Transcripts
1. The Most Important Thing in Manga: What is most important to create a story? I've ever been told, decides the theme first by someone. What they might say. You have to think about the most appropriate story to express the theme. Maybe a thing is important. The story is, of course important. But they're not the most important thing in Japanese manga. So what is the most important in Japanese manga? Hi there. I'm now Mathematica manga artist based in Kyoto. The central manga education in Japan. I worked as a manga artist for over 20 years, taught seven years in the manga department at the University of the art. And served for three years as a member of the selection committee for the Japan Media Arts Festival organised by the Japanese agency for cultural affairs. Do you want to create a story but he like, you can't do it well. This glass is right for you. My method is not only useful for creating manga stories, but also for writing short stories and scripts. Furthermore, illustrating. Now my earlier Christians. What is the most important in Japanese manga. He has diaries, the characters. In fact, many of Japan's top professional manga disk put the highest priority on characters. So this video aims to help you better understand your characters and create better lines. That's the first step towards creating a story that grabs the readers hot. To do so. You will hear out this sheet that I used in my university class. Think and create your characters from the inside. However, this is not an easy task for beginners. So we start with analyzing graph alone, Pokemon and narrow TO as flux disease. And then try your own original. Watch my videos to the end. Understand them. And here, this, your characters will be more attractive. In the next video, I will explain why characters. Okay, let's get started.
2. Why Character?: Why are characters the most important thing in Japanese manga? Themes or stories? Before I explain that, imagine first. Next Sunday, the World Championship solver carta were held in your neighboring city. Carta is a game that has been played in Japan for more than 400 is, but it's not famous in the world. Admission is free. You are free that they do you wanna watch it? The World Championships? Probably you will not. Then while if your best friend participated in this tournament, they didn't tell you because Carlota is not popular in your country. But your best friend has actually trained for years and is now up representative of your city. And the opponent is last year's words, champions. Do you want to watch it? Yes, you're right. But why? What's the difference? In fact, this is a secret of a story that attracts read us. And the reason characters are more important than themes and stories in manga. I will explain it in more detail. Why vision not want to go at first and then change your mind later. The main reason is that your best friend is participating in otherwise, you decide whether or not to go to the tournament based on whether or not your friend would participate, not on how interested tournament was. Let me put this in the context of a story. It means that with our not, people start reading a certain story. Depends more on whether the characters are their friends than the theme or the interest of a story. I'm not saying that themes and stories are useless. No, they are both important. I'm just saying that in manga, The most important thing is the characters. Okay? Now though, not all read us live next door to you. So you can't make their friends into characters. Then what do you do? You have to tell the reader exactly what the character is in detail so that they can feel the characters as a real friend. That way, the readers will understand the characters and feel familiar with them. In order to do so, you, the author, has to know the character well first, the easiest way is to make your say of the protagonist. Because you know yourself best. That was my first glass. But in most fictional stories, the protagonist is not the authors themselves. That's why you need this. The characters resume. There are three advantages to using this resume. Firstly, you can understand the fictional character you created deeply. It turns your character from a stranger to an actual friend that attract read us. Secondly, it makes storytelling easier. It is difficult to tell the story of stranger, but it's easy to tell the story of your aperture friend. The same goes for drawing the aspirations. It is difficult to draw a stranger, but it's easy to draw your actual friend, isn't it? And finally, it easier to make your characters behave consistently. You might think, I know my character where enough already, I can't wait to write the story. You may be right, but they're the trap. When you understand it only in your head. It often makes the character do things that they wouldn't normally do. For example, makes them too weak when they were supposed to be strong, or makes them suddenly brave when they were supposed to be weak. To avoid fat. Right down the details about your characters on its resume. And it check it by saying, I want them to do this, but with this character really do that in each scene. That's why the resume is useful. In the next video, I'm going to explain what to write on this resume.
