how do I become a great mangaka?
>>79931611. Be born in Japan.2. Grind art.3. Write and draw something with great passion.4. Sacrifice everything to finish your pieces.5. Enjoy.
>>7993165>1. Be born in Japan.Most fail at this step.
>>7993165You forgot die 25 years earlier from overwork stress and chainsmoking cigs in your list. It is extremely important to die unnaturally early as a mangaka.
>>7993161Drawing would help, for one
>>79931611. Learn Japanese.2. Enroll in an art school in Japan.3. Keeps submitting one-shots to newcomer's awards.4. Get published.5. Get an assistant job with the help of your editor.6. Make a "Gaijin mangaka" youtube channel.7. kys
by first being a bad mangaka and then a mediocre mangaka and then an ok mangaka then a good mangaka and finally a great mangaka. but let me guess. you have never in your life even drawn a single panel?
>>7993161Ok here goes nothing..why would anyone, specially gaijin, want to be mangaka? Hell, even as a japanese person I dont fully get it, everything about their idiosyncrasy makes it a hundred times more difficult and far less rewarding(their autism around the concepts of work ethic/honor/self-sacrifice that is borderline suicidal) and many dont even make it, get their shit cancelled or make it but die prematurely. Why dont they go the route of self-publishing or crowd funding? they're vastly more talented than most non-japanese manga artists, again their autism heightens their fundamentals so narrative, composition, paneling, all of these things are light years away from anything most westoids can produce YET they wont do it because it would be 'dishonorabru'.I mean, I do get it as a gaijin, the gratification one of us must get whenever they do 'make it' by going through the endless trials of the zipangu way of doing things and beyond that to even receive praise from an editor or assistant must feel fantastic but thats about it really, you'd still be the gaijin mangaka that put in the effort and achieved some kind of success(for as long as your work sells of course). I think they ideal way if you are a gaijinoid whos hellbent on doing manga (like me) is just to take the best from it namely the technical aspects and aforementioned autism, the aesthetics and self-publish or get big enough to make endless patreon bucks via some kind of brand or independent artist career..oh and of course, you better be the second coming of Tezuka or be damn good at the very least..light work, right? Jesus.
>>7993193>Ok here goes nothing..why would anyone, specially gaijin, want to be mangaka?spoken like a true gaijin. no hikikomori spirit.anyway there are some great advices in this thread. I'm going to follow them and surely make it.
>>7993193I agree on this one. You can just draw your own manga. You don’t need shonen jump. You need an audience.
I think you have to be good at coming up with shitposts. Lots of manga stories are literally just that.
>>7993193>Ok here goes nothing..why would anyone, specially gaijin, want to be mangaka?half the indie manga makers are SEA hapa who just want to chill and draw comics, inspired by their childhood.the other half of the indie manga "scene" is filled with African American cargo cultists who think if they fold their cintiq one thousand times in glorious combat they'll get head pats from Jump and an anime adaptation (not joking). That's why so much of their work is derivative of Naruto and Bleach.Most of them are larpers who want the clout associated with being a Japanese comics maker (oops, meant a "mangaka) without understanding it's a low chance gamble even for high int/pro artists for a variety of reasons.
>>7993193Enamored by the idea of gaining the Japanese Mangaka scene's respect when in reality, they will always be Gaijin.
>>7993193>everything about their idiosyncrasy makes it a hundred times more difficult and far less rewardingCompared to what?What you don't understand is that the alternative options are the same shit for less reward.When you want to be a film actor, what do you do? Do you head to hollywood where the industry is or do you settle for smaller regional productions? Well, it's the same for comics. Yes, there's a market for people who like non-japanese comics, just like there's a market for non-american movies, but they are worlds apart in terms of scale and opportunity. There is just much, much less work going around outside of japan. And yes, I know there's big markets in other parts of Asia for movies and comics, but it's the same situation for us english speakers either way.I look for work in english for comics/manga. I know others who are doing the same. We all agree: the outlook is grim. There's just too few options. Japan simply has it better for authors to go pro.>Why dont they go the route of self-publishing or crowd funding?Because that is not a viable option for people who live on planet earth. It takes far too long to grow an audience IF there even is an audience for what you're making. You're not making a living for a long, long time, if ever, going the self-published route. Most people need to make a living to, well, live.>>7993288>You need an audience.Which a publisher has, but you on your own needs to grow from scratch. Come on man.
>>7993193You've never actually thought through any of this shit in your post and it shows. There are plenty of japanese authors who do self-publish. Most don't, because when you have a booming industry with developed infrastructure for printing and releasing work and building an audience through a publisher, it only makes sense to work with that industry. Most of those authors who self-publish mentioned earlier were published authors who decided that, now they've built an audience through published work, they can ditch the publisher and not have to split the royalties.You're asking why water doesn't flow uphill.
>>7993836>There are plenty of japanese authors who do self-publish.Name 5.
