Why Mappa is delaying Chainsaw Man season 2, explored

With MAPPA Stage 2023 revealing nothing about Chainsaw Man season 2, fans were left extremely disappointed as they at least expected the studio to announce the second season's production. Nevertheless, the stage did end with a "See you again" message, which could be a hint towards the upcoming season.

That said, it seems very evident that MAPPA is trying to delay production and release of Chainsaw Man season 2. This could have a few reasons, all of which have been in front of fans all this time.

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MAPPA's decision to delay Chainsaw Man season 2 may have to do with its audience reception

MAPPA's CEO Manabu Ohtsuka (Image via Sportskeeda)

The Chainsaw Man anime is one of many few that used the entirety of its production costs, trying to put out the best product for its audience. That said, as per MAPPA's CEO Manabu Ohtsuka, the anime did not do as well as it was expected to perform.

While the investments did reap profits and success for the anime, the level of impact wasn't the same as that of Jujutsu Kaisen, which left the CEO unsatisfied. Ohtsuka also revealed that he hoped that Chainsaw Man could have more home video purchases, however, the anime was only widely successful during its streams.

In addition, the petition signed by fans to remake Chainsaw Man anime with a new director and voice actors must have definitely left a huge impact. Following the end of season 1, angry fans created a petition online to get the anime remade by a new director and voice cast members.

The petition was created by a dedicated fan of the series as they expressed how they were disappointed in the anime due to the difference in momentum with the original work.

As per the petition, there was a huge misinterpretation between director Ryuu Nakayama's vision and the original work; while the manga was a bit more fast-paced with action, the anime seemed to look much more calmer.

While the latter did look good, it did not effectively manage to keep the charm of the original manga. Considering that Chainsaw Man is a moderately long series, fans believe that mistakes done in the very first season could end up as loopholes in the latter seasons, which is why it needs to be remade.

Following this, there have been rumors claiming that Ryuu Nakayama will no longer be working as the director for the anime's second season.

Katana Man vs Chainsaw Man (Image via MAPPA)

Another major issue raised by fans in the petition was how the animation quality ruined the essence of the manga. From an outside perspective, the animation might look realistic, however, as per fans, a story like Chainsaw Man does not need realism. As per them, this element hurt the impact of the battle scenes and gags in the story.

Some fans even shared how some of the extra scenes, such as that in which Aki Hayakawa is seen making coffee for himself in the morning seems unrealistic for his character. Aki is a person who lost his family to the Gun Devil and is seeking revenge. Thus, fans do not believe that he would be brewing a cup of coffee in a luxurious manner for himself as he has more things to be concerned about.

Aki Hayakawa as seen in Chainsaw Man (Image via MAPPA)

There were also fans who believed that the animation production company TRIGGER, which produced Mappa studio’s Dorohedoro must have been a much better choice for animating Chainsaw Man.

Additionally, as mentioned above, fans did not like the voice-acting performances of some of the characters, especially Denji. As per fans, voice actor Toya Kikunosuke was not ideal for Denji as he portrayed his character to be very bleak and lacking craziness which was the essence of his character.

Katsuki Bakugo as seen in My Hero Academia (Image via BONES)

As per them, Nobuhiko Okamoto, the person who voiced Katsuki Bakugo in My Hero Academia and Shinazugawa Genya in Demon Slayer, would have been a better choice. Thus, the production team might be thinking about the same before Chainsaw Man season 2 begins production.

Lastly, the Japanese audience did not seem to like the influence of Hollywood on Fujimoto as much as the international manga readers did. Even though Chainsaw Man is popular worldwide, the fact of the matter is that the Japanese audience is a priority to them and thus they must adhere to their likeness before starting the production of Chainsaw Man season 2.

Given that the anime's creators have so much to consider before beginning the production of Chainsaw Man season 2, it seems obvious for them to delay any announcements about the anime. Thus, it may take some time before Chainsaw Man season 2 is announced.

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Meanwhile, Chainsaw Man season 2's arrival remains highly awaited by fans.