Kyoto Animation still deserves respect—but not unconditional trust.

After the fire, the industry and audiences indeed gave them a very special protective layer: everyone was willing to wait, forgive slow production, support their recovery, and attribute many issues to “they’ve been through so much.” That was only human, and they deserved it.

But the problem is that sympathy must not become a free pass for creative decisions.

If a company, having endured a catastrophic disaster, is shielded from criticism of its planning, its adaptation ethics, or its commercial direction, that’s dangerous. Kyoto Animation certainly deserves respect, but that doesn’t make every adaptation inherently right. They may have grown too accustomed to being trusted.

Kyoto Animation’s track record was formidable. It succeeded with bold reimaginings of K-On!, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Free!, and Violet Evergarden.

So internally, a habit may have taken root: the source material is just raw material. We at Kyoto Animation can turn it into something better.

That confidence was once a sign of strength, but when planning and judgment weaken, it becomes arrogance.

The most sickening thing about Denki Mokuroku is precisely this: it’s not that they can’t adapt—it’s that they do so with unbearable arrogance. They’re saying: Your Meiji Kyoto isn’t marketable enough. Your real historical atmosphere isn’t anime enough. We’ll add steampunk, a parallel world, zaibatsu chases, and “Eureka Evrika.” That’s what will make it look like a new Kyoto Animation production.

For the original author, it’s absurd. Especially since the source material is from KA Esuma Bunko—something Kyoto Animation itself discovered, published, and pledged to animate. In the end, they don’t even trust their own imprint’s work, only borrowing the title and character shells to redo everything. If that’s the case, why call it an adaptation?

Still, I wouldn’t say “they’ll get their comeuppance.” A more practical reckoning is already underway: sales and word of mouth will gradually strip away the rose-tinted glasses.

CITY moving just over 500 units on disc—that’s the market talking.

The first episode of Denki Mokuroku may look stunning, but if the story can’t hold up, the controversy over the original work will backfire. Audiences still sympathize with Kyoto Animation, but the once-unshakable belief that “a Kyoto Animation production is always a masterpiece” is no longer as solid.