'Volume 1 Basic' - The Cover for this Guide
Hello! Harajuku Arissa here! This is the very first guide on Harajuku Arissa's Guides, Vol. 1 Basic!
Now, you might be wondering on why I made this page. People could just, you know, press the Contribute button, then press Add Page, then start typing out whatever they want in the page.
However, there might be some people who are having trouble in making their own series. Some of them think that they aren't really that good in making stories, but that shouldn't stop you from making your own! You need to be more optimistic in making a series. If someone did their best, gave time and dedication and poured their heart into it, a simple story could turn out to be a very amazing story!
I'm gonna divide the some of steps into sections, the Original and the Fan Sequels.
Anyway, sorry for the long wait! Let's begin the guide already!
Note: The Guide is currently incomplete and only 4 steps have been added. The page will be updated soon enough, so don't worry.
Now All the pages are here!
Step 1 - Laying out the Plot[]
Original []
Now, this is probably the hardest one, since an original plot requires a lot of time. For a series to be interesting, it needs to have a stable plot structure. Now, for me, stable plot structure is something that is consistent, gives characters lots of different personalities that could distinguish them from one another, and lastly, it must be something that still isn't done by any other Pretty Cure series. Let me give you two examples:
1. ________ Pretty Cure is a story about 3 girls who dream to become royal girls of society. Together, they become princesses that fight for love and justice. Will they be able to stop the world from entering an era of despair?
2. ________ Pretty Cure is a story about 7 girls who want to become future fashion designers. They design clothes and they want to make people happy just by seeing them. Together, they become Pretty Cures that fight for happiness and creativity. Will they be able to save the world from entering an era of no art?
Now, look at the two examples. Look at example 1 closely. Doesn't it remind you something? Ah, yes, it would quickly remind you of Go! Princess Pretty Cure! which is bad. If you want to create a series of your own, you must have an original plot and then ask yourself 'Does this remind me of any other Pretty Cure series that exist already?' and if you answer 'Yes', you might wanna work on your plot more.
Now, look at example 2 closely. Does it remind you of any other Pretty Cure series that already exist? Hmm, I don't think so! No Pretty Cure series with 'Creativity' as a theme has ever existed yet. That gives you some points for originality!
You see, I gave you examples to make sure that you would try to come up of something original, something that has not existed yet. I'm not saying that it would be bad that it would remind somebody else of another series, but having more originality gives your series uniqueness that sets your series apart from others.
Fan Sequel[]
Okay, so if you're not planning on making an original series, you might want to make a Fan Sequel then! Sounds nice, doesn't it? However, if you want to make a sequel for a series that was already made by Toei, then you might wanna make sure that the new plot isn't the same as the original one. Think about it. If Toei made a Suite Pretty Cure! sequel that has almost exactly the same plot before its sequel, would you watch it? No, right? Because that would be really boring, almost as if they were just doing a remake of a series.
Before making a Fan Sequel, ask yourself first 'If this sequel were to be produced, will people watch it if it has almost the same exact plot before the sequel?' and if you think it doesn't, then you're good to go!
Some tips for a fan sequel though; You might wanna introduce a new Pretty Cure, make a previous second-hand become a villain, make a previous Pretty Cure a villain, add more romance to the story or even make mascots Pretty Cures! The possibilities are endless! Just be creative, and your fan sequel might be a success!
Step 2 - Formulating Characters, Names and Personalities[]
Original[]
Now, thinking of original protagonists and antagonists might seem really easy, but when it comes to their names and personalities, that's the part where it gets really complicated. For characters to become interesting, their name must be catchy. That's where I, Harajuku Arissa, fail a lot. I usually just give random names to characters, but I always make sure that they never sound like any existing Pretty Cure characters.
Next up, make sure that they have personalities, but make sure that they are stable and that they must act like it. If you're gonna write an episode for your series, you gotta make the characters feel emotions too! Also, make sure that whatever feeling you're gonna choose for them makes sense for their personality. You can't just get a 'Genki girl' to be sad over forgetting her bento, because energetic and optimistic girls don't usually get down so easily. They might easily get down because of a death of a family member, her friends leaving her and such.
Let's get another example. A 'Quiet girl'. If she is really quiet, that must be how she acts around other people, or even around her friends. She must not talk to other characters that much, and she must not have a high voice. It would be unrealistic to say she's a 'Quiet girl' if she is brash, loud and has a lot of pride. That would be an 'Arrogant girl'. If it only describes her around people other than her friends, then you gotta make sure that you put it this way on her own section
- _________ / _________ is commonly described as a 'Quiet girl' around people other than her friends...