3. What to Write on the RESUME: Now, print this paper forest. Click the Resources tab here and downloaded. If you don't have a printer, no program, you can handwrite on any piece of paper you have. This is your characters resume. You may have written some to enter school or to get a job. This is a little bit different from common ones. The purpose of this resume is to consider the psychological characteristics of your protagonist so that you can understand them as deeply as our real life friends. And at the same time, create an outline of the story as seen by them. Manga is free. So you can start thinking from anywhere. How ever I have arranged the items in the orders that's most OVS for beginners to understand. So I recommend you to think about in that order. Take a look at this resume. I will explain each item in order. First, consider the age of your character and their job or status. Is your main character ten years old or 30? Are they ninja, scientists or high-school student? It depends on what story you want to create. So it doesn't matter how old they are or what kind of job they have. It is fine what ever you want. But if you don't have a strong preference, sit them the same as the readers Aubio aiming. Read us are more interested in a person who is close to them in age, work, in status. On the other hand, it is also used to make it completely different from your readers. If you see someone who is doing something different and interesting, you want to know them better. You know, the interesting thing is important. For example, it will be interesting to see an 18 year old high school. Foo is a superhero by night, but wife, he works in a nursing home at night. I don't like to read it. Young readers may not be very interest, right? Joe, main characters weaknesses here. This is actually one of the major differences between American comics in Japanese manga. So I will explain it to you. American comics heroes, in my estimation, are probably considered based on the strings. Superman, Batman, Spiderman. They are all characterized by their own strings. In contrast, Japanese manga, while the strings are important, they focus more on the weaknesses. Many of them are initially weak in less capable, such as Naruto, one-piece dry Moon and poking. The reason for this is that in American comics, the main character is described as the readers idea. In contrast, in Japanese manga, they're described in such a way that the reader can empathize with them as if the reader feels he is me. For that, the protagonist must have the same weaknesses as the reader. Now, I'm gonna ask you to think about the weaknesses. But if you want to draw a superhero, is my approach useless? No, that's not true. It's important for them because a character is deeper if he has obvious weaknesses. For example, kryptonite in Superman is a good one. In many cases. Japanese shown in manga, protagonists are small and pull up studying or sport, but your character doesn't have to be the same as them. So write it however you want. It can be either a physical or mental weakness. If you like a funny one. They are no much for their Too much education minded mother, or really tight with money, never forget even lending $8. It would be nice to. The character strings are, of course, one of the most important attractions, but the weaknesses doubles, they're up here. Here. Write your protagonist. Purpose describes their goal for this story in detail. For example, protecting something valuable from the bad guys. It could be a substance, a person, or culture, or something spiritual. Become someone such as an expert in the field or a billionaire, create something such as a best company in the world, a great sports team, or a piece for country with no conflict.
4. Values, Strengths, Name: In this section, right? There values be specific. What things so people the character thinks are important. For example, it could be a grandfathers cane, or a relationship with friends or money. Also, it could be working hard or inner peace. In the case of a superhero protecting humanity. I like that. It's a villain. Humanity, extermination. Move, be nice. Then, right there, strings here. You can tend it as much as you want later to try to write it down anyway, OK. Why should you be specific? For two reasons. First, it's hard to figure out your character has exactly just by writing strong or gentle without any specifics. And if the author doesn't understand it exactly, the reader will never understand it. It is good. The hardest fiber in his group, the hardest fighter in the country, or the one who would help anyone at any time give one's life for friends. That's great. I love that. Write specific enough that others can understand it easily. Second, your understanding of the character deepens and mix. It, designed more distinctive. I mean, they might not have to be so big if they are the strongest in their group. But if the strongest in the country should have a big body and great muscles, right? Conversely, it might be interesting that the one who is small and has no muscle is the strongest in the country. It's irrationality we make the reader wants to read the story to find out why. Or you might ask yourself this question like, if they're the strongest in the country, they should have something to prove it. So how about wearing a jacket that's only given to the arena of autonomy? Known that 0V too much of winners bracelet. It would be nice where we, nowadays, someone could make a fake one with a 3D printer. And then the people who claim the aria will pop up all over the place. And it will be hard to tell who's rear and they will be quite all over the place. Like this. The deeper understanding of the character affects not just the design, but stories. That's how important it is to be specific in your writing. If they're strings is the strongest in the world. And we can know much for his Too much education minded mother, it may goes like, Don't you ever do anything bad again, you bastard. Mike. Is R two on what I'm doing here. Have you finished your homework? Well, why do you? No, no, not yet. But I do it as soon as I get home. If he is a character really tight with money, don't you ever do anything? But again, you busted, hey, Jenny York. Aha, good. By the way, that dollar I lent you is due to the therapy. But now they think within genetic better than just the strong, perfect superhero. Next, it's time to decide on a name for them. You might think that the name doesn't matter since this is a fictional story. But many professional manga I've met recommends that you decide on a name before you start writing your story. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, if the main character wasn't named, it's hard to feel reality in them and it's difficult for the author to dig into their personality. Secondly, because the name can lead to the characters inner and outer characteristics. For example, myco Honda for Japanese American character, bloody meal. For Russia. If you write a comedy, Mr. Rahman or miss spaghetti, maybe. Do you know a story for kids? Graph or the name of the monster in that story graphical was probably named from roughly. This is a good way to change the words that resembled the character's personality, to name them. You English speakers can come up with a better one for this than I can.
