Chainsaw Man Director Leaves MAPPA To Work For Oshi No Ko’s Production Studio

Chainsaw Man Anime Director Ryu Nakayama has hinted on Twitter that he is no longer going to work for Studio MAPPA and has moved to Studio PSD Delivery, an animation production company that has been involved with projects like Oshi No Ko, UniteUp! and The Dangers in My Heart.

For those who have keenly been observing the behind-the-scenes of the Chainsaw Man anime production, you’d know that Season 1 of the anime hasn’t been received well by the Japanese fans, so much so that even a porn parody of Chainsaw Man received better Blu-Ray sales than the actual show!

Despite rumors of the series having Season 2 and a movie in the works, MAPPA’s CEO Manabu Ohtsuka was left unsatisfied with Chainsaw Man’s performance in terms of impact, as compared to Jujutsu Kaisen.

Moreover, considering the recent controversy surrounding MAPPA animators’ grievances regarding working conditions, it appears that Ryu Nakayama could not be held accountable for undertaking such an action.

(Ryu Nakayama)

On Nov 24, 2023, he talks from a startup business owner’s POV, saying that:

“Our mission this year is to create a better working environment that is free from power harassment and moral harassment, free from unnecessary stress, and stable in terms of money and time, and although it is still small-scale, we are slowly taking shape. It’s only the first year, so we’ll be steadily building our foundation, and we should be able to release it soon.”

Now, the fact that he used the words “small-scale”, “it’s only the 1st year”, clearly shows he’s not working for MAPPA anymore and has moved onto a new studio.

Our “eureka” moment comes when we realize that on December 12, 2022, PSD Delivery’s official Twitter made this post:

Our member directed the TV animation "Chainsaw Man".https://t.co/4a8NEaeiHw

— PSD DELIVERY (@PSD_DELIVERY) December 12, 2022

If you connect the two, it’s more than likely that Ryu Nakayama has moved to PSD Delivery, where he aims to create an atmosphere free from the stuff MAPPA animators have been complaining about. He wants to make a change in the animation industry by setting an example that animators in Japan can lead their lives with a healthy work-life balance and a considerable salary.

However, only time will tell if the former Chainsaw Man director can accomplish what others have failed, given that the founder of MADHOUSE founded MAPPA.

About Chainsaw Man:

Chainsaw Man is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Its first arc was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2018 to December 2020; its second arc began serialization in Shueisha’s Shōnen Jump+ online magazine in July 2022. Its chapters have been collected in 15 tankōbon volumes as of August 2023.

Season 1 of the anime, produced by MAPPA, was broadcast from October to December 2022.

Crunchyroll describes the overall plot of Chainsaw Man as follows:

Denji is a young boy who works as a Devil Hunter with the “Chainsaw Devil” Pochita. One day, as he was living his miserable life trying to pay off the debt he inherited from his parents, he got betrayed and killed. As he was losing his consciousness, he made a deal with Pochita, and got resurrected as the “Chainsaw Man”: the owner of the Devil’s heart.

Source: Ryu Nakayama’s Twitter