Kyoto Animation in Kyoto, Japan, burns after a suspected arson attack on Thursday. Photo: VCG

Chinese netizens were shocked by the tragic news that a suspected arson attack had left Japan's Kyoto Animation in flames on Thursday. According to reports, at least 33 people died in the blaze and a suspect has been detained.

Fans began showing their love for the studio by posting photos of their favorite animated works made by the studio.

The hashtag "Fire at Kyoto Animation" has reached 320 million views on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo as of Thursday afternoon.

Many Chinese netizens are calling the disaster at the studio a "9/11 attack" on animation.

"The fire at Kyoto Animation is the darkest day in the history of animation. The studio is one of the best companies because its high quality works have always relied on their brilliant animation team, but now I cannot see their excellent works anymore," a netizen commented on Sina Weibo. 

"It is sad to hear this bad news in the afternoon, and I want to pay my condolence to the victims. I have watched Haruhi Suzumiya and K-On, which are high qualified shows produced by the studio," Shi Wenxue, a film critic living in Beijing, told the Global Times.

"This does not only impact the animation industry. This is a terrorist attack which will depress the entire society. With Kyoto Animation being the leading company in the Japanese animation industry, and even the leader in the world of two-dimensional animation, the impact of this disaster will spread further than the public can imagine," another netizen posted on Sina Weibo.