Sorry to be a huge bummer. I just heard about this after waking up. Kyoto Animation, who has produced more anime masterpieces than anyone this side of Ghibli, has been burned down by some murderous asshole. The BBC reports at least 23 people are dead. There are some literally world-level talents working at KyoAni, including Naoko Yamada, the director of my beloved K-On as well as such recent films as A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird (which I just check out of the library for a second watch.) I pray she is all right.
This is an unimaginable loss. KyoAni was famous as the one studio who didn’t hire freelancers for each show but kept a regular employed staff, which undoubtedly explains the consistently super high quality of their work. Ironically, that means the blow to the firm is unimaginably greater, I would think. I don’t know how many they employed, but 23 people (hopefully that number doesn’t rise, although it probably will) is a lot of people. Please give a prayer for the victims of this murderous act, who have provided so many people worldwide–myself very much included–so much joy.
