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Kadokawa Dwango Head 'Worried' About Kemono Friends Director's Removal

Nobuo Kawakami, the president of Kadokawa Dwango – the parent company of the Japanese media company Kadokawa and the telecommunications company Dwango – posted a response on Tuesday to journalist Yō Mikami about Kemono Friends director TATSUKI's removal from the anime project on Monday. Kawakami said that he was "worried" about the entire incident, and saying that he recognized the personal effort that TATSUKI poured into the anime.

Kawakami further stated that discussions are ongoing in both Kadokawa and Dwango, but that he cannot yet say how the discussions will turn out, as he himself does not have a full grasp on the situation. In addition to heading the Kadokawa Dwango parent company, Kawakami is the chairperson of Dwango. Dwango is itself the parent company of Niwango, which runs the Niconico streaming service where Kemono Friends gained much of its popularity and viewers.

TATSUKI mentioned in his message on Monday that his removal was due to notification from Kadokawa.

Nexon's original Kemono Friends app game launched in early 2016 and ended service on December 14 — before the Kemono Friends anime even aired. The 12-episode television anime then premiered on TV Tokyo and TV Osaka on January 10 and ended on March 28. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired.

The anime received an unofficial "episode 12.1." Kemono Friends is also getting a new game, a new stage play, and a "new screen project" (separate from "episode 12.1"). An official guidebook for the anime confirmed in July that a second season is in the works but it "will take some time."

[Via Otakomu]