My work sometimes depicts themes related to "sex" and portrays people who are considered mentally unstable.

I choose to tackle these kinds of subjects in order to confront the human heart and depict its fluctuations.

While I depict stories about "romance" and "sexual relationships," this is not everything I want to express.

I believe that lumping people together with terms like "mentally ill" or "complicated" impoverishes our interpretation of stories, the characters in them, and real-life people who have similar problems.

In the real world, we have to somehow keep living, even with emotional wounds.

Not everyone is able to honestly confront their emotional wounds, nor are they able to receive appropriate care and walk the right path to recovery.

During the recovery process, you may become aggressive, dependent, or even go down the wrong path.

I want to portray the hearts of those kinds of people.

Because by depicting the hearts of people who are considered "difficult to understand," there may be someone who finds solace in it.

I certainly don't intend to criticize, exaggerate things as "jokes," or depict them as mere plot devices to drive the story forward.

They are depicted as people who exist as a matter of course, even if they seem invisible.

Furthermore, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from connecting my personal experiences or personality with the works or characters in your discussions.

For many years, I have suffered from personal attacks and sexual harassment directed at me and the characters in my works by some individuals.

Given the subject matter I deal with, I've tolerated it as something unavoidable, but as a writer, I've never condoned such treatment, and I have no intention of accepting it in the future.

I create my artwork with the hope that it will help people empathize with others' feelings or give them something to think about.

I want to deliver my work to the people who truly need it.

I hope you will understand and enjoy the work.

Hikari Azuma