Amidst a year that’s already been unpleasantly surreal, it’s hard to believe it’s been a year yesterday since the arson attack on Kyoto Animation. There aren’t a lot of deaths/tragedies in entertainment news that hit me hard, but this one left me stunned for weeks. My heart weighs heavy to think of the talented artists who will never again be able to share their works and visions with the world.

I don’t want to remember them this way, however; I don’t want to see Kyoto Animation known as “the studio that got attacked”. I hope audiences new and old can continue to love and cherish the stories KyoAni has told, and I hope for the very best as they continue forward. 

Exactly one year ago today on the morning of July 18th, 2019 an arson attack was carried out on the small Studio 1 building of beloved animation studio Kyoto Animation. As a result, 36 people were killed including many who helped create some of the most popular and beloved anime shows of all-time. They are known within the industry most of all for a progressive work environment. They take pride in developing talent, hiring women in a male dominated industry, promoting said women to high roles, and for paying their employees on salary in an industry known for low-paying contract work. For a studio who seemingly does everything right it seemed so twisted and cruel for them to be targeted like this by somebody. Two common through lines in their works that often get mentioned are, a heightened focus on body language and a focus on production quality. Most of their post 2010 works are known for their impeccable high production quality that rivals even the legendary Studio Ghibli at times, but that isn't the main thing that draws me to their anime. I love their work primarily because above all else, their focus on the focal point of their narratives being characters who come off as actual human beings rarely wavers. They are my favorite anime studio, and it isn't even close. They have vowed to, "not go silently into the night" and thanks to over $30 million in donations they have not and will not. While things will forever be changed for the employees and former employees of Kyoto Animation, a new normal will come to exist and they will continue to uplift and support their creators to the absolute fullest. P.S. Watch Violet Evergarden on Netflix!

how do you think the kyoani arson attack will affect the future of free?

For the upcoming 2020 project, there was never any actual date to begin with, just 2020. We were never told whether it would be February 2020, June 2020 or even December 2020. I think the majority of us assumed summer of 2020, especially with the upcoming hype of OL in Japan. For that same reason I personally think KyoAni wanted it to do be done by then as well. If they do get it done by then, I don’t know, I don’t think anyone knows tbh. Knowing of big their passion for their work is, they’ll do their best. But I really hope they put themselves first, take time to recover from this. The well being of the survivors means more to me than the continuation of Free!. 

In the attack they lost a lot of people, as everyone probably knows by now. When it comes to Free!, I know they lost 2 specifically important to the project - Naomi Ishida (x), who oversaw color design and Futoshi Nishiya (x), who was the character design director. There might be more but those are the two I know of. It’s nearly impossible to replace them, especially in these circumstances. It’s unknown at the moment what they’re doing with free, but considering the very recent new official art, it seems they’re trying to keep working on it.

 I remember reading an article (I tried to look for it but couldn’t find it, sorry!) that stated that they intended to continue and that they were quite ahead as well, considering it had been a year since S3 when the attack happened, and it’s said that they didn’t lose much data, since a lot of it was in the cloud. It was still undoubtedly, and obviously, a tragic set back for them. So I won’t be surprised (or disappointed) if they don’t even make it to 2020 but post pones it to a later time.

So, in conclusion, for the future of Free!, I think they’ll push themselves to get the project done by summer of 2020, or at least just 2020. And they did have a 4th season in mind after the 2020 movie, as well. But there’s not a lot of details (at least not available in english that I can find) so personally I’m just waiting, and I’ll continue to wait, patiently as well, so they have time to recover and create something that’s worth all of their efforts - and pain to get there, rather than just make it on a time limit.

And after the movie, I’m not sure where it’ll go honestly.

Some recommended readings for a little hope in all this tragedy: 

1) Kyoto Animation arson victim returns to work, calls it “ultimate counterattack” to arsonist 

2) Kyoto Animation president says work will continue

I love this beautiful anime.

亡くなられた方のご冥福をお祈りします。

傷付いた方々が、少しでも早く回復されますように。

“On its website, the company said its philosophy included promoting a ‘humanitarian’ corporate culture and ‘promoting the growth of people.’”

Did not think this would be the post I would come back with after 10 months, but in light of today’s tragedy, I felt  inclined to say a bit of homage.

I didn’t even realize anything happened until a friend from here messaged me, and saw the instagram story/posts from a few other friends on here. If you were unaware like I am, Kyoto Animation suffered from an arson, which has now come to be Japan’s worse mass killing in decades.

Through their story telling, and even what sounds to be company corp culture, Kyoani has this power that binds people together, and overall has changed many lives for the better. Many on here can attest to that through K-ON; a really, really special work. 

I myself would still rank K-ON as my top favorite media series, because of the sheer impact the series has had not just on my life, but so many others. One, it’s a masterpiece of a series, no sarcasm there, but in the time I’ve spent dissecting this work and interacting with you all online, it grew me as a person, a communicator, and so many skills I can look back on and say, “wow, I learned a lot from running this blog.” This company did such a good job of telling the story that transcended so hard into the lives of its fans-- it’s amazing.

