Latest news with #KyoAni
Yomiuri Shimbun
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Kyoani Arson Victim's Picture Book to Become Anime Series; Former Colleagues Aim to Carry on Creator's Legacy
KYOTO — Friends and former colleagues of Yoshiji Kigami, an animator who died in the July 2019 arson attack at a Kyoto animation studio, are pushing ahead with a plan to turn a children's book he wrote into an anime series. The project intends to carry on the legacy of Kigami, who was determined to create works 'that touch the hearts of children.' Kigami was 61 when he died in the blaze at the studio of Kyoto Animation Co., or KyoAni. 'Kigami was a genius. There was nothing he couldn't draw,' said Toshiyuki Honda, an animator at Tokyo-based anime production company Ekura Animal. 'Even now when I start on a new project, I wonder how he would have drawn it.' In 1982, Honda, Kigami and several others established the company that would eventually become Ekura Animal. Kigami also wrote a picture book titled, 'Small Jam and Opp the Goblin.' Published in 1989, the book tells the tale of an apprentice magician boy called Jam who grows as a person while he considers 'what courage really is' during his interactions with a goblin named Opp. In the postscript, Kigami wrote that he 'made it a point to create works that broaden children's dreams.' The company considered turning the story into an anime, and Kigami created manuscripts for seven sequels and prepared sketches for the project. However, Kigami moved to KyoAni in 1991 and plans for the anime faded away. After Kigami's death in the attack, Honda reached out to animators and other contacts in the industry. They worked together to create a 17-minute anime film version of the book, which was completed in 2024. The credits named Kigami as the work's original author. Kigami's wife and mother conveyed their thanks to the production team for including his name. Honda and Ekura Animal employees are now planning to create a new anime series based on the book and manuscripts Kigami wrote, along with original stories they created. Honda, 74, has asked individuals and companies in Japan and overseas for donations to help cover production costs. 'I hope we can make anime in which the children watching will feel friendship and compassion,' Honda said.
Japan Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Six years on, victims of fatal Kyoto Animation attack remembered
A memorial was held in the city of Kyoto on Friday for victims of a deadly arson attack on Kyoto Animation's No. 1 studio six years ago. "United as one, we will continue to create our works together," Hideaki Hatta, president and CEO of the anime production company known as KyoAni, said in a statement. Some 150 people including bereaved relatives and employees attended the ceremony at the former site of the studio, offering silent prayers. "I believe you are still making animations even in the sky," a bereaved parent whose daughter was killed in the attack said in a memorial speech. "They must be cheerful, enjoyable and wonderful pieces," the parent added. "I will never forget you." In his speech, Hatta noted that the company has created seven animated films and four television anime series in the past six years. "We want to continue creating works that we can be proud of," he said. The arson attack occurred on July 18, 2019, leaving 36 people dead and 32 others injured. Shinji Aoba, the 47-year-old attacker, was sentenced to death by the Kyoto District Court in January 2024. He appealed the ruling, but withdrew his challenge in January this year, making his death sentence final. The defense has filed a petition with the Osaka High Court to nullify the withdrawal of the appeal, claiming that a death penalty should not be finalized due to a "temporary impulse." Last year, KyoAni and the bereaved families set up a monument in honor of the 36 victims at a park in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, where the company is headquartered. The company also plans to build a memorial monument at the former site of its No. 1 studio that will not be open to the public.
