Sailor Moon Director Takes Legal Action Against Crazed Fan’s Threats

It seems a potential tragedy has been prevented in Japan. A new report by Mainichi confirms a popular anime director is now breathing easy after a crazed anti-fan was dealt with in court. After all, the director of Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena was being targeted by the suspect, and their harassment played out similarly to what Kyoto Animation experienced ahead of its deadly arson.

The situation came to light publicly as Kunihiko Ikuhara chose to speak out on the issue. As it turns out, Ikuhara confessed he had become the target of a dogged harassment campaign last year. It seems the suspect believes their work had been plagiarized by Ikuhara, and their harassment only got worse.

Reports suggest the unnamed suspect sent threatening messages to Ikuhara, his co-workers, his employers, and anyone in his inner circle. As these threats escalated, Ikuhara called the police which sparked regular patrols at his address. This situation eventually prompted Ikuhara to file legal action against the woman, and a verdict from the court was given last December.

As for why the police were brought in, well – you can hardly blame Ikuhara. The suspect’s harassment sounds eerily similar to what Kyoto Animation endured before an anti-fan set fire to one of its studios. Back in 2018, more than 30 employees were killed and dozens more injured after a suspect set fire to one of Kyoto Animation’s buildings. The suspect, who is just now on trial for the event, said their attack was sparked by a simple act of plagiarism. The suspect incorrectly believed Kyoto Animation had taken one of their story ideas without credit, so you can understand Ikuhara’s hesitations.

What do you make of this latest anime industry update? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!