RIYADH, July 16 — The Manga Majlis Community Initiative attracted anime and manga enthusiasts in Riyadh, featuring industry professionals who provided an exclusive behind‑the‑scenes look at anime production and ensured accessibility for Deaf attendees through dedicated sign‑language interpreters.
Hosted at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Arts Hall, the gathering united fans, creators, and emerging artists to examine the evolution of anime and manga from concept to completion, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s increasing enthusiasm for Japanese pop culture and the expansion of its creative sector.
A hallmark of the event was its commitment to inclusivity; organizers welcomed Deaf participants and offered sign‑language interpretation, enabling full participation in all discussions.
The panel included Lamis Al‑Suntali, producer and assistant producer at Manga Productions and lead of the Manga Arabia project; Amani Al‑Ruwais, character designer; Riyadh Dosari, director; and Hatem Al‑Omarhi, writer. Together they explored the collaborative workflow of anime creation, spanning storytelling, scripting, character design, and production.
The speakers emphasized that anime production lacks a one‑size‑fit formula; narratives may originate from successful manga, original concepts, or producer‑initiated ideas. Yet experimentation, revision, and collaboration are consistently integral to the creative process.
\”Each project presents distinct challenges and offers fresh insights, driving the development of innovative working methods; hence, experimentation remains essential to the production process,\” Al‑Suntali remarked during the panel.
She noted that planning poses one of the greatest challenges, as production teams cannot reliably estimate the duration of experimentation and development.
\”Research demands considerable time because we strive to gather comprehensive information before production begins,\” she explained. \”We persist in research until the necessary answers emerge, often making it one of the most time‑intensive phases of a project.\”
Panelists noted that each project commences with a core idea evolving into a story treatment that defines the work’s message and format — be it a feature film or a television series. The treatment progresses into a script, which undergoes multiple revision cycles to ensure consistency before final approval.
Al‑Ruwais explained that scripts evolve into visual concepts through character and environmental design; artists analyze the story, conduct research, and collaborate closely with directors to ensure the visual world aligns with the narrative and cultural context.
Dosari stressed that animation is a highly collaborative medium requiring constant communication among writers, designers, directors, and producers, whereas Al‑Omarhi highlighted how stories undergo repeated drafts before reaching their final form.
The panelists concurred that each production stage presents distinct challenges, and surmounting these obstacles ultimately enhances both the creative process and the final product.
