In a recent interview with Kompass, Manabu Otsuka, CEO of MAPPA, opened up about the unexpected challenges they faced despite the massive success of the anime “Yuri On Ice.”

According to Otsuka, the anime garnered widespread acclaim but the revenue generated for the studio was not proportional to the anime’s success. This disparity led MAPPA to re-evaluate their business model and consider ways to take more control over their productions.

“…the anime “Yuri on Ice” produced by our company was a huge hit, but the revenue generated for the studio was minimal compared to its success. We realized that studios that have accepted this structure also bear responsibility and started to think about increasing what we can do on our own. Hit works cannot be controlled and created at will, so to grow as a company, we must make the most of the limited opportunities.“

The interview has ignited a heated discussion among fans, with some asserting that “Yuri On Ice” played an significant role in MAPPA’s rise to fame and success, opening doors to a multitude of projects. They felt that the studio may have shifted their focus towards more commercially successful projects, neglecting the series that kickstarted their prominence.

They also accused MAPPA of using queer narratives like “Yuri On Ice” and “Banana Fish” to attract audiences and secure opportunities, only to seemingly abandon these series in favour of more profitable projects such as “Attack On Titan” and “Jujutsu Kaisen“.

Fans urged the studio to either prioritize the completion of “Ice Adolescence,” the highly anticipated film sequel to “Yuri On Ice,” or consider transferring the rights to another studio that would give the series the attention it deserves.

Yuri On Ice is a Japanese sports anime television series about figure skating. The series was produced by MAPPA, directed and written by Sayo Yamamoto with original scripts by Mitsuro Kubo under the chief direction of Jun Shishido. Character designs were handled by Tadashi Hiramatsu, and its music was composed by Taro Umebayashi and Taku Matsushiba. The figure skating was choreographed by Kenji Miyamoto, who also performed routines himself which were recorded and used as skating sound effects.

The series premiered on October 6, 2016 and ended on December 22, 2016, with a total of 12 episodes. A Yuri on Ice feature film, Ice Adolescence, was originally planned for release in 2019, but has been delayed to a later date.

Source: Kompass, Twitter