Mappa Defends Labor Practices Amid Row Over Pay Tokyo studio Mappa has issued a statement in response to recent criticism, stating that it has never paid unfairly low wages. Earlier this month, animator Ippei Ichii claimed on Twitter that Mappa were paying artists as little as 3,800 (USD$34) per cut — a rock-bottom rate for tv anime — on a production for Netflix. Ichii, who served as an animation director on Mappa’s Zombie Land Saga Revenge, blamed the streaming giant for ordering shows on such low budgets. His comments prompted commentary on social media about working conditions at Mappa and in the anime industry in general.