Studio MAPPA has made its way to become one of the most sought-after animation studios of today since it was founded in 2011 by Madhouse co-founder and producer Masao Maruyama. It has several hit anime series to its name, like Yuri!!! on Ice, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, Chainsaw Man, and Jujutsu Kaisen, proving its ability to provide quality animations with every project it’s working on. Several months after it faced a huge controversy following the anime’s staff complaining about their workload, the studio revealed its new management structure.
The news comes from MAPPA’s official website, informing everyone about its updated management list. It now has a new executive vice president in Hiroya Hasegawa, known for his works on Ancient Magus’ Bride, Bucchigiri, and Vinland Saga, among others. He also worked with the studio for Maboroshi.
Its former animation producer, Yasuki Iwase, is now a board member, along with Yusuke Tannawa, Shuhei Yabuta, and Kosuke Hosokai. From an animation producer in 2016, Keisuke Seshita is now an operating officer, while Eiji Matsuo is the chief rights officer/advisor. Manabu Otsuka and Masao Maruyama remain its president and board chairman, respectively.
What is MAPPA’s Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 controversy about?
For so long, MAPPA has faced several issues, from scheduling to workload to low pay. It again came to light after Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 announced production issues, with animators speaking up about their small salaries and unreasonable deadlines.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) in November 2023, animator HoneHone revealed the worst thing the staff experienced when they worked hard to complete a project to meet its “impossible” deadline without even getting any support. He even claimed that cycle might have started when he had to complete a movie, presumably Jujutsu Kaisen 0, in just four months.
It was also revealed that some episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 were completed just hours before their airing, with the studio denying their request for a delayed release, resulting in low-quality animations that received backlash from viewers. Allegedly, the animators were required to sign nondisclosure agreements to avoid talks about the anime’s production. However, MAPPA has already denied these accusations.
With this new management structure, many hope MAPPA's issues will finally be addressed and resolved. After Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 was officially announced, fans expect to see a much-improved animation without complaints from its animators.
