Thread by @Namaryuu

#地獄楽

Hell's Paradise is a peculiar production. Argueably Mappa's biggest underwhelming show from recent memory. There is no reason to deny enjoyment from people but simply ignoring criticism wouldn't lead to any conensus. Let's try having an open mind and discuss the topic.

Question: Has Mappa sacrificed Jigoku for Jujutsu?

Answer: Mappa has "sacrificed" Shingeki for Jigoku. The reason being that they share the same Animation Producer, Wataru Kawagoe, therefore if there was any prod which had any possible affect it would be this.

Animation Producer is a role whose task is to contact animators, gather team and handle all logistics behind this process. Of course people have limited time and you can only have enough animators so when you make too many shows, the lack of resources starts being an issue.

Question: Why Mappa accepted project that they can't handle?

Answer: Because they can. It doesn't matter how its done, as long as they keep grabbing the new hot manga fans would buy it. Their main focus in on JJK and Shingeki because those are bigger IP compare to Jigoku.

From a pure business perspective it makes sense to invest in a project that has been proven to generate revenue rather than something whose future isn't clear and would require a vast amount of resources. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that for Jigo to be made right it needs it.

Question: Why Jigoku looks worse than other Mappa battle shounens?

Answer: Lack of resources, time, animators. No priority given is another aspect but the biggest contributor is the lack of time necessary to polish the product and the lack of people necessary to make it work.

Which leads to situations where at times the art looks off and there is barely any movement. To make up for it huge portions are outsourced to various companies to even finish those episodes on time. Comparing it to big Mappa shows it looks underwhelming or subpar.

Question: Does Jigokuraku adaptation suck?

Answer: I don't know. There are many components that go into making a good one and many aspects need to be put into consideration. Jigoku's main appeal is its distinctive art style that feels rather tough to replicate in anime format.

It is such an important element that it seems to be what holds the plot and characters together. The anime feels like a downgrade with its very standard look that does not differ much from the usual productions. The importance of replicating the charm of source is crucial.

The topic of adaptation is also related to how fights are depicted. There are without a doubt impressive looking beat downs but they are few and far between. It doesn't help that the pacing feels rather sluggish for something meant to evoke hype every week with fights. (personal)

Final point: There is an important distinction that people seem to miss. Jigoku to many is not underwhelming as an anime but as a MAPPA anime. This company has become synonymous with high quality huge shonen IP and whenever fans see their logo they know what to expect. Top tier.

But Jigoku is anything but, it feels lackluster compare to anything that Mappa put from their high caliber. You may think people are targeting Mappa and of course, they are taking the projects everyone wants so no wonder they will be talked about. It is natural. They wanted it.

To summarize this thread served as a mean to explain circumstances behind Jigokuraku. Highlighting the objective aspects and sharing my slighlty personal feelings on project. I hope it served a good purpose and I once again have to emphasize that if you're having fun then enjoy!