Months after the end of the highly successful second season of Jujutsu Kaisen, more details are surfacing from the staff and animators of MAPPA regarding the nightmare that was the production of the anime. Although the season did right by one of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s best arcs, the Shibuya Incident, there were many times it was overshadowed by controversies surrounding the working conditions of the MAPPA staff.
The first half of the season that covered the Hidden Inventory Arc went by largely undisturbed, and there didn’t seem to be any issues behind the scenes. The second half, however, was when the dam burst and the horrible work conditions at MAPPA were revealed. A recent testimony from MAPPA workers sheds more light on the issue and on the grim future of the anime industry.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s Season 2 Review: The Shibuya Incident Exceeds Expectations Despite Controversies
Jujutsu Kaisen’s second season is one of the most memorable anime ever, for good and bad reasons.
MAPPA Animators Reveal That Studios Are Not Thinking Long-Term
The YouTube channel Animator Dormitory Channel, which documents the anime industry and helps struggling animators, including once providing the director of Burn The Witch a place to live, has sat down with many animators who worked for MAPPA and collected their stories and witnesses. According to the interviews, there is a lack of professional animators, and anime studios aren’t willing to invest in training the next generation of animators and help them replace the current ones. This leads to a battle for animators by increasing the retainer fees and thus poaching workers from other studios.
Interestingly, the normal wages for an animator stay the same, but they are incentivized to switch to working for another studio through a large upfront fee. Unfortunately, the salaries are still low, and many animators rightfully feel that the amount of work doesn’t match their income. Animation is a very burdensome and draining process, and although there is new technology to help, most of the work is still done by hand. 2-D animation is still the standard in the anime world,
This problem was also noted by the chief animation director of the Jujutsu Kaisen: 0 movie. He was very worried about the future of the anime industry and said that it would collapse once the current generation of animators left the industry. With a huge hole left and no one to fill it, anime will come to a halt. It isn’t all bad news, however, as he said that the fix is for studios to invest in the younger generation and teach and train them in animation. This will ensure that a workforce will be present for many years to come.
The Japanese Government Tried To Encourage Young Animators
Due to the globalization of anime and the digitalization of communication and work, studios now have access to animators from around the world. What could’ve been a positive option that gave other animators employment became a harmful practice that led to Japanese animators, who make up the bulk of the industry, being ignored by the studio in favor of cheaper labor. Although the diversification of anime staff led to incredible animators such as Vincent Chansard and Rioo being recognized, the cons far outweighed the pros. With the exception of Kyoto Animation, almost all studios rely heavily on overseas workers.
To curb the harmful practice of studio poaching and outsourcing to companies around the world, a project called the Young Animator Training Project by the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs was started in 2010. This gave grants to studios to allow young animators to make a short film with the guidance and help of established companies. Many studios such as Production I.G and Madhouse participated, and Studio Trigger put out their first series in this project. Some of the most successful shorts include Little Witch Academia and Death Parade.
10 Best Studio Trigger Anime
Trigger’s anime have a reputation for excellence at minimum, and over a decade of operation, has built up a selection of shows worthy of viewing.
This 6-month intensive program was a step forward in the right direction, as animators were given the reins of a project under the care of experienced veterans. Sure, there were many things wrong with the project, such as the use of CGI after the change in management or studios not properly instructing the animators, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that many benefited and had real on-the-job training that they could put on their resume.
Anime Studios Seem To Be Progressing
The future of anime, however, isn’t as bleak as it appears from the MAPPA debacle, as there are calls within the industry to address this issue immediately. The best example is the trailblazer studio Kyoto Animation, which not only refuses to outsource work but also trains animators and pays them a good wage. This is a big reason why their quality of work is among the best, and they are regarded as the best studio to work for. They have been doing this since they have existed, and have been lauded for having an employee-first mindset rather than churning out content to secure a profit.
Studio Pierrot seems to be moving away from its bad practices as well. They have made efforts to increase salaries, with overtime pay being increased by as much as 20 percent. Furthermore, the studio seems to be moving away from long-running series and doing seasonal anime to focus on quality, as evidenced by the success of Bleach: Thousand Year War. The Naruto episodes were also delayed to increase quality, which makes this theory more credible. Year-round anime takes a huge toll on everyone involved, and it is a great decision to not only grant a better-scheduled production but also ensure that the staff can put their all into their work.
10 Best Anime Studios
With the rising popularity of anime, more fans have been looking into the studios behind their favorite shows, wondering which ones are the best.
More studios seem to be improving and acknowledging the importance of worker’s rights. George Wada, the CEO of Wit Studio, always ensures a good budget is set before taking on a project so that the staff can get paid properly. Studio Bones fosters an environment where the staff can work without being burned out, and they make sure their salaries are always high. Toei Animation was praised by workers for its good work conditions on the One Piece project.
All this is proof that, despite the scandal caused by the surfacing of MAPPA‘s poor controversial practices for Jujutsu Kaisen, there is a greater emphasis than ever by anime studios on properly compensating their staff and ensuring good work conditions, and hopefully, it will become the norm rather than the exception.
Sources: Animator Dormitory Channel, SakugaBlog, teller.jp, Otakumode, Comicbook, Kotaku.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is a supernatural action anime that follows high school student Yuuji Itadori as he battles against magical curses. After Yuji selflessly saves a classmate by taking a curse into his own body, he is discovered and trained by a powerful sorcerer named Satoru Gojo. Gojo, who also happens to be a faculty member at a high school, enrolls Yuji there to help him and other students prepare themselves against the supernatural forces that plague humanity.
- Seasons
- 2
- Directors
- Sunghoo Park , Shōta Goshozono
