I think Japanese people were able to make something quite interesting when they were unconcerned about the originator.

Isao Takahata

The anime director says that Japanese culture has developed a lot of emergence using the limit against it when trying to imitate the "head family" of China and the West, and finding it impossible to do it. For example, as he created a unique framing method in manga and was successful in providing dynamic expression, I wish we could such emergence also in diplomacy. From a talk with critic, Shuichi Kato in "Japan, Its Mind And Form."

"January 16  2019

from “Oriori no Kotoba” by Kiyokazu Washida, The Asahi Shimbun"