Manga | Comic Illustration | Digital Illustration | Novel & Scenario Writing
About the School
The Tokyo Communication Arts (TCA) Technical College follows Three Educational Guidelines, which are: Vocational Education, Human Education, and International Education
With a belief that to in order to develop the talent that is needed in the industry, the student must work alongside the industry, TCA has practiced an “academia-industry collaborative education” since its establishment in 1988 by providing programs that work in close cooperation with companies, and by doing so has been successful in producing students that become immediately effective in the professional creative industry after graduation.
TCA stands behind its excellent professional education with a 3-year and 4-year curriculum that fosters a real & rich creativity based on the beauty of human ingenuity. This school is for the student who wishes to develop him or herself as a creator of the future.
Note that this school’s courses are all offered in Japanese only.
About the Program
The World of Design at TCA is about creating designs and illustrations that inspire, move, and influence people in this ever-evolving industry. With a small number of people in the class, students are able to develop high-level skills quickly, going from knowing nothing to being able to navigate the designers tools and create within the 1st year, as well as realize, explore and develop your individuality and strengths. Moreover, like most programs of TCA, the facilities, including the computer rooms, are open 24-hours a day, allowing students the freedom to devote themselves to their work as much as they like.
Within these 3-year programs, students learn how to produce and also how to sell their designs and illustrations, cultivating their power to express concepts strongly and effectively, learning universal techniques of drawing and illustrating while implementing individual methods of expression. This department also has an incredible success rate, with 100% of its students finding employment post-graduation in 2017 at such major companies as: BANDAI Namco Pictures, Glee, DMM, Success, Sega Interactive, Craft Worldwide, Mash Design Lab, JC Staff, From Software, Production IG, and more. And with the “W Major Curriculum” Policy, students are able to branch out from their initial major and choose courses from other programs in order to stimulate their interests and enhance their skillset & employability as a more well-rounded artist & designer.
This program prepares students for the following careers:
- Professional Manga Artist
- Novelist
- Original Manga Author
- Character Designer
- DTP Operator
- Magazine Editor
- Comic Illustrator
- Scenario Writer
- Easy-reading Novel Writer
- Picture Book Writer
- Game Character Designer
- Web Designer
- VI Designer
- DTP Designer
- And more…
After this 3-to 4-year program, students will graduate with nationally-recognized Advanced Specialist Degree that is considered the equivalent to a 4-year University Degree from a technical school.
Graduates go on to work for at the following company types:
- Self-represented Professional Manga Artists
- Publishing Companies
- Advertising Firms
- Design Firms
- Game Creation Companies
- TV Production Companes
- Film Production Companies
- Theatre Production Companies
- Advertising Agents
- Editorial Production Firms
- Copyright Production Companies
- Web Movie Production Companies
- Short Film Production Companies
- Screenplay & Script Publishers / Production Companies
- Scenario Production Companies
Students can choose between 4 majors:
- Manga Major – Become a Manga artist who can create and sell your work in magazines & print as well as digital platforms & SNS. This 3- to 4-year program takes students through drawing techniques by hand to digitalizing and publishing with computer software. Students in this major can work as cartoonists, illustrators, original manga artists, manga artist assistants, character designers, picture book writers, and more.
- Comic Illustration Major – Learn to create original and enticing illustration with both analog and digital technologies in this 3- to 4-year program, which prepares students to become an illustrator, cartoonist, manga artist, manga artist assistant, manga essayist, character designer, picture book writer, web designer, DTP designer, editorial designer, book designer, and more.
- Digital Illustration and Manga Major – Master your skills in creating high quality digital manga illustrations through industry-standard software to prepare for such careers as illustrator, cartoonist, character designer, game designer, manga artist assistant, picture book writer, web designer, DTP designer, editorial designer, book designer, and more.
- Novel & Scenario Major – Create your world through text as you master your skills as a story and scenario writer for manga, games, and animated films and learn about the planning of such kinds of projects. This 3- to 4-year program takes students through the techniques of story & narration writing, research, game planning, game scenario writing, novel production, and idea-generating techniques, through to article & editorial writing, in order to prepare students for careers as a light novel writer, novelist, game scenario writer, game planner, screenwriter, , composition writer, copywriter, magazine writer, web writer, original manga author, playwright, magazine editor, and more.
Unique Program Support to transition from Student to Professional
This program offers a unique and valuable support system to its students so that they can maximize their employability post-graduation. The system includes:
- Get feedback on and correction of your work by professional editors & professional manga artists
- Learn directly from professional writer in the industry who has created some hit works through guest seminars.
- Have the opportunity to be recognized directly by professional editors at a school-organized event where you showcase your work to invited editors.
- Have the opportunity to be published with the school sending work of high-potential students directly to publishers in the industry.
- Support post-graduation to help you kickstart your career in the industry
For free information & support about this and other recommended schools in Japan:
