So it's the connection with the characters over a long period of time that you find appealing?

KA: That's it.

You mentioned in another interview that you don't speak English and you don't read English that much, but you tend to look at American comic books and the ones that strike you visually are the ones you're more likely to buy. But one of the common distinctions between Japanese and American comics is that American comics tend to be extremely word heavy. Do you feel that comics should tell the story more through images than in words?

KA: In comics, visuals come first. I think there are no borders for artwork. If the first impact isn't coming in through your eyes with the artwork, then even if it's a good story, no one will be able to read it. I still think art is the most important element in the comic field.

Do you feel that American comic books use more words than in manga?

KA: I still think so. Of course, because of the manga influence, I think some of the comics are becoming more visually oriented. The old "X-Men" depended more on following the dialogue than being led by the art, sort of like a board game. That's why I was shocked to see Mike Mignola's "Hellboy" and his "Legend of the Dark Knight." It was the first time I had seen an American comic book driven more by the images than the text.

If you hadn't become a manga artist, what do you think you would have become?

KA: I was an animator before I became a manga artist. If not an animator, I'd be just a normal businessman. And I'd never have had the chance to come to the United States.

If you had your choice to write any American comic book, what would you write?

KA: Any of them? I'd want to do an original title. As for now, I'd like to do "Batman" or "X-Men."

You were quoted saying you almost like American comic books and movies better than Japanese manga and movies. What is it about American comic books and movies that you like?

KA: Of course that doesn't mean I dislike Japanese manga. But one of the biggest reasons I like comics is that there are a lot of long established characters in American comics' history. People respect and adore the characters over decades and that's one thing that I really love and envy. The US itself has only just been established, around for less than three hundred years, but it's establishing its own history by themselves, they're making history by themselves. That's why their characters are so precious to them. In Japan we have over a thousand years of history and we have started getting lazy about it. The Japanese people just keep creating new characters and then throwing them away. The reason I like American movies is because they aren't afraid to entertain, even in serious films. There is no entertainment in Japanese cinema.

In the last three years, what do you think is the most entertaining American movie to come out?

KA: "Iron Giant." "Iron Giant" was a very nice movie. What I think makes American movies entertaining is that the filmmakers think about the audiences. In Japan, filmmakers just make films for themselves. That's why seeing Japanese movies isn't always an entertaining experience.

And similarly, you write manga for your audience and not necessarily for yourself.

KA: Writing for my fans comes back to me. So writing for my fans is writing for myself. If nobody's reading my work, I can't call myself a pro. When you have someone reading, then you can call yourself a pro.