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This post will not only introduce anime to those who know nothing about it, but will also explain the basic elements of anime, distinguish anime scripts from 'other' film scripts, and list the things that make for good anime writing among other things. things.
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Have you ever considered writing anime? It seems like you don't have any idea how to do it. Maybe you just want to write anime for the sake of writing, or you love anime, or you're an otaku and want to write your own anime because it would be so much fun.
I've made the perfect post for you!
This post will not only introduce anime to those who know nothing about it, but also explain the basic elements of anime, differentiate anime scripts from 'other' film scripts, and list things that make writing anime good, among other things.
In Japan, anime refers to all kinds of animation, but for most of us who are not Japanese, anime refers to animation made in Japan.
The word 'anime' is usually associated with any animation that uses elements with a touch of Japanese animation style. Typically, anime features dramatic panning, bright colors, and distinctive facial expressions, among other typical elements.
In the US, the number of otakus is slowly increasing as anime gradually becomes mainstream entertainment. On the other hand, in Japan, anime is an accepted form of entertainment but is not always made for children as is usually the case with Disney cartoons. Anime is more dynamic and has content suitable for various audiences who enjoy genres like action, comedy, drama, historical fiction, horror, and much more.
And, unlike most cartoons, anime shows or films usually have deeper meanings or messages.
They are used to address social, scientific, psychological issues, but mostly, they encompass supernatural and mythological themes. And among all types of cartoons, anime is the least censored, so it's not the kind of cartoon your kids should watch.
Anyone can write anime. I see a lot of comments (especially on increasingly irrelevant social media platforms) saying that you shouldn't write anime if you're not from or not in Japan.
That's nonsense if you ask me.
In this day and age, anyone with an interest can write anime. But, you still have to write in a Japanese way, or in other words with Japanese elements.
Before you start writing anime, there are some things you should consider, here are some of them:
With anime, there's almost no limit, and you can choose somewhat taboo themes in other genres. However, themes of violence and sex may appear - welcome to anime writing style.
If you're a beginner, it would be very beneficial to start with manga. Anime follows the same format as Captain America and Co. comics start from comic books, and many anime originate from manga. Manga is the written comic book version of Anime.
Usually, you won't be writing anime for kids. The audience is much older, and you want your anime to be emotionally engaging for a wider audience, including young adults.
Culturally, it's not anime if it doesn't have Japanese cultural elements. It's like creating a random ballroom dance movement that doesn't contain Brazilian or Latin American elements and calling it Samba. Anime must have things related to Japan and Japanese culture.
This is a theme that exists in almost every anime work in my experience and according to me, the supernatural element enhances audience interest. Of course, you can ignore this factor, but I'm sure I can tell you that giving supernatural powers to your characters actually benefits your anime.
Well, writing anime is the same as writing any story because it still has to have a logically flowing story. The way you outline your anime script is the same as the way you outline any other story. You come up with your characters and develop them, build the story world, and the story should have a conflict and resolution towards the end.
You're still going to write a comprehensive story, but anime requires more animation of its characters than anything else. You (or the person who will animate the story) need some animation software to bring the story to life.
The best anime software to launch your career as a 2D artist or animator.
You can't write anime the same way you write a 'regular' film script. First off, you have to write manga (Graphic novels originating from Japan, I might have said something about this).
Basically, you're writing a script from comics, not a 'regular' film script. So, in the unique comic style, you're drawing your story, maybe taking your manga script to a Japanese publisher, who then allows you to adapt your manga script into a publishable story and ready for placement in a magazine.
Later, the story can be used by animation studios to create an anime adaptation.
OR
If you have a deal with a production company or happen to have a good agent, you're writing a script similar to a 'regular' film script, but there still has to be graphics and in many cases, Japanese language.
I've discussed the basic elements of anime, but what should anime writing have to be considered good
Yes, all anime have similar elements (all anime writing must have a Japanese nuance) but people are looking for anime that in some ways avant-garde.
You have to create something unique and somewhat familiar at the same time. This is a challenge, but art is always about creating special things in its own way.
The trick lies in the ability to transform familiar tropes associated with your anime genre. Don't always give what the audience expects it's boring, and anime and boring can't be in the same room together.
Why should we deconstruct known tropes? Yes, everyone is looking for a sense of mystery, change, and excitement, and those things are rarely found in things that are already known. By deconstructing known genre tropes, you give the audience something culturally familiar yet unrecognizable and identified, thus arousing their interest.
