Anpanman

One of my biggest inspirations and influences are the stories from Anpanman by Takashi Yanase. I was 11 or so and my dad bought me an English translation collection of Anpanman comics and I remember I couldn't put it down. The art was so simple and colorful and the stories were childish, but it was awesome to me.

If you're not familiar with Anpanman, its an extremely popular Japanese comic for children. The main character, Anpanman, has a head that is basically a red-bean filled pastry. Anpanman's creator, Uncle Jam will often replace his head when it becomes damaged when fighting his arch nemesis, Baikinman, a germ. Weird enough? Gotta check it out, its great. Below are paintings that can be found at Anpanman World in Yokohama, Japan.

-GH