I really want to be a mangaka, but everyone says I can't because I'm not Japanese, even though mangaka means "comics artist"... I want to be a BL (Boys' Love) mangaka, but since BL is a manga genre, and since I'm in America, I can't make BL, because manga are Japanese comics, and BL are a kind of Japanese comics for girls. soooo... what I'm saying is...

I want to be a mangaka= mangaka is a Japanese comics artist= I'm not of Japanese origin= thus I can't manga= BL is a manga genre, so if I make a comic, it won't be BL because its not manga...

I want to be a BL and shojo mangaka so bad!

Wait, can I be a mangaka if I publish in Japan and work there?
I think so... um...

Do you understand?

“𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑜𝓈𝑒'𝓈 𝓇𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓃𝓈.” ― 𝑀𝒶𝓌𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒶 𝒥𝒶𝓁𝒶𝓁-𝒶𝓁-𝒟𝒾𝓃 𝑅𝓊𝓂𝒾.
あたしは腐女子です。少女漫画、たくさん読んでください。

In the local library theres a bunch of non asian writers who did some "manga" originally in french/english. Dont know if its what you where asking about but, just cause your not asian doesnt mean you cant write manga.

english manga publishers also publish american-made "manga". so it's not impossible.

;D

BL is not specifically Japanese (it only stands for Boys love after all). There are quite a lot of Western Bl writers.

As for manga... I'm of the faction that considers mangaka to be specifically Japanese as well as manga per se. But that doesn't stop you from becoming a BL comic artist. Yaoi Press for example publishes lots of BL comics from Western artists. They call it yaoi, most probably for recognition/ identification reasons for the readers, but yaoi (the word) is also specifically Japanese.

So for me it's like this: If you're not Japanese you can't be a mangaka nor call what you draw yaoi (if I'm gonna be really strict with my own opinions).

You can, however, be a BL comic artist which is about the same thing, only that you're a non-Asian BL comic artist.

So don't get your hopes down because of that. It's all a matter of terminology 😀

"I'm up for anything... as long as it involves handcuffs"

“It's never too late for stalking.â€

Infinity RP - Where we're infinitely trying to get more members: InfinityRP

And in the end it's not like you're not allowed to move from America, if you realy want to you can still go try to be one in japan.

If your manga is in english...I doubt you'll be able to publish it in Japan.
Nothing is actually stopping you from being a "mangaka". If you can draw, and you can make manga, then you're a mangaka. (Though whether you're a good one or not is a whole other matter)
If you wanna work in Japan, you'll need to be fluent in Japanese...for the moment, that's your only obstacle.
After that, it's finding a publisher etc. etc. >_>

[img]http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa229/azrinirza/makotoshinkai1_zpse3901c5a.gif[/img]
Everyday I'm tumblin'

Sorry for bringing this up, but two months ago, on the Anime News Network, there was an article regarding an manga assistant name Jamie Lano (who is helping Konomi Takeshi on New Prince of Tennis), and despite being an American, she found success in the manga industry.

Here are some links about Jamie Lano:

[url]http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-gallery/2009-04-04[/url]

[url]http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-gallery/2009-04-04[/url]

If there's anything Jamie Lano proves, anyone, despite not being Japanese, can be a manga artist, so don't worry what anyone else thinks about your passion.

See ya!

Yeah, but a Mangaka and his assistants are two different things >_> (Sorry if it sounds harsh, but it has to be said)

[img]http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa229/azrinirza/makotoshinkai1_zpse3901c5a.gif[/img]
Everyday I'm tumblin'

Quote from Scyfon

Yeah, but a Mangaka and his assistants are two different things >_> (Sorry if it sounds harsh, but it has to be said)

At first, yet, I know about MANY assistants becoming manga artists. =/

If you know a decent amount of Japanese, or collaborate with someone who does... then sure, you can make manga. Otherwise, stick to drawing comics.

Original English Language Manga are retarded. Just call them comics and be done with.

[img]http://img.userbars.pl/69/13603.gif[/img]
Currently Undergoing Nativity Training

Yeah, but a Mangaka and his assistants are two different things >_> (Sorry if it sounds harsh, but it has to be said)

Yeah but it's better starting as an assistant than have nothing.

