MAPPA is currently known for producing major anime shows like Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Vinland Saga. However, the animation studio's first critically acclaimed production is still Yuri!!! on Ice back in 2016. Now, MAPPA CEO Manabu Ohtsuka revealed the interesting lesson they learned after the sports anime failed to make money for the studio.
Yuri on Ice was released in 2016 and it immediately became a huge hit, winning several awards both in Japan and internationally. It would become the first anime to give MAPPA domestic and global recognition but as it turns out, the series barely made any money for the animation studio. However, Manabu Ohtsuka says that it gave them the chance to do things right moving forward.
Ohtsuka was recently interviewed by KOMPASS magazine where he was asked about the difficulties of running an animation studio in Japan. The MAPPA CEO shared how Yuri!!! on Ice taught them an important lesson.
“Our production, Yuri!!! on Ice!!!, was a huge hit. But compared to that success, the money that came into the studio was very little,” Ohtsuka said. He then added that it made his team reconsider how to pursue their projects and reap the rewards if they became successful.
“We felt that our studio had been responsible for continuing to allow this structure and we felt that we had to increase what we could do on our own. We can't control when we will get a hit production, so unless we make the most of the limited opportunities we have, we will not be able to grow as a company,” Ohtsuka said.
“To get out of this situation, investments in other businesses, the environment, and human resource development were needed. In addition to that, we needed to think about business plans,” he continued.
“[Planning department general manager Makoto] Kimura, who had been working in these areas for a long time, joined us. And, at the same time, overseas distribution platforms entered the Japanese animation market, which greatly expanded our opportunities,” Ohtsuka concluded.
It certainly changed things for MAPPA since then. After releasing Yuri on Ice, the animation studio has funded their newer animes entirely. This meant that hits like Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill and the wildly popular Chainsaw Man were both big moneymakers for the studio.
Although MAPPA made great changes after Yuri on Ice, the studio still has a lot to learn about how to deal with their projects. Hopefully, things will be better for their animators in the future.
