Pray for Kyoto Animation

As many of you probably know by now, Kyoto Animation, the studio behind classic titles such as Lucky Stars, Clannad, and recent fan favourites Koe no Katachi, Hibike! Euphonium and Violet Evergarden suffered a terrible tragedy that took 34 lives, and left 34 injured after a suspected arson attack. This has been a tragic loss both for the anime community and the industry itself. KyoAni was a pioneer in both the works they produced and the industry standards they offered to their workers.

Eva: There’s no words to describe the shock and pain I feel about the tragedy that struck Kyoto Animation. It sickens me, as I think about the lives and talent that were lost, and those who have been wounded and traumatized by this senseless violence. Kyoto Animation is among my top favourite studios, producing some of the most beloved titles such as Clannad, Violet Evergarden, K-ON, Free! just to name a few, and are known for leading the industry with respective and humane care for their staff. I am so upset this has happened to them, my heart is broken. My thoughts and prayers goes out to the staff and their families, and everyone who has been affected by this horrific event. It will take time, but I hope Kyoto Animation will be able to overcome this horrific event, and rebuild once more.

Tsuyoku: It is hard to put feelings into words after the news of the Kyoto Animation tragedy. My heart is saddened and shocked by the absolutely horrific nature of the event. May justice be brought to the twisted mind that caused this and may the injured recover completely. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, the families and the studio. It is a very dark day for anime fans and Japanese people. I extend my condolences and hope they will be able to rebuild themselves in the future.

Midnight: I’m honestly still vaguely in shock. I can’t, describe how horrified I am by all of this in words. Kyoto Animation means so many things, to so many different people. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone effected by this tragedy. The workers, their families, the studio and the fans across the world.

Berry: Kyoto Animation made a name of themselves in the anime industry whether it was because they create visually gorgeous shows, or because they were part of the moe boom, or because they are a fair company that treats their workers well. The devastation of the fire could be felt among the anime community and all of Japan. Whether you were a fan of their shows or not doesn’t matter. What matters are the many innocent and talented lives lost, and the family members left behind. This news is incredibly tragic and heartbreaking and I hope for the best for Kyoani from here on out. I give my best wishes and support to those affected, and to those that passed, and also hope that justice is brought upon this cruel and senseless act.

Shadow: It’s devastating to see so much talent and lives lost to this tragedy and I sincerely hope that they will be able to build themselves back up with the help of all that support this lovely studio. It almost feels unreal that this happened and I can only pray for healing for the friends and families that have lost their loved ones. I hope they take the time to grieve and slowly but surely build back up to what they used to be so they can touch people’s hearts with their animation once more.

Oki: The loss of people just like me, animators, who have succeeded and slaved over our craft to bring people joy- is a truly fut wrenching loss. The joy and dedication of an animator is inexplicable: we slave for days over frame after frame. It is tireless, but done out of love. Those people have been taken from us but the joy and love they put into their work will never be forgotten. KyoAni has my sincere and undying loyalty and love in this and I hope each and every person lost is remembered for their every contribution to the world in this life.


Thank you Kyoto Animation

KyoAni has connected us as a community, brought together so many people and helped so many others out of dark places. The work they did and will do is inspirational and, while we also should take time to mourn this tragedy, we shouldn’t forget how much joy and happiness they have brought to millions of people.

If you wish to support Kyoto Animation, Crunchyroll has set up a form for fans to submit letters of Support to Kyoto Animation, and Sentai Filmswork has organized a *GoFundMe that has already surpassed it’s original goal, two times within the last 24 hours .Others have suggested supporting the studio by purchasing merchandise directly from KyoAni’s shop. A walkthrough how to do that can be found here. Please remember to be cautious of scams and misinformation.

UPDATE 07.25.2019: Kyoto Animation has opened an account to accept donations for Fire Victims, the families of the deceased and rebuilding.



Blogging Anime since Summer 2009, & Founder of AngryAnimeBitches Anime Blog

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3 Responses

  1. zztop says:

    Some observers/news reports have suggested the building’s design may have made the situation worse.

    Some commented on the lack of visible sprinklers, the likelihood of a non-pressurized stairwell that allowed smoke to spread, and too-small windows that didn’t open properly (apparently to prevent suicide attempts).

    NHK news has also theorized the spiral staircase in the building’s middle acted as a chimney to spread the fire further.

    I quote “This building was built 5 years ago for KyoAni. It was (considered) “up to code.”

    • Berry says:

      Considering Japan’s very low crime rate, it’s no that surprising that their idea of “safety” and “up to code” isn’t the same for countries in the West (USA for example) where the crime rate is much higher. I’d guess situations like this are very rare for Japan so the idea of better safety precautions isn’t a thing because of it. Also, apparently the Studio 1 building was an older building too. But with this horrible event I’m sure there’s going to be an update to their safety code.

  2. McLXIX says:

    I feel sad, but mostly angry… real angry and sick to my gut.

    How was one individual be able to drench the whole place with gasoline? was there resistance by the staff? there were no guns involved according to the latest sources and if he had knives, he was alone. Multiple people could have stopped him. If there was resistance, how did he still succeed in setting the whole building on fire and even drench some people with gasoline. Earlier videos like this…

    makes it look like there was a flash fire of some sort. This whole event makes me viscerally sick. The surviving victims are severely burnt and or are will be having permanent breathing problems because of the toxic fumes along with the psychological damages. Non-surviving victims are burnt to death or are suffocated to death by the toxic fumes, trapped.

    It just makes me really sick and angry. I sincerely hope Kyoto Animation will be able recover from this because if they don’t, the arsonist is able achieve what he intended to do and I believe non of us, foreign or Japanese, anime fan or not want.

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