AnimeSuki Forums

xland44 · 2013-02-20, 11:07

OK, so a question just popped up into my head: What do you need for cartoons to be called anime, your comics to be called manga, and your novels to be called light novels? I mean, they're pretty much the same thing, the only difference is that anime, manga, and light novels (Gonna from now on call that AMLN) are japanese. Do you just need to publish AMLN with a japanese publishing company, does the creator need to be japanese, does the AMLN need to be created in Japan, or what? Because, I have an awesome idea for a light novel, but I first want to know if I can make one. :/

AshenRaven · 2013-02-20, 17:21

Not sure. Most likely the namings are for a cultural difference I guess. For Light Novels, I'm guessing it's a matter of fiction or non-fiction

Chaos2Frozen · 2013-02-20, 19:55

The Anime debate can be found in this thread.

I'm pretty sure only the uninitiated would call a manga a comic, especially when there is a distinct difference in the style of the drawing and story telling etc.

Light Novels are an even blurrier lines; it's a simplified style of writing yet not all of them are, it has illustrations but not necessary as well, I would say this more than the others, is base on what the publisher label is- but I'm by no means an expert.

SoloPanda · 2013-02-20, 21:02

How to Write a Light Novel

Edited by Oresama, Teresa, Zack, Luv_sarah and 1 other

More information can be found here

1
Read a light novel. If ever you want to get started on writing a light novel, you better read, if not analyze, one first. Light novels have been released by Yen Press, Del Rey Manga and Tokyopop has released light-novels in the United States, i.e., Suzumiya Haruhi, so analyze the writing style of that light novel. And light novels are reliant on dialogue, so look at quotes from characters, and basically how the characters say what they say.

2
Plan out your light novel. Of course, every great novel comes from an idea. Same with light novels. Try a question you want to write about, and one that you can think of answering. Like say, what if the world can be changed by one person and that person just doesn't know it? And don't forget your characters. Every novel has characters, points of view, as well as a setting, plot and theme.

3
Set a schedule. If you want to try getting over writer's block, here's how. Try writing a chapter every 10 days, better if you write it down on a word processor, like Microsoft Word or OpenOffice. If you travel and don't want to use a USB, Google Docs is a good idea for writing on the spot, as well as backing up your stories, characters and info if ever you lose them in some sort of incident or accident where they get deleted.

4
Write your first draft. Sure, the first draft is boldly full of mistakes, spelling errors as well as grammatical errors, yet it works, right? Besides, the first draft is a first draft. You can always re-work it at your own pace, as much as you want. And after constant re-tooling, you have your first chapter. And do the same with other chapters, until you think they're good enough to be read, if not published.

5
Maintain continuity. What's continuity? Continuity is the consistency, as well as the flow of the light novel when it comes to information, events, or just about anything in your light novel. You don't want fans to say that one event was simply forgotten by the character who knew a lot about it, so keep going back to your chapters for reference. Better if you re-read or analyze important parts of other chapters.

6
Publish it onto a computer. But only do this step when you're really sure that the chapters of your light novel are the best if not, good enough to be published. Type and save your light novel onto a computer, and if there's anything your computer says what's wrong, then right your wrongs on the computer. Better if you proofread before even typing to avoid any more work and stress.

7
Send that work to a publisher. If you can, try to publish it yourself if you don't want to go through any sort of legal matters. Just do your first copy, and then check for a company that can publish 500-2000 copies of your light novel. YOU advertise the book, if ever you manage to bring it to retail. Retailers only market the light novel for you, so talk up your novel with friends or relatives.

This is a reference that was written by people who are not me. for reference please click here

Utsuro no Hako · 2013-02-20, 23:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

I'm pretty sure only the uninitiated would call a manga a comic, especially when there is a distinct difference in the style of the drawing and story telling etc.

The uninitiated must include Japanese publishing industry since they use "manga" and "comics" interchangeably -- see Gangan Online and the Oricon bestseller list for examples.