5. The Most Important Point of RESUME: A good example of a name created from an existing Word is gara inadvertently. Do you know this character? His name was OK Jerry Qatar or before the series started. To you an English speaker. It may not sound very different evil. But to the Japanese read us, it's a big difference. Qatar or was a very common name in the ninja age about 400 years ago in Japan. And Japanese readers are not surprised to hear that name, but the name gara never exist in Japan. So they are drawn to its strange name and agile Meno, each of the letters in his name means me, love, NDMA. The whole meaning of gara is not only mean loved, deem a demon who loves only himself. Because Japanese has a different order of was from English or Chinese. And the fact that he engraved on his forehead has a deep connection to the name. In other words, Gary's design of love on his forehead was not born first. The origin of his birth and name in the sense of values that arose from it were made first. And finally, the design of the forehead was decided. That's a great example of how deciding on the inner workings of a character before the design, nobody gave the character depth. Now, I've asked you to think about a few things so far, but you don't have to present all the information on the resume to your readers in your work. Because I really don't want to know all of the setting. But what your character arc cherry fail. And indeed, Then why did I ask you to think so much? You don't have to present everything to the reader. But it's essential that you know everything about the characters. Knowing all allows you to decide which parts of them should be presented to read us. And when. The next is the beginning and the end of the protagonist. Right here, how the main character appears at the beginning of the story. And then right here, what happens at the end? The arrow means make them grow. In most stories, it is essential for the main character to grow up. The superhero is exceptional because he is already perfect, but most other characters have to grow up. Especially in the case of shown in manga. And chose a manga, they grow 100%. Readers are growing everyday themselves. They are bored with our protagonist's foot doesn't grow up. You could say that readers read the stories to enjoy things that girls of the main character. However, that girls I'm talking about here doesn't mean simply a five year old becoming ten years or n become taller. It's not something you get automatically like that, but a status, skills or mental improvement that the protagonist gained through hard work, bottle, or at venture. There also needs to be consistency. For example, a colored becomes bray, OR ruthless man becomes kind. A coward comes reach, is not good because he lacks consistency and sift the focus of the story. In the case of the protagonist who protect his grandfather's, came from the bad guys. It doesn't matter. They are covered or a ruthless. But that's not enough to say that such a protagonist finally protected because they has no grow k. Then what should we do? For example, a child who is coward at first, but as he protects his cane, he becomes brave and strong. And in the end, the bully, we respect him. Or the rule says bully, while defending his cane, learns to think about others and in the end becomes protects bullied children. We will see that he has not only protected his cane, but he has grown mentally. For example, in the case of the money loving protagonist, the mindful never forget event, even a dollar becomes a millionaire. In the end, his mind has not grown. So that's no good. It's much better. If as he called through the tribulations, find something more important than money. And in the end, donated all of his money and start walking from scratch again. But don't think too hard. Any smaller is fine. Make your protagonist girl. In. One thing.
