"I consider my anime as if they were children who, once grown up, are free to take their own path and personally I do not want to intrude in their lives. No father should snoop in the affairs of their children."

“You don’t want to be imitating his style. You’ve got to create something different, something that he hasn’t done.”

“It’s the situations that these distant relationships create that interest me more than the distance itself.”

“I think animation can tell more than live action.”

“Your Names success told me movies still have the power to connect with society. As a medium, it still has a power that resonates.”

“But I do want to trigger emotions like his movies triggered our emotions.”

“I think most directors and people who make anime would agree that their latest film is probably the one they feel the most confident in, that they have done their best and put everything into.”