Kyoto Animation Opens Up About the Company’s Future Plans

Kyoto Animation underwent a terrible tragedy when 35 of their employees were killed during an arson attack, and others were injured. While the animation studio managed to somewhat bounce back, its clear that some things will have to change in the wake of this damaging blow. Even with all of the support from both fans and other animators in the industry, its clear, and understandable, that some previously scheduled events will need to be delayed or canceled in light of the incident and to give the company time to recover.

Crunchyroll shared the exclusive news via their Official Twitter Account, going into more details about the delayed and/or canceled upcoming events such as the “World of KyoAni” and the 11th Annual Kyoto Animation Awards:

The following statement has been posted on the Kyoto Animation website regarding the suspension of the upcoming Awards Ceremony:

“Following the arson attack on Kyoto Animation that occurred on July 18, we have received words of encouragement from many people, and would like to express our deep appreciation. We have been receiving submissions from many entrants every day, and our judges were excited about the prospect of finding a novel that can be part of a new age of creative output. However, our entire staff is currently engaged in recovery efforts following the arson attack, and so we have decided to suspend the 11th Kyoto Animation Awards.”

Originally started in 1981, Kyoto Animation Studio has become known worldwide for its work on creating popular anime television series such as K-On!, Free!, Full Metal Panic, and more. It has also created a number of animated films such as A Silent Voice, K-On! The Movie, and Free! Take Your Marks to name a few. Noted as the “first successful animation studio outside of Tokyo,” Kyoto Animation has a long history within the industry and we hope that its history will continue into the future. Founded by Yoko Hatta and Hideaki Hatta, the company proceeded to become an LLC in 1985 and then a corporation years later in 1999. One of the studio’s apparent strengths according to experts was its “sensitivity to the wonders and quandaries of every day life.”

Comicbook.com will continue to provide updates on the situation as they are released. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.