It might be the right time to stop with all the hate.
Summary:
- The criticism of MAPPA takes a new turn.
- One of MAPPA’s animators expresses his feelings about the fans’ reaction.
- Working conditions at MAPPA seem to be the main issue.
MAPPA has suffered enough from the release of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2. The constant complaints about the animation quality, weird frames, ghosting and shadowing has followed the series from early episodes, and it feels like episode 14 was the last drop.
MAPPA’s animators can’t stay silent anymore
We’ve already touched upon the controversy that this episode sparked here. Fans were so loudly disappointed that it was impossible to find anything positive among hundreds of hate twits. The outrage was so huge that MAPPA’s animators couldn’t ignore it.
One of the MAPPA’s animators, Hokuto Sadamoto, commented on the situation and expressed his feelings on his X page. His words exude heartbreak and he calls himself “trash” and apologizes to the fans. The animator is sorry for releasing something that he’s not entirely satisfied with and promises to make up for it in the future, but for now his only wish seems to be for the fans to leave him alone. Hokuto Sadamoto even goes as far as to say that he’s ruined the masterpiece that Jujutsu Kaisen is.
Such a distressing message couldn’t leave fans unmoved, and they started asking the ones hating on the animation to be at least less cruel.
MAPPA’s production schedule seems to be the problem
Working conditions at MAPPA have been the topic of multiple debates online, and it seems like animators are under a lot of pressure and stress. The production schedule is terrible and deadlines are impossible to meet while keeping the quality at a high level. And fans understand that and feel sympathy towards the studio’s animators. They agree that this is not their fault, it’s what the company is forcing them to do.
The issue of entitlement has also been brought up by some fans. People who have no idea how animation and the industry itself works turn into “keyboard warriors” thinking that everything should be 100% to their liking. And god forbid the studio doesn’t provide it.
Everyone is frustrated. The animators don’t know how to deal with crunch and the utter lack of time for creating their best work. Fans are upset that they’re not getting the perfect adaptation they've been dreaming of. Seems like the only thing we can do now is stay human and hope that MAPPA will react to the situation and reconsider their production strategies.