//=time() ?>
“Yasuho Hirose's skirt is so much fun to draw that I don't want anyone else to do it, but whenever I draw it, I always wonder if she can sit down right with that fuzzy flower-patterned skirt. Is Yasuho going to be alright? I’m a bit worried about her.”
— Araki, JJL VOL5
“As I've been writing Steel Ball Run, I'm beginning to notice a common thread between the characters: namely, that they want to go home. Or rather, they're looking for places to go home to and meanings for their going home.”
— Araki, SBR VOL18
Q: The characters drawn by Araki-sensei are all somehow sad.
Araki: There is no such thing as a happy character…. There aren't many joyful characters. I guess it wouldn't be interesting if they were.
I have [a calendar] of girls in bathing suits in my office. Every time a month passes, I have to flip the page to the next girl, and that somehow makes me feel incredibly sad. I feel like I'm saying, "Farewell, September girl. I'll never see you again..."
— Araki