Quote from Bunny-chan

I really want to be a mangaka, but everyone says I can't because I'm not Japanese, even though mangaka means "comics artist"... I want to be a BL (Boys' Love) mangaka, but since BL is a manga genre, and since I'm in America, I can't make BL, because manga are Japanese comics, and BL are a kind of Japanese comics for girls. soooo... what I'm saying is...

I want to be a mangaka= mangaka is a Japanese comics artist= I'm not of Japanese origin= thus I can't manga= BL is a manga genre, so if I make a comic, it won't be BL because its not manga...

I want to be a BL and shojo mangaka so bad!

Wait, can I be a mangaka if I publish in Japan and work there?
I think so... um...

Do you understand?

I understand! Me and my cousin are working on a BL manga with our own style of drawings though they suck they aren't the worst I hope. We like writing so we thought to make our own mangas but I don't think ethnicity has to do with manga. Although it is part of the Japanese culture, other cultures can make their own comics. I've seen a few American BL mangas and they're awesome so don't give up! You might be my fav BL mangaka in the future 🤣

Quote from HuhWhat

If you know a decent amount of Japanese, or collaborate with someone who does... then sure, you can make manga. Otherwise, stick to drawing comics.

Original English Language Manga are retarded. Just call them comics and be done with.

I beg to differ.
If it's in manga style (right to left readings, manga-esque drawings), then it's a manga, not a comic.

Quote from razornoir

Yeah, but a Mangaka and his assistants are two different things >_> (Sorry if it sounds harsh, but it has to be said)

Yeah but it's better starting as an assistant than have nothing.

True.

[img]http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa229/azrinirza/makotoshinkai1_zpse3901c5a.gif[/img]
Everyday I'm tumblin'

I encourage you to make your BL manga! It's my favorite genre, and I've been practicing for years, hoping to make one of my own. My advice? Practice practice PRACTICE until you are so bloody fantastic, nobody can judge you based on your ethnicity, and try using a penname so that nobody can judge your manga before even picking it up. But if you have a lot of confidence in your work, keep it in the U.S. You might be our shining star, paving the way for other talented American manga artists. I think that at the moment America is messing up OEL manga. It's so obsessed with making a manga its own that it's encouraging artists to draw in a style that completely takes away what enchanted us about manga in the first place. Create your manga so that you love it. Think about the elements that make up your favorite manga. Are the characters more realistically drawn, or do they have big eyes and pointier featuers? Do you like your boys to make crazy expressions when hit by strong emotions, or do you prefer subtle changes in expression? Develop your characters! Give them pizazz, don't make them generic. A great plot will never work without great characters. And never accept less than your best. Always work hard, and always aim to improve. Good luck! 😁

Quote from Catriona

BL is not specifically Japanese (it only stands for Boys love after all). There are quite a lot of Western Bl writers.

As for manga... I'm of the faction that considers mangaka to be specifically Japanese as well as manga per se. But that doesn't stop you from becoming a BL comic artist. Yaoi Press for example publishes lots of BL comics from Western artists. They call it yaoi, most probably for recognition/ identification reasons for the readers, but yaoi (the word) is also specifically Japanese.

So for me it's like this: If you're not Japanese you can't be a mangaka nor call what you draw yaoi (if I'm gonna be really strict with my own opinions).

You can, however, be a BL comic artist which is about the same thing, only that you're a non-Asian BL comic artist.

So don't get your hopes down because of that. It's all a matter of terminology 😀

I'm with this person. Unless you've spent a significant amount of time in japan or grew up there, it's a comic.

What's wrong with writing a comic? American's that say they draw manga always look off. There's something about the techniques perhaps. But that aside, there's a word for it here, regardless of style. It'd be if I called american comics a "puff of smoke", which I hear is the italian way of referring to comics(not sure but I'm just making a point). There's nothing wrong with making a comic regardless of where the inspiration came, even an overseas market.

Now whether you sell your drivel is another matter. The mainstream comics market is ailing. And BL I doubt will be mainstream unless you make it artistic enough, which you won't with the conventions of BL manga. The independant market has a smaller circulation but its alright I guess. They seem to like weirder things than the conventions BL manga use.

You could try learn japanese, move there, work as an assistant, and then try to get your own manga published(or sign up for contests). This is the true road to being a manga-ka. It's also hella hard. I'd be impressed if that girl worked that hard and actually achieved this goal.