Amin Abbas

DUBAI: Japanese anime director Hiroyuki Horiuchi told Arab News Japan about his inspiration for works such as Detective Conan, Dr. Stone, Naruto Shippuden, Yowamushi Pedal & Lupin III.

In an exclusive interview Horiuchi shared his inspiration for anime, saying: “My inspiration was the first Astro Boy anime (1963). As for my favorite anime, that would be Galaxy Express 999 and AKIRA.”

Horiuchi said he started his career in 1981, where he wanted a job that involved a lot of drawing.

“My first work was helping animating the new Astro Boy ‘New Mighty Atom ‘(1980),” he added.

The Japanese director faced a lot of challenges throughout his career as he is colorblind. “I had trouble telling apart the colors of colored pencils.”

Horiuchi said he currently has many projects he is working on, with the latest being Boruto.

He advised anyone interested in the industry to make sure “to secure an environment where you can communicate with people and have them teach you things.”

“Also, be sure to learn the basics like techniques and common practices early on because then you’ll be able to apply them and go from there,” he added.