Attack on Titan Crew Discusses the Challenges of Taking Over for WIT Studio

When it comes to Attack on Titan, the show has a reputation that precedes it. The series is one of the most well-known in all of anime, and its manga has amassed a legion of readers the world around. Of course, that means all eyes are on the series now that it is approaching its end. And just before its new season debuts, the staff working on Attack on Titan is opening up about the complications they’ve experienced since taking over the show from its original studio.

For anyone needing a reminder, it was announced some time ago that WIT Studio would be giving up production control for Attack on Titan. This meant the series needed a new studio, and it found a new home with MAPPA for season four. This final outing promises to be the most pivotal yet in the series, so director Yuichiro Hayashi said things have been stressful behind the scenes.

“It was a surprise bout the change of studio as WIT Studio has been working on this project for many years, and now we have to start from scratch in a short period of time which may be very stressful. However, MAPPA Studio has put all its efforts into this project,” the director told fans (via AttackOnFans).

The visionary wasn’t alone in this sentiment. During this recent chat, the key crew members overseeing Attack on Titan admitted they were taken aback by the show’s demands. In fact, Shuhei Yabuta said the difference between WIT and MAPPA made it difficult to bridge production gaps during this transition.

“WIT Studio is more like a traditional production studio. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I mean, in making plans and production details. They work things out step by step and put in effort according to the procedure. Whereas at MAPPA Studio, it is more flexible and adaptive depending on the situation. Although it may be imprudent at some point, we will always find an efficient way to archive the desired results,” the 3D animation director shared.

With the show set to debut in less than a week, you can see why Attack on Titan fans are anxious for these updates. WIT and MAPPA have been tight-lipped about the studio swap up until now, so netizens considered that silence to be a bad sign. And while things were surely tense during the transition, it seems the team at MAPPA believes it has done well with Eren’s final stand.

Do you have any lingering concerns about season four? Or do you have faith in Attack on Titan? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.