It has been reported that the arsonist who at least killed 33 employees at Kyoto Animation’s 1st studio building performed his murderous deed because the company “plagiarized his work”.
The 61-year-old woman witness said that the man complained of the studio “ripping him off”. The arsonist started ranting; while she was unable to understand much of what he said, but she reported that the man clearly shouted about the company plagiarizing him.The witnesses said that the arsonist ran into the building screaming “die” after spreading a gasoline around. Police detained a 41-year-old man who poured what appeared to be petrol around the three-storey Kyoto Animation building shortly after 10am.
The arson attack on Thursday has been described as the deadliest mass killing in Japan since the second World War. Kyoto Animation has been in operation since 1981, and is known as a producer of high quality animation. These include TV series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and K-On!.
After the incident, a charitable campaign by Sentai Filmworks’ Gofundme campaign “Help KyoAni Heal“ aimed at raising money for Kyoto Animation has accumulated over $1 million in less than one day.
Sentai Filmworks President John Ledford said:
Although the situation is still developing, it is clear that our friends at Kyoto Animation (KyoAni) have suffered greatly. In addition to the loss of life, many lives will be forever changed. Like all of you, we wanted to take action to help however we can. That is the purpose of this Gofundme effort.
We’ve known KyoAni through their many works that have inspired, influenced and entertained us over the years. They are true masters of their art and one of Japan’s national treasures.
Your pledges and the funds we raise are intended to provide the most direct, meaningful assistance possible to the victims of this heartbreaking tragedy. We are coordinating with others in the Japanese anime industry within Japan to ensure that funds collected reach those in need. We will continue to provide updates as those details develop.
For now, I want to thank everyone for their kindness, generosity and support of this effort. The outpouring of pledges and messages of support has been tremendous. Please help us continue this effort.
