Nemu

Term from Manga Production industry explained for recruiters

Nemu is the Japanese term for storyboarding in manga and anime production. It's a crucial planning tool where artists create rough sketches to map out how a story will flow, showing basic character positions, dialogue placement, and panel layouts. Think of it as a comic-style rough draft that helps manga creators and publishers visualize the final product before detailed artwork begins. Similar terms include "name" (pronounced nah-may) or "manga storyboard." These serve as blueprints for the final manga pages, helping teams coordinate their work and plan the visual storytelling effectively.

Examples in Resumes

Created detailed Nemu layouts for 12 manga chapters that were approved on first review

Supervised junior artists in developing Nemu drafts for upcoming manga series

Collaborated with writers to translate scripts into effective Nemu sequences

Typical job title: "Manga Storyboard Artists"

Also try searching for:

Manga Artist Storyboard Artist Layout Artist Manga Designer Comic Artist Sequential Artist Manga Draft Artist

Where to Find Manga Storyboard Artists

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How do you manage a team of artists working on nemu drafts for multiple projects?

Expected Answer: Should discuss experience coordinating teams, maintaining consistent quality, meeting deadlines, and balancing multiple project requirements while mentoring junior artists.

Q: How do you handle major story revisions that require nemu redrafts?

Expected Answer: Should explain their process for efficiently implementing changes, maintaining story coherence, and coordinating with writers and editors while keeping projects on schedule.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What factors do you consider when planning panel layouts in a nemu?

Expected Answer: Should discuss understanding of pacing, dramatic impact, reader flow, and how to effectively convey action and emotion through panel arrangement.

Q: How do you ensure your nemu effectively communicates the story to other team members?

Expected Answer: Should explain their methods for creating clear, readable layouts, marking important notes, and collaborating with writers and final artists.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What basic elements do you include in a nemu draft?

Expected Answer: Should mention rough character positions, basic expressions, panel borders, dialogue placement, and simple action lines to show movement.

Q: How do you organize your nemu pages to maintain story flow?

Expected Answer: Should describe basic storytelling principles, page numbering systems, and how they ensure scenes connect logically from page to page.

Experience Level Indicators

Junior (0-2 years)

  • Basic panel layout creation
  • Simple character positioning
  • Understanding of manga storytelling basics
  • Ability to follow editorial feedback

Mid (2-5 years)

  • Advanced page composition
  • Efficient draft creation
  • Clear visual storytelling
  • Effective collaboration with writers

Senior (5+ years)

  • Team leadership and mentoring
  • Complex story visualization
  • Project management
  • Advanced storytelling techniques

Red Flags to Watch For

  • No understanding of basic manga storytelling principles
  • Unable to create clear, readable rough sketches
  • Poor time management with deadlines
  • Lack of knowledge about manga industry standards