An animator has criticized Studio MAPPA for repeatedly delaying salary negotiations.
The worker in question, a freelancer for MAPPA, worked on Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. In a now-deleted X (formerly Twitter) post, the animator said: “When things became difficult, I received countless work requests, but when it involved money negotiations, it was postponed for more than a month. MAPPA is that kind of company. I’m so tired of keeping quiet about it.” The post was posted on November 18 before being taken down a few hours later.
The post received widespread support, with fans wishing the animator the best in his negotiations and others directly calling out MAPPA. One user mentioned the core theme behind Jujutsu Kaisen seems to be lacking in MAPPA, saying: “Instead of banishing the darkness of the cursed souls, banishing the darkness of the souls Cursed.” [anime] industry first…” Although MAPPA recently increased animators’ salaries following controversial changes to Japan’s tax system, the animator details the workload clearly exceeding the norm and there is no indication that the increased workload is accompanied by a commensurate salary.
Allegations of delayed payment negotiations follow recent revelations about Jujutsu Kaisen 0’s brutal production schedule, which was completed in just four months. This comes after the Jujutsu Kaisen episode director posted a disturbing image on November 15, raising concerns about his mental health. Another animator’s post in October illustrated the impact of the current production schedule on staff, saying: “I did a job that no one appreciated and I’m sure that I will continue to do so. Sorry.” Some of the biggest names in the industry have also vowed to never work for MAPPA again following the studio’s recent transgressions.
Crunchyroll aired both seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen, described as follows: “Yuji Itadori is a boy with immense physical strength, although he lives a completely normal high school life. One day, to save a classmate who was attacked by curses, he broadcast both seasons live. ate Ryomen Sukuna’s finger, receiving the curse into his own soul. From then on, he shared a body with Ryomen Sukuna. Guided by the strongest sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, Itadori is accepted into Tokyo Jujutsu High School, an organization that fights curses… and thus begins the heroic story of a boy who becomes cursed to undoing a curse, a life you can never return to.”
Source: X (formerly Twitter)
