There are a ton of great animation studios in Japan, but few have a catalog of hits similar to MAPPA’s. MAPPA is the animation studio behind some of the biggest hits in anime, andtheir animation is what transforms a great manga into an amazing anime series.Without great studios like MAPPA, fans would be left with poor adaptations that make people think less of the franchise as a whole, likeStudio A-Cat’s abysmal adaptationofThe Beginning After the End.
MAPPA covers a diverse range of anime genres. They’ve animated some of the best shōnen series of all time, gripping shoujo tales, and the arguablebest seinen manga series ever made. Almost everything MAPPA touches turns to goal, and when fans learn that their favorite manga series got picked up by MAPPA, they know they’re in for a great anime adaptation.
Terror in Resonanceis an anime original series created by one of the biggest directors in anime, Shinichirō Watanabe. He’s the mastermind behind some ofthe best anime series of all time, includingCowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo,andSpace Dandy.Terror in Resonancefollows similar themes of Watanabe’s other great works,showcasing a great psychological thriller in just 11 episodes.
MAPPA broughtTerror in Resonanceto life through twisted main characters, a dark depiction of Tokyo, and wonderful side characters who bring the story together. The series itself is abundatly interesting, and MAPPA’s top-tier animation only makes it better.
Dorohedorois one ofthe weirdest anime series ever madein the best way possible. The series follows Caiman, a man searching for the sorcerer who gave him amnesia and a reptilian head. The only way he can find out if he’s found the right sorcerer is to put their head in his mouth where the person living in his body can verify their identity.If it wasn’t for MAPPA, this fever dream of a premise couldn’t have been brought to life nearly as well as it was.
Dorohedoro’sart style is wonderfully grungy. Everything in the Hole (the world in which Caiman lives) is dirty, grimy, and heavy. MAPPA did an excellent job of bringing that feeling to life, showcasing the Hole in all of its wretched splendor.
Banana Fishis arguably one of the forerunners of shoujo manga and anime. During the 1970s, shoujo was beginning to take off, and it was the first time that manga had women in mind as their target audience. It was also the first time that relationships between men became popular for female audiences, and series creator Akimi Yoshida took full advantage of the rising popularity.
She createdBanana Fishin the mid 1980s, and the series received a great adaption by MAPPA in 2018. It’s one of the few series that takes place outside Japan,showcasing the grimiest parts of New York City with quality animation and a solid story to support it all.
Dororois a classic anime. It was first created by the Godfather of Manga, Osamu Tezuka, in the late 1960s. The 2019 version does a great job of bringing Tezuka’s classic vision to modern audiences, andit wouldn’t have been possible without MAPPA’s hard work and dedication.
Dororois one ofthe darkest anime created. The story is centered on Hyakkimaru as he looks to get his body back from the demons who it was sacrificed to. As he gets his body back, the land Hyakkimaru comes from suffers immensely, showing a bleak trade off that might not be worth it.
Kakeguruiis one of the most unhinged series around and one ofthe best anime about gambling. The story takes place at Hyakkaou Private Academy, a school that is organized entirely through gambling. The main characters are as deranged as the premise itself, sacrificing everything in their possession for the love of the game.
The world in whichKakeguruiis simple enough as it takes place entirely within a Japanese high school, butMAPPA did a great job of bringing the insanity to lifethrough the main cast of characters. When characters are really getting into the games that they’re playing, their eyes light up, reflecting their desire to gamble it all.
Vinland Sagais one of the deepest, most moving anime series of all time.The first season, animated by Wit Studio, told the vicious story of the first few years of Thorfinn Karlsefni’s life. Thorfinn’s teenage years are drenched in violence. He dedicated his life to getting revenge on the man who took his father’s life, and did a lot of terrible things in the process.
The second season, brought to life by MAPPA, showcased the after-effects of Thorfinn’s dedication to revenge. He’s a completely changed person, regretting the way he lived his life. MAPPA did a great job of showing Thorfinn’s regret and his means of repentance in one of the most beautiful and redeeming seasons of anime around.
Hell’s Paradiseis an instant cult classic. In one season, it established itself as one of the freshest shōnen series around,perfect for both veteran shōnen viewers and those new to the genre at the same time.
MAPPA did a great job bringing the hard-to-comprehend world ofHell’s Paradiseto life. The island of Shinsenkyo, where the series primarily takes place, is like a walking nightmare. It seems like everything on the island wants to kill Gabimaru and the rest of the prisoners that were sent there to retrieve the elixir of life.
Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Manis one ofthe weirdest anime series ever madein the best way possible. The story stars Denji as a character with the worst luck possible. He inherited his father’s debt, it forced to work it off, and loses his best friend Pochita in a horrific battle.
Luckily for Denji, Pochita becomes part of him, allowing Denji to become the titular Chainsaw Man.Chainsaw Manis another series that needed a great animation studio to really bring it to life.The series' premise is about as absurd as it gets, and without a quality series like MAPPA behind it, it wouldn’t have translated.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisenis part of the new generation of shōnen anime. Many citeJujutsu Kaisenas part of the next “Big Three” of shōnen anime, carrying the torch from the original Big Three consisting ofBleach, One Piece,andNaruto.Gege Akutami’s jaw-dropping manga series was wonderfully brought to life by MAPPA, and there might not have been a better animation studio to adapt it.
Visually, there aren’t any other series likeJujutsu Kaisen.The series uses stark colors, rapid movements, and exhilarating styles better than most, showcasing Itadori Yuji’s story exactly as it should be.
Attack on Titan
There are few anime series that can compare toAttack on Titan.Hajime Isayama’s creation can be argued to be the catalyst behind the anime boom of the past decade. Eren Yeager’s story is brutalfrom the first episode, showcasing titanic enemies, a mysteriously intriguing world, and some of the best side characters around. The first three seasons were wonderfully animated by Wit Studio, another one of the best animation studios in Japan, before MAPPA animated the final season.
Attack on Titanis one ofthe best-selling manga series of all time, and only the best animation studios could really bring the story to life.MAPPA and Wit animated the series differently, and their stylistic differences made the series even better.MAPPA’s animation was much darker, bringing the tone of the finale to life through pure blacks, harsh animation, and crystal-clear savagery.
