"Now an animation veteran, with 17 years in the business, Masaaki Yuasa still looks young enough, acts deferential enough and dresses down enough to be mistaken for a rank-and-filer. Instead, he is a rising industry star hailed for his work on the 'Crayon Shinchan' franchise, the nearest Japanese animation has come to 'The Simpsons,' and his directorial debut, 'Mind Game,' which is to most Japanese feature animation what extreme skiing is to a schuss down a bunny slope," Mark Schilling interviews the director for The Japan Times.