Kyoto Animation artworks on display after arson attack

July 24, 2019

Tokushima/Sapporo/Kyoto--Bookstores and anime-related shops around Japan are hosting exhibits of original artworks for anime shows produced by Kyoto Animation Co., the operator of a studio hit by an arson attack last week that left 34 dead.

Exhibits, some of which opened before the incident in Kyoto, are being held in Tokyo as well as Nagano, Osaka and Kagoshima prefectures.

At a bookstore in the city of Tokushima, western Japan, fans pored over some 70 original illustrations used in anime shows such as the television series Violet Evergarden. The items on display included illustrations with intricate brushwork depicting the characters' emotions, as well as ones with hand-written instructions by the art director on how to color in certain parts of the image.

"As an illustrator myself, I want to remember this view forever," a 33-year-old male illustrator visiting the exhibit said.

"Many people contacted us after the incident, and we were reminded how much KyoAni's works are loved," a representative from the bookstore said, using the nickname for Kyoto Animation.

Anime fans left messages such as "I cannot put into words how sad I am, I will cheer (Kyoto Animation) on" in a notebook for visitors to sign.

"I am just saddened by how many people have died," a male university student said during his visit to a similar exhibit in Sapporo, in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan. "I want (Kyoto Animation) to get back on its feet and produce another work, no matter how long it takes."

"Anime is one of the faces of Japan," a woman in her 40s also visiting the Sapporo exhibit said. "I feel anger at how some people harm it out of selfish spite," she added, referring to the suspected arsonist.

Meanwhile, the Kyoto prefectural police department established a task force of 110 specially trained officers to support people injured in the fire and families of those who may have fallen victim to the attack.

The team will provide care for such people by escorting them to police stations and hospitals, advising them on necessary administrative procedures and distributing "support cards" bearing the phone number of a hotline for those in distress. Jiji Press