I had my portfolio reviewed at Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2024...!
Hello! This is etsunoco!
I attended the "Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2024" (Kyomaf) held at Miyako Messe in Kyoto on Sunday the 22nd, where I had my job-hunting portfolio reviewed and
simply enjoyed the anime, manga, merchandise, games, and beautiful illustrations...✨! This article will focus on the part where I had my portfolio reviewed.
It was a very fulfilling day.
I've been attending Kyomaf since I was a university student as a fall tradition because I look forward to the exhibits, merchandise, and voice actor stage events,
but this year, as someone looking for a job, I had one "thing I wanted to challenge myself with"... and that is...
My first time! Bringing my portfolio!
As in previous years, I still went to have fun, but
I visited the Fellow Co., Ltd. booth under the guise of job hunting
to get my portfolio reviewed and hear about the anime industry.
It had been a long time since I approached booth staff like this on my own,
so I was super nervous and walked past it three times. How suspicious (lol).
Once I gathered the courage to speak to them, they guided the conversation smoothly.
Impressions and insights from the consultation
I asked about what it would be like to get a job in the anime production or merchandise creation industry.
Portfolio composition
・Graphic designs created upon request from friends and family
・Works I was involved in for licensed anime merchandise
・Works submitted to public offerings and contests, etc...
Although I participate in public offerings for character designs and logos,
I have no award history to be proud of, so I have zero confidence.
The words from the representative that saved me from those feelings:
"If you are also considering Tokyo, there are companies I would like to introduce to you."
Huh? Really!?
I expected the conversation to start with more critical feedback,
so I was happy and couldn't help but grin.
Possibility of a matching work style
While the number of job seekers hoping for telework has increased since the COVID-19 state of emergency,
there are also companies that value communication by coming into the office,
and they said that if that work style isn't a problem for me, there is a possibility of a match.
Jobs like production management or supervision related to character licensing
seemed like work I could try to get into the industry,
even if I can't draw illustrations perfectly!
I should be confident in calling myself a creator
I can use Illustrator and Photoshop to a certain extent,
but I don't have experience achieving success on large projects.
Even so, while consulting with them,
I gained hope that I could use my past experiences to be active in the field.
First, I will become a creator from the heart.
My current situation hasn't changed. Still, I'm glad I took that first step!
That said, my policy of improving the issues in my portfolio and
continuing to build up my track record remains unchanged.
Listening to various people's stories,
sharing my own thoughts,
gaining new insights,
and applying them to the next step is what I think led to the harvest of this experience.
I won't overthink it, I'll just give it a try!
Thank you very much! No need to rush, no need to rush.
And so, having cleared my main mission,
I went on to enjoy Kyomaf to the fullest.