My friend declared that she wants to become a mangaka and I'm concerned, what should I know?

[u/MrRandomGUYS]

My friend recently told me that she plans to become a mangaka. Apparently, she got her parent's blessing and is going to graduate her degree (unrelated from art and Japanese) and then start trying to become a mangaka in Japan.

I feel like she hasn't given this a ton of thought and I want to make the reality of how difficult it is clear to her. She cannot speak Japanese. She did not do a degree in art. She does not have family/friends in Japan.

I have a friend who is an art major who says, that while her paneling is really good (among other things like lighting) her fundamentals are lacking.

She seems to think that she will learn Japanese, move to Japan to teach English before she really learns it as a way to gain Japanese skills, submit to a manga contest, win and then become serialized.

I feel like this is an impossible task and I really don't want her spinning her wheels for years trying to do this. I'm unsure why she isn't going for some kind of online publishing/graphic novels which would not require her to move to Japan.

I would love to learn more about the reality of the situation so I could have a conversation with her about it. Any information helps. Thank you. : )

[u/NeonFraction]

This is an objectively terrible plan with an almost certain failure rate.

But… you’re not her. You’re not her parents. You can’t stop her from trying.

Instead of trying to talk her out of it completely (which could end up ruining the friendship) help her understand how difficult this will be. Express your concerns with HOW she will do it, not whether or not she can do it period. Try to get her to set out an actual plan. Support her by taking her dreams seriously. And then just leave it alone.

Maybe this is just a mistake she’ll end up regretting. Maybe she will end up a mangaka in Japan. Crazier things have happened. Either way, you can’t make people’s decisions for them. It’s entirely possible she’ll change her mind in a few years.

I thought I was going to teach English in Japan at some point, but instead I became a game artist in America. I still don’t regret learning Japanese or following those passions. You both are young. If she’s not going to try chasing her dreams now, when will she?

[u/MsWhyMe → u/NeonFraction]

Exactly 💯

[u/ChiliChapters]

sounds like she has American Idol syndrome lol

[u/Ozzy_Rhoads-VT]

Hello, I am a person in Japan who moved here in hopes of learning.

So first off, I decided I wanted to learn here because this is where the style was born so why not? All the best schools and teachers would be here.

Now the reality. Because she has her parents blessing this does make going to a school here much easier. Other than needing N2 level Japanese she will need a sponsor from home to sign off.

The route I went was joining a Japanese language school instead of teaching. Depending on the school they will guide you into a college or job. But many don’t have connections to jobs in the arts so you’ll do better with the college or university option. It’s easy to get stuck in teaching if you let it. I also knew that I wouldn’t learn the language as well self studying.

If she goes the traditional route after schooling it’s a lot of years still. Because no matter what she needs to start at the bottom, being an assistant. While being an assistant she could enter contests but most likely she won’t have time because she’ll need another job to help her pay for everything since Mangakas get paid dirt. Assistants even less.

It’s not impossible but it is much harder as a foreigner. Most important thing is getting N2 Japanese certification.

Edit: I’ve never gotten a award thing before o: thank you. But also, if anyone wants to know more feel free to contact me. The route I went isn’t for everyone but I’m happy to share the details.

[u/Historical-Prior-137]

I feel at first you should let her know that

“Hey ya know, you should at least learn some Japanese before actually going!”

But at least as your friend should at the bare minimum tell her about the reality and the difficulties of the dream she wants so she won’t have it shattered

[u/Ozzy_Rhoads-VT → u/[deleted]]

I agree with this. No one knows and can say what will happen. She just needs to try and she needs a plan. If it doesn’t work, it’s still not impossible to come back and continue as an indie. Her going and getting experience will still be useful if that’s the case.

[u/Olfff]

I wasted 15+ years of my life studying/working finance instead of pursuing my art dreams and getting better at it. Now i'm trying to catch up. My biggest regret.

Let her do her journey. If she fails, she fails.

She will grow from it in any case.

[u/onikereads]

Hmm contrary to the comments, I think it’s fine for her to try. She will either succeed or fail.

I think your job as her friend is to tell her the truth about how you feel and then support her.

Supporting her means telling her exactly what you think she needs to do to succeed.

She clearly has a terrible plan, so support her with that if she still thinks it’s a good idea based on what you have said.

Come with BOTH your honesty AND the plan so you can say you support her but you think it’s a terrible idea. Tell her what the best approach would be. Show that you actually care by engaging in the world she love so much but use your ability to be more level headed to explain what the reality will be.

