A few weeks ago, the animators of the production team of the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen They publicly expressed their complaints on social media about the grueling schedule in the studio. This issue has escalated significantly, sparking concerns that we could see the end of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime if animators continue to resist returning to work under the current strenuous conditions.
“Jujutsu Kaisen” is produced by MAPPA studios. After the resounding success of the first season, the second season premiered in July of this year. However, after the sequel’s debut, the animation team began to openly defy the demanding schedule needed to produce Jujutsu Kaisen.often finishing episodes hours before they were scheduled to air.
The situation took a dramatic turn when anime industry expert, Shinjiro Egawa posted a provocative tweet, urging animators at the MAPPA studio to symbolically throw away their duty cards when leaving the studio. Kazuto Arai, one of the animation directors, publicly shared his frustration with the working conditions at MAPPA. Shunsuke Ookubo, another animation director, posted a distressing image from the series “Shirobako,” depicting an animator in a potentially deadly situation. “Shirobako” is itself an anime about the anime industry, highlighting the intense schedules that animators must endure.
Itsuki Tsuchigami, a prominent Jujutsu Kaisen animator, reiterated these sentiments in his tweets, citing previous posts to highlight the ongoing problems the animators have faced since the second season began airing. The removal of certain tweets from the platform suggests the seriousness of these claims, pointing to a potential crisis within MAPPA.
The future of the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen hangs in the balance amid these recent events. It is well known that anime production often operates on strict schedules, a norm in the industry. Animators frequently work until the final week before an episode’s release, a practice that can sometimes compromise the quality of the episode. However, the Jujutsu Kaisen episodes released so far have maintained exceptional quality, suggesting that any potential delay is unlikely at this time.
This assumes, of course, that the animators will maintain their current workload for the remaining month and a half until the end of the season. A recent tweet from an animator on the season two team hinted at possible disruptions within the production team. MAPPA has faced previous criticism for its demanding work environment, a challenge not unique to the anime sector. However, the situation at MAPPA seems more serious than at other studios, perhaps simply because the animators dared to expose the company on social media.
Fountain: @epppyyy on Twitter
