Arsonist sets Kyoto Animation building on fire. 33 confirmed dead

Kyoto Animation made national headlines today and for all the wrong reasons. An arsonist decided to set the Kyoto Animation building on fire. 33 people are confirmed to be dead.

Nobody knows why the guy did it, but he's still alive so I expect we will find out soon.

Condolences to the families and friends who lost someone. This is a tragedy on par with a mass shooting.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kyoto-animation-fire-suspected-arson-attack-japan-anime-studio-dead-and-missing-today-2019-07-18/

Something about them ripping him off. Must've pitched something to them.

What a senseless tragedy.

33 people dying is a goddamn tragedy. What a horrid act of violence.

These are the guys that made Violet Evergarden and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Lots of Redditors also say that Kyoto Animation treats its employees better than most of the industry. Nobody deserves this, but these guys especially didn't.

Word around the internet seems to be that the arson believes Kyoto Animation "ripped him off" somehow.

Among other things, Kyoto Animation worked on K-On, which might just be my favorite anime ever. As silly as it may seem, especially for something as fluffy and lighthearted as that show is, it's one of the few pieces of any media that I felt emotionally connected to in more than one way.

@liquiddragon: I wouldn't think too hard about what he said - he's an insane man who murdered 34 people. Very possibly just delusional.

Horrible, rest in piece to all the victims. I have much love for the works of Kyoto. Clannad was the first real drama anime I watched and it hit me hard at the time, especially After Story. K-On and Lucky Star are some of my favorites by them as well.

It'd be a shame if it happened to anyone, but it happened to one of the most beloved studios out there. Kyoto Animation has been doing amazing looking shows for TV since before I got into the medium. From early nostalgic classics for me like Haruhi Suzumiya, Clannad, Full Metal Panic! or Lucky Star, to later successes like Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Free!, Nichijou, Sound! Euphonium or K-On!, they've enriched the medium with their presence. Even when I disliked one of their shows, their craft was always amazing.

They were experts at animation and filmic effects, providing the appropriate approaches to everything they made whether it was comedy, romance, drama or action, and just running circles around most other animation studios. They defined the current modern look of anime, and they did that look the best. And they were both masters of their craft _and_ reportedly had a great studio culture that supported and fostered its employees. Occasionally I loved them, sometimes I was tired of their output, but I always respected them.

It's a terrible thing to happen to a wonderful studio. Just makes me sad, man. Please support the various recovery efforts.