"I needed a character to tell a story. He is a reflection of me, though that was unintentional. Oowa loves to smile and thinks he's happy because he fits into the world and owns a lot of things that other people want. One day, he meets a little girl who does not know how to smile. He thinks that is strange and tries – and fails – to teach her how to smile with what he has learned in this world. But he doesn't know that the little girl is actually his true self; he doesn't know what he really needs. Eventually, he realizes that a true smile is to be found in his heart instead of the outside world."