Unveiling Kyoto Animation: Charisma, Tragedy, and Industry Realities

July 18th of this year marks the fifth anniversary of the arson incident at an animation studio in Kyoto, prompting me to contribute an article to a Japanese web magazine about that tragedy. Despite numerous commentaries and analyses emerging about the incident, none have satisfied me to the extent I had hoped, so I have decided to undertake this myself. In my humble opinion, the incident was a collapse of the fair trade movement in Japan's anime market.

As you may know, Japan's anime industry operates with minimal enforcement of labor standards, tacitly supported by the government, resulting in a high volume of anime production where artists often face exploitation. Kyoto Animation, however, stood out by prioritizing employee welfare and producing high-quality anime, earning praise from anime enthusiasts who believed purchasing their products ensured fair compensation for the company's artists. Ironically, within the Japanese anime industry, Kyoto Animation was not universally admired. A prominent anime director lamented that because they behaved as if they were the only exemplary student, the entire industry has to bear the invisible brunt. To put it another way, it's akin to having air conditioning inside but continuously dumping heat and exhaust gases outside, disrupting the entire ecosystem of the anime industry. Such realities were often overlooked by anime enthusiasts, transforming the company not only into a brand but also a charismatic entity for them. Yet charisma sometimes breeds misguided followers, like Judas Iscariot, one of whom became the perpetrator of that arson incident.

This reminds me of David Bowie's words, "My charisma as a performer is the flip side of the world's unhappiness." Kyoto Animation's charismatic status among Japanese anime fans mirrored the structural hardships of Japan's anime industry. In hindsight, the perpetrator, driven by madness, ignited the tragic blaze, exposing this long-simmering energy. He was another Mark David Chapman.

The anime industry in Japan has persevered for half a century, resembling a chaotic traffic scenario where vehicles disregard mandated lanes, going up when they should go down, and vice versa. This irregular state, if abruptly halted, could metaphorically choke a vital artery, risking severe consequences. Kyoto Animation, however, meticulously obeyed traffic laws, akin to Trinity's daring motorcycle scene in "The Matrix" sequel. With remarkable skill and reflexes, they navigated against the flow, earning admiration from anime enthusiasts who likened them to elite rebels. Yet, to other drivers, they appeared as reckless couriers, brazenly defying the status quo. Their persistence in nurturing such defiance continued until the tragic arson incident, a turning point in their journey.