Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 animators giving up to likely delay future episodes

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 was arguably this year's most anticipated anime show. It had a good start by adapting the Gojo’s Past arc, but things started going downhill after the Shibuya Incident arc. By this, we aren’t referring to the animation quality that MAPPA is known for. However, the staff responsible for the production of the episodes seem to be quite unhappy with how things are progressing.

As such, Japan is known for its brutal work culture, and people often do not speak out. Despite this, animators are risking their jobs and speaking out on social media platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) to let the world know about their working conditions.

This issue was raised a couple of weeks ago, and it seems like animators are in worse conditions than before. Fans have reason to believe that Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 production could be delayed substantially due to the employees’ working conditions. Let’s examine some of the concerns the animators have raised over the past few days.

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Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 production could be delayed as animators raise issues concerning MAPPA’s management

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 is in danger of delayed production because of how things are being managed at MAPPA. Plenty of animators and industry veterans have raised the same concerns, which means there are genuine issues at the animation studio, especially about how the schedules are being created for every episode.

The Sukuna vs Jogo fight was incredible; fans feel the upcoming episode might be rushed and compromised. This is because of the tweets that prominent names have uploaded on their respective accounts.

Animator complains about how the upcoming episode concluded poorly (Screengrab via X)

The person responsible for the storyboard and direction of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, Arai Kazuto, voiced his displeasure regarding some production issues. A loose tweet translation suggested that the episode's ending was incredibly dull.

Animator Hakuyu Go asks employees to dump their company cards in the dustbin (Screengrab via X)

Furthermore, an industry veteran, Hakuyu Go, took to X to voice their opinion. This person was one of the animators for Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 and also worked on other titles like My Hero Academia, the Mob Psycho series, and One Punch Man season 1, among other titles.

The tweet's translation suggested animators dispose of their company key card into the dustbin while leaving work. This indicates their frustration with how MAPPA is currently handling things.

Itsuki complains about MAPPA's scheduling for Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 (Screengrab via X)

Tsuchigami Itsuki, responsible for episode 16’s storyboard and direction, reposted some of his older tweets about his issues with MAPPA. The translation of one of his tweets suggested that MAPPA’s scheduling is near-impossible to deal with, leading to compromised work.

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Final Thoughts

MAPPA’s scheduling and management have caused outrage among animators working for this studio. Such working conditions will surely hamper the overall quality of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, and this has been evident in a couple of episodes.

While animators online have taken the brunt, it is now more evident than ever that MAPPA as an organization should be blamed, not the individual animators. The highlighted issues point towards a possible delay in production unless drastic measures are taken swiftly.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.