I have three assistants, but there isn't a head assistant. All the important drawings I do myself. Every single character is also done by me.
The message is that if you believe in what you create, it's enjoyable and people will follow. The talented mangaka should know that; otherwise, no one would read or enjoy it. So believe in yourself. Believing in yourself is important.
In Japan there is a lot of manga, but around manga there are video games, manga on cellphones, manga in card games... so people not only enjoy manga but also the products around it.
All the important drawings I do myself. Every single character is also done by me.
I've always wanted to be a manga-ka, so I'm doing what I love.
The hardest thing about being a manga-ka is that it's a weekly thing.
If I want to draw more in a particular scene that I think is important, because of time I cannot. That's hard for me. But I've always wanted to be a manga-ka, so I'm doing what I love.
In Japan, artists and fans are rather far apart from each other.
When I draw the scene that I'd been dreaming about or had always wanted to draw, that is the time that I'm happiest.
For me, life and death are very important themes. There is no life without death. That's why it's very important to me.
