MAPPA, the powerhouse studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, has just turned 15, and its top brass are opening up about how a small upstart became one of the biggest names in anime. President and CEO Manabu Otsuka and director Kaori Makita sat down for an exclusive interview at the German convention AnimagiC to reflect on the studio’s journey.
The wide-ranging conversation, conducted with the assistance of an interpreter, covers everything from MAPPA’s biggest turning points to how anime production timelines have stretched over the years — and what the studio’s leaders miss about their hands-on days.
MAPPA staff at AnimagiC (Credits: Anime Corner)
MAPPA’s Turning Points: Terror in Resonance, Yuri!!! on ICE and Beyond
Asked to name the single biggest turning point in MAPPA’s 15-year history, Otsuka refused to pick just one. He pointed first to 2014’s Terror in Resonance, then to Yuri!!! on ICE in 2016, which he called another major turning point for the studio. From there, attention-grabbing titles kept coming: Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man among them.
“As we produced so many titles along the way, honestly, I don’t think our history can be boiled down to a single turning point,” Otsuka said. It’s a remarkable run for a studio that started small and now anchors some of the industry’s most talked-about franchises.
Anime Production Now Takes Three to Five Years
Otsuka also pulled back the curtain on just how much anime production has changed. In MAPPA’s early days, the timeframe from planning to broadcast was roughly two years, with smaller budgets and a different way of working. Today, he says, at least three years is standard — and for the biggest titles, five years or more from planning isn’t unusual at all.
Both Otsuka and Makita admitted they sometimes miss their hands-on production days. Otsuka, who oversaw Yuri!!! on ICE and BANANA FISH, said he misses pouring real time into a single title. Makita, the director behind Hell’s Paradise and Kakegurui Twin, recalled her early days working as a Design Production Coordinator on Terror in Resonance and Punch Line, following directors closely and watching how they bring works to life — an experience she says she would love to relive.
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Source: Anime Corner — read the full story there.