💌Send Your Love to Kyouto Animation
Hello dear Yuri on Ice friends. It’s Mod Dancing.
As you may have heard, Kyouto Animation suffered a horrific arson attack that devastated the studio family and ended the lives of many beautiful, creative and giving people. Here’s a touching piece on a selection of KyoAni’s works.
This is a heartbreaking time for everyone in the Japanese animation industry, and a deep wound for a country where mass murder and terror attacks are fortunately extremely rare. Directors and animators from many other studios are sharing their grief today, and I can’t imagine the pain felt at the home of Yuri on Ice -- our dear Studio MAPPA -- to know what their peers have gone through.
I wanted to share an important signal boost for two meaningful projects. First, there is a fundraiser you can contribute to that’s well on its way to breaking $1 million. Second:
Crunchyroll is collecting messages of support for KyoAni. Please send a message HERE to show your appreciation for the dedicated staff and families who have helped elevate the storytelling form we love.
The image shared above is from @crunchyroll. So grateful they’re doing this.
Like many of you, I grew up on anime. The amazing people who power this art form have had a deep influence on the entire course of my life. Through anime, I fell in love with the Japanese language, leading me to live in Japan, work in the Japanese entertainment industry, and infuse my own personal passions with anime aesthetics.
After a long time where anime had taken a backseat in my life, Free! Iwatobi High School became my gateway drug back to this amazing medium. Haru, Makoto, Rin, Nagisa, and Rei delighted me not just because I adored their saga, but because of the incredible care and thought put into every frame. Getting back into anime led me to Yuri on Ice, which led me to my wonderful partner Queen who I met in the fandom -- and to all of you amazing people who supported our zine project last year.
A little over a year ago, Queen and I got the crazy idea to create a zine for the Yuri On Ice movie -- after it had only just been announced. We’re proud of the work our 70+ creators made together, and so grateful to the original visionaries who gave us Viktor and Yuuri’s story.
It hits especially hard to think of how at KyoAni right before this tragedy, the staff was getting ready for this week’s big announcement on the 2020 Free! movie. Getting ready for that fulfilling moment when they would release the latest of their vision and enjoy all the love and excitement that came their way. Just getting ready for joy.
So please --- even if you have never spent time with the wonderful works of KyoAni and their breathtaking visual talent, please take a moment to write to KyoAni today with love, and share what anime has meant in your life.
May you all be safe and well, and hug your loved ones extra tight.