Recently, MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka and Executive Producer Makoto Kimura were interviewed at Crunchyroll Expo by IGN France. There, the two shared insight on the upcoming Chainsaw Man anime, as well as MAPPA studio’s thoughts on the work of author Tatsuki Fujimoto. It’s undeniable that the hype for Chainsaw Man is off the charts. After all, the recent stage event stream that revealed the new trailer got a peak of 180k viewers, and that’s just on YouTube. Even MAPPA itself is excited about the anime, so much so that Otsuka mentioned how he wants the ongoing Part 2 to be animated soon. Otsuka also said that he has read all of Fujimoto’s works and he wants to animate all of them with MAPPA. While Chainsaw Man is his biggest hit, Fujimoto first gained recognition for his manga Fire Punch which was serialized on Shonen Jump+. Fujimoto is also known for creating several one-shot manga, including Goodbye Eri, Look Back, and Just Listen to the Song. MAPPA’s love of Fujimoto’s work is no surprise given how the Chainsaw Man anime is already a special case. Unlike typical shows which are funded by a production committee, the show is helmed only by Shueisha and MAPPA. If you’re not familiar with how anime production works, a production committee typically involves big production companies like Aniplex alongside the studio and the publisher. The committee oversees the funding of the anime, with profits split between them. As Chainsaw Man’s production is shouldered primarily by MAPPA, the studio is taking a bigger risk if the anime does not turn a profit. But MAPPA believes in the popularity and success of the series, so it’s no surprise that the studio also wants to adapt the rest of Fujimoto’s work. The Chainsaw Man anime is set to premiere in the Fall 2022 season. Meanwhile, Part 2 of the manga is currently serialized in Jump+ in Japan and Manga Plus internationally.
