Kyoto Animation Completes Demolition on Studio Destroyed by Arsonist

A new report from Japan has confirmed Kyoto Animation completed demolition on its studio which was [...]

A new report from Japan has confirmed Kyoto Animation completed demolition on its studio which was targeted by an arsonist last July. The project, which began several months ago, promised to take down Kyoto Animation Studio 1 after a deadly attack killed over thirty employees. Now, the site is totally demolished, and national network NHK has released a photo of the site from above.

You can take a look at the picture below to get a view of the studio from overhead. The bird's eye shot shows the plot of land barren with just dirt covering it. There are a few construction materials scattered around the land, but the walled-off area is totally unrecognizable from how it looked a year ago.

Plans for demolition began last November which was more than four months after Kyoto Animation was targeted by an arsonist. The assailant is said to have entered the studio lobby after pouring gasoline around the entire building and then lit the structure on fire.

The attack, which took place on July 18 of last year, ended up killing a total of 36 employees. There were 70 employees working at the studio that day which means more than half of them died, and most others were injured. Staffers like Yasuhiro Takemoto and Futoshi Nishiya were some of this killed in the tragic ordeal.

Currently, the accused assailant is still in hospital recovering as last reported. With demolition done, there are no confirmed plans as to what will happen to the site, but the families of those who died have asked the plot to filled with a memorial garden. However, locals have pushed back against the request as they want peace following the onslaught of media attention their neighborhood has received since the attack took place.

Do you support plans for a memorial garden being established at this spot? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

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