The thirteenth episode of the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen It generated great expectation among fans thanks to the intense fight between Yuji and Choso. The direction, camera work, animation, choreography and story of this episode significantly raised fans’ expectations for what would come next.
However, praise soon turned to discontent when the fourteenth episode was released on October 26., which did not meet the standards set by its predecessor. This resulted in a wave of criticism. Although he was not credited as the director of the episode in the anime, a leak revealed that Hokuto Sadamoto was also the original director of this new episode. This caused much of the criticism to be directed towards Sadamoto.
- «Jujutsu Kaisen #38 (S2 #14) is the perfect reflection of this problematic project produced in the MAPPA studio. There are a lot of good ideas and talented people on paper, but atrocious conditions take a toll on the bottom line. Many successes, but several unfortunate mistakes…»
In response to these criticisms, Sadamoto took to his official Twitter account to address concerns and apologies regarding the episode. Sadamoto claimed that he had to do 250 takes in two weeks, revealing the harsh working conditions and poor scheduling that have plagued the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen within MAPPA studios. He apologized for not being able to edit the shots in the allotted time.
Sadamoto also admitted to making cuts to the story due to time constraints, something he now regretted. He acknowledged that he should have spent a full month creating a detailed preview before passing it on to the animation director.
- «Are today’s viewers increasingly more demanding, to the point that fans are no longer even talked about at the company level? They remember the names of the directors and even specific details of the direction to criticize accurately. The damn leaks made the name change mean nothing. Yes, yes, I’m sorry I couldn’t fix the 250 outages in two weeks.».
The director revealed that he was only expressing his feelings on Twitter because leaks had revealed his involvement in the episode. He even wondered if viewers were happy to see him become a culprit responsible for ruining the animation of a Weekly Shonen Jump show due to a wrong choice.
He then expressed regret for his initial reaction to the leaks, admitting he was frustrated and apologized for trying to hide in anonymitywhich he recognized as cowardly.
- «It must be the greatest pleasure for viewers to see how someone with good intentions of helping a friend becomes a great villain who tarnishes the best of a fantastic Weekly Shonen Jump anime due to a single wrong choice. I’m beginning to think that from the beginning I was invited to follow that strategy».
Sadamoto’s Breakdown has garnered both understanding and support from the fan community, who appreciated his transparency about the production challenges faced. However, the director asked fans to give him space as he called himself an animator who had tarnished a masterpiece.
Director Hokuto Sadamoto’s reaction has generated widespread support from the Jujutsu Kaisen fan community, who have appreciated his sincerity regarding the production challenges he faced. Despite dissatisfaction with the fourteenth episode, fans have expressed understanding and solidarity towards Sadamoto.
It is important to remember that the anime industry often faces challenges related to tight deadlines and high production demands. Fans have acknowledged these issues and have shown their support for Sadamoto in his future work.
Fountain: Yaraon!
