Manga in Theory and Practice: The Craft of Creating Manga

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Think of the golden way of which I write in this book as signposts directing you to the royal road of manga at the summit. Attempts to reach those heights without any such map or anything else to guide the way will be frustrated far from the peak. This is something I’ve seen and heard happen many times. [...] To be perfectly honest, by making public ideas and methodologies that are trade secrets, which up until now I’ve held under monopoly, the publishing of this book will be disadvantageous to me on a personal level. But I’m writing this book because my desire to impart these techniques is far greater than any disadvantage that may come from revealing them." He then discusses how, essentially, the use of effective friction between characters and motivations can create intrigue and fascination, as well as an enthusiastic reader-base.

SJ: There's been a major JoJo revival the last ten years with all the anime series being made. How does it feel to have your series reach new heights of popularity again after so many years?Also, the book is full of references to Hirohiko Araki's own work. Not just his most famous serial "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure", but also his other less known work such as his first one one-shot "Poker Under Arms" (1981), and his first serial "Mashounen B.T." (1983). Qué hace concretamente en el libro? Nos explica cuáles son las claves universales de la narrativa, cuáles son los elementos más importantes del manga y, para mostrarnos porqué es así y no de otra manera, también nos pone ejemplos tanto de su propia obra como de la de otros, sean del manga o fuera de él. Porque Araki no cree que su libro esté limitado al aspirante a mangaka. Ni siquiera que el manga sea una singularidad. A sus ojos, las leyes del manga son leyes universales. Todo medio narrativo, de la literatura al cine pasando por el manga o el teatro, siguen las reglas que él recopila en el libro. Araki Sensei: I'm extremely grateful for all the support from the fans. There are new, younger fans being introduced to the original manga after experiencing JoJo through anime and other mediums. The fact that there's a new generation of readers is the core of what JoJo is about passing the torch on to the next generation. The book's main flaw - and it's a serious one - is its uncritical use of racial and gender bias. Araki writes and draws shonen, the most popular manga genre, aimed at boys and young men, as opposed to shojo (manga for girls). (Other genres include josei (for women 18-40), gekiga ( "dramatic pictures," complex narratives for adults), yaoi (or Boy's Love, about gay male relationships written by and for women), yuri (lesbian romance), bara (explicit gay narratives), Adventure, Sports, and Comedy). Much of his advice - such as the hero never being allowed to fail - is shaped by his experience writing weekly and monthly shonen where each installment has to excite the reader enough to read the next episode. Extensive reader surveys are conducted, and the least popular manga get cut. As such, the system, while an effective marketing device, has to play into the existing biases of its young male audience. It's a machine for perpetuating patriarchal attitudes about gender and reflects a shallow reasoning about emotions, personality, and success based on pop psychology. The upside is that its themes often convey positive moral messages about perseverance, friendship, and justice. Further, manga had grown as an industry to reflect a more inclusive perspective that values diversity.

Qué quiere decir eso? Que el método de Araki es puramente observacional. Todo lo que nos da son tres reglas —la necesidad de calibrar los cuatro elementos regidores, que la historia tenga un orden ascendente y que el tema sea importante para nosotros como individuos— y todo lo demás que nos dice es «el resto es observar». Observar todo. I believe just about anyone interested in storytelling will get something out of "Manga in Theory and Practice". I don't know of another book like it on the market right now. You get a behind the scenes look at his Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure series, and the thoughts, ideas and approaches that went into making it the series it is. (I have to say, as a Jojo’s fan, I really enjoyed all the tidbits about the series he scatters throughout the book.)

Overall if you are interested in writing manga, this would be a good book for you as it contains a lot of information when it comes to arranging and creating your manga. It is also an interesting look into the author's life and motivation when it came to creating their own work. Though I am not part of this audience, I did find these points interesting and a neat insight when it comes to the creator of JoJo.

Some may consider the idea of a skill book to be something of a relic of the past. Beyond the concept of an instructional book which usually focuses around a base level skill set and on hobbies or learning the arts, the idea of a material that engages with a readership that seeks to benefit from an author’s experience in one way or another is something that is typically reserved for memoirs or other marketable genres for famous and well acclaimed people to offer insight to the success and failures of their career/life.So then, what’s the difference between the poor artwork in manga that sells and the good artwork in manga that does not? The secret to artwork that sells is that the artist is instantly recognizable from their drawing. [...]

This is a really good primer on writing in general for new writers, whether you’re a visual artist or a pure writer, or both. You worked for several years with a weekly deadline as part of Shonen Jump, until transitioning to a monthly deadline when JoJo's Bizarre Adventure moved to Ultra Jump in 2004. What are your feelings on the weekly vs. monthly model of creating manga?In Manga in Theory and Practice, you say that the theme of all 8 parts of JoJo is "an affirmation that humanity is wonderful". Could you elaborate on that? He then goes on to recount how important titles are. In particular he enjoys striking, absurd ones, or ones with the character's name (which, well, makes sense.) Araki is the creator of the long-running Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, which has sold over 100 million books worldwide. It’s been animated for television, OAVs and theatrical features, as well as adapted to novelizations, video games, etc. Araki was one of five artists featured in the 1990 exhibit Le Louvre invite la bande dessinée (“ The Louvre Invites Comic-Strip Art“). Be thorough in research, rooting your story in its setting using minute details - phone types, chart topping songs, or even just flora and natural detail. He also recommends visiting the location, if it's a place that exists in life. He travelled to Egypt numerous times, and trekked the distance of Steel Ball Run by himself.