Born in 1964, Fumihiko Sori joined Tokyo Broadcasting System, one of Japan's Big Four TV networks, in 1988. In 1996 he entered the film department of the University of Southern California and later assisted James Cameron with the VFX work for "Titanic." After returning to Japan he worked as a VFX supervisor on the TBS-produced films "Secret" (1999) and "Keizoku -- The Movie" (2000), as well as several TV dramas. In 2002 he made his directorial debut with "Ping Pong," an art-house hit. He is the creative producer on the new TBS-backed animation "Appleseed."

The "Appleseed" story came from a manga by Shirow Masamune that was later made into a TV show. Why that particular material?

The fact that it was created by Shirow Masamune is one reason. A film based on his manga "Ghost In the Shell" became an international hit about 10 years ago and made him famous worldwide.