As part of working towards publication in Japan, I’ve spent the last few months toiling on research online, purchasing books on manga theory and construction and, of course, reading lots of manga. As with any other medium where one can find guidance through books, I suppose you could break those books down into the good, the bad and the not-bad-but-not-really-relevant-to-me categories. It’s hard to tell the difference when the book is wrapped in plastic with big buzz words like “Manga Rules” and “Professional Manga Tools” printed on the sleeve with unsourced quotes saying “You must read this if you want to become a mangaka”. Actually, come to think of it, these bells and whistles are a good indication for weeding out the ones that probably won’t help you.
Most tend to focus on how the author themselves got started and how they managed to get their first stories published which leads to the required mental preparation and advice for newcomers based on these experiences. In the end, they all end with sourcing your life experiences for story ideas or reading other peoples work for inspiration. A lot of the how was there but none of the nuts and bolts of completing your first set of layouts. So, if you need something a little meatier than a simple guide (and can read Japanese), I recommend the book Manga no Tsukurikata or How to Create Manga by Osamu Yamamoto. I had one of his comics on hand and didn’t even know it.
It costs forty bucks and it’s worth every yen. Beginning with how to approach an editor and understanding what s/he really means when you hear “it’s not good enough”, it moves on to deconstructing 2 short stories, one by him and the other by Rumiko Takahashi. Starting with the plotting phase, everything is broken down in easily digestible chapters packed with information. Much of what I used to take for granted when reading a good comic is outlined and defined. Anyway, it helped me out and I think if you’re looking for specific advice on layout construction (and you can read Japanese) this is a solid read.
TAK
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