Okay, we all love anime for its often amazing characterization, gorgeous animation, and a storyline that really drags us in. But what does it mean to create an anime story that really sells itself? After all, the actual plot of an anime is what really matters. There’s no point in watching a series that doesn’t have any substance to it. And when it’s full of fillers. Still, how does one go about and create an anime story?
Well, it’s not very often that you see anime being made from scratch. Or well, without any source matter. Usually, all anime storylines start out as being adaptations of popular manga or light novels. Sometimes, they can even be a modern retelling of old mythos or folk stories. It’s rare to find anime that are completely original, though some famous ones include Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion. But, writing an anime story can take a lot of time and effort.
But that’s just the way creative works go; even those with pre-existing source material need heavy editing, because what works in print might not work on screen. Plus there are a whole host of other things to consider when creating a stellar anime story, whether it’s original or an adaptation. While there isn’t any one way to do it, here is a general run down of what it takes to create an anime story, in another round of F.Y.I.!
Table of Contents
7. Creating A Rough Outline
So, before you can sit down and create the anime story of your dreams, you need an idea of what that anime story is going to be. Especially if you aren’t adapting from a pre-existing media. And so, a rough outline is your best bet, creating the basis of your anime story through deciding what you want it to be about. This could include a rough estimation of the genre, time period, setting and backdrop, etc. Just things to get you started.
6. Character Creation
Of course, you can’t have a good anime without a great cast of characters. Characterization is important for obvious reasons like narration and the actual plot. But also because how characters are designed and written can either make or break your anime. Well written characters are a reflection of the story you’re creating and it’s important to get them right. It also helps if the characters look intriguing, because that helps garner interest from potential fans that would watch trailers and such.
5. Work Out How The Characters And Story Will Work Together
So, you’ve created two important aspects of an anime. Now, we need to put them together and see how they will work with each other. If the characters are bold and the setting expansive, do we need the anime to be tinged with adventure and excitement? Or can this be a slice-of-life tale where the characters have all these dreams that they accomplish while still being in a normal setting? Everything needs to be in balance to create a basis for your first anime and this is where it starts becoming more tangible.
4. Start Writing!
Now that you’ve got all the components down, it’s time to express and extrapolate. This is where you start writing down the full story for your anime, from the very beginning till the climax. This will also help shape your timeline of events, just in case you decide to write things where the past is important through flashbacks or visions of the future. This is the main script of your anime, so go as detailed as you like. The editing and finishing will come later.
3. Finetune Your Final Draft
This is probably the most aggravating part for any writer, because it means facing your own flaws and working out loopholes or inconsistencies that you might find. So, this could mean anything, from character changes to certain events not working as well as they did in the first draft and more. Of course, not every anime has its own lore attached but it helps in keeping your world building consistent. So here is where you edit your writing so it can be made into the final draft.
2. Storyboard And Visualize!
Okay, so while you would be done with the ‘story’ part of ‘creating an anime story’ here, there’s still the ‘anime’ part left. And that begins with storyboarding. Writing a script and visualizing it as an anime are two very different things. Some things just translate better on paper than they do in visual media, but there are ways to adjust that to make sure you have a compelling anime on your hands that stays true to your story. Laying out how your anime scenes will be illustrated, alongside dialogue work, based on your work is going to give it shape.
1. Back To The Drawing Room For A Finished Layout
You have now successfully created an anime story that can go on and be turned into a full anime. Well, almost. Though you do have a storyboard and all the components you need to send forward to animation, it’s a good idea to go through everything one final time and see if something feels out of place. Do the illustrations work with a scene? Is there some dialogue or narrative point that feels unnecessary or janky? This is the time to get it right and finish writing your anime story!
And that’s it, really. Creating an anime story is a lot of writing and going back and forth while doing so. But that’s to be expected when you’re creating any original work. But as long as you’re enjoying yourself, and your targeted audience is enjoying it too? Well, then it’s all worth it!
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