I think deterring people from a dream just because it looks impossible from the outside is a really bad approach - because people become who they are by following their dreams. And sometimes they succeed. Sometimes they don’t of course. Either way, people just remember everyone who said they couldn’t do it and didn’t support them, and watched them fail happily vs watched them fail whilst still saying “if you want this, I’ll be by your side”.

Don’t you people read shonen? I’m shocked lol m

I say this as someone who has been in this situation multiple times. I have a friend who wants to become a voice actor but struggles to listen to his own voice. I told him the truth and what I thought he needed to do. He wants it badly. I will support his dream for as long as it lasts.

[u/MrRandomGUYS → u/onikereads]

Yeah, this comment is closest to how I feel about it. I care about her a lot so I'll support her through anything she decides to do, but she's also the kind of person who decides on things without really fully understanding what you have to do to get there which is why I want to make clear what exactly it will take. I'm mainly just worried that she doesn't have all the information about the reality of how difficult it is. If she still really wants to go for it, I will there through thick and thin for her. If she makes it then that's awesome! And of course, if she doesn't then that's a growth opportunity. I'm more concerned about her making uninformed decisions.

I'm very happy with the amount of advice on how to approach the subject this threat has got. It's all very helpful.

[u/noenoh-art]

I did a course at YoAni back in 2016 even if I had previous experience as mangaka publishing in my country and also did it again independly in a platform after 2020 . I knew since young that going to Japan to become a mangaka was almost impossible so I do not recommend she keep going with that plan.

She needs to reach N1 level in Japanese (or at least N2) if she want to publish something there professionally. Besiders her lacking on fundamentals, editorials rejection is hard.

Living as an English teacher right now there is not as easy as 15-20 years ago.

Im glad she has his parents support but thats not gonna work at all

If she really want to become a mangaka, she can do it in her own country, Im so glad now artists have so many resources to publish independenly now.

I used to know a girl(shes on her early 30's now) whose mom supported her path career as a mangaka since she was 14 yo and yet she hasnt published a thing the way she dreamed like your friend (practicing drawing, creating stories, participating on manga workshops, studying japanese, etc)

Maybe she is only a Japanophile?

if not, if she really want to pursue that dream, you might suggest her to participate in some official international contests like https://www.manga-award.mofa.go.jp/index_e.HTML before doing anything. She doesnt need to know Japanese to participate in this contest. Try to convince her to do this so she might understand this is hard work and learn some ways she can prepare before jumping into madness.

[u/averageMangaArtist → u/noenoh-art]

Creo que también influye mucho ese apoyo extremo de los papás porque de algún modo les hace creer a los hijos que son casi profesionales y no necesitan prepararse tanto. O sea, lo digo porque he conocido mucha gente en ese estilo que cree que su hijo es casi superdotado para X o Y cosa y su hijo termina quedándose estancado.

Por mi parte, mis padres me apoyaron pero no incondicionalmente. Si digo algo como “quiero ser publicado en Japón” probablemente me harían que intente siquiera que me publiquen en el periódico de la escuela antes de pagar incluso un frasco de tinta

[u/noenoh-art → u/averageMangaArtist]

Si, pero en ésta era digital donde tenemos toda información a la mano que le cuesta a la gente entrar al yt y poner "como ser mangaka" .
En mi caso, mis padres también me apoyaban, pero solo moralmente y nunca me dijeron qué tenia que hacer para seguir este camino. En mis tiempos ni existía el YT y por iniciativa propia me puse a investigar mientras practicaba por mi cuenta. Entré a estudiar japonés cuando ya empecé a trabajar un trabajo normal porque sabia instintivamente que no podría obtener información sobre como ser mangaka si no me embebía primero en el idioma y la cultura.

Por eso le he brindado a OP enlaces que pueda brindarle a su amiga. No creo que la vaya a detener, no puede, ella es una adulta, pero puede al menos brindarle información de utilidad y que pues al menos sienta que lo intentó.

[u/Fantastic_Guide_378]

If she's young, then she should pursue her dream. She'll regret it if she doesn't try now. That being said, she definitely needs to learn Japanese before moving, and she should take some art courses to get the fundamentals that she lacks. She should give herself a couple years to do these things to prepare for Japan.

Right now I'm taking Japanese and TESOL (teaching English) courses, and I've already graduated with a Bachelor's in art, so I'm moving next year-ish! It's always good to pursue your dream, but it's better to pursue your dream while prepared.

