When we talk about large video game companies , we always come to your head giants like Microsoft or Activision. The games Triple A have always dazzled many and, although they are less and less for the oligopoly of studies purchased by few contenders, there is always a large title that arrives to stay. Elden Ring, Red Dead Redemption or CYBERPUNK 2077 are some of the most famous examples when talking about this type of game; But this time we do not want to talk about this art so dear by many, but from a company of a certain industry that is increasingly and more important in the West: The Anime Study MAPPA .

• A double lane company
• Yuri !!! On Ice, the first great MAPPA anime
• animes everywhere
• 2020 and the policy of the Freelancers
• not everything is gold what glitters

Maybe with the name it does not sound at all, but basically it is the company that has done the vast majority of successful animes of these last years : jujutsu kaisen, kakegurui, yuri on ice, or the last season of Shingeki no Kyojin are clear examples of great works brought to this industry. This week it is touched about the history of the Japanese study, which was born with clear intentions to make history and that has reached 2022 successfully, but also with some other spice related to the labor rights of its workers.

A double lane company

MAPPA was born as such on June 14, 2011 by Masao Maruyama, co-founder in turn of MAD House , one of the most beloved and laureated anime studies of the entire industry due to great work and affection of his employees to every work he performs as One Punch Man or Hunter X Hunter. The appearance of this study aimed to create a new style of animation that breaks with the standardized molds by most studies of the time.

And is that the studies that began to rise as leaders in the first years of the past decade had a fresh and different style of everything seen previously, leaving a little more on side the narrative aspect and focusing completely in a strident animation and colorful . That is why Masaus put all the meat on the spine in this project and began to unleash the imagination of all the animators of him.

But if there is something that differentiates to MAPPA of all the others, is that of being a company that works as an animation study while producing **. With this policy, Maruyama’s company has become a benchmark for many, since he is able to buy licenses and put the money to get them in light while encouraging all the series of him among all employees and freelancers. Because yes, the great “trick” of the study is the hiring of these autonomous cartoonists.

Yuri !!! On Ice, the first great MAPPA anime

Since its foundation until 2015, MAPPA settled as a quality study thanks to the direct help he received by Madhouse , something that is quite obvious since both were founded (in part) by the same person. Hajime No IPPO: Rising, or Ushio to Tora were some of the works that appeared these years and that were very well received by the general public. However, the main objective of the study was to work independently and differently than what had been seen so far, as much as a producer as an animation study.

It is here when the arrived first great success of the studio: “ Yuri !!! on Ice “. The work dealt with an artistic skater that, assuming the expectations of all Japan, experienced a crushing defeat and that now had to decide between continuing to fight for being the best or retiring. The anime, with amorous touches and above all exciting fell in love with a lot of people, undoing in praise the study by an execution of the miniciously good work.

animes everywhere

From 2017 , MAPPA started with a philosophy Clara: Many more jobs do, more renowned you will have . It is here when you started the grass of series by the study with up to 5 animes this year to try to raise your prestige exponentially regardless of the results of each of these works. However, there was an anime that highlighted well above the others and who gave a cateard to animate a distorted work of the fights: Kakegurui.

Yumeko was one of the great female characters of the year thanks to the presentation of an anime that seemed difficult to adapt due to the extravagance and style of drawn I had. However, it seems that MAPPA understood perfectly the philosophy of Mangaka and magically embodied everything that Kakegurui transmitted, with an animation so good that surprised every1. It was hard to see that in an anime away from the fights, he had such an animation, but the studio knew how to maintain a colorful drawing ** that left the spectators with his mouth open.

2020 and the policy of the Freelancers

The past 2020 was the most “successful” year of MAPPA with up to 8 Animes in Stream , including great successes such as Jujutsu Kaisen, Dorohedoro, The God of HigSchool or Shingeki No Kyojin: The Final Season. These works harvested large numbers for the production company, becoming incredibly famous all over the world and with a clear goal: Mark the difference in the animation industry. The key? A superb animation and away from what we had seen so far thanks to the Freelancers who hired MAPPA for the most important scenes.

study of the study was the following: Central Study animated most of the scenes that were not wrapped in fights, while more spectacular moments were reserved for different _ Freelancers_ Talented of an early age besieged in Taiwan or Korea , giving them total rein to their imagination and leaving a mark on each of the drawings they made. Without going further, the fight that for many is the best of all the anime of jujutsu (the one that left you right up), was animated by a very young Asian illustrated almost without anyone’s help, resulting in a worthy duel that marked the History of the series.

not everything is gold what glitters

However, MAPPA has also collected quite fame for bad : it is one of the studies that worst working conditions has for your employees . Although in its beginnings it did not seem to have this problem, the excessive ambition of the producer to take charge of the animes that no other study was able to animate caused an immense work overload for workers. Some tell that they take days without stepping on their home, while others directly did not sleep in order to have work ready.

This has already been echoed in different media and even the company’s own cartoonists have left any other track by their social networks . One of these workers commented on the following: “When I was hired to work on a movie of a play produced by a certain company that made a certain preview now, I was surprised to know that the payment for each frame was 250 yen (around Two euros). This price is really terrible if you are looking for good results in a work. Despair and anger put me stressed and ridiculous… “

Of course MAPPA is here to stay, but it will be necessary if the status of its workers remains the same until now or improves after all the complaints received by the Japanese animation study.