Ordinary is not a word I use to describe the concept behind anime stories. Things in anime are usually not forged in solid reality, and in my opinion, no one is really bothered by the events in anime being ordinary no one really cares if anime truly reflects ordinary reality all the time. However, even though your audience wants to see wonders and unusual things, they also want content that somehow consistent with the 'show world'.
This is a balancing act that requires you not to overdo it.
Your anime should have rules (whether stated subtly or explicitly) and must be logically consistent from episode to episode or storyline to storyline. If there's a magic trick that just pops up out of nowhere and seems contrived just to advance the plot. Advancing the plot is not a bad thing, but the lack of rules negatively affects consistency.
If for some reason, a character's abilities or magical powers must increase from episode to episode, then the story must contain some facts about how the character can obtain those powers.
You can explain the facts before or after the character gains the power, it's not that important, just make sure there's logic underlying the character's development and growth.
As you build the world for your story, you also create things that might happen and things that might not happen. So, what you want is to not let impossible things happen in that world unless according to the character it won't happen, but you know otherwise.
A story should connect with the audience on an emotional level not always to make the audience teary-eyed or happy, but it should engage them, make them care, and make them want to invest in understanding your story. character's lives.
So, you have to understand that writing anime is a balancing act.
You want to blend several valuable emotions with logical reasoning. Remember that creating something believable, emotional, and meaningful is not easy, but if you can create something that impacts the audience's emotions, you've succeeded.
Writing anime is not much different from writing comics, so besides what I've explained in the previous section, there's nothing special in the writing process.
I won't give you a blueprint straight from Japan, but I'm sure the steps I'll illustrate will be helpful enough.
And I've made many assumptions to give an idea of who my audience (you) is.
One of them is you choose the 'Manga path' because you don't have the financial strength to produce and market your own anime. But I'll try my best to write down steps that are appropriate for using Manga for anime adaptation or directly writing anime scripts ready for production.
Here's how you write anime:
I also assume that you're starting from scratch, and you don't have a story yet, but if you have one, you can move on to the next step.
The internet is filled with anime drawing ideas, and this can also be used as a writing guide. I suggest you visit Pinterest and look at thousands of pins about anime ideas.
The story should take place in a certain environmenta world in which characters must interact.
You can use existing places or a fictional world that's not a normal world similar to earth as long as you build it clearly, you're good to go.
The story needs characters, every story whether anime or not needs well-developed cast.
So, before doing anything else, determine your main characters and give them unique yet compelling personalities. Give your characters emotions, friends, abilities, age, education, etc.
You don't need to mention all the characters that will be in the anime, some will introduce themselves in the next episodes.
If you know how to draw, this is your time to draw some characters and their accessories. However, you don't need to know how to draw to write an anime or manga script, you can always outsource.
Once you're done with the main characters and have sorted all the important points in your story, create the storyline, and start writing.
The best way to start an anime is with a scene that grabs your audience's attention no matter if you start writing this scene or not, make sure you start with an engaging scene. Then calm the story down a bit, tell the audience about the characters and their average lives.
After that, you start exciting the story again, you put in big or strong enemies into it and let your main characters face challenges until the story reaches its climax.
Usually the climax is a fighting scene and the main character, a scene or series of events where the main character defeats a very big enemy.
Then there's the resolution, the part that shows normality and life after the chaos.
When writing Anime, write it the same way you write drama. Put a colon after the character's name, then write the specific action in asterisks, and the words in quotation marks.
For example:
Shin: *nods in agreement and starts following Naruto* Let's go together.
When writing a scene, write about 5-10 lines describing what happens in that scene. In the end, when you read it, it will sound like an overall summary of the anime.
Make sure you make your writing as clear as possible, add notes about things (e.g., emotions, sighs, pauses, etc.) that should be done by voice actors.
Once the writing process is complete, it's time to smooth out the script or Manga and add if necessary. Read through the entire script and fill in any gaps make sure everything fits.
If you choose to write in Japanese, which is a very good thing, make sure your grammar and punctuation are correct. You might need a language expert if you're not proficient in the local language.
Can I Write an Anime Script Without Drawing
Of course! It's fun if you know how to draw; However, this is not a deal breaker.
As I said, you can always outsource, and if you get support from production companies, you can ask them to provide you with a team to work with.
Just like any form of writing, writing Anime is not easy. But, if you're passionate and committed, you can write a great anime or Manga script.
Make sure you practice regularly and do a lot of research on Japanese culture.
Most importantly, believe in your ability and ALWAYS put yourself in the audience's position if you don't like it, they won't like it either!
Indonesia 