I don't think differences in style are that important -- there's more distance between xkcd and The Adventures of Uncle Scrooge than there is between Scrooge and Astro Boy -- nor storytelling -- we don't have any problem calling the Tale of Genji a novel even though that has much difference from Western novels.

xland44 · 2013-02-21, 07:29

@Solo: That's all good, but if I followed these steps I'd have a novel, not a light novel. What I'm asking is how to make such things considered "Japanese." A light novel is a Japanese short novel. An anime is a Japanese cartoon, and a manga is a Japanese comic.
@Chaos: According to most people's thought on the first few pages on thread link you gave me, there is no/hardly any difference between cartoons and anime. I don't agree
with that however, because if that were true, Walt Disney wouldn't try making Avatar and The Legend of Korra look like anime.
@Utsuro: I didn't really follow you on the second paragraph because I have never heard of those animes. If I understood you correctly (which I doubt), you said that there is a big difference between Western novels and Japanese light novels. As a big-time reader, I highly agree with you.

florza · 2013-02-21, 07:42

There aren't any English original light novels.

If you want to write one, it's gotta be either Japanese, Korean or Chinese.

Unless, of course, you want to actually submit a marketing proposal along with your draft.

Chaos2Frozen · 2013-02-21, 09:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

The uninitiated must include Japanese publishing industry since they use "manga" and "comics" interchangeably -- see Gangan Online and the Oricon bestseller list for examples.

I guess it does then.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

I don't think differences in style are that important -- there's more distance between xkcd and The Adventures of Uncle Scrooge than there is between Scrooge and Astro Boy -- nor storytelling -- we don't have any problem calling the Tale of Genji a novel even though that has much difference from Western novels.

None of those are light novels -_-

Quote:

Originally Posted by xland44

@Chaos: According to most people's thought on the first few pages on thread link you gave me, there is no/hardly any difference between cartoons and anime. I don't agree
with that however, because if that were true, Walt Disney wouldn't try making Avatar and The Legend of Korra look like anime.

How on Earth did you come to that conclusion

?

Quote:

Originally Posted by xland44

@Utsuro: I didn't really follow you on the second paragraph because I have never heard of those animes. If I understood you correctly (which I doubt), you said that there is a big difference between Western novels and Japanese light novels. As a big-time reader, I highly agree with you.

...That's what we've been saying =_=;

Long story short if you want to publish your work as a 'Light Novel', you have to do so with one of the Japanese publishers- otherwise it'll just be called something else.

And mind you, the industry has no shortage of competition.

You have better luck with a Web Novel instead.

rantaid · 2013-02-21, 11:02

well... is not that because it is a "light" reading where you can just read it without thinking too much. also they seemed to have no academic value that it is worth of research for social or cultural study.

it is bit different with cao xueqin's dream of red chamber or genji no monogatari where in context it is almost no different with simple harem setting but this have something were we can study it's cultural or social background (at very least).

while when we compare it with light novel you can just dismiss all the info as "fictional" or imaginary setting.

so it seems light in context because it is light, not heavy.

florza · 2013-02-21, 11:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by rantaid

well... is not that because it is a "light" reading where you can just read it without thinking too much. also they seemed to have no academic value that it is worth of research for social or cultural study.

it is bit different with cao xueqin's dream of red chamber or genji no monogatari where in context it is almost no different with simple harem setting but this have something were we can study it's cultural or social background (at very least).

while when we compare it with light novel you can just dismiss all the info as "fictional" or imaginary setting.

so it seems light in context because it is light, not heavy.

Light novels are named light novels because they are really small books that can fit in your pocket.

Chaos2Frozen · 2013-02-21, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by rantaid

well... is not that because it is a "light" reading where you can just read it without thinking too much.

You... Haven't been around a lot of Light Novels haven't you?

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria
Densetsu no Yūsha no Densetsu
The Monogatari Series

Just to name a few series that possess some level of difficulty.

Also, if we go by your definition, then all fiction books would be called Light Novels- They're not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by florza

Light novels are named light novels because they are really small books that can fit in your pocket.

This isn't technically true anymore since we have Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon.

And I'm pretty sure the regular novels I've seen in Osaka are also about that size... Not 100% certain though.

hyl · 2013-02-21, 17:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

This isn't technically true anymore since we have Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon.

And I'm pretty sure the regular novels I've seen in Osaka are also about that size... Not 100% certain though.

Eventhough i don't own a horizon LN myself, it seems it still has the size of a normal LN except being much thicker.

