Is there a college i can go to to work on manga and anime, please help! i want to do this when i grow up!?

Question

ive been workin on my own manga since i was 13 and now im 18! i need to no where i can go to publish my manga so adults and kids could read! idk if i should go to cartoon network! i need help!

Answer 1

as far i as i know there is no manga/anime courses in any college in the US. My best recommendation is to take life drawing courses to study proper human anatomy. even though it may not seem related almost all famous manga artist started out understanding the basic human form first before creating their own style such as Jojo's Bizarre Adventures' Araki and his influence of old Renaissance art. manga and anime styles will come naturally when you understand the basic rules of how the human body is built and how you can take advantage of that to your own benefit.

Answer 2

No, there aren't any manga-specific degrees - manga is just a style of illustration, and personal style is something you learn yourself on top of a groundwork of basic drawing techniques, not something you are taught. I would recommend a degree in Illustration (animation will not really help you unless you want to go into creating anime, rather than manga - the skills you need are very different). This will teach you the kind of strong drawing skills you would need to produce a graphic novel, whether manga or otherwise. Some places may have classes geared specifically toward production of comics, which would also be helpful to you (as the principles of creating comics are similar regardless of drawing style).

The person who said it is a very competitive field is correct. There are, literally, only a handful of successful American manga artists; the US manga industry is tiny compared to that in Japan and sourced almost entirely from Japanese-produced manga which already has a record of success in its home country, so an aspiring manga artist in the US is in a very unfortunate position. If you're prepared to consider moving to Japan to pursue your dream, you would have a better chance of success, as you could follow the traditional Japanese path to being a mangaka, which is to achieve drawing skills/qualifications and then study under another mangaka to learn their craft. You could study Japanese alongside Illustration and spend time in Japan in college, which would leave you better able to decide if moving there is an option for you. If you want to remain in the US, you would probably have to make a living doing other varieties of illustration, and work hard on your skill level and on producing manga in your free time in the hope that you eventually become one of the very lucky few Americans who get to have one published.

This website has some articles about becoming a professional manga artist, publishers etc., which should be useful to you: http://www.mangatutorials.com/

Good luck. :)

Answer 3

If you are in North America, you're pretty much out of luck. There are some private classes offering lessons on this japanese style of art where I am, but these are pretty S****y in my opinion.

Your best option is to take a Cartooning or Animation program in college. While the style of art may be different, the principles and methods of Japanese anime/manga and American cartoon/comics are the same. You just need to adapt your form to the things you learn.

However, I really think you should reconsider your choice of career. The anime/manga industry is a very very competitive field, even in Japan where there are thousands of hopeful artists like you who are struggling to make a living. While I don't know your level of skill in this field, I really think that you should view this interest as more of a hobby than a lifetime commitment. You should go study in a field that can provide you with a steady job opportunity, and perhaps maybe in the future when you're financially steady or retired, try it out. Trust me.