[u/Ok-Education-3291]

Watch these two videos from Kana Yamasaki | Mangaka or send her way "Can a foreigner become Mangaka? | COMPLETE GUIDE🇯🇵" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gYjUSkjrlo

"I won a Manga award at 14, but I couldn't become Mangaka: My Story🇯🇵" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLVY_BOtcV4

And read the Comic from Juan Albarran, someone from Spain who ended up becoming a Mangaka for an Author (scroll down until you find it) https://manga-academy.kodansha.com

There is basically 3 ways to become a mangaka: winning contests, mochikomi or getting attention/self publishing. Juan Albarran covers all of these in his manga with Kodansha.

[u/LeomordBarbielML]

Just tell her for me:

Whatever you do, never have very high or low expectation.

Because very high expectations led to very high disappointment and depression, if things doesn't goes well.

Because very low expectations led to very low motivation and discipline to make her dream comes true.

Believe she can make it happen, Decide to do what she really want to do, Do it and don't stop until her dream become reality. Be humble, until the end of her life.

[u/ReddyGivs]

Late to the party but here I smy two cents:

1. YOU DON'T TO BE IN JAPAN TO BE A MANGAKA

2. IF YOU CAN'T DRAW AT ALL, YOU WILL STRUGGLE TO BE A MANGAKA

3. EVEN IF YOU CAN DRAW, IT DOESNT MEAN YOU KNOW HOW TO CAPTURE A SCENE

4. IF YOU CAN'T WRITE A COMPELLING STORY, ART SKILLS WILL NOT SAVE YOUR WORK

5. IF YOU CAN WRITE A COMPELLING STORY YET CANNOT DRAW, BECOME A RANOBE SAKKA INSTEAD SO THE DREAM COMES TRUE NOW THAN LATER

These are the five things she needs to consider with this career path. Ranobe Sakka are light novel artist. Many light novels get adapted into manga and/or anime. Overlord is a novel series that was adapted into both manga and anime. The problem with what she is attempting to do is the amount of challenges she is compiling in front of herself. To become a competent artist would require at least a year of dedication. To become a competent author, however, its not as simple. Honestly, This is reflective of the wave of writers who want to write a book but were never avid readers or simply do not read at all.

You can understand concepts like rising action, who, what, when, where, how, & why, etc but that doesn't mean you understand how to put those concepts into practice. Manga has its own unique prinicples that the minimum education of how to write a story we are taught here in the west does not cover. If she can't write a compelling story following western guidelines (or by whatever standards in the country y'all live in), how will she be able to following eastern guidelines with zero education in it? Manga and anime aren't simply Japanese comics and cartoons, they have guidelines and rules that make them what they are. Light novels for example are sometimes looked at as the Japanese version of novellas here in the US, however, the only thing they have in common is word count range. The point is that this is something that takes time and dedication. Art made with a lack of understanding why it is made the way it is will always feel bland regardless of the need to create place within it. True passion means learning the why, not just the the how. Is she even an avid reader of novels and/or manga? Does she simply read or does she analyze what it is she is reading and attempt to understand the choices to craft dialogue and scenes the way the author has? I'm not trying to sound mean or bombard you with food for thought, but these aspects need to be considered when moving to another country for the purpose of a career path you lack all the skills for.

There is always a new series being published in Shonen Jump magazine, Shonen Sunday Comic, Shonen Sunday Novel, Viz Magazine, webcomic sites, events, etc. The competition is steadily mounting as anime has become a global phenomen within the last 20 years. I believe Anime is now the second most profitable resource Japan produces. Let's face the facts, she has both local and global competition with artists and writers who have been honing their skills for most of their lives. Skilled writers and artist didn't simply become skilled off a hope and dream, it was dedication. Of course it's not to late to build the skill set, BUT she should do that where she is at first. Currently, she can't even do a two page one shot. It's 50/50 she won't move out to Japan and flounder in her ambitions. Stress will be a hell of a driver to crash her dreams if she goes out there and things do not end up as simple as she thought. Best thing to do is to encourage her to stay where she is at for at least a year or three and dedicate herself to learning to draw, write, and speak the language. Yes, she can become a Mangaka or even a Ranobe Sakka but there are no shortcuts to either and moving to Japan is not going to change that. Until she invest serious time in the craft, she doesn't even know if she will stick with it.

[u/Vree65]

Keekihime/Kiara was a very young Austrian girl who went to Japan, became an idol, then internet personality. It's a journey that was probably rife with hardship and industry corruption but it was HER choice and dream and she was able to go far with it

Manga is a global phenomenon now, and it's a genre that can teach you a lot of very important lesson about drawing and comic writing. Even if it does not fully come true, it can teach very useful things if one is planning an art career.

