Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is book is Excelent! I love it! It tells you alot about the process of making anime in Japan. It gives you a informative run down of the perspective of screen shots, coloring the animation, the background images, the tools and equipment used and the movement of the charcters. I found it very interesting. I think that anyone could use this and pick up the basics of anime and try and create their own. I recomend this to those who have a passion to become a animator (like me) or just love anime and want to know how it is made!

This book has lovely art and references in the production of a Japanese cartoon. I however believe this book is more of a supplemental read and reference than anything else. I deducted two stars from the overall rating based on the fact that this book is lacking instruction in animation. People don't use cells and cameras anymore. Animation is done on the computer for the most part.

Recording and repeatedly watching a Japanese Cartoon would provide far more instruction than this book could offer with it's less than 200 pages of instruction and I use the term instruction rather loosely. This book provides an explanation for those quirky techniques in Japanese animation and that is what I mean by instruction.

If you are a fan of Japanese Animation but have no ambition towards pursuing a career in animation this book is a wonderful collector's item. I however recommend for the animation student the Osamu Tezuka Animation books instead. It's about as instructive as a book on Japanese animation ever will be. Also avoid the Anime Mania book by Christopher Hart I loved most of the books in his Manga Mania series but the Anime Mania is more of a keepsake than instruction on the Production of an Anime style cartoon.

I must conclude that watching Pokemon or Anime on Adult Swim would be more instructive than this book.
Those Japanese cartoons would show you how to animate those comical motions in Japanese animation.

I was actaully excited to get this book but was fairly dissapointed when i had recieved it. here is barely any instuction in this book and most of it is basically like a full on refresher course for those who already know how to do some if not all of this. Not to mention it has use of tools one may not even have. This book, if you want to make any type of animation whatsoever, is not reccomended, unless you just want to refresh yourself after going to a college for this or japan.

The sections covered are well described and illustrated. Even small test-your-understanding quizzes. Composition and camera angle to create mood and feeling are well done. However for a book on anime I feel there are gaps. I would liked to have seen a section on lip synching, and also something on software animation tools and techniques.

This book has wonderful easy to understand instructions on everything from creating cels to perspective and finishing.

The How to Draw title is definitely a misnomer. It's an okay book. It tells you the coloring techniques for anime and doesn't give enough emphasis on how to draw those angles. It mentions those cute animeesque techniques.
Overall not very good at all.

I don't recommend this book for beginners or serious animators. It has pretty illustrations and fluff. If you're a huge anime fan who just wants to know how anime is made rather than how to make anime or cartoons then this is definitely for you. It shows a few important aspects to Japanese cartoons such as the coloring techniques and background painting techniques. Those cute ghost effects but other than that it fails to instruct in anyway.

I recommend Christopher Hart's How to Draw Animation over this one or Preston Blair's Cartoon Animation.