A Message to Kyoto Animation
Hi everyone, Hanime on Anime
here. I honestly had no plans to upload
another video until August and hadn’t posted any blog posts since last
December. But this was something that
has been talked about throughout the anime community, and I wanted to add my
own thoughts and condolences on the situation.
For those of you who are unaware of what’s going on, let me explain.
On July 18th, in Kyoto, Japan, the
renowned Kyoto Animation (also nicknamed KyoAni amongst fans) was set ablaze by
an arsonist early that morning. Upon
writing this, 34 animators at the studio have lost their lives, and some 30
others have been critically injured.
Kyoto Animation is known for such works as K-On, The Melancholy of
Haruhi Suzumiya, Sound Euphonium, Violet Evergarden, FREE!, Clannad, Clannad Afterstory, A Silent Voice,
and so many other wonderful shows and films.
This incident has touched many in the anime community and caused many to
band together and show their love and support.
Sentai Filmworks had put up a GoFundMe page to take donations for the
families of the victims of the attack, which, at the time of writing this, has
reached over $2 million of its $750, 000 goal.
In hearing more about what happened
that tragic day as well as seeing other anime YouTubers share their thoughts on
the situation, I couldn’t help but feel sad, mostly for the selfish reason that
I had never really heard of the studio itself.
While I had heard of many of the studio’s most well-known works, had
never seen them. I feel like in the
years I’ve been a fan of anime, there is still so much that I miss. And sadly, any knowledge of what I’ve come to
believe is the great Kyoto Animation was one of those things I missed. But it wasn’t until I remembered one film
that I reviewed on my blog that I realized something. In that one moment, I found that even without
knowing what KyoAni was, I realized that their works had touched me in such a
way that no other anime I’ve seen has ever done before. That film was A Silent Voice.
Focusing on the budding friendship between
two teenagers-one being deaf and the other the bully that made fun of her as a
child-, this was a film that truly touched me.
It’s a wonderful story of forgiveness and redemption and depicts those
with disabilities-a community that is often stereotyped and ignored- in a
tasteful and believably raw way. And being part of one small sect of that
community, it was refreshing to see one of my favorite mediums show the
importance of acceptance not just for those with disabilities, but those who
struggle every day. This was one of the
few animes I’ve reviewed that I’ve ever given a perfect score and is one of the
best anime films of the decade, arguably of all time. It’s a film that I encourage anyone, anime
fan or not, to see.
In remembering that one film, just
that one, I came to understand what everyone was talking about in the wake of
this tragedy. KyoAni is truly a special
studio. This is a studio that knows how
to give audiences something of quality that many animation studios today have
forgotten to give the world. This is a
studio that strives to be different and unique with everything they put
out. And in an industry where most
people are overworked and underpaid, this is also a studio that appreciates its
talented team of animators and treats them with the respect, dignity, and
gratitude owed to them. All around,
KyoAni is literally, the diamond in the rough of the anime industry.
With all that said, and in honor
for those affected by this horrible event and for a studio that has given so
much to the world of anime, for August and September, I will be wearing an
orange T-Shirt and running the #prayforkyoani banner on all of my videos for
those months. And finally, for my annual
September event, I will be dedicating those month’s reviews to some select
Kyoto Animation works. I also encourage
you to please pledge on the GoFundMe page while it’s still open. The link is available below.
In closing, I want to say to KyoAni
itself, you will rise from this. Everyone
goes through a dark time in their life. For
some, it can be darker than for others.
But it’s always important to have hope and faith because there is always
a light at the end of the tunnel. This
is something that I’ve told many friends who have fallen on some dark times,
and it’s something worth sharing to anyone who feels they have no way out. To the families of those who died or were
injured in the attack, you are in my thoughts and prayers, more than you could
ever know. And to the man who started
the blaze, there is so much hatred I could give as I can’t imagine what went
through your head when you committed this heinous act. But all I’ll do for you is pray. Pray that you find peace because it’s clear
to me that you are deeply troubled and even going through a dark time
yourself. Again, please donate and pray
for one of the greatest animation studios of all time!
I’ll see you August 4th for
my next review.
-Hanime on Anime
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