I would recommend 'Lesson Of The Evil' to be given as a DVD gift on a child's 15th birthday. In Japan, children under 15 are not allowed to watch it. Plus, 'Lesson Of The Evil' is one film where the older you get, the more you will be able to understand and enjoy the film.

Regarding the responsibility that a director has to society, first of all, there are ratings. There's freedom to make films, and freedom to watch them or not. It's not like I take those films to a school and force kids to watch them.

You know when I was a high school student I wasn't a very good student. Upon graduation we were asked if we would become a full working adult or go to university. I decided to go to film school and still to this day I try to avoid being a full working adult.

Live life before making movies, because you cannot make films about life, without having lived one.

It wasn't really my intention to make movies quickly - it's more to do with the reality of the Japanese film industry. That's been the only way for me to change my situation; to prove how little time you need to make a good film.

Where there is love, there is a possibility of violence but it's not that love is connected to violence but there's a possibility.

Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.

Artists live in unknown spaces and give themselves over to following something unknown.

Pop Art looks out into the world. It doesn't look like a painting of something, it looks like the thing itself.

I think your ego gets in the way of making something good because it kind of blinds you from the actual art.

Art is something to be proud of. Art is no compromise.

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.