Most LN's are still "pocket sized" (as in smaller than a manga tankoubon) though

edit:

A size comparison of the LN and manga version of Watashitachi no Tamura-kun

florza · 2013-02-21, 19:46

You know what shouldn't be a light novel?

Fate/Apocrypha and Fire Girl. My copies just came in.

They have the length and width of normal books goddamnit.

hyl · 2013-02-21, 19:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by florza

You know what shouldn't be a light novel?

Fate/Apocrypha and Fire Girl. My copies just came in.

They have the length and width of normal books goddamnit.

People also tend to call every written work a LN if the original work (usually parts of it) was published in certain monthly magazines, which is the case for Fate/Apocrypha

Chaos2Frozen · 2013-02-21, 21:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by hyl

Eventhough i don't own a horizon LN myself, it seems it still has the size of a normal LN except being much thicker.

Well yeah, 2 out of the 3 dimensions are the same, it's the third dimension that is quite outstanding

It's not a joke to say that it's 2-3 times the size of a regular 300-ish page LN.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hyl

People also tend to call every written work a LN if the original work (usually parts of it) was published in certain monthly magazines, which is the case for Fate/Apocrypha

Which is what I've been saying about the publisher label as one of the important deciding factors earlier...

Utsuro no Hako · 2013-02-21, 22:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by xland44

@Utsuro: I didn't really follow you on the second paragraph because I have never heard of those animes. If I understood you correctly (which I doubt), you said that there is a big difference between Western novels and Japanese light novels. As a big-time reader, I highly agree with you.

That's because they're comics, not anime.

xkcd - Highly popular web comic drawn entirely with stick figures.

The Adventures of Uncle Scrooge - A classic Disney comic series about Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, which was a major influence on Osamu Tezuka.

Astro Boy - AKA Tetsuwan Atom, one of Tezuka's most famous works.

My point being, "comics" covers such a broad range of styles that you can't really say that manga isn't a comic because it uses a different style.

Magin · 2013-02-21, 22:50

... you guys do realize that manga is the literal Japanese word for comic, right?

Anime and manga are literally just cartoons and comics, with anime being the Japanese-adopted word of animation. However, they've come to be defined by two major things:

1) The fact that they come from Japan
2) They have a very distinct art style, the most recognizable features being the eyes

Heck, in relation to point number 1, there are certain comics that are manga-style, but because they're originally in English, they've come to be called OEL (Original English Language) manga

rantaid · 2013-02-22, 04:58

@chaos2frozen.

well at least i kinda read densetsu yuusha no densetsu and bakemonogatari series.

but frankly. it is just a fun reading. it is very lacking of literary value. that is why i said it is just a light reading.

but compared to few number that i read :
arok dedes by pramoedya ananta toer (the author receive magsasay if you don't know him)
lolita by vladimir nabokov
hunt for red october
silence.of the lamb by thomas harris

it has better approach, naration , interesting in depth story. if you are less cautious , you will be attracted to their world they tell.... i still remember how hannibal word by word is enjoyable. and dolores is pretty... men i think i swing to humbert humbert path....

light novel is just light novel. it is not a heavy reading. yes i read much better light novel like baccano , durrara, spice wolf and suzumiya haruhi series. but they are only fun. truthfully even for the likes of spice wolf though it is interesting ... but it is not that you might go ... "oh... genius!!! ".

the only light novel i ended up regretting to not read is bungaku shoujo. i don't say the story is good but how the author crafted amano touko fascination toward book is such a beauty. even i ended up falling in love to her (well... there is still kana hanazawa factor but......)

even i rarely falling to such beautifully crafted character. i remember falling to jane austen character in pride and prejudice (the little sister that almost dishonored by wigraf or something) , scarlet from gone with the wind, gongsun lu'e from shen dia xiao lu, zhao min + zhou zhirou + xiao zhao + zhu er yin li from yi tian tu long ji.

but recent light novel seems disappointing. the likes of sao (well i admit i love their h dojin) but..... i don't know how to say this....

Shyni · 2013-02-22, 07:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by xland44

I don't agree with that however, because if that were true, Walt Disney wouldn't try making Avatar and The Legend of Korra look like anime.

> Avatar
> Disney

wha?

xland44 · 2013-02-23, 02:00

Disney made Avatar and The Legend of Korra. They tried making it look like anime.

