I have to write the story. And then I imagine, 'Where do I start to begin to tell this narrative?' and that's usually the first chapter." He does not plan the story out in advance, claiming that it tells him where it wants to go, and that if the story does not keep surprising even him, then he can not continue making it. He also does not determine the page or panel layouts in advance. Having drawn manga for over five decades, he just follows his instincts, explaining "When I start to structure a story narratively, the question of tempo — developing a character moment-to-moment and then jumping to a two-page spread — how do you determine where that happens? It's like breathing to me — I know when it feels right." For most of his career, Urasawa has written two different series simultaneously. With one of them being a weekly serialization and the other having a semimonthly schedule, Urasawa had six deadlines a month and said the only time off he had was when sleeping or eating. Urasawa frequently collaborates with manga editor and author Takashi Nagasaki, to the point where Nagasaki has been called his "producer." The two met when Nagasaki was made Urasawa's editor upon his debut. Although the two continue to collaborate even after Nagasaki became freelance, they rarely socialize outside of work. Urasawa said that following the anime adaptation of Yawara!, he has requested that he be able to check the scripts for any adaptation of his works. Until 2018's ongoing Asadora!, none of Urasawa's manga had ever been legally available in digital formats. The author stated that he prefers physical books. However, his earlier works began receiving digital releases in 2022, limited to Japan. Music Urasawa is also a musician. He stated "A lot of artists really struggled to decide whether to become manga artists or rock musicians, so the two are intertwined, they're synonymous!" Urasawa started playing guitar in junior high school inspired by folk rock singer-songwriters Takuro Yoshida and Bob Dylan. Urasawa wrote and performed the song , which was released on a CD included in the 2002 first pressing of volume 11 of 20th Century Boys. He released the limited single on June 4, 2008, and his debut album on November 29, 2008. Both were produced by Koji Wakui, while the album features Hiroyuki Namba and other musicians. A single featuring