Hello everyone.

My name is Extreme Natto.

 

Today I'll be explaining the effects used in manga,

specifically "for action scenes" and "using white."

The eye-guiding effect of "white"

First of all, remember that placing a white spot on a black or dark color has a strong eye-guiding effect.

This effect will come into play in most of the uses we'll list today.

It's also extremely effective in non-action drama, where you can tell the reader to "pay attention to this spot," so it's worth remembering.

"White" action effect example

aura

In fighting manga and the like, it's an aura that indicates a certain level of ability.

The so-called aura is actually invisible to the naked eye (at least I can't see it), but in manga it is often depicted like rising steam and has become an established iconic expression.

 

However, in works set in alternate worlds with magic, it is hard to distinguish it from some kind of magical power, so it seems difficult to use it as "the aura that a strong person gives off" (although it's not impossible).

Punch, hit

An example of manga-style boxing.

The trajectory of the punch and a white explosion effect from the point of impact are drawn in.

This punch effect can also be used for kicks and light striking weapons.

 

Manga visual expression is the ultimate in deformation to achieve ease of drawing, symbolism, and visibility at the same time, and naturally the effects are also designed in this way.

 

So what has been exaggerated/deformed here? First, the trajectory of the punch. It would never look like this in real life, but it is depicted this way to make it easier to understand and more impactful.

 

And there is an explosion-like effect on the face that has been punched.

This exaggerates the impact of the blow and also blends it with the sweat that is flying.

This "blending and drawing multiple phenomena or objects into the same thing" is something that is often done in manga deformation, not just effects.

And this white strike trajectory is extremely versatile and can be used seamlessly regardless of the worldview.

Another little technique is to place onomatopoeia in place of a background and draw a white strike trajectory on top of it.

Here's a slightly unusual (but fairly common) example.

 

It's said that a strike from a master of Eastern martial arts sends out an impact that goes from the front to the back, and this is a manga-style representation of that.

 

All it does is create a white impact dot effect from the back, so the effort required to draw it is actually less than the punch shown above.

 

Basically it's a representation of a decisive or fatal blow, or something close to it, and either the person who gets hit is defeated, or the scene develops into a final scene where you think, "He still got up after taking that?"

sword

It is said that with a well-trained swordsman, the movement of the tip of the sword cannot be followed by the eye, which is why the example at the top left has been deformed to be visible for manga.

The effect shows the trajectory of the light reflected on the blade and the cut air.

 

When using white to represent slashing an object, you can either use the slash effect itself to cut a cut (or slice) into the target along the trajectory of the blade, or, if you want to get a little more elaborate, you can draw something like a speck of dust, as in the image on the right.

 

Another way to represent a master swordsman is to have the enemy fall without there even being a "slashing" action or depiction of it.

This is because the skill is so high-level that the enemy cannot detect not only the tip of the sword, but the movement of the sword itself, but when this is done, there is almost no need for sword effects.

gun

Spears can be used as both sharp and blunt weapons, so we'll leave the effects for those purposes to those articles and focus here on the thrust that most closely resembles what you'd imagine.

 

If you use a white effect to create a sharp thrust, the image and the tip of the spear will blend together for an instant, becoming one.

Also, since the basic principle is to return the spear immediately after thrusting, leaving the shape of the tip of the spear at the far end of the thrust will give a similar look to the trajectory.

Huge striking weapon

Huge, heavy striking weapons should not come flying at invisible speeds like swords or spears, but rather give the impression that if you get hit, you're not going to get away with it.

 

Here, the trajectory appears white, just like a punch, but an effect has been added to depict the weapon pushing aside the air and approaching the target.

 

The impact of hitting the ground can be made more powerful by having several concentric circles occur.

If you want to destroy the ground, a different drawing technique will be required.

 

These types of huge striking weapon effects are suitable for depicting attacks by large monsters or robots, or even impossibly large humans using bare hands and feet.

Meeting

The exchange of punches is more of a cartoonish depiction than a realistic fight.

It simply creates an impact effect where the fists would have met, but it's a simple and low-effort way to express the power of combat.

 

For the sword exchange, in addition to the reflected light from the blades and the air being cut, the sparks that are generated are also elements that are blended together with deformation.

Superhuman dash

One way to express speeds that are beyond the human physical ability is to paint shockwaves of dust on the ground.

I also added the air being pushed aside, which I also did in the example of a giant striking weapon.

Even if the speed of the tip of the weapon is sluggish, it's still far too fast for a person to run.

soccer

White effects are also effective in depicting realistic sports like soccer in manga.

When the ball is kicked, you can use an effect similar to the punch we already explained, but here we'll look at the running on the ground.

 

Where the ground is kicked, a dusty white effect is added.

It is both a descriptive and symbolic expression that says "this character ran here," and is effective on both dirt and grass fields.

 

Depending on the frame, you can add a strong kicking effect to only certain characters, to create a scene that says "pay attention to this player's movements in this scene."

Bike

A motorcycle is a vehicle that allows the rider to feel the wind on his or her body, and when that sensation is exaggerated in a cartoonish way, it appears as if the rider is covered with a white film that represents the air.

summary

What do you think?

 

This time I've introduced various things I know, focusing on the themes of "action" and "using white" effects, but this is only a very small part of the vast number of expressive techniques that have been invented throughout the history of manga.

 

That said, I would be very happy if this helps you broaden the scope of your own manga expression.

 

Thank you for reading to the end.