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Jujutsu Kaisen episode 13 had created a lot of hype within the fandom, thanks to the staff going all out on the whole Yuji vs Choso fight. The direction, camera work, animation, choreography, and storyboard of the episode significantly heightened the expectations of fans for what was yet to come.
However, praise quickly turned into discontent when episode 14 of the anime, which released on Oct 26, didn’t meet the standards set by its predecessor. This resulted in a wave of criticism.
Although not credited as the director for the episode in the anime, a leak revealed that Hokuto Sadamoto was also the original director of episode 14. This led a lot of above mentioned criticism to be directed at Sadamoto.
Following this, he took to his official Twitter account to address the criticisms and concerns regarding the episode.
Sadamoto claimed that he had to do 250 cuts in two weeks, thus revealing the harsh working condition and poor scheduling that has plagued Jujutsu Kaisen season 2. He apologized for not being able to edit the cuts in the given time.
“Are recent viewers becoming more discerning, to the point that even amateurs are no longer discussed at the company level? They remember the names of directors and even specific details of the direction to criticize with precision. The fucking leaks made the name change mean nothing. Yes, yes, I’m sorry I couldn’t fix all 250 cuts in two weeks.“
He also went on to admit to making cuts in the storyboard due to time constraints, which he now regretted. He acknowledged that he should’ve taken a whole month to create a thorough pre-visualization before passing it on to the animation director.
“I’m truly sorry for those who said, ‘It’s not the drawings; it’s the storyboards that are bad.’ I really apologize. Even before accepting the job, I was repeatedly told there was not enough time, so I thought, ‘Let’s save energy…’ and cut the storyboards to accommodate that. It’s my responsibility.
I didn’t care about what happened in the later sections, so I should have spent a full month creating the pre-visualization and then handed it over to the animation director.“
Sadamoto revealed that the only reason he was venting his feelings on Twitter was because the leaks had revealed his involvement in the episode. He even wondered if the onlookers were happy to see him turn into a culprit who was responsible for ruining the animation of a Jump show.
“It must be the ultimate pleasure for the onlookers to see someone with good intentions of helping a friend become a great villain who tarnishes the highlight of a fantastic jump anime due to just one wrong choice. I’m starting to think that I was invited under such a strategy from the beginning.
If it weren’t for the online community outing me, I never intended to vent here like this. Shut up.“
He then expressed regret for his initial reaction to the leaks, admitting that he was frustrated, and apologized for attempting to hide in the shadows of anonymity, which he realized was cowardly.
“I’ve done a job that no one would appreciate, and I’m sure I’ll continue to do so. I’m sorry. I got mad at the leaks, but I was just a coward trying to run away by pretending to be anonymous. I am sorry.“
Sadamoto’s breakdown has garnered both understanding and support from the fan community, who appreciated his transparency about the production challenges faced. However, the director wanted the fans to give him space, as his branded himself as an animator who tarnished a masterpiece.
“Everyone is not as wretched as I am, so I understand that their sympathy and encouragement are genuine. However, right after releasing something unsatisfactory to the world, such sentiments work in the opposite way, so for now… I just want everyone to let me be.
I will make amends in my future work. Until then, I’ll live as the animator who tarnished a masterpiece.“
Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 14 aired on Oct 26, 2023.
Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 cour 1 aired from July 6 to Aug 3, 2023, and cour 2 started airing on Aug 31, 2023.
Tatsuya Kitani performed the opening theme song “Ao no Sumika”, while Soushi Sakiyama performed the ending theme song “Akari”.
Jujutsu Kaisen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. It is currently being serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump since March 2018. The Jujutsu Kaisen chapters are collected and published by Shueisha, with 23 tankobon volumes released as of July 2023.
Season 1 of the anime adaptation by MAPPA aired from October 2020 to March 2021.
A movie adaptation of Jujutsu Kaisen prequel, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 premiered in Japan in December 2021.
Source: Twitter
