Ask John: How Can Aspiring Writers Break Into Anime?

Question:
I aspire to work in the animation field. I’m still really young and naive and therefore have no idea where to start especially since I’m Canadian and in no way directly connected to Japan and their companies. So I was wondering, in the animation business, who has the most say in the plot and characters of the anime, the director or screenplay writer? I would like to write my own anime and would still like some say in other areas other then just the plot. If I were to start writing my own anime series, should I attempt to do so in novel form or like a script? I’m not really sure how to go about it. I know it is a very collaborative profession but would like to begin as soon as possible even if that means I’ll be doing most of the development myself. Any advice on how I should begin properly?

Answer:
I don’t have an intrinsically negative personality, and I don’t like discouraging anime fans. But I am a realist and think that I have a responsibility to urge anime fans to approach the anime industry with realistic expectations. In practical terms, if you’re an amateur American writer or artist hoping to get your original concept or script turned into a Japanese anime, give up; it’s not going to happen. First seek to develop your concept in another medium that has a great probability of success. Success, once achieved, will significantly increase your chances of someday seeing your project come to life in anime form.

Let me pose an educational question. How many unpublished, original concepts from English speaking creators have been selected by Japanese production studios for anime adaptation? None. Every anime adaptation of an original English language concept ever made has been based on a previously published work or was produced because the American creator hired Japanese animators to create the animation. The Starship Troopers OVA series; the Lensman movie and TV series; the Witchblade TV series; Studio Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle, Ged Senki, and Karigurashi no Arietty; the Kinpatsu no Jeanie TV series; all of the anime based on classic literature including Tom Sawyer, Robin Hood, Peter Pan, King Arthur, and the Little Mermaid; the Seton Doubutsuki TV series; all of it spawned anime when Japanese creators knew of the original work and decided to create anime based on it. I’m not aware of any instance in the history of anime in which a Japanese studio optioned an unsolicited story idea from an English speaking creator.

As an aspiring creator, you may think that your concept is edgy, unique, and foreign, which would make it intriguing and appealing to a Japanese studio. In fact, those characteristics have an opposite effect. Why would a Japanese studio want to create an anime that its primary audience – Japanese viewers – will find foreign or alien? When Hollywood adopts movie ideas from Asia they’re often revised, rewritten, and tailored to suit an American audience. Japan does the same thing, which explains why the Witchblade anime bears so little similarity to the American comic books, and why movies like Howl’s Moving Castle and Ged Senki bear little resemblance to their source material. When there are thousands of Japanese amateur and professional artists with story concepts ripe for anime adaptation, there’s very little reason for Japanese production studios to turn to unproven, unknown American creators instead. Even strictly within Japan, nearly all anime that gets produced its based on previously published work: manga, novels, PC and console video games. Anime is an art, but it’s also a business. Japanese sponsors that invest millions into producing anime want to be certain that the material being adapted into anime will be successful. The most practical and efficient way to reach that assurance is by adapting material that’s already proven itself successful.

Anime definitely is a collaborative project. A director may have some involvement in story development, but a director also has to deal with production deadlines, voice actors, music composition, editing, advertising decisions, and a myriad of other concerns. So story is primarily the responsibility of the screenwriter. Also keep in mind that original creators are rarely involved in the anime adaptation of their work. Unless you’re already professionally entrenched in the anime industry, or you have enough experience and influence to involve yourself in the workings of an anime studio, you probably won’t have much involvement in the animation of a story you created. Like all types of cinema, anime does require a screenplay and scripts, but original creators are rarely ever anime screenwriters.

I’m well aware of the fact that seeing a personally created original concept turn into an anime is a great aspiration and a wonderful dream for countless English speaking anime fans. But history proves that hoping to literally break into anime as a foreign, unknown, amateur creator just doesn’t happen unless you do it yourself. For example, British computer programmer in Tokyo Danny Choo is developing an anime starring his original character by forming his own production studio. Precedent has proven that there are seemingly only two ways for a foreigner to get a concept adapted as an anime: pay a studio to work on it as Glenn Danzig did with his Satanika pilot and Ben Dunn did with his Warrior Nun Areala anime pilot, or publish a work that attracts the attention of an anime director or studio. The very nature of anime is that it’s a Japanese art created by Japanese artists. English speaking creators aren’t in that equation. If you’re an aspiring artist with a story to tell, concentrate on getting your story or concept developed in whichever way you can. Start with publishers and readers that share your language and your interests. If you create something suitable for anime adaptation, Japanese studios will come to you. If you plan on taking your concept to Japanese studios, I do sincerely wish you the best of luck and success. However, be mindful that no English speaking creator has ever convinced a Japanese anime studio to option an original, unsolicited concept. There’s just no practical reason for any Japanese studio to accept a concept from an unknown, unproven foreigner in place of an internally developed project or a concept from a native Japanese creator.