>>7993861Raiku MakotoShiwasu no OkinaOotsuka MahiroMeme50Akatsuki Myuuto
>>7993902Quick googling says it’s bs. But google is shit now especially for japanese results. I will just trust you for now.
>>7993422>the other half of the indie manga "scene" is filled with African American cargo cultists who think if they fold their cintiq one thousand times in glorious combat they'll get head pats from Jump and an anime adaptation (not joking). That's why so much of their work is derivative of Naruto and Bleach.You know...its funny to me that you mention this because although Im almost certain you didnt mean this specific person(see pic) thats the first thing that crossed my mind, holy stereotypes! You got me, Im a hater, I hate his 'Im a le seasoned successful le black and underrepresented shonen mangaka' act, I hate his JM animation,NE4U, project 51, studio mir/ avatar looking shonen shit, damn koku-jins man. They always blow up the whole representation thing through the roof when in reality theres been a lot of cool black characters since forever ago but the moment one of these mold-breaking young guns shonen-slop become popular all of a sudden its all about 'bridging the gap', its fucking tiresome.>>7993435Correct, it has always been a romanticized ideal and it will remain that way, not shitting on the japanese though, thats just the way they are through all the politeness act, you'll just never go past the gaijin boundary and to a degree thats alright I guess, whats is not right in my opinion is actively striving for that but to each their own.>>7993822Perhaps I should have elaborated more on the 'reward' part and Im being really subjective here speaking from my particular vantage point in life, if you happen to have a stock of years left to burn then yeah of course you can be way more objective about it and see it in strict terms of 'is it popular>sells>success/reward', over what period of that time can that success be sustained(you are not getting younger despite that fat stack of years) will you be able to keep it up? what happens when your productivity drops? you are now old and not selling so yeah, grim.cont>
>>7993422forgot to add pic, heres that one guy.>>7993822>Because that is not a viable option for people who live on planet earth. It takes far too long to grow an audience Again this may vary depending on your particulars but for me the gamble is about the same, sure if you feel compelled by the actual pro market for whatever it offers to you I might as well spend that long time building what could potentially be my brand, my name and in a way a slightly more forgiving future for whenever Im half blind and twice as slow in terms of production, self-publishing can be as large as your ambition devices it, you dont have to rival an established publisher. Also honestly you need more than one stream of income and better entuned life choices( no kids, basically no relationships, cars, mortgages, leading an exceedingly frugal life). Theres plenty at play if you go down that route, imo.>>7993277Damn right, proud gaijin. Don let the bitter musings of an old man deter you young man, you do you. With that spirit, Im sure you'll make it. I will disagree on the hikikomori part, only after 8-10 hours of gruelling work do I get a chance to work on my mangoes/project things. Then theres the rest of it, housekeeping, cooking, tending to elderly parent, oh man..I should probably do laundry today now that Im rambling about this.>>7993288Straight up, getting the middle man out is key IF your strategy and interests allign with it, its a good stance to have in general but again is good to be mindful of your own circumstances in life as that will determine how objective/subjective you can be about it, imo.cont>3
>>7993943Says what's bullshit? All of those authors are currently self published.>RaikuUsed to work with Shogakukan and later Kodansha, now makes and publishes his manga himself.>Shiwasu no OkinaUsed to be published in various eromanga magazines, currently self-publishes. Similar story for the other 3, though I don't remember if all of them were published in magazines before switching to self-publishing.
>>7993836>You've never actually thought through any of this shit in your post and it shows. There are plenty of japanese authors who do self-publish. Most don't-Look Kathy..right off the bat you are slithering out of the woodwork brandishing a strawman argument out of your ass , I dont appreciate that one bit so Ill be as blunt and close ended as I feel like. You said it yourself, the majority dont and theres a sum of reasons for that. Anyone with a room temperature IQ could present your vapid argument because thats why cookie-cutter solutions are preferred by again, the majority. Of course if you've already made it you'd have significantly better odds of still making it once you decide to ditch your cookie cutter approach and hit the road as a full blooded freelancer, again are you even trying here?Ill cut you some slack and refer you to some of the points Ive presented to other anons above, where the decision of whether or not you should self publish right away or go to the mango tree groves because thats where you go if you want to harvest fucking mangoes its all highly dependent on your particular set of circumstances in life which will then determine with higher clarity what the 'reward' or 'making it' actually means for (you). In synthesis, if you are young, dumb and full of cum, go for it, take the left hand path, conquer it and claim your place among your fellow nihonjin-oh wait, youd still be a gaijinoid. Now if you are not young anymore, all Im saying is, weigh your options and decide based on your current and possible future state of affairs and perhaps take a path that will lead you somewhere solid based on your goals and standards, alright? Here..you've won a nickcagean tribesman award for being a cunt.
