The upcoming short anime adaptation of Sakura Kurihara’s yuri manga Let Me Fix You (Kimi o Tsumugu) has been delayed following grooming allegations involving Federico Antonio Russo, also known as FAR, co-founder and co-producer of Europe-based studio Buta Productions.
According to Anime News Network, an X user named Maryco (@Maryco02_) posted allegations on Saturday claiming FAR began grooming her when she was 14 and he was 23. Maryco, now 19, also shared a document containing alleged details of their interactions and alleged chat records.
This quickly affected the anime project, which had only recently been announced. German publisher Dokico revealed on April 4 that it was working with Buta Productions on the short anime, which was originally planned to stream on YouTube in late May. FAR had been listed as animation producer.
Anime team says it only learned of the allegations recently
The official Let Me Fix You anime account posted on Sunday that the team had only found out about the accusations a few hours earlier. The staff said they were distancing themselves from the alleged behaviour and expressed sympathy for the victim.
The post also said the wider animation team was not aware of the alleged situation involving FAR. Because time, money, and effort had already gone into the project, the team said it needed time to discuss whether and how the anime could continue without Buta Productions and FAR.
A day later, original manga creator Sakura Kurihara said on X that the anime would be slightly delayed. Kurihara also thanked the team for trying to continue the adaptation instead of cancelling it outright. The anime’s official account reposted Kurihara’s message, but did not issue a separate formal update at that time.
Dokico says FAR and Buta Productions are out
ANN contacted both Dokico and Buta Productions. Dokico confirmed that Buta Productions and FAR are no longer involved in the Let Me Fix You anime. Dokico said it remains attached to the project and will handle planning and communication between the parties involved.
The publisher added that it needs more time before giving a proper update on the anime’s future, and will announce more once the production side has decided how to move forward.
Buta Productions also responded to ANN in a first-person email that was initially unsigned. The reply said the anime was still in production and that “I will be involved as less as possible.” The same response also said the company would “stop existing” after the incident, and described the allegations as defamatory while saying a legal team was reviewing possible action.
ANN later updated its report to say FAR confirmed he was the person who replied to that email.
Former Buta staff reorganise as Ponbleu
Another update came from Ponbleu, a group that says it represents former Buta Productions staff. Ponbleu stated that former staff members had separated from Buta Productions and reorganised without FAR’s involvement. The group described itself as an informal entity working to fulfil previous client obligations, but said there were no new updates on announced projects.
Buta Productions’ website has since been changed to display “Website under construction.”
For Malaysian and SEA anime fans, the immediate impact is simple: Let Me Fix You will not arrive on its original late-May YouTube schedule. That matters because YouTube releases are usually the easiest way for regional viewers to access short anime without waiting on platform licensing or local availability.
The wider industry angle is also worth watching. Buta Productions previously worked as a subcontractor on major anime titles including The One Piece, Bocchi the Rock!, Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray, The Summer Hikaru Died, Clevatess, and more. So while Let Me Fix You is a smaller short-form project, the studio’s credits touch shows that plenty of SEA fans already follow closely.
For now, the anime is delayed rather than cancelled. Dokico is still involved, Kurihara has acknowledged the delay, and the production team appears to be exploring a path forward without FAR and Buta Productions.
Source: Anime News Network