In April 2024, MAPPA's Yuri!! on Ice the movie: Ice Adolescence was canceled, and the Zombieland Saga movie could be the next one to get axed, which also stands in the same position as Yuri!! on Ice movie.
The Yuri!! on Ice the movie: Ice Adolescence was announced in April 2017, and fans were really enthusiastic about hearing some updates about it. But they were met with the unfortunate news of its cancelation without any specified reason. The Zombieland Saga movie was announced in 2021 and, similar to the Yuri!! on Ice movie, hasn't received any update.
Moreover, the recent departure of one of the key staff members of the franchise could have added fuel to the fire, leading to one of the most anticipated movies being axed in the future.
Exploring fans' worries about the Zombieland Saga movie after the cancelation of MAPPA's Yuri!! on Ice the movie: Ice Adolescence
Yuri!! on Ice was an original anime series by the MAPPA studio, which meant that it followed no source material (manga, light novel, etc.). The series was created by the director Sayo Yamamoto.
Sayo is an industry professional who is famous for her participation in other anime series like Attack on Titan season 1 (theme song director), Death Note (Storyboard director), and Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (Storyboard director). She could have been the director for Yuri!! on Ice the movie: Ice Adolescence, as she is the creator of the series.
Since its announcement in April 2017, the movie received its first update through a post on the official X account of the franchise on April 19, 2024. Unfortunately, the update revealed that the movie had been canceled. The post didn't specify any reasons for the cancellation and simply cited it to 'various circumstances.'
With the cancelation of this movie, the next one on the radar could be another movie from the same studio, the Zombieland Saga movie. This movie was announced on October 17, 2021.
Zombieland Saga, just like Yuri!! on Ice, was an original series. It was written by Shigeru Murakoshi and directed by Munehisa Sakai. The Zombieland Saga movie has received no update about its release since its announcement. The franchise's director also left the studio in 2022, which contributed to the fans worrying about the movie.
Reaction from fans on Zombieland Saga's movie in danger of being canceled after Yuri!! on Ice the movie: Ice Adolescence
After hearing this sad news, fans didn't hold back and berated the studio. Fans thought that the cancellation of the Yuri!! on Ice the movie: Ice Adolescence could be just the beginning, and the worst could be yet to come, signaling the Zombieland Saga movie.
A Mecha fan shared his view on how the fans were reacting to the cancellation of Yuri!! on Ice movie after 5 years, whereas the Gundam series fandom got a movie adaptation after 18 years.
The movie this fan was referring to was Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom, released on January 26, 2024. Moreover, some fans taunted that the studio would invest their budget in some sports anime, rather than working on their ongoing projects.
"I think at this point, we just have to wait for the worst" said one fan
"Gundam SEED fans waited 18 YEARS for the release of their movie. Pussycat, it takes 5 years for them to worry xd" another fan said
"Then the studio releases a super random Baseball anime" said another one
On the other hand, some fans looked at the bright side and tried speculating a safe future for the Zombieland Saga movie. The franchise is co-owned by the animation studio and Avex Pictures, the latter also being the series producer. So, a fan speculated that the movie could be shifted to another studio, but it all depends on how the animation studio coporates.
Some fans also blamed other anime series from the same studio, like Chainsaw Man, as if the studio exhausted its budget on these series, thus not leaving much for the movies of Yuri!! on Ice and Zombieland Saga.
Lastly, a fan addressed one noteworthy point and mentioned the director of Zombieland Saga, Munehisa Sakai. The director left the studio in 2022 for unknown reasons and due to this, most fans saw the speculations of the movie's cancellation already coming.
"Zombieland Saga does not depend only on the studio, it is in conjunction with Avex Pictures. It is possible that they change the studio in charge. Although it also depends on the level of participation the studio has had, which could ruin everything if it was too much." said one fan
"There are the consequences of putting too much budget into the CSM" another fan said
"The bottom line is that it is very possible that all plans with the franchuchas will end up being cancelled, it was already seen coming from that radical change in the director and target of the studio (and the pandemic)" said another one
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