{"id":64396,"date":"2026-03-31T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=64396"},"modified":"2026-03-30T18:52:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T09:52:37","slug":"chainsaw-man-embodies-the-reason-why-i-chose-to-work-in-animation-mappa-president-reflects-on-the-studios-bold-decision-to-100-self-fund-the-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/chainsaw-man-embodies-the-reason-why-i-chose-to-work-in-animation-mappa-president-reflects-on-the-studios-bold-decision-to-100-self-fund-the-project\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cChainsaw Man embodies the reason why I chose to work in animation.\u201d MAPPA president reflects on the studio\u2019s bold decision to 100% self-fund the project"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>With <strong>Chainsaw Man \u2013 The Movie: Reze Arc <\/strong>being a box office hit in both Japan and the US, studio MAPPA has been making preparations for its upcoming anime adaptation of the Assasin\u2019s Arc, first announced last December. Reflecting on the series\u2019 success as an anime, MAPPA studio president Manabu Otsuka wrote a column for <a href=\"https:\/\/bunshun.jp\/articles\/-\/87341?page=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bunshun Online<\/a> in which he talked about the adaptation\u2019s beginnings, and the great risks the studio took to realize the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u300e\u30c1\u30a7\u30f3\u30bd\u30fc\u30de\u30f3 \u523a\u5ba2\u7bc7\u300f\u30c6\u30a3\u30b6\u30fcPV\uff0fChainsaw Man\u00a0\u2013\u00a0 Assassins Arc Official Teaser\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_PRaywfa1LE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It is a well-known fact that MAPPA made the rather bold move of making a 100% investment in Chainsaw Man\u2019s budget without relying on external funding (as is common practice in the anime industry). However, Otsuka calls it a decision that was based \u201cless on confidence, and more on the team\u2019s determination,\u201d stemming from the link they recognized between the manga series and their own artistic sensibilities when they first encountered it.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI felt that Chainsaw Man clearly embodies the reason why I chose to work in animation, and the subcultural heritage which I was in love with back when I started working for STUDIO4\u2103. It\u2019s the rawness that can\u2019t be contained in an existing framework, and its slightly distorted perspective, juxtaposed with its power to remain solid as a piece of entertainment. It kind of overlapped with the spirit of the creators gathered at MAPA and the kind of work we ourselves have loved and have been creating until now,\u201d Otsuka wrote. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd that is precisely why, if we were to take on the project, we didn\u2019t want to just simply be in charge of the production \u2013 we wanted to pour everything we had into it.\u201d Driven by that determination, MAPPA decided to fully fund the project out of their own pocket, taking on complete responsibility for how the anime would be handled, including marketing, overseas distribution and merchandising. This also meant that the project wasn\u2019t overseen by a production committee (consortium of companies that come together to invest in the production of anime on a project-by-project basis), which is a rather unusual move for the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"809\" height=\"486\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 809px) 100vw, 809px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251104-53599-header.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-53601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251104-53599-header.jpg 809w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251104-53599-header-380x228.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251104-53599-header-768x461.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Otsuka clarifies, however, that the main objective of this decision is to create an environment in which they would be able to further invest into making better content. \u201cInstead of hoarding those profits [\u2026] within our company, we thoroughly reinvest them into improving the work environment of our creative teams, raising the next generation, and equipment so we can keep creating even better works.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, Otsuka writes that the responsibility that came with handling everything by themselves was far heavier than MAPPA had imagined. He specifically cites the first season of Chainsaw Man as \u201cnot going exactly as planned,\u201d both when it came to production and dealing with ownership rights. \u201cI think a part of it came into light due to a lack of experience and an immature team structure. Of course, since we are the ones who chose to fund everything by ourselves, all the consequences will come back to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/anime-studio-partnerships-with-global-giants-like-netflix-may-spur-reform-of-japans-investor-centric-production-system-insider-says\/\"><strong>Anime studio&nbsp;partnerships with&nbsp;global&nbsp;giants like Netflix&nbsp;may&nbsp;spur&nbsp;reform of Japan\u2019s investor-centric production system, insider says&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a recent column, MAPPA studio president Manabu Otsuka reflects on the recent success of the Chainsaw Man anime adaptation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":64398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,65],"tags":[73,17,66],"class_list":["post-64396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-nongaming-news","tag-anime","tag-japan-related-news","tag-non-gaming-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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