Thank God I’ve so far only seen kind condolences and thoughts for this tragic time, but as the issue of their studio setting on fire and therein possibly losing a lot of work-- please, I urge you, don’t be insensitive.

Yes, their portfolio is bonkers and the current series they have planned have a lot of traction, but please PLEASE be mindful that literally human lives were lost, and many in bad condition. The work is important, but not nearly as important as the lives of those working on them. And not even because they worked on them, but as real people, with real lives, real families.

I hope we can all be respectful and recognize this company may not be the same going forward, but they’ve given so much to us, and now it’s our turn to support in thoughts, prayers, and if you so feel inclined and financially stable, some funds I’ve seen starting online for them.

Kyoani Strong! Take the lessons, feelings, and sentiments Kyoani has taught all of us over their years of story telling, and let’s honor them.

The news about KyoAni had me really upset for the past few days and it took a little while to process it all. There was a time in my life where I tried to hide my love of anime because it wasn’t “cool” and I didn’t want to be singled out. Then a good friend of mine gave me a USB full of shows to watch, one of them being Nichijou! I’d never laughed so hard in my life and it really pushed me hard back into anime! Free holds a really special place in my heart not only for being so beautiful and having amazing characters but I actually got to watch the first season while on my trip to Japan! Having fun filled days and coming back to room to watch the new episode is something I will always treasure! KyoAni you’ve been a true inspiration to me as an artist and a person! My heart goes out to all the people and families affected! We stand with you! 💖

Haven’t been on in a while. College and work and internships are really occupying my time atm. On a more serious note, as I’m sure you all know by now, KyoAni is facing something unspeakable. When I woke up and heard the news about the arson yesterday, I cried my eyes out. Not only for me, but for so many people around the world, this animation studio has had such a huge influence. KyoAni has made unique and brilliant stories that have changed lives, influenced genres, and brought communities together. It’s awful to even think it, but recovery is going to be a long and hard process. I still get tears in my eyes thinking how this is going to change our beloved KyoAni forever. I don’t want to assume how things are going to go from here, but it won’t be the same as it once was. And I’m still trying to accept this. In the next few months, when Chikai no Finale comes out (missed it in theaters), I’m probably going to cry as much as I have been lately, knowing that it will stand as a tribute to the KyoAni of before. As we all come to grips with this horrible reality, remember KyoAni as it was. Remember the important lessons we learned from their works. It’s already been amazing seeing the online community come together out of solidarity for what we love. So I’ll close this post by saying: I’ll be here for KyoAni, no matter what. To the studio that saved me when high school seemed almost impossible: thank you. 心から祈っています。

En este episodio tras lo acontecido se habla de Kyoto Animation.

#kyoanistrong I live in a cave and I've just seen this recently 😔 damn this went really too far. All my thoughts go to the families, friends and colleagues of the victimes...💔 __________________________________ Art by: @reikochan606 🍥 Follow @reikochan606 for more 🌸 Photography acc: @reikochan_photo 🍡 __________________________________ ⛔Do not repost without proper credits⛔ __________________________________ If you like my work you can support me on Patreon.com/Reikochan606 and get my drawings in HD, exclusive content, tutorials and discounts on commissions 😉 [link in bio] __________________________________ Please ignore tags : #drawing #art #cute #digitalart #traditionalart #artist #cuteart #kawaii #chibi #manga #anime #fanart #autodesksketchbook #Autodesk #love #inspiration #story #comic #copics #watercolor https://www.instagram.com/p/B0O4BT0oZ5W/?igshid=azqbiihsnbov

Thank you KyoAni

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A tribute of my condolences towards the studio that shaped me to the person who i am today. I've loved their shows since i was a kid. They've managed to put a smile on my face and make me shed a tear at the same time. Thank you for the amazing masterpieces to the artists who put their all. Violet evergarden was a beautiful show that made me cry so bad. And the quality is top notch. I recommend you all to watch it and show your support to kyoani

Not FFXIV but KyoAni has been a huge inspiration to me throughout the years and I’m still in disbelief over what happened.

There’s a Gofundme campaign by Sentai Filmworks which is currently over $1,000,000 and KyoAni also has an online store with wallpapers and stuff that will support them directly (mimiko_kupo on twitter made a guide on how to purchase those from overseas). Crunchyroll is currently accepting submissions for messages of support to be relayed to the company employees. 

Quello che è successo alla Kyoto Animation è qualcosa di inconcepibile. Da appassionati di animazione e fan dei lavori che lo studio ci ha regalato negli anni facendoci ridere, piangere ed emozionare, anche solo per degli standard qualitativi difficili da eguagliare, vogliamo prenderci un momento per stare vicini, anche se solo nello spirito, a tutti i cari e ai colleghi delle vittime e dei feriti causati dallo scellerato gesto di un folle.

Per quello che può valere, con tutto il cuore facciamo le nostre condoglianze, con la speranza che lo studio si riprenda presto. #PrayForKyoAni #KyoAniStrong

Illustrazione realizzata da Bach Do (dishwasher1910)

Lo Staff - NewsInTheShell.it

#kyoanistrong #helpkyoaniheal #prayforkyoani

Our thoughts are with you!

😢