Animation is a grueling effort where the production process can extend up until the very moment an episode or film airs, and even then corrections can take place before the Blu-ray release. So when studio MAPPA released a gorgeous trailer for Jigokuraku: Hell's Paradise almost a year before people even knew the release date, there was reason to suspect that something was up.Back in February 2022, MAPPA revealed the teaser for the adaptation of Yuuji Kaku's supernatural historical epic manga from 2018. There was no dialog, but the visuals spoke for themselves, promising a beautiful yet creepy adventure to a mysterious land, with the most colorful cast imaginable. It wouldn't be until December 18, 2022, that a new trailer was released, confirming a Spring 2023 release, and industry-savvy fans in the community started raising some red flags. They concluded that this trailer was not showing footage from the actual show, but in fact was a pre-animated trailer, comprised of footage that was specifically constructed for said preview.
We've Seen This Before
Pre-animating trailers isn't a method that is unheard of in anime, and it isn't as though it is a taboo that marks all projects for death, but given the circumstances, it's worth mentioning. Studio MAPPA is no stranger to criticism and the anime industry's production problems are no mystery. More than ever, the question of how anime is made is at the forefront of more fans' minds.
Not to mention, it has created controversy in the past. When Attack on Titan: The Final Season was first revealed, the trailer captivated fans around the world. People had to see it no matter what, and the reception to the first two-thirds of The Final Season has been overwhelmingly positive, but there was a sense that audiences had been slightly lied to.
By the time the anime aired, almost every shot that was in the trailer looked different, and fans learned that the trailer was completely pre-animated. This was more of an Achilles heel in Titan's case because shots that were previously hand-drawn were suddenly CGI, and it took some getting used to for the fans.
Then, Chainsaw Man followed suit with its own pre-animated trailer on June 27, 2021, which similarly got fans excited, yet came under some criticism more quickly. Around the time of the PV's release, animators had been coming forward to share their gripes with pay in the industry, particularly at MAPPA which has been a titan in the industry.
How Could People Tell?
With Attack on Titan, many people only realized until the show started airing, and the episodes were different from the trailer, so how do people tell when the show hasn't come out? The simplest answer came from some savvy Twitter users who were happy to explain to those who might have been confused.
User @Evolvedbeexi posted a screenshot of staff credits from the end of the Jigokuraku PV, with the caption "Another pre animated trailer for Jigokuraku lol. Well…. XD." When pressed as to why they got this impression, they explained that when such specific credits are given for animation within a PV, it often means that the trailer was a pre-animated product.
Anime will often have directors and animation directors that are consistent throughout an entire series, but individual episodes tend to be treated like their own productions. That's why there are episode directors and teams that tackle specific episodes that might have their own distinct style to meet the demands of that particular chapter of the story.
Given how anime is produced, if the Jigokuraku trailer wasn't pre-animated, they very likely wouldn't have included such an end card with these credits. The animation staff between normal episodes shifts too considerably for them to give full credit to the production staff of the series.
What Does This Mean For Jigokuraku
Consider for a moment that Chainsaw Man hasn't come under quite the same fire as Attack on Titan with regard to the pre-animation in the initial trailer. The simplest explanation is that, while not the exact same cuts as the PV, Chainsaw Man has consistently wowed audiences with its visuals thanks to an exceptional team working on it.
The biggest reason that people are worried about pre-animation in the context of Studio MAPPA is that it's hard to tell how excited one should be about a show when you don't know if what you are seeing is legitimate. Attack on Titan Season 4 was received well thanks to solid direction and a great story, but the animation definitely took a bit of a hit compared to WIT Studio's work.
Pre-animation is not the death of Jigokuraku, but considering MAPPA's workload, it certainly isn't easing people's minds. They are working on Chainsaw Man, the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen set for Summer 2023, and - of course - Attack on Titan, all of which would bring about riots if not done perfectly.
How can fans be assured that Jigokuraku will share even a fraction of the same love and care put into these other big-name productions, without leading to the detriment of one or a few of them? There is more reason than ever to be skeptical about how MAPPA is gauging expectations versus what they are capable of producing feasibly with respect to the well-being of their workers.