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The history of Kyoto Animation is full of both success and tragedy. From humble beginnings to bringing forth anime such as Violet Evergarden, Clannad, Hyouka, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, and K-On, this anime studio has become a respected force in the world of slice-of-life and romance anime. On the flip side, of course, this studio was infamously the target of an arson attack by a man who accused the company of plagiarism. This unfortunately halted the production of anime for a few years, but they are back to reclaim their throne.
Despite the arson attack, the company has recently returned, and they've since produced two anime. One of them is the second season of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid from last year and the other is a soon-to-be-released second season of Tsurune. To celebrate Kyoto Animation's return, and the recent anniversary of the arson attack, here is a deep dive into the history of Kyoto Animation.
A Married Couple Start An Animation Studio
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In 1985, husband and wife duo Hideaki and Yoko Hatta started a limited company called Kyoto Animation. Before it was an official company, however, it was a small group of friends and housewives painting animation cells who called themselves Kyoto Anime Studio. Yoko Hatta had experience as a painter with the animation studio Mushi Production, who are best known for anime such as the original Astroboy, and other classics of the time.
Yoko Hatta gathered a few housewives with spare time to paint cells for studios such as Tatsunoko Pro and Perriot. Some of the anime they painted cels for include SDS Macross, Urusei Matsura, and Genesis Climber Mospeada. They did this all with only Yoko Hatta herself and the housewives she knew who agreed, which were Emiko Honda, Akiko Fujimura, and Ayako Takemura. Over the next decade the group would grow, and finally change their name to Kyoto Animation, but this core group remained as they began to get more serious work, which included doing background artwork for Neon Genesis Evangelion and doing in-betweens and key animations in other productions.
Their first official Kyoto Animation production that was their own, as opposed to the supporting studio role they had previously taken, was for the Happy Smile cult. Although this isn't notable in of itself, it opened the door for Kyoto Animation to make short animations for the Japanese government. This had bigger companies reaching out to ask for Kyoto Animation to be co-producers, and Kyoto Animation were getting closer and closer to becoming an independent studio, and eventually a household name.
From Taking Over Full Metal Panic, To Slice-Of-Life Legends
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This small bit of fame gave Kyoto Animation a chance to take the helm of a beloved series, Full Metal Panic. They produced a season that was a large tonal shift to focus on the romantic comedy elements, and although it wasn't as well-received as previous seasons, it was there first anime to premiere on television weekly, and opened even more doors for the developing studio. They were able to finally have the money to produce a full series that hadn't been adapted before, called Air. This anime was adapting a light novel, and did so successfully, still leaving a mark within the shoujo community today. After another season of Full Metal Panic, they started releasing one legendary slice-of-life after another.
One of those was another adapted light novel The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The series became a smash hit, partially due to the eccentric female lead, and part of this because of the strange episode set up. As one of the themes in this supernatural slice-of-life is time travel, the episodes were broadcast out of order. Another legendary slice of life series from Kyoto Animation was Lucky Star; this anime stared moe anime girls living normal high school lives, laden with anime references. Then the infamously depressing and beautiful story of Clannad and Clannad Afterstory were released, and then the adorable CGDCT series K-On! came out.
Kyoto Animation became a household name with lovers of slice-of-life anime, and would remain that way for two decades. Some of their notable works in later years include Free! and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid.
The Kyoto Animation Arson Attack
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In July 2019, Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building was set ablaze. A man entered the building with 40 liters, otherwise measured as 11 US gallons, and drenched not just the area but every employee that couldn't flee in time. When setting fire to his surroundings he set himself of fire and attempted to flee before being caught by the police close to the burning building. Employees were trapped inside the building while the fire raged at the entrance, blocking their escape.
A total of 36 people died, and injured 34 people including the suspect. It is reportedly the deadliest massacre in Japanese history since World War II. Some deaths include a color designer named Naomi Ishida, director of Lucky Star and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Yasuhiro Takemoto, episode director for Violet Evergarden, Sound! Euphonium, and Key Animator on Silent Voice Yoshiji Kigami, and Futoshi Nishiya, the animation designer and character designer for Free!, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, and Sound Euphonium. Many of the current projects both on physical paper and on computers were completely engulfed in the flames, permanently destroyed.
Sentai Filmworks, an anime studio best known for shows such as No Game No Life, Haikyuu!!, and Food Wars, set up a GoFundMe appeal to support Kyoto Animation in any costs related to the fire. The initial goal was $750,000 USD and had raised over $1 million within the first 24 hours. By the end of the appeal, they had raised $2.3 million dollars. All the money, aside from credit card fees needed to transfer, was sent directly to Kyoto Animation.
Last Year's Return To Anime
2021 marked Kyoto's return to anime in the best way possible. The studio's first series after recovering from the fire nearly two years before was the second season of the slice-of-life fantasy satire series Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Although there was minor controversy with one of the characters, it actually received a higher rating than the original first season. Their next project is a second season for Tsurune, an anime about an archery club. To top it all off, recently Kyoto Animation announced a third season to their popular series Hibike Euphonium!. It seems as if Kyoto Animation is returning to its slice-of-life throne once again, and we couldn't be any happier.