Anime producer and the founder of Buta Production, Federico Antonio Russo, also known by his internet name FAR, has been accused of grooming a minor, following allegations made publicly by an artist known as Maryco on X (formerly, Twitter).
On Sunday (3/5), Maryco posted a 33-page document containing her chat messages with FAR. The chat message detailed her intimate interaction with FAR. At that time they first met, she was 14, while Russo was 23.
The two of them first met on Russo’s Discord server, which he operated while he was a VTuber. Their interactions reportedly moved from public conversations on the server to private messages, where the exchanges gradually became more intimate over time.
According to Maryco, who is currently 19 years old, she decided to speak publicly about this because she intended to raise awareness and prevent similar incidents from happening to others.
FAR is an Italian anime producer known for his involvement in titles such as Wonder Egg Priority, My Dress-Up Darling, and Bocchi the Rock!. Together with Blou, they established Buta Productions, a studio that primarily hires overseas freelance staff from all around the world to work on Japanese anime projects.
FAR himself already deactivated his X account after the allegation went public. While Blou already stated that he stands with the victim.
As of now, there has been no official public response from Buta Productions regarding the allegations.
The Indonesian Anime Times
