foreigner and manga. please give reasonable response!

[Naotaro]

I am a canadian who all i have read was japanese manga and consider myself a decent at doing mangaka (manga artist). I am nowhere near professional though. I have set my sights on no matter what others say, i WILL be a respected mangaka. I have just enrolled into a Fine Arts program at Mount Allison University; from there, i will use a bachelor to be allowed to participate in the JET (Japanese Education and Teaching) program that will fly me to Japan and have a job as an english teacher's assistant; From there i will try to get a grant or something to be allowed into Tokyo Seka University, a university for manga and other. That and apply to be an assistant for a manga artist. I'm 18, i love to draw, I grew up with manga and hate american comics styles and have only been interested in this kind. no, im not the kid who liked 'yugioh' and wanted to jump on the bandwagon. but that is where i feel like i want to be. in japan producing manga.
Anyway... my question is as a "gaijin" (foreigner... i think that's right) , im wondering how i would be treated or what should i expect from producers or people from japan going over to live my dream? Please don't tell me off, i would like an actual response on this. be honest, but dont shove it down my throat. (honestly, i dont know what reaction to expect) thank you.

 

[JimmySeal]

I don't know anything about becoming a manga artist besides what the people have said on this board, but I think it's safe to say that what you're proposing is nearly impossible without a thorough knowledge of Japanese. Have you begun studying Japanese?

 

[nice gaijin]

Just out of curiosity, are there any foreigners who are currently respected well-known manga artists? If not, that's not to say that your dream isn't likely, but I wouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. Without being too harsh, being a foreigner is probably going to close more doors than it'll open in your chosen profession.

Furthermore, don't just "try to get a grant or something" after going to teach English in Japan. Have a plan. Have a back-up plan. Make sure that your vague idea of what to do before and after you get there becomes a feasible plan, and if things don't go your way, it's not the end of the world. It'd be a good idea to find out if there are any scholarships that will let you go to this particular university, or if the university accomodates foreigners (or if there are any other possible schools). If not, you'd better take JimmySeal's advice and get crackin on learning the language. In fact, you should be doing that anyways. How else do you expect to function in a predominantly Japanese profession in Japanese Society?

 

[JimmySeal]

Well, OP didn't necessarily say that they're not studying Japanese, but it's a bit strange to leave that part out if they are already studying Japanese.

The vibe I get around here is that it's nearly impossible for a non-Japanese person to become a manga artist with or without perfect Japanese. I wish you the best of luck, and your plan doesn't seem all that bad. Hopefully someone who knows more than us can chip in a bit. And yea, don't put all your eggs in one basket, and if this dream doesn't work out, the Japanese skills you will have developed, along with your drawing skills will surely be good for something.

 

[Ewok85]

The reasonable answer is it won't happen, and even if it did its not a job you would enjoy (ie, low pay, long hours, boring work. never going to be a headliner, just a guy who draws backgrounds etc).

The closest thing to a respected manga artist who is not Japanese, is Fred Gallagher - MegaTokyo - relax, we understand j00

Use the search, this is a topic that comes up WEEKLY and theres some good responses around.

how 2 wrk as a anime producer or artist
Oh no

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

"An open space of a person aiming at MANGAKA."
An information site to become MANGAKA
漫画家を目指している人の広場
"The Japan Cartoonists' Association (JCA)"
漫画家協会WEB | 公益社団法人日本漫画家協会 公式サイト
Please try to talk with JCA

 

[Naotaro]

I don't know anything about becoming a manga artist besides what the people have said on this board, but I think it's safe to say that what you're proposing is nearly impossible without a thorough knowledge of Japanese. Have you begun studying Japanese?

yea, ive been teaching myself and learning from some japanese friends. im still a ways off from being fluent yet.

 

[Naotaro]

thanx everyone. ^_^

 

[nice gaijin]

Not to knock the virtues of self-education, but you really need to find a system to learn; be it formal classes, working through textbooks like Genki and the Japan Times' Introduction to Grammar with some guidance, or audio aids like Pimsleur or something. Without living in a situation that forces you to learn and use Japanese, self-study will only take you so far so fast, and ultimately stunt your progress.

 

[Silverpoint]

I'd suggest trying to find out if your university could arrange an exchange program with a Japanese university. The JET programme is good, but if you studied at a Japanese university you would get really good language tuition thrown in for free. Plus the (Japanese) government pays all your bills.

 

[nice gaijin]

Plus the (Japanese) government pays all your bills.

Care to elaborate on that?

 

[Ewok85]

Think hes referring to monbusho or whatever the government scholarship program is

 

[nice gaijin]

Ok, Just wanted to clear up that it's not like the government will automatically pay your way if you're accepted to study in their country. I'm still wondering if Stinger was in fact referring to the Monbusho

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

The closest thing to a respected manga artist who is not Japanese, is Fred Gallagher - MegaTokyo - relax, we understand j00

Oh, dear God, NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Nevertheless, Naotaro, if actual publication of a standard paper manga is impossible in Japan, you can always try to start up a webmanga/webcomic. Best of luck with that one, though. They are hard to get a descent following, and you have to have an exceptionally awesome one in order to pull in as much loot as Megatokyo, Penny Arcade, or 8-bit Theater.

You could also try to get into American comics. DC or Marvel are probably too close-knit to break into, though. Jack Kirby R.I.P.

 

[Silverpoint]

Ok, Just wanted to clear up that it's not like the government will automatically pay your way if you're accepted to study in their country. I'm still wondering if Stinger was in fact referring to the Monbusho

Sorry, yes, I wasn't very clear.