Creating an Original Manga Story and a Poster - Essay Example

Assignment The star athlete who can seduce anyone and who has yet to prove his worth. The emotionally detached genius who surprises people with her ability to survive and who is the result of an illegal scientific experiment. The adventurous captain who endures numerous trials and triumphs. These are the primary characters of a new anime action series that focuses on the very real challenges of growing up while capturing the attention of its mid-teen target audience. THE STORY The story opens with Mikuri, a young girl who seems old beyond her years thanks to her white hair and quicksilver eyes. She is first seen being blown through the air cocooned in the thin mattress from her bed. This strange site is the result of a massive explosion that rips away half of a snowy mountainside in a remote area in the middle of an otherwise quiet night. Her intelligence is revealed in the quick thinking that saved her life while her emotional distance is displayed in her lack of grief for any of the people she had lived with prior to the explosion even after she realizes they’re all dead. The story then cuts to Michael, the star athlete of Last Gap High School on the edge of the barren highlands sometime earlier that day. Michael is clearly the star attraction, but feels empty inside the adoration. When he overhears respected science teachers talking about his grim future as a desperate car salesman or a retired jock, he suddenly realizes that he will never be recognized for his intelligence and, worse, he is no longer sure of it himself. He decides he needs to prove himself somewhere far away, but the only town he might do that is on the other side of the barren highlands where no one has heard of him. He can trust no one to ferry him because they will report back where he has gone. Finally, he discovers the strange one-eyed loner girl Sakira lurking in the shadows. He knows she has her own small airship that she has been building from parts and he charms her into risking a night-time trip. The explosion in the mountain occurs just as Sakira and Michael are passing overhead and they are buffeted severely by the disturbance. Sakira manages to bring the ship to a shaky landing thanks to some superb flying and the two teens go searching the explosion site for survivors. As they make their way through the debris, they notice the logo of S-Gen, a genetics engineering firm that has a nasty reputation for ignoring ethical and legal standards. Nervous about what will happen to them if they are discovered, they begin to flee the scene but turn to find Makuri, who is standing placidly waiting for their attention with a small knapsack cradled in her arms. “We’d better leave now,” she says calmly. “It won’t take them long to miss the electronic feed and then teams will arrive to assess the damage.” This is how the strange trio of friends start out on their adventure as they seek the answers to Mikuri’s mysterious beginnings and the experiments she had been subject to as a ‘guest’ in the secret lab. At the same time, they must avoid the relentless agents of the S-Gen Corporation that has realized she survived the blast and are intent on ‘recapture and neutralization of affected accomplices’. Caught in the action almost without will, Michael is given ample opportunity to prove his inner worth and Sakira finally has the chance to search the freedom of the skies for greater acceptance of her differences, which she is realizing aren’t as profound as she’d thought. Makuri, the Snow Child, discovers her inner talents and weaknesses; learning to care for the people who have risked their lives for her will prove the most difficult test of her development. Each episode will reveal a new element of a character’s development as they work to unravel a scientific, technological or strategic puzzle to Makuri’s past or escape and a path to final safety from the agents of S-Gen. THEMES There are several themes to the story on a variety of levels. Universal themes of the story refer to the common experiences all young people face in growing up and taking their position as adults in the world. Social themes can be developed such as the ethics of business, the encouragement of science and technology or the responsibility of individuals to play a role in society. Individual themes include the psychological elements of growing up and the exploration of several personality types as they develop into more healthy, well-rounded human beings. MAIN CHARACTERS Michael: Michael is a star athlete who dreams of pursuing a career in science. He is uncomfortable in his stardom because he feels the affection of the people who surround him is fake. Already questioning how people really feel about him, Michael’s doubts come to a head when he hears his respected science teachers discussing one of Michael’s ideas as ‘characteristically idiotic, but what else can you do on game day but pat him on the head and say good boy’. Determined to prove to himself and others that there is more to him than the dumb jock, Michael decides to try enrolling in the school on the other side of the barren highlands (which nobody crosses and thus nobody knows him there). He is somewhat impetuous, supremely confident in his physical abilities (with good reason), very charming, chivalrous, accustomed to having women fawn over him and very defensive about his intellectual abilities. Mikuri: The Snow Child of the title, Mikuri’s life is a mystery. She is literally blown into the story from nowhere and is immediately set off as ‘different’ because of her white hair, silver eyes and aloof personality. As the story progresses, she is revealed to be a genius, but that doesn’t mean that she always makes the right decisions. She has an uncanny knack for surviving in desperate situations and often saves herself and her friends through reflex-quick assessment of her surroundings. Through the series, she begins to realize abilities that extend beyond those of a normal human at the same time that it becomes clear that Mikuri is the result of some kind of illegal genetic experiment S-Gen was conducting in an attempt to create a superior race. It is because of her development in a lab that she initially has no emotional attachments to others. Her development through the series focuses on her understanding of her abilities, her discovery of her past and her developing real feelings for her friends. Sakari: Sakari is a mostly silent girl who hides in the shadows of the high school. She is the only child of an absent mother and has never known who her father might have been. She considers herself ugly because she feels she has a goofy grin and unruly hair that is purposely allowed to go wild in an attempt to hide the black patch she wears over her missing eye. Her eye was lost in an accident when she was a child travelling with her mother across country and she has always felt self-conscious about it. She feels she is hideously different from the other kids and thus could not possibly be accepted by them. Instead, she turned to machines for friends and has been slowly piecing together an airship. Her plan is to escape to the skies as soon as possible and float in a world of her own creation where she need not fear others’ ridicule or judgment. Her relationship with Michael and Makuri reveal to her that she is not as different as she thinks and a life dedicated to honor is better than a life of escapism. MARKETING Targeted to an audience of middle-teenagers facing the prospect of reaching majority age, this series would work best as an animated cartoon. While the cartoon focuses more on the psychological development of the teens, a video game could offer another format as the kids puzzle their way through various scenarios in the style of adventure games. Online presence could link visitors to information resources that support ideas seen in the show – scientific studies, news events, etc. RACE REVIEW After considering a number of submissions to our panel, we have selected Race as one of our finalists. The storyline is highly engaging and thoughtful. It addresses many of the key issues facing the target demographic today. It is proper that you have credited the source of ideas for this manga as it will be necessary to properly address any concerns of copyright infringement. We request greater detail as to the depth and nature of this connection to be included within your proposal. Your characters are stereotypically loners and solitaries with little or no guidance from elders and your themes are hard-hitting and deep. There are some issues that must be addressed in developing this concept. To begin with, it is necessary to know the particular format you were considering for roll-out and whether you had any ideas to address transmedia connections. One of the sources you mention for this storyline is the Final Fantasy series which offers a good example in its combination of video game, manga and anime television production. Another concern is the story development and your means of engaging the audience. This, perhaps, is already addressed in your conception media, but you have not made this clear to us. Another question we have regarding this manga is how exactly you envision marketing efforts for the series. The poster you provided gives very little energy or enticement to learn more and neglects to include a title for the series. We have no concept of how you envision your characters, which is an important element of our selection process. However, we felt your storyline best matched the company’s current artistic direction. It has sufficient depth of character and theme with an intriguing underlying mystery, romance, spiritual and personal development to match company directives. We invite you to resubmit your proposal with these issues addressed. Read More

