A woman lays flowers in tribute to the victims of the Kyoto Animation fire, July 19, 2019. -
JIJI PRESS / AFP
In the summer of 2019, the much appreciated japanime studio Kyoto Animation (
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
,
Violet Evergarden
) was the victim of an arson, with 36 dead and 33 injured.
The alleged perpetrator has just been charged, local media report.
Shinji Aoba, 42, has been charged with, among other things, murder, attempted murder and arson.
A mobile still unclear
Badly burned himself in the fire, Shinji Aoba had to be hospitalized and his formal arrest by the police only took place last May.
His injuries were almost fatal, and he had to undergo several skin transplants, one of his doctors recently told the regional newspaper
Kyoto Shimbun
.
He also did not regain the use of his voice until after a surgical operation.
The accused admitted at the time of his arrest the facts with which he is accused, explaining to the police that he wanted "to be able to kill a lot of people by using gasoline", then reported Japanese media.
His mobile remains unclear.
Shinji Aoba had no known connection with the Kyoto Animation studio, nicknamed KyoAni, but criticized him for stealing an idea for a screenplay, according to media reports.
The man had already received a sentence of more than three years in prison for having committed a theft in a convenience store in 2012. After carrying out a psychiatric assessment, prosecutors concluded that he was "mentally fit" to respond of the crimes he is accused of, the public broadcaster NHK reported.
Strong emotions in Japan and abroad
The KyoAni tragedy had a huge impact in Japan and abroad.
The studio had many young employees, especially women.
These young professionals carried “the Japanese animation industry on their shoulders.
Japanese gems have been lost, ”said company president Hideaki Hatta.
The parents of several of the victims told Japanese media on Wednesday that Shinji Aoba's indictment did not soften their sentence.
Founded in 1981, KyoAni, renowned for its quality, has produced cartoons often inspired by manga, including
Munto
,
Lucky Star
,
La Mélancolie de Haruhi Suzumiya
and
K-ON!
.
The animated film
Violet Evergarden
, which was in production at the time of the fire, ended up in Japanese theaters last September, after several postponements.
KyoAni was renowned for the refinement of its production and attached to its location in the former imperial capital of Japan, Kyoto, while most of the Japanese animation studios are based in Tokyo.
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