Kyoto Shimbun is now reporting that Aoba has indicated the specific scene that he feels was copied from his novel, with the arsonist saying “The thing Kyoto Animation copied from me was the scene in Tsurune where the main characters buy discounted meat.”
Incredibly brief Tsurune meat-shopping scene aired exactly eight months before arson attack.
During the arson investigation, it came to light that Aoba felt Kyoto Animation had stolen his work for use in its Tsurune TV anime, which premiered in 2018 (and is itself an adaptation of a novel series by author Kotoko Ayano).
Though Kyoto Animation confirmed that it had received a submission from Aoba, the company added that it was removed from awards consideration after the first round of judges’ evaluations, and that it had “no similarity to any Kyoto Animation works.”