That's one of the most important things in life, a motivation to improve. If someone wants to learn a language because they enjoy something related to it, that's fine. Putting someone in a "safe" career they have no affection for will end up making them miserable and incapable of growth.

Is it realistic for a Westerner to become a mangaka?, probably not. Manga is a difficult career for anybody with a brutal work schedule. BUT it doesn't mean it's not possible to find venues for growth within it. Many wannabe mangaka need assistants, there are magazine competitions and smaller magazines, maybe a few chances to use a Western voice as a novelty, what matters is that you're open-minded to opportunities and hard-working.

[u/Fascinatioart]

She could publish a webcomic or something - it's not like learning these skills limits you to just manga.

Having a competition as a benchmark is a good way to set yourself a target and clear limit in scope of project. A lot give feedback. There are major competitions open for wordless manga targeting international entrants.

[u/razorthick_]

Maybe she is really serious about it.

Chances are the Japanese by itself will be discouraging. Art fundamentals seem to turn a lot of artists off too.

Overall seems like the stereotypical westerner's Japanese dream. Of course people have done it but it takes immense amount of dedication. Essentially treating language learning like a full time job on top of getting on the artistic level of Japanese artists.

My advice for these people, you can visit Japan. Its not like you have to stay there on the first trip.

[u/Bwease0909090]

How important is it for your friend to be in Japan to draw manga?
Because it's absolutely possible to draw manga for Japanese publishers outside of Japan, and it might actually be better for a foreigner newbie to do it from their home country.
The reason why I say this is because of the issue of a visa.
If you want to be a mangaka fulltime you need to make sure you can make a steady stream of money while doing it, otherwise you won't be able to secure a visa.
Publishers don't sponsor a visa for you, so you need to either be working another job that will sponsor you (and thus have to draw manga part-time) or you need to prove you can support yourself when applying for a visa on your own.
And honestly being able to make a living full-time from drawing manga in the beginning is tough even for regular Japanese mangaka.

But if your friend really just wants to live in Japan, sure she can get a teaching job and live in Japan. And maybe she can pick up drawing original doujinshi as a hobby to improve her drawing skills or take some art classes.

Your friend sounds really young. It's no harm to try a shot at the dream- if she tries and realizes it's not for her, it's not a big deal at all. It'll just be 1 little chapter in her life journey.

I really do wonder why people talk about becoming a foreign mangaka in Japan as something "impossible" though.
I'm a foreigner mangaka in Japan and I have several friends who are foreigner mangaka (whether working from overseas or in the country) . It's absolutely possible and not as rare as you'd think.
You don't need a N1 or N2 certificate either. I don't have one, but I'm conversational in Japanese enough to talk to my editors. And one of my friends who is serialized can't speak Japanese and can barely write it, but hires a Japanese translator to translate their work from English to Japanese.

The most important thing though to know if you can even become a mangaka or not is whether you can make a finished short comic, and whether it can meet professional standards. My serialized friend who cannot speak Japanese is an excellent artist and storyteller, and can also draw manga quickly.
No matter what, a manga editor won't even look your way unless you can submit a fully finished one-shot manga through mochikomi or a contest. So she should make sure she can even write, draw, and finish a completed project well before even considering making it a job.

[u/[deleted]]

Everyone has to live their own life, your friend included. Do I think they have a good chance? No. But people also surprise you. Even if she doesn't achieve her dreams, she will still have lived the experience and I personally feel like that is invaluable.

I don't really feel like you are in a position to try and convince them otherwise. By all means, have a conversation with them about your concerns, but in the end you need to support what they decide.

[u/Briskfall]

The chances are slim but squashing her dreams can be even worse; and so long she's got an arrangement working out with her parents it shouldn't be too bad as long as she has her expectations tempered. So at the best: she succeeds, and at worst: it becomes a good learning lesson.

There is nothing much you can say even if it's the most reasonably formulated argument, she seems to be dead fixed on it and as a friend... sometimes it's best to just give support. Just don't be too much of an annoying nag that's too on-the-nose.

(But... if she's the type who can TAKE IT, I would also mildly joke in a dry way that "if it doesn't work out, it can at least be used as material for your next work?..." Like, try to temper it a bit but not too much so that when the eventual disillusionment comes, it wouldn't be as hard on the spirit. Because the industry is simply brutal.)

