How To Draw Manga Volume 26: Making Anime (How to Draw Manga (Graphic-Sha Numbered)) (v. 26) [Paperback]

Yoyogi Animation Gakuin (Author), AIC (Author)

Book Description

Series: How to Draw Manga (Graphic-Sha Numbered) | Publication Date: September 2, 2003

From the publishers of the best-selling How To Draw Manga series! This book, which was co-authored by the animation production company, A.I.C. and Yoyogi Animation Gakuin, a leading animation institute in Tokyo, Japan. It represents the main or "key" poses in an action by showing the reader the work process up to the point where a finished animated work has been created. This is a must-have one for all the Japanese Anime fans who are interested in making process of animated work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Graphic-Sha; English Ed edition (September 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4766112393
• ISBN-13: 978-4766112399
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #742,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, excellent book!, February 6, 2004

By 

"alamedyang" (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How To Draw Manga Volume 26: Making Anime (How to Draw Manga (Graphic-Sha Numbered)) (v. 26) (Paperback)

This book is an unprecendented step-by-step guide for the making of (Japanese-style) cel animation. Nowhere else, even in American books (and have I looked at a few!) are the complete procedures for animation wrapped up so tightly or professionally.

Reasons I recommend the book:
1) Besides being immensely clear in its text (a fine, strong translation, unlike some others in this How to Draw Manga series), this book has pictoral examples accompanying every principle about layout, perspective, depicting emotion, staging, anticipation, realistic lines of motion, and so on.
2) The *complete* start-to-finish process is covered -- rather than just the animation and inbetweening bit, on which most other books focus; even aspects of animation such as tracing/inking, coloring/painting, visual and lighting effects, background design and execution are covered magnificently.
3) Typical amateur work is scrutinized for common mistakes and is corrected by professionals, for an indirect application of techniques covered.

When our local Anime Club decided to make a cel-animated film of our own, this book proved immensely useful. For additional animation techniques and advice, I also recommend "The Animator's Survival Kit" by Richard Williams and "The Illusion of Life" by Ollie Frank and Johnson Thomas.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know about Japanese animation, November 22, 2004

By 

Rio A. - See all my reviews

This review is from: How To Draw Manga Volume 26: Making Anime (How to Draw Manga (Graphic-Sha Numbered)) (v. 26) (Paperback)

If you really want to learn about animation, then this is the book for you! Put together by the folks at Yoyogi Animation and AIC who've worked on countless popular animations from Tenchi Muyo!, Ah! My Goddess, Moldiver, and Artimage III to name a few. After reading this book, it demystified the process of animation and I must say that I felt quite confident about making my own animation! And I'm a complete novice when it comes to animation.

Everything is explained quite nicely with multiple examples shown in a majority of the areas covered. Tips and other helpful insights are also given for that extra step towards making your own professional animation. There is even a hilarious sample flip animation on the upper right corner of the book you can study.

The book covers an overview of AIC, an introduction to the animation process which covers the step-by-step process of animation in easy to read flowcahrt, about images, why pictures drawn by animators move, drawing animation pictures, how to add colors to an animation, drawing actions, and tips for improving the fun factor of animations.

First and foremost, this is not a how to draw book even though it has the "How to Draw Manga" title. It's strictly about animation. There is no nudity or suggestive drawing of any kind in this book so it's excellent for all age groups. And if you don't have the fancy equipment the animators have, the book ends with information on creating animations on your computer which earns this book a 5-star rating.

For simple to complex animations, you can use Macromedia Flash or Shockwave but if you're really on a budget, Windows comes with a neat software called Movie Maker and if you have it, you can also use a software called GIF Animator.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good concise reference, January 24, 2005

By 

J. Wei (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How To Draw Manga Volume 26: Making Anime (How to Draw Manga (Graphic-Sha Numbered)) (v. 26) (Paperback)

This book is definitely for someone with a bit of knowledge in animation and manga in general.

Personally, I love concise texts (like this one) because they go straight to the point and only really say stuff that needs to be said.

This book introduces you to the world of Manga animation (i.e. Anime) in the quickest way possible, and it does touch on a bit of everything: how coloring is done in cel animation, what frame rates are normally used, how you could improve your artwork, how to achieve particular special effects, and how to do backgrounds.

The only thing missing from this book, which in my view is a pretty important thing, is the digital animation process - i.e. coloring anime digitally, and digitally animate drawings.


Other than that, this book is excellent as a quick reference - especially if you already have some knowledge in animation and you are thinking of making your very own anime, in which case this book will serve as an excellent quick reference. However, if you are looking for something that will walk you through every single step of the animation process, this book is probably not for you. Actually, if that is what you are after, you should be taking a course in animation instead of reading a book anyway.