MAPPA has grown famous with its astoundingly unparalleled record of high-quality anime adaptations, which has seemingly led them to create their very own anime. “Bucchigiri?!“, the studio’s original anime, has taken the community by storm with its crisp animation and vibrant storyline. The show centers around delinquents fighting each other to reach the apex of their school, which sounds quite familiar, doesn’t it?
If you’re reminded of the Crows franchise, you are the OG. However, I intend to refer to a different franchise, one that has become infamous in recent years. Tokyo Revengers, a story of the protagonist’s desperate attempts at fixing his life, protecting his love, and keeping his friends alive, has garnered humongous popularity among teens and MAPPA just as well might want to tap into that base.
MAPPA’s original anime Bucchigiri recreates Tokyo Revengers
Bucchigiri seems to be borderline Tokyo Revengers, not crossing the line to unrestricted violence. There are so many similarities that it’s astonishing that MAPPA has not been blamed for plagiarism.
- Both the shows center around delinquents fighting for the apex.
- The protagonist is a changed individual, who grew past his phase of violence, but circumstances have brought him back into the world of delinquents.
- There are concepts of gangs, where each gang brings in talented and strong individuals to fight the other gangs to establish authority.
While it can be refuted that similarities will exist in any two random anime, this comparison is a bit concerning to let go. That’s because current situations surrounding MAPPA aren’t the best they could be dealing with. With a lot of controversy surrounding the studio, this original anime is their potential ticket for getting out of the heat. We’ll get to it in the next section.
Bucchigiri currently is limited to the two gangs, Minato Kai and Siguma Squad, quarreling over authority in their school. But it won’t be long before this feud would be quelled by the protagonist or at least reach a certain point where the focus could be shifted to other schools. In the first episode, during the arcade scene, we have been shown that there exist more gangs in town that belong to other schools. This is where the Tokyo Revengers-esque narrative comes in.
With Arajin and Matakara’s childhood dream of becoming Honki people no longer a dream anymore, the plot is soon going to break into more enticing and exhilarating opponents for them to get over and become stronger. Making it a more school vs. school gang rivalry than an in-fighting within schools.
Since MAPPA cannot have a complete 1:1 replica of its inspiration, it brings in changes from other projects. A horny protagonist from its much-reclaimed project Chainsaw Man, a supernatural spirit drive story from Beelzebub, and a quest to unlimited power from Shaman King, all of this sprinkled with a comedic route and the studio saved themselves from the Internet warriors itching to bash them.
MAPPA tapping into Tokyo Revenger’s target audience: A Way to escape its crisis
MAPPA currently is undergoing one of its worst times. From its founder leaving in 2016 to the most popular animator Chansard Vincent publicly announcing his intentions to never work again with them, the studio is facing a backlash from the community. With poor working conditions and multiple high-level projects line-up for its staff, the internet has witnessed the worsening conditions of the people who brought their favorite shows to life last year.
Staff in MAPPA studios have been working relentless overtime, with underpaid salaries, and a depreciating workplace environment. This calls for a change, however, a change in their work style would mean lesser profit generated in a year. This is exactly why they have chosen to tap into the targeted audience of Tokyo Revengers, one of the projects that have received fame as close to their own projects.
Distracting the audience with more of what they want to see, the studio is continuing its conventional workplace practices while slowly building back its reputation. This is a way they have managed to use to escape the heavy fire they were under.
Conclusion
So far their tactic has worked. Most of the anime community has found itself mesmerized by the enthralling and mysterious story of Bucchigiri. The fans have almost forgotten the atrocities that surfaced last year. Nevertheless, the people who have worked with the studios remember and they have continued to voice against MAPPA, working towards a better environment for the animators and going for studios that treat them with respect.
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