At the same time, they must avoid the relentless agents of the S-Gen Corporation that has realized she survived the blast and are intent on ‘recapture and neutralization of affected accomplices’. Caught in the action almost without will, Michael is given ample opportunity to prove his inner worth and Sakira finally has the chance to search the freedom of the skies for greater acceptance of her differences, which she is realizing aren’t as profound as she’d thought. Makuri, the Snow Child, discovers her inner talents and weaknesses; learning to care for the people who have risked their lives for her will prove the most difficult test of her development.

Each episode will reveal a new element of a character’s development as they work to unravel a scientific, technological or strategic puzzle to Makuri’s past or escape and a path to final safety from the agents of S-Gen. THEMES There are several themes to the story on a variety of levels. Universal themes of the story refer to the common experiences all young people face in growing up and taking their position as adults in the world. Social themes can be developed such as the ethics of business, the encouragement of science and technology or the responsibility of individuals to play a role in society.

Individual themes include the psychological elements of growing up and the exploration of several personality types as they develop into more healthy, well-rounded human beings. MAIN CHARACTERS Michael: Michael is a star athlete who dreams of pursuing a career in science. He is uncomfortable in his stardom because he feels the affection of the people who surround him is fake. Already questioning how people really feel about him, Michael’s doubts come to a head when he hears his respected science teachers discussing one of Michael’s ideas as ‘characteristically idiotic, but what else can you do on game day but pat him on the head and say good boy’.

Determined to prove to himself and others that there is more to him than the dumb jock, Michael decides to try enrolling in the school on the other side of the barren highlands (which nobody crosses and thus nobody knows him there). He is somewhat impetuous, supremely confident in his physical abilities (with good reason), very charming, chivalrous, accustomed to having women fawn over him and very defensive about his intellectual abilities. Mikuri: The Snow Child of the title, Mikuri’s life is a mystery.

She is literally blown into the story from nowhere and is immediately set off as ‘different’ because of her white hair, silver eyes and aloof personality. As the story progresses, she is revealed to be a genius, but that doesn’t mean that she always makes the right decisions. She has an uncanny knack for surviving in desperate situations and often saves herself and her friends through reflex-quick assessment of her surroundings. Through the series, she begins to realize abilities that extend beyond those of a normal human at the same time that it becomes clear that Mikuri is the result of some kind of illegal genetic experiment S-Gen was conducting in an attempt to create a superior race.

It is because of her development in a lab that she initially has no emotional attachments to others. Her development through the series focuses on her understanding of her abilities, her discovery of her past and her developing real feelings for her friends. Sakari: Sakari is a mostly silent girl who hides in the shadows of the high school. She is the only child of an absent mother and has never known who her father might have been. She considers herself ugly because she feels she has a goofy grin and unruly hair that is purposely allowed to go wild in an attempt to hide the black patch she wears over her missing eye.

Her eye was lost in an accident when she was a child travelling with her mother across country and she has always felt self-conscious about it. She feels she is hideously different from the other kids and thus could not possibly be accepted by them.

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