On the process of how the film came about, Eric Khoo says, "Yoshihiro Tatsumi's works had never been adapted into a film before Tatsumi. Of course there was interest over the years, but nothing ever materialised. When I went to Japan to meet Mr Tatsumi, our first meeting was in the basement of an old coffee shop. It had been arranged for him to see my films beforehand, and I was pleased when he told me that he could relate to my films and their characters. But I think that what made him feel most comfortable with me was when I showed him that I could draw. I had illustrated how I envisaged the film. We spent over three hours together and he gave me his blessing to make the film."

Eric Khoo has had much success in the world of cinema and directed his first commercial film at the age of 29. Many of his films have been screened at various film festivals around the world. However, this is his first animated film and is entirely in the Japanese language. He told us that he first became interested in Japanese anime and manga as a young boy. "When I was a small boy I would watch Japanese cartoons on TV like Astro Boy and Speed Racer - I guess I was already hooked way back then. Japanese culture has had an influence on my work. I love the Japanese style and deep asthetics."

Regarding whether he would make more animated films in the future, Eric Khoo told us, "This will be my first and last. We are all very pleased with it including Yoshihiro Tatsumi, so I can smile!". However, he has mentioned that for him all Yoshihiro Tatsumi's stories are gems and that it was a pity he could not fit them all in. "If I ever do another animation feature, it will be with the stories of Mr Tatsumi that I could not fit into Tatsumi."