Producers of ‘Attack on Titan’ Explain Reasons Behind Anime Studio Change to MAPPA

For those who loyally follow the anime adaptation of the Attack on Titan manga, the producers of the anime adaptation, Kensuke Tateishi, Toshihiro Maeda, and Tetsuya Kinoshita shares the reason for the change of anime studio for anime’s last season in the November 2020 issue of Newtype magazine.

Previously, it was Wit Studio that handled the Attack on Titan anime, now it was announced recently that MAPPA will taking over the production for the upcoming last season of Attack on Titan. Contents of the interview are below:

Tateishi: “While season 3 was in production, we consulted with Wit Studio, and it was decided that The Final Season would be created by a different production studio. One of the reasons is because the end of season 3 has the protagonist gazing at the ocean, marking a turning point for the story. Also, as creators we wanted the anime to escalate even further. Through many talks with Wit Studio, we understood that the continuation would be difficult, so we looked for a new studio. Kinoshita, Maeda, and I divided the searching duties among ourselves, but most studios turned us down. Everyone understood what big shoes they had to fill, and we were told by dozens of studios that they emphatically could not accept.”

Maeda: “Of course, there were also those who told us that they had the desire to do it but just couldn’t make it work in their schedule.”

Tateishi: “The only studio that said they would consider it was MAPPA. When we talked to WIT about it, they said they could rest easy knowing it was in MAPPA’s hands. The producers were in agreement, so the production shifted to MAPPA.”

Kinoshita: “MAPPA took the matter firmly into their hands, saying, ‘Attack on Titan should have a proper ending for the sake of the fans,’ which also made a strong impression on us.”

Maeda: “I think you can see their fighting spirit reflected in The Final Season’s PV. The show is in good hands.”

A complete detailed report on interview can be found on ANN.

The new animation studio tasked to produced the final season of this popular anime series have also animated notable anime like Yuri!!! on Ice, Dorohedoro, and In This Corner of the World.

The director the upcoming anime season will be Yuichiro Hayashi at MAPPA. Hiroshi Seko returns to oversee the series scripts, and Tomohiro Kishi is responsible for the character designs.

The official website of the series contains comments from the Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama, Hayashi, season 1 director and seasons 2 and 3 chief director Tetsuro Araki, MAPPA representative director Manabu Ohtsuka, and Wit Studio representative director and president George Wada. Isayama thanked Wit Studio for all their hard work into the previous seasons by drawing an illustration.

Below contains the following staff members:

Chief Animation Director: Daisuke Niinuma

Production Chief: Jun Shishido

Effect Animation Director: Satoshi Sakai, Taichi Furumata

Color Design: Junko Suenaga

Art Director: Kazuo Ogura

Screen Design: Yusuke Tannawa

3DCG Director: Takahiro Uezono

Director of Photography: Shigeki Asakawa

Editing: Masato Yoshitake

Sound Director: Masafumi Mima

Sound Effects: Naoto Yamatani (Sound Box)

Sound Production: Tecno Sound

Animation Producer: Masato Matsunaga

The returning cast are:

Yuuki Kaji as Eren Jaeger

Yui Ishikawa as Mikasa Ackerman

Marina Inoue as Armin Arlelt

Hiro Shimono as Conny Springer

Yu Kobayashi as Sasha Blouse

Shiori Mikami as Historia Reiss

Kishō Taniyama as Jean Kirschtein

Yoshimasa Hosoya as Reiner Braun

Romi Park as Hange Zoë

Hiroshi Kamiya as Levi

Takehito Koyasu as Zeke

About Attack on Titan

The Attack on Titan manga is created by Hajime Isayama and was first released on September 9, 2009, in the Bessatsu Shonen Magazine (which is owned by popular manga publisher Kodansha). The series has released 29 compiled volumes so far as of August 2019 and the franchise is well-received by fans not only in Japan but around the world. The popularity of the manga has also got it to garner several awards including Harvey Award, Micheluzzi Awards, and the Kodansha Manga Award.

The manga series’ massive popularity has paved the way for an anime adaptation. The Attack on Titan anime first premiered in Japan on April 7, 2013, with 59 episodes so far (covering 4 seasons) and 8 OVAs. The anime adaptation is still ongoing.

The story is centered on Eren Yeagar who lives with his foster sister Mikasa Ackerman and his best friend Armin Arlert in a town called Shiganshina, which his adjacent to Wall Maria. The huge wall that is covering the whole town is a way of protection from the Titans, giant creatures that eat humans in their sight. Titan attacks are an inevitable thing on the island, there are various troops or legions that are tasked to protect the citizens from the Titans. With a special maneuver gear, they can hook on walls and use to travel or cling to one part of a Titan and attack them.

Going back to our main characters. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin’s lives weren’t the same when their town was suddenly attacked by Titans and even witnessed some people being devoured. Eren then decided to become part of the Survey Corps when he got older so that he could avenge the death of his mother who got killed on the Titan attack. This continuing thirst for revenge has also fueled Eren to become the best in the Survey Corps and kill every last Titan that stands in his way.

The story progresses of Eren finding a little bit of his past, about his missing father, and finding out about the Titans. Later on, he then finds out that he becomes a Titan himself.

Aside from the anime adaptations. The franchise also branched into other media as well. If you’re heading to Japan soon, you might want to drop by the iconic Universal Studios Japan as new attractions is added to give locals and tourists alike a different kind of experience. The upcoming Attack on Titan XR Ride is one of those. If you’re a person who doesn’t love the outdoor roller coasters, then this one you may consider as it is indoor and it is guaranteed to give you the feel of swooping to the sky with your 3D maneuver gear. You will be joined by the Survey Corps as you engage in battle against naked-eating giants. Those who will be trying out this ride will be wearing a VR headset to add a more realistic titan-slaying experience. For those who are curious about where this attraction will be located, it is where the Final Fantasy coaster used to be back in 2018.

Attack on Titan also had live-action movie adaptations in which in all honestly received mixed reviews from its fans. The first Attack on Titan live-action film premiered on August 1 2015 which stars Haruma Miura as Eren Yeager, Kiko Mizuhara as Mikasa, and Kanata Hongo as Armin. The sequel of the film titled Attack on Titan: End of the World premiered on September 19, 2015, just a month after Part I was screened.

Source: ANN