios, it does not alter the wage much. Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 was a great experience for the fans, but not so much for the MAPPA animators. The Animator Dormitory Channel on YouTube portrays a perfect picture of the problem.
MAPPA Is Just One Fish In The Whole Pond
MAPPA got all the hatred and made the headlines due to the controversy, but it is not the only animation studio to have such working conditions. The state of the animators in Japan is pretty poor. The pay structure is low, and is there not much improvement in the working conditions. The studios do not hire new animators, instead use high retainer fees to poach animators from other studios.
The studios have become a center for low-cost anime production where the organization keeps the majority of the payment and leaves the minimal for the animators. One of the best ways to deal with this backdated system is through crowdfunding or starting a subscription model. The crowdfunding method is a great solution, and the animators won’t have to depend on the higher-ups for payment.
Criticising MAPPA Studios won’t change anything since the whole industry is like that. Instead of giving high retainer fees, the money could be used to nurture the new generation of animators to help solve the problem. If the working conditions do not change, more animators will leave the industry, and this might become a massive problem for the studios.
Even though MAPPA alone do not represent the whole industry, but it could be an example to them by being the first one to correct its horrible work environment and give no chance for the animators to raise any complaints against them.
