After the terrible arson attack that claimed many lives in Kyoto Animation, the surviving workers have now returned to work.

Twenty seven of the thirty three injured employees have returned to work at the studio, a report from Kyoto-np confirms. The arsonist behind the attack remains in custody, has been making steps toward physical recovery – which will be followed by his swift trial.

Arson is a major crime in Japanese culture. Firefighters in Japan are seen as modern day heroes and are held to a higher standard. Some take these civil servants for granted, while in Japan, it’s seen as a rite of passage almost to either volunteer to be a firefighter or even be responsible for directing them where to go on a scene of one.

Japan’s infrastructure, at least in most metropolitan cities like Tokyo anyway, are made up of a bunch of small, compact villages almost where everyone is cramped together. A fire can be so devastating that many lives can be lost if someone starts a fire.

Here’s to hoping the staff can move past all this and continue doing what they love, which is making wonderful shows with deep and moving stories, cute characters, and overall high quality.