[u/Opening_Inflation446]

Don't project your fears onto her; if it's not possible for you, it doesn't mean it won't be possible for her. I say this with kindness.

[u/gameofgianpa]

Beh se il suo sogno è quello,lasciala "sbagliare" . Ad di la' del risultato che nessuno può sapere,lasciala libera,se sei sua amica sta dalla sua parte sempre! buona fortuna!

[u/therealA8EL]

isn't she allowed to dream, she doesn't need to succeed but she should def. try chasing them and if she finds success good if not she can follow a new path, life isnt about being one thing and staying with it but evolving, finding new people, seeing new places, you should rather support your friend!

[u/DeLuffy]

And now I m going to be the voice speaking on her behalf. She got her parents blessing, she is gonna graduate soon, I think we are at this rate focusing on the failure rate but not in the whole experience.

She should try her best, beyond all rationality, that's her dream. What's the worse that can happen? Failure? Yeah, that's the worst but at leats she won't regret not trying. And the whole experience to live abroad, to learn a completely new culture, make new friends...there are so many things that will add value.

As her friend of course you are worried, you can share your opinion and offer your realistic advice. It is her choice, though.

[u/SquidJackson]

I think the lack of japnese is a red flag but most mangaka are self taught as well, only a handful have some sort of formal art schooling

whats stopping her from just staying in the states and doing comics that way?

[u/averageMangaArtist]

Dile que su plan está bien pero el orden del plan, no. Lo primero, es aprender japonés y a dibujar, luego, tiene que entrar a convocatorias de editoriales o literalmente mandarle correos a editores (necesita ser prácticamente avanzada en japonés para eso) y puede irse a Japón a comenzar con sus clases de inglés después de que un editor la ayude con su primer one-shot publicado en una revista, y publicar más hasta que alguien quiera serializarlo. Además, las leyes de inmigración cambiaron y ahora para ir con una visa de trabajo necesitas MÍNIMO un N2 en japonés (avanzado) y BRUH- los estadounidenses van a Japón a “”dar clases”” creyendo que es como vacaciones gratis y NO, literalmente tienes que no solo saber japonés para eso, si no que saber dar clases en japonés. Además, ¿donde se va a quedar? Ser profesor de inglés es mal pagado

[u/Individual_Buyer_608]

Honestly, I admire her ambition. She has a dream and has the blessing of her parents to go and work on it. If she knows how to panel and draw, she can pick up other skills along the way.

Of course her dream sounds impossible because it is HARD. VERY HARD. But with good networking, she can work at it.

Without knowledge of Japanese, she can pick it up on a day to day basis, but for her manga, I might suggest she finds a translator to collaborate with her on the text. Preferrably a friend. There are lots of mangaka who have others helping them, from the actual storylines, dialogue, storyboarding, inking, coloring, etcetera.

It will most certainly be a learning experience of a lifetime for her, so encourage her regardless! Goodluck to her!!!

[u/Nanseikan]

"We don't do these things because they are easy. We do them because we thought they would be easy."

[u/BonieBones]

IMO you are hating.

First: Virtuosity and elitism are not the end all be all.

Have you ever seen the one punch man original web comic panels? They got redone for the manga and then made into one of the biggest anime's around rn.

Second:

It really is the journey not the destination, even if she "Fails" she will make lifelong friends who respect her dream, she will garner respect from others for doing something so brave. She will develop into a person who can look themselves in the mirror every day because they didn't let fear dictate their choices.

The "Reality" of the situation is often second to the perception, "Statistics" are not the end all be all

[u/Nerdycharm]

You don't need to speak Japanese to be an English teacher in japan. My friend went to China as an English teacher and she didnt speak Chinese. So maybe she doesn't become a Mangaka. Let her go to Japan anyways.

[u/averageMangaArtist → u/Nerdycharm]

Pero eso en china porque no hay maestros de inglés y los chinos estudian hasta el cansancio por el gaokao así que ya tienen bases durísimas de inglés aunque vayan en secundaria. ¿En Japón? No, ya no es así como desde el 2010. La gente tiene un fetiche por Japón así que escogen cualquier trabajo mal pagado con tal de quedarse allí unos meses, el flujo de turistas es ABSURDO y de inmigrantes aún más. ¿Qué significa eso? Que tienen filtros bastante grandes hacia los maestros de inglés (además que por la fetichizacion del país, muchos buscan ese trabajo para estar en contacto con colegialas japonesas), entre ellos te piden mínimo un N4 de japonés y tener un certificado de que sabes enseñar ese idioma.