KILLER BLAZE STRIKES AT PILLAR OF ANIME INDUSTRY

Kyoto studio known for hiring women, emphasis on full-time rather than freelance employment

It took Japanese company Kyoto Animation almost 40 years to establish itself as one of the leading production studios in the anime industry.

But within hours on Thursday, an arson attack at its Kyoto studio had killed dozens of the company's employees and destroyed much of the materials for past and current projects.