In the competitive world of anime, achieving fame is the dream of many creators, but for some, this fame can turn into a nightmare. Legendary director Kunihiko Ikugara has faced a campaign of harassment and a lawsuit accusing him of plagiarism in his work on “Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon” and “Revolutionary Girl Utena“. With the end of the lawsuit, Ikugara can now breathe a sigh of relief, as the victory in court and the end of the harassment campaign have put an end to this difficult situation.
The incident was triggered in April of last year, when
Ikugara received messages from a stalker who claimed that the director had
stolen his work. Given this, Ikugara clarified that he was not the one
case, since the woman's art was nothing like hers. However, this led to
the director becoming the target of a harassment campaign.
Forming a band with several voice actors he had worked
with over the years, Ikugara discovered that the woman was sending numerous
emails to Kunihiko's sponsors and clients, accusing him of being a
plagiarist. Despite the implementation of the lawsuit,
the woman continued to send emails to the sponsors even after the case was in
process.
Ikugara expressed his frustration, noting that the defendant
sought to harm his financial position. “It is natural for my sponsors and
clients to distance themselves from me because they think I have a problem. The
accused knows this very well. It's a cowardly move. There are people who act
because they have experienced success somewhere“.
In the end, Kunihiko Ikugara was awarded compensation of
1.21 million yen, around 8 thousand US dollars, for the false accusations and
targeted harassment. Although the harasser could face paying the fine,
it seems that her efforts to spread misinformation will persist.
Ikugara's lawyer, Takashi Hirano, initially considered
seeking a court order to stop the harassment, but is confident the verdict will
completely clear Ikugara's name. The director, commenting on the case after the
trial, stated: “I understand that almost all of our arguments have been
accepted, and I am satisfied with the ruling. The claim that it is plagiarism
is absurd; the lines do not overlap. It's hard to be creative when things like
this happen. The defendant knows that sponsors are essential to our work“.
Fuente: Bengoshi Blog