6. Character Design: Finally, the character design. If you want to write a short story or script, referred to the items you've written so far, and describes the main character's appearance in words, tall or short. Wearing a heart, carrying such a weapon, wearing such a coat of arms and so on. But if you want to draw manga, you need to draw their design. Refer to the items above, expand your ideas and draw it. If possible. Draw not only the faith, the whole body. You can use ink or just a pencil drawing. The reason I refer to the items is because you should express the character's inner features in its appearance. Like gara. For example. Let's consider the case where our ninja was a main character. Naruto, as you all know, is such a design. In the case of an article, the author made narrative or at different costume from the original ninja to show that he was a ninja. Enough fictional world other than Japan. However, with us cannot recognize him as a ninja by self. Then the author added hace Ghana here. This is a protective gear used in the old days when Japanese samurai war ARMA called Capital, and it was made to protect the forehead at a minimum, to move quickly. That design gave him a ninja like yet stateless atmosphere. This is a great design, but it's difficult to convey the intention of this kind of design tools I read. If you are a beginner, you should design it so that many people will recognize it as, oh, this is a ninja. Like this. However, this alone shows that he is a ninja, but your readers do not understand the difference from ordinary Ninjas. So for example, if he's wearing a jacket or a bracelet to prove he warmed a ninja competition, or he's carrying a swot that shows off his father's memory. It would be even better. Character design is fun, isn't it? I have been drawing a lot of characters every day since I was a kid. The important thing is that you don't just draw one picture and it's done. You have to draw many. The more you draw, the more ideas you can have, and the easier it is to create better designs. Now, it's hard to think about your narrative resume all of a sudden. So before we get started, let's practice writing resumes with graphical, Pokemon and Naruto as examples. It's our first two are aimed at preschool and elementary school children. So the main character's personality is simple and is it practice? But keep in mind, this is just an exercise to help you create your own narrative, not an end in itself. In other words, in this practice, you write a resume based on a story. But what you really need to do is create a story based on our resume. So keep in mind that you put this trait on your resume because the character reacted or acted this way. When you create your own story. Think backwards, that because of these traits, he should add like this and move as a character. Okay, it can be a little difficult. So let's practice with the next video.
7. Practice 1 : THE GRUFFALO: Are you ready to practice? In this video, I'm going
to use graphical as an example to practice
building a resume. But before that, I will tell you a quick story for those who don't know the graph or a story. If you want to know
the whole story, click the link below. There was a mouse in a place. As he was walking in the forest. He made a fox, who invited him
to the foxes house to eat. The mouse, said, I
have an appointment to have lunch here
with graph wrong. Actually, that graph, our ISA fictional creature
made up by this mass. Where is our graph row? The Fox asked the mouse slide, it's a table monster and
he loves to eat a fox. The fox frightened and ran away. Then the mouse encounters
an owl than a snake, but he escaped from them
by telling the same lie. However, the mouse finally met BRAF or a fictional monster. Grab hers is, a mouse is his favorite food,
are frightened mouse. But he said, I'm the
strongest in the rules. Follow me. The mouse with
graph or the snake, novel and folks again, and they ran away at
every site of grapher. Seeing this graph, I'll believed the mouse's words the
strongest in the forest. And in the end, when the mouse said, My favorite food is grapher, graph or frightened and ran away the mouse who has no
enemies in the forest. It's not visually for lunch. This is a rough story. Then this paper again, write a resume or Mr. mouse, the main character
in this story. I'll explain later, but first, write down what you
think and fair because it won't be practice if you've watched my explanation first. So pause the video
and think about it. Is you write it. Now, let's talk about
the age and job or status may be decided by
the author's own setting, but it's not shown in the story. And we don't know. So right, unknown. Next these weaknesses, this is primary as short
story for preschoolers. So his unique weaknesses
not clearly shown. That's why I wrote this the smallest weakest in the forest, which is a common