2013-02-20, 11:07	Link #1
xland44 Otaku Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: What are you, a stalker?	What do you need to make anime, manga, or light novels? OK, so a question just popped up into my head: What do you need for cartoons to be called anime, your comics to be called manga, and your novels to be called light novels? I mean, they're pretty much the same thing, the only difference is that anime, manga, and light novels (Gonna from now on call that AMLN) are japanese. Do you just need to publish AMLN with a japanese publishing company, does the creator need to be japanese, does the AMLN need to be created in Japan, or what? Because, I have an awesome idea for a light novel, but I first want to know if I can make one. :/

2013-02-20, 19:55	Link #3
Chaos2Frozen We're Back Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Redgrave City Age: 35	The Anime debate can be found in this thread. I'm pretty sure only the uninitiated would call a manga a comic, especially when there is a distinct difference in the style of the drawing and story telling etc. Light Novels are an even blurrier lines; it's a simplified style of writing yet not all of them are, it has illustrations but not necessary as well, I would say this more than the others, is base on what the publisher label is- but I'm by no means an expert. __________________ Devil Trigger , Subhuman , Crimson Cloud , Mad Qualia

2013-02-21, 11:02	Link #9
rantaid Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Indonesia	well... is not that because it is a "light" reading where you can just read it without thinking too much. also they seemed to have no academic value that it is worth of research for social or cultural study. it is bit different with cao xueqin's dream of red chamber or genji no monogatari where in context it is almost no different with simple harem setting but this have something were we can study it's cultural or social background (at very least). while when we compare it with light novel you can just dismiss all the info as "fictional" or imaginary setting. so it seems light in context because it is light, not heavy. __________________ http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2496168/Rantaid https://www.fictionpress.com/~rantaid I like Netorare.

2013-02-21, 22:50	Link #17
Magin #1 Akashiya Moka Fan Author Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Where magic is real Age: 35	... you guys do realize that manga is the literal Japanese word for comic, right? Anime and manga are literally just cartoons and comics, with anime being the Japanese-adopted word of animation. However, they've come to be defined by two major things: 1) The fact that they come from Japan 2) They have a very distinct art style, the most recognizable features being the eyes Heck, in relation to point number 1, there are certain comics that are manga-style, but because they're originally in English, they've come to be called OEL (Original English Language) manga __________________ Gifted...or Cursed? R+V fanfic- Chapter 4 of A Water Bride and a Vampire is now up at FF.net! All fans of Inner or Outer Moka, come join her fanclub!

2013-02-22, 04:58	Link #18
rantaid Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Indonesia	@chaos2frozen. well at least i kinda read densetsu yuusha no densetsu and bakemonogatari series. but frankly. it is just a fun reading. it is very lacking of literary value. that is why i said it is just a light reading. but compared to few number that i read : arok dedes by pramoedya ananta toer (the author receive magsasay if you don't know him) lolita by vladimir nabokov hunt for red october silence.of the lamb by thomas harris it has better approach, naration , interesting in depth story. if you are less cautious , you will be attracted to their world they tell.... i still remember how hannibal word by word is enjoyable. and dolores is pretty... men i think i swing to humbert humbert path.... light novel is just light novel. it is not a heavy reading. yes i read much better light novel like baccano , durrara, spice wolf and suzumiya haruhi series. but they are only fun. truthfully even for the likes of spice wolf though it is interesting ... but it is not that you might go ... "oh... genius!!! ". the only light novel i ended up regretting to not read is bungaku shoujo. i don't say the story is good but how the author crafted amano touko fascination toward book is such a beauty. even i ended up falling in love to her (well... there is still kana hanazawa factor but......) even i rarely falling to such beautifully crafted character. i remember falling to jane austen character in pride and prejudice (the little sister that almost dishonored by wigraf or something) , scarlet from gone with the wind, gongsun lu'e from shen dia xiao lu, zhao min + zhou zhirou + xiao zhao + zhu er yin li from yi tian tu long ji. but recent light novel seems disappointing. the likes of sao (well i admit i love their h dojin) but..... i don't know how to say this.... __________________ http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2496168/Rantaid https://www.fictionpress.com/~rantaid I like Netorare.

