User blog:Luxartisan/The future of Kyoani

In checking the Kyoani website today, I noticed that the Violet Evergarden movie is still listed as slated for release in January 2020, but the Free! project is removed. What this likely means is that the 2020 Free! project won't emerge until 2021 or later. I can't imagine it not being produced at all, but I'll feel better when there's confirmation of its continued existence. There is hope for it insofar that Kyoani is moving forward in any way, although an animation studio's financial health overall is always in question, especially if there are lawsuits. The Japanese aren't as litigious as Americans, but this horrible crime is bound to take a toll on them. It's terrible to think this way, but big studios have gone under for less and while sympathy and contributions are high now, people tend to forget quickly and move on while the bills for rebuilding and salvaging continue. There are people already saying the fandom is dead, which isn't true, but if no new media is produced, fandom dwindles. In a way, our contribution to the fandom becomes critical in helping them remember and maintain their faith in the series and its future. It's a bit weird thinking of oneself/ourselves as torchbearers, but, frankly, at this point in time, I beleive that we are. I close this extended entry with a statement of hope that Kyoani endures and the Free! 2020 project, along with the other less prominent projects they had in the works, are put back into production. It may take time, but time is the great healer and the great teacher. I will continue to contribute quality information to this wiki in the firm belief that the Free! series will continue as a mainstay in the Kyoani catalogue still to be continued in the hearts and minds of its millions of fans. As CC recently pointed out, many editors fail to realize the impact of a wiki on a fandom. There are far more readers than editors and while we, as editors, may never interact with our readers, they are there taking in every bit of information we provide.

We will carry on as Kyoani rebuilds. Some will say that thinking about the series at this time is inappropriate, but I believe that hope and support for something is different than complaining. It honors the work of those who created it and would want to see its promise fulfilled. We do so and cannot do otherwise.

Angelle 12:22, July 28, 2019 (UTC)