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Kadokawa CEO Comments on Kemono Friends Controversy

Kadokawa President and CEO Shinichiro Inoue commented on Twitter on Tuesday regarding director TATSUKI's announcement that he is no longer working on the Kemono Friends franchise's new anime project.

Inoue said that until now, he had been holding back from commenting in consideration of the fact that Kadokawa is only one of many investors in the anime's production committee. However, he said that he recognizes TATSUKI's achievements with regard to the anime.

He admitted that it was his mistake for having not fully grasped the situation regarding the controversy. He had met with Yaoyorozu, the studio that handled the production for the anime, two times the previous week. Inoue found that there was a large difference in opinion and viewpoint between the production committee and Yaoyorozu. In particular, the two groups have different views of TATSUKI's departure and the issue of copyright permission that Kadokawa brought up in the previous week.

Inoue stated that, after hearing the opinions of the production committee, Yaoyorozu, and TATSUKI, he has reached the heart of the matter. He has begun discussions with Yaoyorozu about the future, and he asks for understanding from fans of Kemono Friends.

TATSUKI reported on September 25 that, per a notification from publishing and production company Kadokawa, he is no longer working on the Kemono Friends project. Nobuo Kawakami, the president of Kadokawa's parent company Kadokawa Dwango, posted a response on September 26 that he was "worried" about the incident and that discussions are ongoing in both Kadokawa and Dwango. The Kemono Friends website posted a note on September 27 claiming that Yaoyorozu had produced works "without contacting or sharing information through the appropriate channels," and that Yaoyorozu had left after being unable to accept conditions of sharing information in advance.

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 Hachima Kikō]