Just because I haven’t seen nearly as much on Tumblr as I have on Twitter, here’s a lil post. Likely repeats the same info as many other posts.
This is a long post. To skip on your dash, hit the “J” key.
But today (started during the day July 18, 2019 Japan time), the Kyoto Animation studio was the victim of arson. This isn’t just a tremendously heart-breaking situation for the anime community; it’s also the largest domestic terrorism incident in post-war Japanese history. 33 people died.
UPDATE: 34 people have passed away.
There’s plenty of more detailed articles and it’s a story still being covered, but here’s one short article on NHK world.
Another article on the Guardian.
As of making this post, this was still all very recent, and there will likely be more updates in the future.
>> UPDATE: KyoAni has announced that survivors from the fire returned to work on July 24, 2019. 34 people total passed away (source).
Fans around the world want to help, and as of making this post, there have been several suggestions going around. PLEASE NOTE, that until KyoAni makes a statement themselves, none of these are confirmed to be the best ways to send them support, especially financially, and you should take this into consideration.
1. Donate to the GoFundMe
Organized by Sentai Filmworks, an American licensing company that has worked with KyoAni. They’ve already collected considerable donations.
＊＊＊ UPDATE REGARDING THE GO FUND ME: KyoAni’s lawyer is in contact with Sentai Filmworks, and has confirmed that they will be working together to make sure the funds go to the right places. THIS IS NOW A CONFIRMED SAFE PLACE TO DONATE (source).
>> If you’d like to donate to the GoFundMe, LINK HERE <<
2. Buy digital merchandise from the KyoAni online store
KyoAni has an online store that sells digital images for 216 yen (approx $2 USD) each. Because the files are digital and the download is automated, it shouldn’t burden employees directly, and the money should go directly to the company.
The website is in Japanese, but here are some handy tutorials made by English-speaking twitter users that walk you through it:
By twitter user mimiko_kupo
By twitter user zetsubouzhainu
＊ While this currently seems like a really good way to financially support the company directly without going through third parties (and hey you get pretty high res anime images too), there hasn’t been an official PR stating that this will guarantee your money will go to those affected.
＊ Update: A heads up that only original creations completely owned by KyoAni will have all the profits go to them. Other works that are collaborations or based off of pre-existing works will likely split profits. Recommended works are Free!, Violet Evergarden, and Tsurune (credit).
>> If you’d like to purchase digital files, LINK HERE <<
3. Share Your Message of Support With Kyoto Animation through Crunchyroll
Especially great for those who don’t have money to send or want to wait before supporting financially, Crunchyroll recently opened up a form for fans to send messages of support. You can even send in fanart/photos etc.
Because it’s Crunchyroll, I feel it’s highly likely that they WILL send these to KyoAni when they’re in a situation where they can accept them, and there’s no risk to doing this since money isn’t involved. In situations like these, thoughts really do count.
>> Link to the form HERE <<
UPDATE: 4. Donate at Animate (within Japan only)
Animate, a major anime merch chain company in Japan, just announced that donation boxes to support KyoAni will be placed in stores nationwide starting July 19th, 2019 (currently no end date).
If you happen to be in Japan, adding a donation while shopping for your anime merch might be an option! This should be an incredibly reliable place to donate to.
＊ I’m aware Animate has several international stores as well, but currently there’s no information whether donation boxes will be available there or not. They do not appear to currently be taking donations online.
UPDATE: 5. Kyoto Animation Officially Starts Accepting Direct Donations
Kyoto Animation has formally opened a bank account for supporters to send their donations directly. Donations are accepted through bank transfer. Their bank information:
BANK NAME : THE KYOTO SHINKIN BANK
SWIFT : KYSBJPJZ
BRANCH NAME : MINAMI MOMOYAMA BRANCH
BRANCH NUMBER : 048
ADDRESS : 16-50, YOSAI, MOMOYAMA-CHO, HUSHIMI-KU, KYOTO-SHI, KYOTO-HU, 612-8016 , JAPAN
ACCOUNT NUMBER : 0002890
ACCOUNT HOLDER : KYOTO ANIMATION CO.,LTD., REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTOR, HATTA HIDEAKI
＊ Please read the Crunchyroll article for full details
＊ Also PLEASE NOTE, while this is the most direct way to send KyoAni your support, if you have an international (non-Japanese) bank, you will be charged a significant transfer fee. It’s generally not recommended to send small amounts of money via direct bank transfer, as the charge will likely cost more than your donation (in which case, one of the above methods may be better, or alternatively, you can pool with friends to make one transfer, OR send the money to a friend with a Japanese bank, etc).
＊ Here’s an excellent twitter thread walking you through the process by twitter user @ crazynabe.
UPDATE: 6. Official KyoAni Yahoo! Net Fund + Other officially confirmed Japanese donation methods
From Crunchyroll’s article:
"Yahoo! Japan and JAniCA (Japanese Animation Creators Association) have worked together to set up a "Kyoto Animation Support Fund" through the Yahoo! Net Fund website. The page states that the money raised will be directly deposited into the account Kyoto Animation set up on July 24 and the money will be used for the victims' families and reconstruction efforts for the studio.
Yahoo! Net Fund accepts donations from overseas credit cards as well as T-Point cards, used in Japan to collect points on purchases at multiple locations throughout the country, including Yahoo! Auctions, Family Mart and entertainment chain Tsutaya. As of 6:30PM JST (Japan Standard Time), 648 people have donated through the website raising 684,745 yen ($6,300 USD). The website started collecting donations at 6:00PM JST.” (source)
Other currently officially endorsed donation methods, including Animate mentioned in method 4:
アニメイト「京都アニメーション様支援募金」
https://www.animate.co.jp/info/279024
Tポイント・ジャパン「【緊急募金】京都アニメーションへの義援金」
https://tsite.jp/donation/index.pl?xpg=PCTC0202&bokin_id=527
日本アニメーター・演出協会「Yahoo!ネット募金 京都アニメーション応援募金」
https://donation.yahoo.co.jp/detail/5234001
日本動画協会
https://aja.gr.jp/info/1436
(SOURCE: KyoAni’s official website)
＊ Will be updated as more information is added.
Other ways to support KyoAni is by watching their content through official means, and purchasing their merch and media. I highly recommend this, and a spike in viewership of their works can send its own message of support.
HOWEVER, please be aware that media licensed to view internationally often has even more split interests than within domestic Japan, and your viewership may not lead to too much direct financial support (although it’s better than not, and no harm in doing so). Also be careful/understanding of delays when purchasing anything physical directly from KyoAni, as their staff currently likely have other priorities.
And PLEASE, be respectful and keep KyoAni’s staff and their families in your thoughts first and foremost. There will likely be delays or possibly even cancellations to their anime, but please be understanding, and keep supporting them. Content can be made again at a later time. People have just lost their lives, and those living have experienced something unimaginable. They should be our priority.
Post made evening July 18, 2019, EST.
Post updated morning July 26, 2019, EST.
