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Question: If you had to chance to create your own anime series, what would it be about? From Scott
I kind of touched on this when I answered Curiously Dead Cat’s question about what anime I would like to see made, though this is different in that this isn’t something I would hope other people would make but something I’d like to make myself. It might seem like a minor difference and yet it is a massive one. Amazingly, the things I enjoy reading and watching aren’t all that similar to the things I enjoy creating and so I think if I had the chance to create my own series (and any ability at all to do so) my answer to this question would end up being considerably different.
Firstly, I’d have a really small cast. Like two or three characters of any note and while there might be other characters involved they likely wouldn’t ever be named or of any interest. They’d exist simply to move the plot along and for some sort of credibility. And the reason for having such a small cast would be because I’d really like to focus just on these characters and their interactions, reactions and motivations without feeling cluttered or that they needed to conform to some type in order not to step on another character’s toes. De-cluttering would be a fairly big part of my decision making and while for some viewers that might make the story end up feeling empty, for me that is about the only way to get to any depth with what remains.
But what would the story be about?
I think the female protagonist would be lost (both literally and metaphorically) and the over-arching theme would be finding a path and overcoming obstacles (again, literal and metaphoric). While there would be a male deuteragonist, they wouldn’t necessarily be a love interest and more just someone to balance the story and offer an alternative point of view or solution. As to a villain, I think the tedium of the everyday and just dealing with life would be sufficient obstacles for the main character to overcome without actually having anyone actively standing in their path.
Honestly though, I kind of doubt such a story would be overly popular but right now it is kind of what I’m in the mood to write and I was hoping to get back into fiction writing this year. It’s been awhile since I’ve really written anything and now that I’ve responded to this question I’d kind of like to maybe try my hand at a story or two. Though, writing a story and thinking about how it would play as an anime are two fairly different things.
Thanks for such a great question.
Definitely interested to hear what the readers have to say about this one. What would your anime series be about?
Thanks for reading.
Karandi James
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Looking forward to reading your story.
If I have a story I can imagine as an anime, I’d probably write it out…the only problem with that is that it’s impossible to predict how long inspiration will last on each story because I’ll always give 150% on whatever I’m invested in at a given moment and not be motivated afterwards.
Like Raistlin said, a good horror anime would always be welcome and the smaller the cast, the better. Shiki was the last one I saw so I won’t need it for a while, but even then that was a bit of a shambles in the character department due to its large cast.
That said, I had an idea for a space opera with a small mostly female cast a while back, but it had a Girls’ Last Tour vibe because they visit different planets and find out what happened to Earth by doing so. The only problems were that I didn’t know where the plot was going beyond that, so it’s never seen the light of day…and I’m generally not into space operas (I came up with the idea /because/ it was an odd combo), so anything I would write using this basis might look like a completely different genre…
Nothing wrong with a Girls’ Last Tour vibe. That was kind of fascinating.
Cool idea!
I actually rather liked your concept. There’s a lot you could do with that, especially as you are dealing in both the literal and metaphorical. Plenty of opportunities to tell a compelling story.
As for me, uh… yeah, I’ve already been doing that. Warsong is the anime I’d make if I could. I can’t, so I just write it anyway. I’m a rebel that way.
Now I just need to figure out where she’s going and I might even be able to write something.
Go for it. Never know where the story might take you, and that’s always a journey worth going on.
This sounds like something I would watch and pretty exciting. With three characters, seems like it’ll have a well developed cast and a solid story.
Thank you for answering!
Thank you again for an interesting question. This one really got me thinking.
This actually sounds like it could be a pretty interesting slice-of-life drama anime. I’ll echo Mongoose by saying slice-of-life anime are totally my jam. It could totally work and be very interesting focusing on only a few major characters with some plot device characters thrown in (and I’m sure they’d have some semblance of character instead of simply being said plot devices). Could be very grounded with true problems and how they react to said problems–like moving to a new place/finding the passion they held for something again…..while being metaphorically and phsycially lost.
Okay I’m inserting my own thoughts and ideas too heavily now. Gah. But I like it!
Glad you liked the idea and good that it got you thinking about your own ideas for a story. Thanks for sharing.
That sounds pretty wonderful! I’d totally watch an anime about a girl getting literally lost. Good opportunity for cool world-building too, if this happens to be a fantasy.
Wherever it is set, I think world building is a crucial part of helping the audience to really get into a story.
Actually, I like “bland” stuff like that a lot, mundane slice of life character dramas are my jam.
While Oyasumi Punpun has way more than three characters and a lot more drama, It does have parts that tackle the monotony of life.
And well, since I’m here, I want to make a shounen story for a seinen audience. Basically the same beats that shounen goes through, but a lot more mature and divergent of the typical hero’s journey. I’ve had the story in my head ever since I was in sixth grade, and every year, I just flesh them out even more. The genre is high fantasy and sci-fi hybrid.
My story in my blog two weeks ago, the celestial dragon, is actually a sorta prequel to that story.
That would be kind of fun seeing a shounen done for a more mature audience. We all love the basic pattern but some of the teen drama stuff a lot of older viewers could do without but it is an inevitable part of the genre at the moment.
Why did you think that this would not be overly popular? I think the premise is great, and if executed well, this could really turn into something truly special. From time to time I like stories that are more grounded and just deal witj real life stuff instead of the usual fantasy/sci-fi stuff. So…I would love to see a series like this.
As for me? I would love to make a good horroranime, but one that is very creepy and has a good story, but also focusses on the characters. Sometimes these days certain shows just feature way too many characters and as such it becomes hard to remember who is who. That’s why like you would like for it to be a small cast. I think that it’s really been ages since I last saw a really good horroranime (another was pretty much the last one) so I would love for something like that to happen.
Yes, I think a lot of horror anime go with a whole class or large group of characters but you lose a lot of the feeling of isolation, as well as deep connections with the characters once they have so many. While I don’t mind large ensemble casts, I think right at the moment I’d love to see something less cluttered. And a good horror would be awesome.
Totally agree with you. Which is why I had high hopes for Angels of Death but I guess we both know how that one turned out. There is an anime that isn’t horror, but then again it is in some ways that I would recommend to you if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s called Monster. I am currently reading the manga and it’s amazing. It’s really dark, and more of a psychological thriller, but some tof the elements certainly could be called horror. This anime can be seen on Youtube in it’s entirety (as it’s quite lenghty 85 episodes I have yet to find some time to finish it).
Monster has been recommended to me a lot. It is definitely one I want to see at some point but that episode count usually keeps it from being something I pick up between seasons.