National borders have always been arbitrarily drawn by people, and in ancient times there was a lot of exchange of people and culture with the continent.
I wanted to have lots of characters in 'Bebop' without white skin, and if people weren't used to that, well, maybe it would even make them think a little bit about it.
When creating 'Cowboy Bebop,' I thought it would be more interesting if I added different types of elements together to create something that was completely new.
In 'Space Dandy,' I'm trying to challenge myself and do stuff I haven't done before. I'm aiming for a really funny, cool, and crazy creation.
With 'Space Dandy,' you've obviously got your image of the space and 80s music, and blending them together is how I created it.
I was influenced by American movies of the '60s and '70s, especially Don Siegel's 'Dirty Harry' and the films of Sam Peckinpah. And, of course, a lot of the film noir movies of the '40s.
