The official X/Twitter account for the Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start With Magical Tools anime and the official website for the Hokkaido-based anime studio EKACHI EPILKA have both released statements, after the 38 North website posted a report on Monday claiming that North Korean animators worked on Dahlia in Bloom and an unnamed work at EKACHI EPILKA.
The report stated that Roy found files on the server related to both the Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start With Magical Tools anime and an unnamed work at EKACHI EPILKA.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned the studio in 2016 as a North Korean state-owned enterprise.
The files for EKACHI EPILKA featured the name “Neko” (Cat).