How to Make Manga when You CAN'T Write | Beginner Mangaka Story Writing Tutorial

Summary

The video argues that storytelling is the most important skill for making manga. Drawing ability matters, but a compelling story can attract readers even when the art is still developing. Storytelling improves through practice: read and study manga, then create short stories and storyboards.

Key lessons

• Start with a manageable one-shot. A one-shot tells a complete story in a single chapter. It’s useful practice for aspiring manga artists, and several popular series began as one-shots.
• Keep the scope small. Beginners can get stuck juggling scattered ideas, elaborate worldbuilding, and complicated systems. This can lead to overthinking and unfinished projects. One mentor recommends starting with a 16-page story.
• Look for ideas in what you know. Everyday life, personal experiences, hobbies, interests, history, people, culture, and other forms of media can all inspire a story.
• Develop a clear pitch before expanding the plot. A pitch should capture the story’s essence in a few simple sentences—short enough to explain in about 30 seconds. It should be clear, focused, and realistic for the intended length.
• Include four basic elements in the plot:
  1. The main character or characters
  2. The setting
  3. The character’s goal or motivation
  4. The obstacle or conflict

Brainstorming exercise

1. Choose three stories you love—from manga, anime, films, books, or elsewhere.
2. Write down what you like about each and why.
3. Identify elements you’d like to use or explore in your own manga.
4. Review and refine those ideas into a brief description of a possible one-shot.
5. Try different versions of the pitch until you find one that feels compelling and fits the page limit.

The video uses Attack on Titan as an example of combining influences into a concise premise. It also gives a hypothetical pitch for Mashle to show how a short “what if?” idea can convey a story’s core.

Developing the plot: The 5 Ws and 1 H

Use these questions to make the premise more specific and consistent:

• Who? Who are the characters? For a one-shot, focus on one or two main characters with clear personalities and motivations.
• What? What is the central problem, conflict, or goal?
• Where? Where does the story take place, and how does the location affect its mood?
• When? When does it happen? Establish a clear timeframe.
• Why? Why do the characters act as they do? Their reasons give the story depth.
• How? How will the central conflict be addressed or resolved? This helps shape the climax and ending.

Structuring the story: Ki–Sho–Ten–Ketsu

The video presents a four-part structure for organizing a manga plot:

• Ki — Introduction: Establish the characters, setting, and initial situation or conflict. Give readers a reason to continue.
• Sho — Development: Explore the initial situation further. Develop the conflict, build momentum, and possibly introduce new characters or complications.
• Ten — Turn: Introduce a twist, revelation, or turning point that changes the story’s direction or circumstances.
• Ketsu — Conclusion: Resolve the conflicts and close the story. The protagonist may change or grow, and the ending should feel complete.

From outline to storyboard

• The plot of a 16-page one-shot can often fit on one page, or perhaps two if it includes more detail and dialogue. Treat it as an outline of what happens, not as a novel.
• Beginners are advised to write down the scenes first, so they have a plan before storyboarding.
• Don’t worry about perfect grammar or polished prose. The goal is to create a useful reference for the scenes.
• Manga is a visual medium, so words and images should complement one another. Some artists storyboard without writing a full script; the video also mentions artists who draft dialogue before drawing.

The closing message is that storytelling improves with practice. The video also promotes the channel’s online one-shot manga program, which offers instruction and feedback from professional manga artists and accepts students aged 18 and over.

Speakers and sources mentioned

• Narrator/presenter: Unnamed in the subtitles.
• Mentors cited: Ren Sayama, Nao Yazawa, Naoya Azawa, and Rena Senze. The auto-generated subtitles give inconsistent spellings for some names, so these may be inaccurate.
• Creators and artists mentioned: Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata, Hajime Isayama, Eiichiro Oda, and Hirohiko Araki.
• Student example: Raven, whose fantasy-inspired one-shot idea is discussed.
• Works used as examples or references: One Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100, Attack on Titan, Fruits Basket, Naruto, Dragon Ball, Bleach, One Piece, Death Note, Bakuman, Komi Can’t Communicate, Mashle, Jurassic Park, Muv-Luv Alternative, Anastasia, Thumbelina, and The Magic Sword.