"The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese" Original: Setona Mizushiro x Director: Isao Yukisada Creator Talk [Director's Interview Vol.76]

Weakness and stupidity are what make us human.

Q: Not only this work, but I feel that Mr. Mizushiro and director Yukisada's works have a ``human touch mixed with clear and cloudy''. Is this an important theme for both of you?

Mizushiro: Even if you think that someone is a nice person from your first impression, once you get to know them, you'll definitely start to see that they're not so nice. If you depict that side in a manga, people tend to think you're a trash character, but if you say that, you're a trash character too! That's what I'm talking about (laughs).

That's why I take everything in and draw it while thinking, ``That's just how people are.'' The beautiful side is part of the person, and the ego and dirty parts are also part of the person. If you don't portray that properly, the story won't be meaningful to the reader.

Yukisada: It's interesting to see how stupid people are, and it's very reassuring. I believe that life is an accumulation of foolishness. Make mistakes, overcome them, and somehow survive. That's why I want to affirm stupidity as much as possible in movies.

I think the moment when a ray of light shines through your foolishness, you feel so refreshed that everything you've ever done is erased. Through that small miracle, people can feel happy and live again.

For example, you may have called hundreds of times without getting through, and after you've been worrying about something like, "You're ignoring me..." the person on the other end might say, "Sorry, the phone was out of battery." It's funny and stupid, but I think these small moments of happiness can be turned into movies, and I feel like they're the most universal.

Mizushiro: After all, when you see their weaknesses and foolishness, you realize that they are not just symbolic characters, but ``human beings.''

Characters speak on their own in my head