Former MAPPA Animator Blasts Studio as a Factory with Poor Working Conditions

In the world of anime, Mappa Studio is one of the biggest names when it comes to production. The company has wowed fans in the last few years with its take on The God of High School, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and more. Of course, that is a lot of shows to produce, and fans have been worried about how the animators are Mappa have handled the strain. But if you ask one former artist, they will say they are less than impressed.

As reported by Anime News Network, one animator who used to work under Mappa peeled back the curtain on the studio recently. Mushiyo, a freelance animator in Japan, gave a blistering explanation of their issues with Mappa. The artist says they worked most recently on Attack on Titan's fourth season, and Mushiyo was taken back at Mappa's unhealthy work culture.

In a set of tweets, Mushiyo began questioning their decision to ever freelance for Mappa. The artist went on to say they were asked to fix drawings time and again without any rest. This unreasonable demand prompted Mushiyo to ultimately leave Mappa, and the artist critiqued the studio's decision to tackle four major shows at once. The insane schedule didn't allow for freelance animators or low-run artists to receive proper training. And as such, they were relegated to correcting art rather than drawing it.

"As far as I can tell, about 80% of the employees had similar complaints at the time," Mushiyo shared.

As of now, the artist's Twitter has been made private, so we hope Mushiyo is getting the rest they need. Mappa is carrying on as usual in their absence, so we wish animators working there the best of luck. After all, work is currently being done on several Mappa hits. Attack on Titan will resume season four next year, and a Jujutsu Kaisen movie is in the works. So if you thought the studio was in a slow period right now, you better think again!

What do you think of this artist's take on MAPPA Studio? Did you expect to hear this sort of complaint or instead feel blindsided? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.