Taku Kishimoto and The Art of Writing for Anime

Taku Kishimoto on Writing for Anime

This week in Tokyo we were introduced by writer Taku Kishimoto to The Art of Writing for Anime.

What is the job of a writer for anime and manga? Japanese screenwriters write original stories, working with the director and producer to come up with new material.

Anime stories have a certain structure; successful writers for anime learn to follow this structure, but at the same time they must find originality and invention within this framework.

About Taku Kishimoto

Taku Kishimoto is writing One Piece 

Taku Kishimoto is a Japanese anime screenwriter.   He studied script writing, and then worked for the famed Studio Ghibli in Tokyo.  Later he was put in charge of screenwriting for Bunny Drop.   

Taku Kishimoto has also worked on a number of anime series, including Haikyu!!, Erased, and the remake of Fruits Basket.  Taku Kishimoto is currently writing the next One Piece series for Netflix. 

Story Structure

Japanese anime follows a distinct Three Act structure.  In "Plot Point 1" the hero has to have a goal.  This goal must be set out clearly; the audience needs to want the hero to achieve this goal. Early on, the hero thinks he achieves his goal, but he is frustrated and defeated, and must struggle to achieve the goal in a different way.  This struggle forms the basis of the story.   

Practical Constraints

TV is usually a twenty minute broadcast, so the story must fit this structure. Budgets matter; each episode costs around 34,000,000 Yen (£170,000). Hence original content is a risk; safer to create anime from existing characters; these already have an audience. 

Advice for Writers - Take Risks, Get Feedback

"Save The Cat" by Blake Snyder

Taku Kishimoto advised new writers to write, take risks, and then humbly accept notes given by their colleagues. Learning to write successfully is a process of writing and then getting feedback in order to improve, steadily making the work better. 

Take Criticism

Writers who cannot take criticism do not flourish in our industry. It is important to treat criticism as fundamentally constructive - consider that your critics are trying to help you improve, not knock you down.  It is always important to learn from those who are better than you. 

Save The Cat!

For aspiring writers, Taku Kishimoto recommends the book "Save The Cat" by Blake Snyder, the classic book on Hollywood screenwriting.  However if you stick too closely to this formula, all stories look the same. So the writer must be inventive enough to come up with original material within this framework, being sure not to fall into cliche or repetition.

Writer's Block

How to deal with writer's block? What to do if you run out of ideas? Taku Kishimoto recommends going to a physical book store, and exploring ideas.  Don't go online, just go to a real physical book store, browse, and search for inspiration. 

Bringing Manga to the Screen as Anime

Bringing manga to life as anime is not simply about copying the manga. The anime must follow the manga, but changes will be needed to bring the manga to the screen. 

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