Mitsuta, aged 70, is one of the creators of the Ultraman series, a science-fiction TV show that was a pioneer of the genre with its wildly imaginative mix of special effects with live action that brought to life hundreds of one-of-a-kind kaijus (monsters). Having produced and directed Ultraman for 44 years, Mitsuta still feels connected with his mentor, the late Eiji Tsuburaya, the father of tokusatsu (special-effects) entertainment who created the visuals for "Godzilla" in 1954 and produced Ultra Q, the predecessor of the Ultraman Series. Huge hits among children and adults for over four decades, the stories for the series depict overpowered humans fighting undefatigable monsters until the 40-meter tall outer-space hero Ultraman comes to save the day. The newest Ultraman movie, "Daikessen! Cho Urutora 8 Kyodai (Superior 8 Ultraman Brothers)" will hit Japanese theaters this September.

I have nothing to teach to anyone. All I know is that the key to a good life is to never lie to oneself, never do anything one doesn't feel like doing and never work for money. That sums up my life and so far, it has been a great one.

There is no need to make children's shows easy to understand. Just the opposite: If it's difficult, it gives the family a chance to gather around the TV set or go to the movies together. Ultraman is science fiction, so naturally it has many difficult concepts -- but we never tried to simplify it for kids. Instead, our goal was always to have the whole family sit together, watch it and then talk about it. Parents could explain things, and, frankly speaking, fathers who normally have no chance to shine in front of their kids had their chance to show they knew something other than how to put on their clothes and go to work. Ultraman is a hero: he made parents look cool and restored their dignity. Now most children's shows are made exclusively for kids, so the intellectual level is very low -- it seems even lower than the target audience's age.