In a very detailed review, MAPPA President Manabu Otsuka gave rare insights into the development of the successful anime studio and talked about financial crises, »Yuri!!! on Ice” as well as the complete self-financing of “Chainsaw Man”. We summarize below.
New course
As Otsuka revealed to Bunshun, MAPPA came under pressure shortly after it was founded. After work on “Kids on the Slope” was completed in 2012 and no further projects were forthcoming, the studio had to find other ways to avert possible bankruptcy.
He pointed to the industry’s classic production system as the reason for the difficult situation. Studios are usually only paid for producing an anime, without subsequently having a significant share in its economic success.
As a consequence, MAPPA took a risky new course: the studio increasingly invested in production committees itself and thereby secured larger shares in the rights to successful anime.
Key insights
Otsuka sees a turning point in the company’s history in his investment in »Yuri!!! on Ice«. The anime became a huge success, selling over 430,000 Blu-rays and DVDs in Japan alone.
Despite the high sales figures, MAPPA recognized that anime studios often only receive a comparatively small share of the profits within the classic production committee structure.
Although the animation studio bears the majority of the creative responsibility and considerable economic risks, the greatest returns often flow to other parties involved. This experience ultimately led MAPPA to adapt its business strategy again.
Full control
The studio took the most far-reaching step to date with “Chainsaw Man”. The series was financed entirely from its own resources, allowing MAPPA to control all rights and marketing itself.
According to Otsuka, this model brought significantly more independence, but at the same time presented the company with completely new challenges. The lack of experience was particularly noticeable in license management.
Despite initial hurdles, the project has proven to be an important milestone for MAPPA. Today the studio is much better positioned and wants to consistently pursue its path as an independent rights holder.
The history of MAPPA shows that economic independence in the anime industry often comes with high investments and associated risk.
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Via Bunshun
© Tatsuki Fujimoto / Shueisha, MAPPA