It's a secret, but when I decided to apply to 'Shonen Magazine,' it was already past the deadline, so I had no choice but to go with 'Shonen Jump.' My motivation for becoming a cartoonist was... to put it bluntly, the ¥100,000 prize money."

I don't remember the very first animation I saw, but the one that stays deepest in my memory is definitely 'Astro Boy.'

I have memories of reading comics when I was in primary school, but that's about it.

There have been times when I didn't quite make my deadline.

I have a real passion for food - I love to cook for my family and friends and relish any opportunity to entertain.

Parents shouldn't assume children are made out of sugar candy and will break and collapse instantly. Kids don't. We do.

We believe in liberty, we believe in limited government, we believe in free enterprise, we believe in family values and the sanctity of human life, and we all believe Washington needs a good dose of Economics 101.

My family has always supported me a thousand percent. My sister once sold her jewelry so I could pay for gas money to get up to New York for a show. And that's amazing. But you get too much of that, you start depending on it.