Fans of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury are reacting to the troubling news that over 90 key animators worked on the highly-anticipated series finale.
On Twitter, @/Nakayasee shared a screencap of the credits sequence from Season 2, Episode 24 of The Witch of Mercury. The credits list 94 key animators who contributed to the series finale, an abnormal amount of animators needed for a half-hour animated TV series. “The final episode of Gundam Witch from Mercury has a total of 94 key animators. For a 20-minute episode. Absolute madness,” the Twitter user said. Fans of the latest Gundam series are reacting negatively to the shocking news
The Witch From Mercury Put a Strain on Its Crew
Production problems plaguing The Witch from Mercury have been the worst-kept secret in the anime industry. However, Marie Tagashira, one of the credited character designers on The Witch from Mercury, confirmed the series’ mismanagement in a tweet that thanked the anime staff for their completed work, except for an unnamed few. Despite naming no names, Tagashira received harassment for airing her grievances in her celebratory tweet. While some fans harassed Tagashira over her statement, others believed she had every right to say it.
The production problems of The Witch from Mercury comes on the heels of the allegations of poor working condition for the animators of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The toxic work culture for the Spider-Verse sequel was so bad that 100 animators quit during production. Following the news, fans began begging Sony to delay Beyond the Spider-Verse from its March 2024 release date for its animators’ mental and physical health.
The Witch from Mercury is far from the first anime TV series to suffer from production problems. Still, it’s another example of how widespread the issue has become within the animation industry. Anime studio MAPPA has developed an infamous reputation for treating its animators poorly, as various reports suggest poor leadership, long work hours and inadequate pay. Animators behind Death Note and Trigun Stampede have formed an organization dedicated to improving the working condition of Japanese animators.
Mobile Suit Gundam the Witch from Mercury is available to stream on Crunchyroll. The Gundam anime franchise is worked on by Bandai Namco Filmworks (previously known as Sunrise), which is best known for series like Love Live!, Cowboy Bebop and Code Geass.
Source: Twitter
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