2013-02-20, 17:21	Link #2
AshenRaven From another world Join Date: Feb 2013	Not sure. Most likely the namings are for a cultural difference I guess. For Light Novels, I'm guessing it's a matter of fiction or non-fiction

2013-02-20, 21:02	Link #4
SoloPanda Not A Loli-con.... Join Date: May 2011 Location: Beyond the looking glass	How to Write a Light Novel Edited by Oresama, Teresa, Zack, Luv_sarah and 1 other More information can be found here 1 Read a light novel. If ever you want to get started on writing a light novel, you better read, if not analyze, one first. Light novels have been released by Yen Press, Del Rey Manga and Tokyopop has released light-novels in the United States, i.e., Suzumiya Haruhi, so analyze the writing style of that light novel. And light novels are reliant on dialogue, so look at quotes from characters, and basically how the characters say what they say. 2 Plan out your light novel. Of course, every great novel comes from an idea. Same with light novels. Try a question you want to write about, and one that you can think of answering. Like say, what if the world can be changed by one person and that person just doesn't know it? And don't forget your characters. Every novel has characters, points of view, as well as a setting, plot and theme. 3 Set a schedule. If you want to try getting over writer's block, here's how. Try writing a chapter every 10 days, better if you write it down on a word processor, like Microsoft Word or OpenOffice. If you travel and don't want to use a USB, Google Docs is a good idea for writing on the spot, as well as backing up your stories, characters and info if ever you lose them in some sort of incident or accident where they get deleted. 4 Write your first draft. Sure, the first draft is boldly full of mistakes, spelling errors as well as grammatical errors, yet it works, right? Besides, the first draft is a first draft. You can always re-work it at your own pace, as much as you want. And after constant re-tooling, you have your first chapter. And do the same with other chapters, until you think they're good enough to be read, if not published. 5 Maintain continuity. What's continuity? Continuity is the consistency, as well as the flow of the light novel when it comes to information, events, or just about anything in your light novel. You don't want fans to say that one event was simply forgotten by the character who knew a lot about it, so keep going back to your chapters for reference. Better if you re-read or analyze important parts of other chapters. 6 Publish it onto a computer. But only do this step when you're really sure that the chapters of your light novel are the best if not, good enough to be published. Type and save your light novel onto a computer, and if there's anything your computer says what's wrong, then right your wrongs on the computer. Better if you proofread before even typing to avoid any more work and stress. 7 Send that work to a publisher. If you can, try to publish it yourself if you don't want to go through any sort of legal matters. Just do your first copy, and then check for a company that can publish 500-2000 copies of your light novel. YOU advertise the book, if ever you manage to bring it to retail. Retailers only market the light novel for you, so talk up your novel with friends or relatives. This is a reference that was written by people who are not me. for reference please click here

2013-02-21, 07:29	Link #6
xland44 Otaku Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: What are you, a stalker?	@Solo: That's all good, but if I followed these steps I'd have a novel, not a light novel. What I'm asking is how to make such things considered "Japanese." A light novel is a Japanese short novel. An anime is a Japanese cartoon, and a manga is a Japanese comic. @Chaos: According to most people's thought on the first few pages on thread link you gave me, there is no/hardly any difference between cartoons and anime. I don't agree with that however, because if that were true, Walt Disney wouldn't try making Avatar and The Legend of Korra look like anime. @Utsuro: I didn't really follow you on the second paragraph because I have never heard of those animes. If I understood you correctly (which I doubt), you said that there is a big difference between Western novels and Japanese light novels. As a big-time reader, I highly agree with you.

2013-02-21, 07:42	Link #7
florza 一日之计在于晨 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: A place where the seasons come to a standstill	There aren't any English original light novels. If you want to write one, it's gotta be either Japanese, Korean or Chinese. Unless, of course, you want to actually submit a marketing proposal along with your draft.

2013-02-21, 19:46	Link #13
florza 一日之计在于晨 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: A place where the seasons come to a standstill	You know what shouldn't be a light novel? Fate/Apocrypha and Fire Girl. My copies just came in. They have the length and width of normal books goddamnit.

2013-02-23, 02:00	Link #20
xland44 Otaku Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: What are you, a stalker?	Disney made Avatar and The Legend of Korra. They tried making it look like anime.