Three years ago, Kyoto Animation suffered an arson attack that saw a number of its employees and animators die as a result, but the animation house was able to see an outpouring of support from fans of animation and fellow animators alike to help in restarting work on future television series and movies. With recent projects including Violet Evergarden: The Movie, Free! The Final Stroke, and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S, it seems that Kyoto is in the final stages of creating a memorial for those lost in the arson incident which took place in 2019.
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While Kyoto has yet to confirm that the monument will be erected on the site, a new report via Sora News 24 states that the tribute is nearly a done deal, with the families in recent memories reportedly stating that “I want to avoid the incident fading from people’s memories” and “I want a place where we can offer prayers.”
The current President of Kyoto Animation, Hideaki Hatta, commented on the building of a monument, a week following the attack, to those who were lost, stating that they would prefer the site to be potentially made into a park:
“If it is possible, I would like to turn the site into a park and erect a monument. I want them to build a monument. Not in some other place, but in the same place where the studio was.”
Reports have also come in with regards of some pushback from local residents to the monument, with some worried about the number of visitors that would come to the neighborhood as a result.
Originally started in 1981, Kyoto Animation Studio has become known worldwide for its work on creating some very popular anime television series such as K-On!, Free!, and Full Metal Panic to name a few. It has also created a number of animated films such as A Silent Voice, K-On! The Movie, and Free! Take Your Marks. Noted as the “first successful animation studio outside of Tokyo,” Kyoto Animation has a long history within the industry. 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 everyday life.”
Our thoughts remain with those who were affected by this tragic incident in 2019.
