Studio MAPPA made its grand push in 2020 to become one of the biggest studios in Japan and one of its biggest wins by far wasJujutsu Kaisen. ButJJKwouldn’t have been near as much a hit without the guiding hand of one Sunghoo Park, a Korean director whose passion might change the anime landscape.
Like any big name in the industry, Park has been working in it far longer than their name has been on the tip of people’s tongues. Their animation work can be found throughout the works of Bones, Sunrise, Production I.G., and a large sum more recently at MAPPA, where he lent his talents toGaro,Yuri on Ice, andZombieland Saga. After directingGARO: Vanishing Linefor MAPPA, he went on to tackle two projects in 2020:Jujutsu KaisenandThe God of High School. Taking on two such action-intensive shows should have been exhaustive and likely was, but Park and co. made it look easy.Jujutsu Kaisenended up being one of the most beloved of the year and one of the best-looking to boot.
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The Mark of An Action Director
There are plenty of directors who compose action scenes in a way that feels so distinctive that they become instantly associated with action genres. Folks like Masahiro Ando, for instance, direct impeccable action even when they’re making romance shows likeSnow White with the Red Hair.
Action directors themselves might not animate all the action, but they possess a keen eye for how it should be constructed, and attempt to get the best out of the staff. Park’s choreography tends to incorporate a lot of realistic character acting to ground the action and perhaps give it extra impact by making it believable.
In just two years, the man has captainedJujutsu Kaisenand its prequel filmJujutsu Kaisen 0, defining that series as it exists in animation. Plenty ofpeople are curious about the future ofJJK, but it’s just as worth questioning where Park will go next, beyond that series.
A New Studio
It was back in March that news started breaking about Park beginning his own animation studio called E&H Production. Their official website and a recruitment page were made available, giving some insight into the current staff and their past works, ranging fromAttack on TitantoEvangelionand beyond.
Excitingly enough, the first project from this studio is already known. Back in May, Deadline reported that of a new batch of anime being produced for Adult Swim, one show would beNinja Kamui, directed by Park at this new studio. It’s being co-produced by Sola Entertainment, who producedGod of High SchoolandTower of God, and whose Digital Arts divisionhas produced numerous 3D anime.
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As exciting as it was to learn that Park was moving on to new and exciting projects, some had feared that this meant an end to Park’s work with MAPPA. Many headlines made it seem as if he were done with the studio. Some fans were relieved to hear news from Anime Expo seemingly confirming their return, but such news was retracted.
The Future of Jujutsu Kaisen
Anime News Network has initially reported that, during theJujutsu KaisenStaff Panel at Anime Expo, Park was indeed directing. However, a later update clarified that no such statement had been made, leaving his involvement entirely up in the air.
While it’s uncertain on which side the coin will land, it seems more likely that Park may not be involved, preferring to work on other projects rather than stay at MAPPA. It isn’t the first time that staff has left the studio after their rise to prominence, with overwork and an overabundance of projects being taken on cited as reasons.
This is certainly a bitter pill for fans ofJujutsu Kaisenwho regardless of their interest in the minutia of the animation process no doubt resonated with Park’s direction.There are plenty of talented directors, but is there one that can do for this series what the previous director did? That is yet to be seen.
MAPPA’s reputation has been met with plenty of skepticism, yet they continue to take on more and more work. They’ll be producing season 2 ofVinland Saga, taking over for Wit Studio just as they had for Attack on Titan, all while projects like Mari Okada’s new film as still unaccounted for.
The next year of projects will see if MAPPA can continue its momentum or if it’ll face a cruel awakening. But it might require more than the march of time, and rather the voices of those in the industry and the anime community around the globe, to see that all come to ahead.
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