>>7993985What the fuck is this post? You accuse my (straightforward, blunt) answer to your question as strawmanning and frame it as "slithering out of the woodwork", but then admit you agree with me. Just a "thanks, I see now" would do, woman.Publishing in japan is much easier than self-publishing. Some authors go with a publisher first THEN self-publish later. Because it's easier to go with a publisher. Do you need it said a third time? People don't "just self-publish" BECAUSE IT IS MORE DIFFICULT. So when you ask "but why do GAIJINS want to publish IN JAPAN???" it's because it is EASIER than the alternative.
>>7993990Look I get it you are clearly impaired so go ahead and keep arguing your delusions all you want if thats your fancy, your chat credit has run out.
>>7993193>>7993985I'll never understand how ppl can be so bad at copying drawings that are in front of them... like these are some sinfully ugly lines son, go to your mother and apologize for being a failure.
Why are you fags so concerned about being born japanese or not. Its 2026. The INTERNET exists. Who gives a fuck about shonen cuck (heh that rhymes). Make your own manga and publish it online or self publishing it and work on gaining a following on social media. I believe in you OP! Read lots of manga, practice lots, do studies of ur favorite manga and make lots of short one shots gradually getting longer in length every time. Btw being unemployed is the ultimate separator
>>7993161by copying manga
>>7993161I assume when you say mangaka instead of comic artist, you mean that you want to become someone who can create pic related and not the kinds of things typically from the west. If however you mean literally published in Japan then stop reading, I don't care about that.Manga and comics both refer to the same thing, stories told through pictures, typically with panels and speechbubbles.I'm going to refer to both as comics. The real difference between the two is that everything western comics does is bad, and everything manga does is good. In this manner, manga are just good comics, while western comics are bad comics.So what you really want is to be good at drawing comics.The first and most important thing you must take in, is that to make good comics is the same as making any good art. It is not a lowly medium undeserving of any respect or effort. You must take it seriously, and aspire to create the best work you can with all your capabilities.Money is nice, but do not go into this for money, you will fail. You must create a comic that has deep personal importance to you. It must be your passion project, anything less is a waste of time.The second thing is that you are not drawing cartoons. Not in the sense that you are likely thinking of.Good comics, ie manga, are extremely realistic, but carefully and selectively stylised. I'll explain this with some images in a reply.If you get it into your head that when you draw a comic face, you are drawing a set of cartoony lines that aren't actually eyes, noses, mouths, etc. then everything you draw will be bad. Even in a wacky 90's anime massive eyes, they are still eyes, they are stylised but there is never any sacrifice of reality. It is always real. A character's clothes are made of fabric, they can get wet, they can tear, they can be taken off, etc. This is unlike bad comics, ie western comics, which draw cartoons, in them, a characters clothes never behave in the aforementioned ways.
>>7994597Have a look at these noses. Most people expect anime style characters to have symbols for noses, either dots or > shapes.While they do superficially resemble those things, look more closely and you will see that actually they are fully realistic 3d noses, but in the interest of aesthetics, details have been omitted. Generally speaking, the more lines you add on a face, the older a character looks.All of anime style works like this. At no point are they ever drawing a cartoon like Spongebob. They are drawing realistic characters... stylised. And this applies to everything from facial features, to anatomy, lighting, hair, clothes, sfx, everything.You must have no cartoony rules. Things like "this character's hair is this colour" or "this character's eyes are drawn with this symbol like shape" or "this character's hair has this stiff mickey mouse esque shape that never changes". If you do these things you will create nothing but garbage. The hair must be real, it must sway in the wind, change colour according to the lighting, have a highlight or not depending on the circumstance. It must always be real in this sense.
>>7994600Fucking amazing advice that imma apply to my own manga thank u anon
>>7994600And finally, and this is along the lines of a first point about taking it seriously. You must become a film director. That is to say, you must imagine your story as alive, with sound and movement and camera angles and all manner of intensity.You are not drawing pictures here, you are a cameraman, capturing the scene in your mind. But unlike a real life movie, your movie doesn't actually move, and it makes no sound. You must make up for these shortcomings by communicating those same things through static drawings.When you increase the contrast of your image, you increase the intensity. When you increase the white space, you lower the pressure. When you increase the panel size, you slow down the timing. When you decrease the panel size, you speed up the timing. When you make a panel really long, you suggest a camera pan. When you add speed lines of various design to your page you suggest all manner of effects and sounds. This is what makes a comic good. When your comic feels so alive like a movie, it becomes an immersive experience, and that makes it feel even more real.
>>7994600If I were the one arguing with you I would concede solely on the basis that you made a manga nose collage.
>>7994600>All of anime style works like this. At no point are they ever drawing a cartoon like Spongebob. They are drawing realistic characters... stylised.Never say never. bkub's artwork definitely is spongebob shit, for an example.
Be a mindless slave drone cattle without any sex drive
>>7994625if thats all it takes I would have made it a loong time ago
>>7994597>>7994600>>7994605Thank you for these posts.You have turned this casual amateur hobby mangaka wannabe into someone who actually respects the craft. Maybe this pride is what is missing in the West and what makes their comics bad.