weakness of mice. But in the case of this mouse, It's important to note that he actually has some drawbacks, like easily related n minus. If the author understands the characters hidden
characteristics, it's possible for
those floors to become the starting point for
a different story. If and if it wasn't
planned at the beginning. And purpose. This story doesn't say anything about Mr. mouses
particular purpose. And he seemed satisfied if
he could just have lunch. So I wrote this. If you are making a short
story for preschoolers, should be simple and
small like this. But if he longest story, the king goes forest
would be fine. From his delight in
deceiving the enemy. I thought he really had this
great ambition that will make the story longer
and deeper values. I wrote this because Mr. mouse is overjoyed that the enemies have been tricked
more than he has survived his own life crisis. At least, he doesn't
seem to be a good guy. Then strings. Mr. Mouse is not afraid of enemies for a strong data here, and he can easily overcome
them without hesitation. So I wrote the cleverest, bravest and the best
lawyer in the forest. Name, unknown, since he's only referred to as the
mouse in this story. At the beginning. He's small and weak, yet he goes for defenseless, walk through a forest
for natural enemies. At the end, he successfully
trick his larger enemies into standing over them and
eating his lunch gracefully. If Mr. Moussa is to become
a king of the forest, then the story will continue as he realizes his cleverness after lunch and sits up on a new
journey to become king. Now, read these parts again. Do you see that these are
already outlines of the story. You understood your character and start creating your story. That's what dysrhythmia
is all about. Finally, character design. I wrote like this, but there's no one
right answer to this. So you are completely
free to draw it. You can use ink, just a pencil drawing. In the next video, you're going to make a
resume or D from Pokemon. The whole Pokemons
story is pretty long. So think about what kind
of character ashes from the first episodes over the TV broadcast and
right, and his resume. If you haven't seen Pokemon yet, or forget about those episode, you should be able to watch them by hitting the link below. Now, what it can call yourself, print out and write on resume. Then what's the next video?
8. Practice 2 : ASH in the Pokémon: Now, did you finish IT? Grade a little bit about the main pressed PCO2 is called catch you all over the world, but the other Pokemons have different names in different country. Did you know that? For example, congress can, in the first episode is a name created by changing Kangaroo, but in the original Japanese version, it is called tabulae. In France, it is called Kang Gou wrecks in Germany. And in China. It is called mean bag Dragon or bag beast. I guess the creators of each country choose the most appropriate sound for the people of their respective countries. The main character is known as Ketchum into Lord. But his code Satoshi in Japan, was made from his original name, Satoshi and he's lying, darkish him. Or maybe they figured that the name Satoshi wouldn't be familiar to the rest of the world. I mean, this is how important the name is. Then moving onto the resume. His age is unspecified at the beginning of the first episode, but he turns ten at the end. Job or status is a Pokemon Trina we can assist, is having trouble getting up in the morning. Easily elated, shallow thinking. Purpose is to become a Pokemon master. Values, meet a variety of Pokemon. Strings is dynamic and passionate. As the story progresses, his sense of justice comes out, but it hasn't become apparent until the second episode. D, the strengths and weaknesses are common to most main characters in Japanese shown in manga. This means that this kind of hero is the most appealing to many boys. So if you don't have strong preferences for the hero, this is the kind of main character you should be looking for. Okay. Name is Ash piton of both. The beginning. As a Pokemon trainer who has trouble getting up in the morning. His dream is to me, a variety of Pokemon and become a Pokemon Master. At the end, he gotten a glimpse of the world or Pokemon and learn how wonderful it was. And the recognition of achievement. Became a research fellow at the laboratory and took the first steps toward becoming a Pokemon master and character design. There's no single right answer here, like graphical. So draw your own ash. You can use ink or just a pencil drawing. In the next video, you will write an arrow towards resume. This is also quite wrong, just like Pokemon. And he's growing up and growing up. So just use the information in the first episode I think about what kind of character narrative is, and write his resume with your own ideas. If you haven't read marital yet, you should be able to read it with click the link below. So first, really get to know the character narrow Ito, and write his resume. Then what's the next video?
