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Mangaka
 
 
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is the Japanese
Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
 word for a comic artist
Comic book creator

File:Internet superheroes.jpgA comic book creator is any one of a number of people working to create a comic book or graphic novel. The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S....
 or cartoonist
Cartoonist

A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. Traditionally much of this work was, and still is, humorous, and is intended primarily for entertainment purposes....
. Outside of Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, manga
Manga

, , are comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art....
 usually refers to a Japanese comic book
Comic book

A comic book is a magazine or book of narrative artwork and dialog and descriptive prose. The style was introduced in 1934. Despite the term, comic books do not necessarily feature humorous subject-matter; in fact, it is often serious and action-oriented....
 and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese. As of 2006, about 3000 professional mangaka were working in Japan.

Some artists may study for a few years at an art college, manga school, or take on an apprenticeship with another mangaka, before entering the world of manga as a professional artist.






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is the Japanese
Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
 word for a comic artist
Comic book creator

File:Internet superheroes.jpgA comic book creator is any one of a number of people working to create a comic book or graphic novel. The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S....
 or cartoonist
Cartoonist

A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. Traditionally much of this work was, and still is, humorous, and is intended primarily for entertainment purposes....
. Outside of Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, manga
Manga

, , are comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art....
 usually refers to a Japanese comic book
Comic book

A comic book is a magazine or book of narrative artwork and dialog and descriptive prose. The style was introduced in 1934. Despite the term, comic books do not necessarily feature humorous subject-matter; in fact, it is often serious and action-oriented....
 and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese. As of 2006, about 3000 professional mangaka were working in Japan.

Some artists may study for a few years at an art college, manga school, or take on an apprenticeship with another mangaka, before entering the world of manga as a professional artist. However, there are some that just start in manga, without being an assistant by applying to contests that various magazines run. For example, Naoko Takeuchi
Naoko Takeuchi

, born March 15, 1967, is a manga artist who lives in Tokyo, Japan. Takeuchi's works are widely admired by anime/manga fan . She is a well-known mangaka worldwide....
 won such a contest sponsored by Kodansha
Kodansha

is the largest Japanese publisher, headquartered in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon , Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzo, Weekly Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten....
, and Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka

was a Japanese people Mangaka, animator, movie producer and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion....
 started out without being an assistant.

A mangaka will generally rise to prominence through recognition of their ability when they spark the interest of various institutions, individuals or a demographic of manga consumers. For example, there are various contests which prospective mangaka may enter, sponsored by some of the leading manga editors and publishers in the field. They are also recognized for the number of manga they run at one time.

Etymology

The word can be broken down into two parts: Manga
Manga

, , are comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art....
 and ka.

The Manga
Manga

, , are comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art....
 corresponds to the medium of art the artist uses: comics
Comics

Comics is a graphic Mass media in which are utilized in order to convey a sequential narrative; the term, derived from massive early use to convey comic themes, came to be applied to all uses of this medium including those which are far from comic....
, or Japanese comics, depending on how the term is used inside or outside of Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
.

The -ka suffix
Japanese honorifics

The Japanese language has many honorifics, parts of speech which show respect, and their use is mandatory in many social situations. Honorifics in Japanese may be used to emphasize social distance or disparity in rank, or to emphasize social intimacy or similarity in rank....
 implies a degree of expertise and traditional authorship. For example, this term would not be applied to a writer creating a story which is then handed over to a manga artist for drawing. The Japanese term for such a writer of comics is gensaku-sha.

Relationship with staff


Editor

The editor helps and supports the mangaka. They make sure that the manga is being produced at an even pace and that deadlines are met. They may also do a little bit of managing of the appearances of the mangaka. They will often comment on the layout of the manga panels, the art, and make sure that the manga stays up to company standards.

They also do basic editing and story suggestions of the manga itself. The influence of the editor can range manga to manga and project to project as both the mangaka and the company allows. Generally they are considered the boss of the mangaka and oversee the majority of the production to make sure it runs smoothly.

In addition, in cases where the mangaka cannot supervise the anime character and action figure designs, the editor often goes to supervise these things in place of the actual mangaka.

Assistants

Many mangaka have assistants who help them with their artwork. The duties of assistants vary widely; some mangaka only sketch out the very basics of their manga, and have their numerous assistants fill in all of the details, while others use assistants only for specific things (Go Nagai
Go Nagai

is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica.He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating the seminal works Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s....
, for instance, at one time employed an assistant specifically to draw helicopters and other military vehicles). Other mangaka have no assistants at all, and prefer to do everything themselves, even though to meet the tight deadlines assistants are usually needed. The group CLAMP for example, splits the duties between its members, but does not use additional assistants.

Most often, assistants are responsible for the backgrounds and screentone
Screentone

Screentone is a technique for applying Texture s and shades to drawings, used as an alternative to hatching. In the conventional process, patterns are transferred to paper from preprinted sheets, but the technique is also simulated in computer graphics....
s in manga, while the mangaka him/herself draws and inks the main characters. While they are often employed to help with art, assistants almost never help the mangaka with the plot of their manga, beyond being a "sounding board" for ideas. Most full-fledged mangaka started out as assistants, such as Miwa Ueda
Miwa Ueda

is a mangaka known for her works like Peach Girl and Angel Wars. In 1999, she received the Kodansha Manga Award for shojo for Peach Girl....
 to Naoko Takeuchi, Leiji Matsumoto
Leiji Matsumoto

is a well-known creator of several anime and manga series. His wife is also known as a manga artist ....
 to Osamu Tezuka, Kaoru Shintani to Leiji Matsumoto and many others. However it is also possible for an assistant to spend their entire career as such without making the jump to being a mangaka in their own right.

See also

  • List of manga artists
    List of manga artists

    This is a list of manga artists, commonly referred by the Japanese language word mangaka, regardless of nationality. Romanized names are written in Western order , whereas kanji names are written in Japanese order ....