Ask John: Can Americans Write Anime?

Question:
I am very interested in becoming a writer for anime or manga without having to draw. I just want to be the person to create the storylines or story of the anime. Do you think this is possible? If so, how should I go upon doing it?

Answer:
Americans working in Japan’s anime industry as visual artists or animators are a rarity. I can’t recall ever hearing of a single American screenwriter ever working in Japan’s anime industry. If becoming a graphic artist in Japan’s anime industry is difficult for foreigners, becoming a writer for the anime industry seems to be virtually impossible. There have been numerous anime adaptations of literature written by foreigners, but in virtually every case the anime adaptation was based on a previously published foreign work. The exceptions are animation projects created by commission, not works that Japanese studios have decided on their own to adapt. This situation presents a dilemma for foreign writers. Experience proves that it’s possible for a foreign writer’s work to receive and anime adaptation, but it’s much more difficult for a foreigner to actually work as an anime screenwriter.

Anime adaptations like Starship Troopers, Howl’s Moving Castle, Dracula, the World Masterpiece Theater series, and Witchblade debuted first as novels, plays, comics, or other types of literature that became internationally recognized and eventually optioned for anime adaptation. So an American writer who simply hopes to see his or her original story turned into an anime needs only to create and publish the story. If the story becomes successful, perhaps it will come to the attention of Japanese animators who wish to adapt it. Or perhaps an American publisher or investor will encourage a Japanese studio to produce an anime adaptation.

Seeing an original story adapted into anime is not the same as regularly composing screenplays for anime. A writer that has a work adapted into anime remains outside the anime industry. An anime screenwriter specifically composes scripts and stories for anime, and works closely with directors and animators on a frequent schedule. There are anime screenwriters such as Satoru Akahori and Chiaki J. Konaka who primarily just write anime screenplays, but many of Japan’s best known anime screenwriters are also animators and directors. Creators including Mamoru Oshii, Akitaro Daichi, Shinichiro Watanabe, Satoshi Kon, Ryosuke Takahashi, and Hayao Miyazaki write original stories for anime, but they also contribute as visual designers and artists, and direct. Hollywood works with a system of screenwriters that compose scripts and submit them to studios. Japan’s anime industry doesn’t seem to routinely work that way.

Lots of anime fans have stories in their heads which they believe would make ideal anime series or movies. Some of those prospective writers may even be right. But foreign writers need to remember that there are also countless thousands or possibly even millions of native Japanese anime fans who also aspire to see anime based on their ideas. And those Japanese fans have the advantages of living in Japan, being intimately familiar with the trends of Japanese society and its anime community, and speaking fluent Japanese. Foreign writers don’t integrate easily into Japanese society or business, and their ideas are foreign, which makes them less than ideal employees for anime studios that require efficiency and speediness, and rely upon their ability to create art that doesn’t feel alienating or foreign to Japanese consumers.

I don’t wish to discourage any aspiring writer from perusing a dream of working in the anime industry, but I do want to emphasize the realistic odds of a foreigner landing such a job. Since I don’t know of any foreigner successfully becoming an anime screenwriter, I don’t know exactly how such a feat can be accomplished. I suspect that the most efficient method of earning such a job is actually traveling to Japan, arranging meetings with Japanese studio representatives, and presenting yourself and your ideas in person. I don’t wish to encourage Americans with delusions of self-importance to begin pounding upon the doors of Japanese animation houses, but I do think that responsible, determined, and professional writers seeking employment should be serious enough about their goal to present themselves professionally, in person. Naturally, being fluent in Japanese language will be a practical necessity. I’d suggest having a strong grasp of literature and writing, and practice writing screenplays. Writing samples, in Japanese, and other evidence of your qualifications will help establish your credibility and viability as a potential employee.

American writers have ample opportunity to publish stories, scenarios, scripts, and screenplays in America through comics, magazines, novels, stage plays, video games, television, and motion pictures. American writers can self-publish or submit proposals and drafts to American publishing companies, comic book publishers, game design studios, and film and TV studios. If you’re absolutely determined to work as a writer in Japan, you’ll compete against countless Japanese writers seeking the same opportunities, so you’ll need to equal their abilities, and exceed them. If you can’t offer at least that much to a potential Japanese employer, then there’s no reason to employ you. I see no evidence that Japan’s anime industry is actively seeking foreign employees or desires input from foreign writers and artists. If you’re an outsider trying to break into the industry, you’ll need to do whatever you can to make yourself known, and convince potential Japanese employers that you, your ideas, and your creative ability are valuable assets worth investing in.