9. Practice 3 : NARUTO: Well, did you write his resume? If you haven't already write it first and then watch ahead. First of all, the age is not shown in the first episode. You can see the status from the fact that you can sense it helps him. Tomorrow is a graduation exam at school. This means that the main readers expected in this manga, aha, the last year of elementary school in Japan. There's no need to be in the final grade, but in the final grade, there are big incidents such as breaking up with friends and teachers or leaving. Everyone gets sentimental and it's easy for a good story to come out of that. Likewise, the situation of freshman year is also often used because they are likely to encounter new people or situations and cause new incidence. Weaknesses. You can tear a few things by looking at him. Mischievous, inferior, shallow thinking, Paul, ability at present have an IV, IV passed, et cetera. They are two types of main characters. One is a superhero type with no weaknesses and perfect existence. That readers at my year. This is common in American comics, and the other is one with a lot of weaknesses. Just like the reader, he overcomes many obstacles one by one, and goes up little by little, which is common in Japanese manga, especially for the main characters are shown in manga. That's because of Japanese manga place importance on readers empathy and read as projecting onto the main character. So a hero of Japanese manga, Naruto, has many weaknesses, the same as readers. Purpose is, becomes a best ninja Chicago ever, as Navajo himself makes clear values. You can see some of this in his lines as well, be recognized onto graduate. Brave, reward, good, punish evil, hard, worker, et cetera. Strings. This isn't depicted clearly, but at the end of the first episode, narrow to surprise his teacher with awesome technique. It shows his great potential. And the name as the title of the first episode is Naruto wisdom. Ok. At the beginning, he's the last year of the ninja school. He is eager to pass the graduation exam and be recognized by everyone, but his skills are immature. He makes mistakes in class, and he's always. By his teacher for mischief. And the end. After how to save training, he mastered and amazing skill that would surprise even his teachers. Successfully graduated from school and took his first steps into the ninja word in order to become the best ninja hockey ever. As I said before, when you read these two places, you see that it's an outline of the story, right? Finally, character design. As with the previous two, graph URL and Pokemons, there's no single correct answer here. So draw your own narrative and you can indicate as well, or you can leave it penciled in. Now, looking back on the three resumes you've written so far, what do you see in common? Where I wanted you to realize is that all over the protagonists act according to what's written. Here. It's a protagonist who hubs of weaknesses describing here, move towards a purpose described here. And in the process, they act or react based on their values and use their strings to overcome the obstacles that stand in their way due to their weaknesses. In the beginning, the protagonist weaknesses are not civil, but by the end, he's strings is revealed. And he matches significantly. That's the basic structure that most stories have in common. By the way, notice that Mr. mouse forms a graph. Harald got his purpose, but neither national narrative, there's just took a first step. That's because ashen narrative at the beginning of a long story and haven't reached the end yet. In the case of a short story like the graph, you have to reach their goal. But in a long story, you only have to read there at the end of a long story. But keep in mind, even if you write the first episode over long story, your photon must have some kind of grown that even if they don't reach their goal, the Steve have to climb one small step of growth to get there. Okay, this is the end of the practice. Oh, now it's time to write your own protagonists resume. You already know how to write it down here. If you get lost, refer to the previous resume you've written so far. And when you've pinched it, uploading to the project gallery from here, no hedge, they can wait to see it.
10. The Most Important Thing: Now, have we written your resume and applauded? Congratulations, you did it. If you are ways mimics you more familiar with your protagonist and makes him seem like a real person in it's a great success. Do you want to know more about him and see what he can do? If that happens, it's time to think about the story he's going to play in. Let's think of the enemy food. Stand your protagonist's way. What's the status of them? Strengths and weaknesses. Build the enemies resume. And is there anyone who supports the protagonist? Write the resume of that person to. If you can make resumes for these three people, you should already be able to jump into the world of storytelling. Finally, I'll summarize the most important thing to improve that I explained in another class and say again, that is from a Japanese book written several 100 years ago. People who want to learn something always say it is core to practice secretly so as not to be known by others as much as possible. Why I'm not good at and appear in public after I become good at it. However, there's no example, People who say such a thing becoming first rate. In other words, many people think I show my work to someone when I become good at, but that's no good. Even if you don't like it, it's important to finish it and show it to some. Oh, one last thing. In my next video, I will explain the specific steps to actually create a story based on this reason. So if you need that information, please follow me. Then you will receive an email as soon as my new video is published. Okay, see in the next class.
Nao Matsuda, Manga Artist, Lecturer