See that? If you add 'commonly described', then it automatically means that it is how other people see her.
Fan Sequel[]
Hmm, we got another easy one! Fan Sequels always re-use other Pretty Cures before the sequel, making the characters who are re-used have the same personality, or a slight personality change. The only thing that needs to be added are the new protagonists and antagonists. However, like the plot, make sure that the personality and name you give them don't already seem alike to the other re-used characters or old, non-returning characters, because once again, you lose originality.
Like the Original section said, they must have feelings that resonate with their personalities. An example of that could be seen in the Original section. After you've finished reading it, come back to this point then! See you in Step 3!
Step 3 - Giving Characters Backstories[]
Backstories, otherwise known as a character's history, is a collection of events that happen before your story. Backstories are needed to ensure that the character gets the so-called Character development. Character development is needed by a character so that the character wouldn't seem flat. A flat character, in my own words, is a character that does not change personality over the entire series, making them really boring, especially if the flat character is the lead Cure!
You have the decision of giving a character either a happy or a sad backstory, but make sure that whatever one you choose, the character shifts and changes personality in the series so that it wouldn't be flat. I'm not saying that you should change their personality every episode, but at least during every important events.
Backstories are commonly linked to personalities because their past makes them who they are. A happy backstory usually makes the character cheerful and optimistic. A sad backstory usually makes the character harsh, cold and a pessimist.
You could also add a twist to the character's backstory so that he/she would become more interesting. Maybe make a character that is quite cheerful. Make the people around him/her think that he/she had a happy life. But as the series goes on, you could slowly reveal that this person is only trying to be cheerful because he/she is always alone in his/her house, maltreated by his/her parents or being an orphan. Become an absolute mad man in making backstories! MAKING YOUR CHARACTERS SUFFER OR MAKING THEM HAPPY IS UP TO YOU! YOU ARE THE GOD OF THE STORY! ACTUALLY NO WAIT, MAKE THEM SUFFER ALL THE TIME Er, I mean, be creative with backstories!
Step 4 - Being Creative About Items[]
Original[]
Okay, so you've reached this point now! It's time to think about items. Items are a crucial part of any Pretty Cure series, especially their transformation device!
If you're making a transformation device, you may wanna make it look simple so that the characters could take it along with them without anybody suspecting them of weird things. Transformation devices are commonly brooches, pens, mirrors, perfumes and the like. However, if you wanna go wild, maybe you could make a series transformation-device-free! The possibilities are endless with the transformation devices!
Now for the collectibles. This is only optional for me, as this has become too mainstream for a Pretty Cure series. But if you're planning on adding it on your series, make sure that it doesn't affect the plot that much. I'm not gonna focus on the collectibles that much, but if you want to add them to your series, my only advice is that do not make it as the character's main goal.
For the special group attack items, make sure that it is at least related to the theme of the story. Out of place objects are objects that do not comply with the theme of a series, and could become a major nuisance to the readers who have been really engrossed in reading your story.
In general, make sure that whatever item you try to incorporate in your series is something that matches with at least on theme on your series, or it would be a disaster! Also, like usual, be creative with imagining items. Your creativity would be really necessary for you to be able to make your series popular.
Fan Sequel []
Fan Sequels get the advantage of having items that have appeared before the fan sequel, but I suggest that you change the attack items to something new instead of sticking to the old one. The transformation devices and the collectibles could remain untouched, but it is still up to you whether or not you would bother changing anything with the items in the series.
Step 5 - Having Diverse Locations[]
Original[]
WIP
Fan Sequel[]
WIP
Step 6 - Adding Trivias[]
Original[]
Smile PreCure
Fan Sequel[]
Krew Pretty cure
Step 7 - Imagining Movies, Openings, Endings and Merchandise[]
Original[]
WIP
Fan Sequel[]
WIP
Step 8 - Creating Pictures and Making a Gallery[]
Original[]
WIP
Fan Sequel[]
WIP
Step 9 - Waiting for Feedback[]
Original[]
WIP
Fan Sequel[]
WIP
Conclusion[]
WIP
Disclaimer[]
AireHime or Harajuku Arissa does not own any image in this page, unless specified. Most images here are from Google that have been Photoshopped.