Anime Fans Express Concerns Over Netflix and Mappa Collaboration

Animation studio MAPPA, celebrated for its blockbuster series like Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and the latter half of Attack on Titan, has announced an enhanced partnership with Netflix that began in 2020. The two entities revealed this collaboration on January 21, indicating they will “work together on new projects with a global perspective,” with Netflix securing exclusive rights to a range of MAPPA productions.

This isn’t entirely new territory, as several MAPPA titles are already available exclusively on Netflix, including the upcoming 2024 remake of Ranma 1/2 and Kakegurui Twin. Netflix highlighted the significance of anime for its platform, noting that over half of its subscribers engage with anime content, and viewership has tripled in the last five years. A footnote mentioned that in 2024 alone, Netflix’s anime offerings have been viewed over 1 billion times, with Japanese content, including anime, ranking as the second most popular globally after English-language titles.

This move seems like a logical progression for MAPPA. In 2022, the studio broke away from the conventional Japanese “production committee” model—where a group of partners finances an anime and exerts control over it—by self-funding the first season of Chainsaw Man. A robust partnership with Netflix will enable MAPPA to develop its intellectual properties with a level of creative freedom that is uncommon in the Japanese animation industry, although Netflix will still have input on these projects. MAPPA has also faced scrutiny for the working conditions of its animators, an issue that VP Hiroya Hasegawa has committed to addressing by emphasizing mentorship and work-life balance.

However, what concerns anime fans is the strong emphasis both MAPPA and Netflix representatives place on the global appeal of anime. “Japanese animation studios must proactively lead every stage, from understanding global audience needs and developing projects, to reaching viewers and expanding related businesses,” stated MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka. This comment reignites the discussion about the potential impact of anime’s international popularity on the industry. Notable figures like Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Tomohiko Ito (Sword Art Online) have recently voiced their worries about anime overly catering to Western audiences. Anno remarked, “It first needs to be a work that will be well received and found interesting in Japan, but if by any chance people overseas also found it interesting, I’d be grateful for that.”

There’s no need to panic just yet. Despite its controversies, MAPPA has delivered some of the finest anime of the past decade and is genuinely pushing the limits of traditional anime production, as noted in the announcement. Netflix’s global influence doesn’t necessarily imply a shift in the core philosophy and culture that make anime captivating. The recent issues surrounding One-Punch Man season 3 highlighted the drawbacks of the production committee system, giving MAPPA a real opportunity to transform the industry for the better. Let’s just hope the streaming service doesn’t compel every character in MAPPA’s new anime to endlessly reiterate the plot, as it tends to do with its films.