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Anime experts earn credentials in Japan
(Yomiuri Shimbun, The (Tokyo) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) TOKYO _ Voice actress Haruko Momoi said she took the Anime Kentei, or animation competency test, last year simply because she thought it would be fun. She also found it rather unusual that such a test is offered on paper when similar otaku-related qualification exams are usually done on the Internet in a more casual manner.
"The test was conducted in a university classroom like any other serious test with the presence of examiners and under strict rules about time and so on," said Momoi, who passed Level 3 of the Anime Kentei (aniken.jp/outline.html), which was started by the Association of Japanese Animations last year to expand the popularity of animation and nurture animation-related knowledge.
"Since there were tricky questions, you needed to have wide animation-related knowledge to pass Level 3. I think I barely passed it," said Momoi, showing the gold certificate of achievement she carries in her wallet. "There also was a question, for example, about the U.S. Anime Expo or on animation-making tools."
According to Koji Senda of the Tokyo Anime Center, an information center in Akihabara, Tokyo, that's run by the association in cooperation with anime-related publishers and companies, about 1,300 people sat for the tests of levels 3, 4 and 5 last year. Each level's test comprised 60 to 70 questions, and the ratio of successful applicants becomes lower as the level goes up. For example, the pass rate of Level 3 was about 25 percent last year.
"And only those who passed Level 3 can proceed to the Level 2 test, which will be held for the first time on Nov. 23 in Tokyo and Osaka. I can say Level 2 is considerably more difficult, as even some association members found it difficult to get a passing score," Senda added. "Some examinees may be hoping to use the qualification for their job. But we rather hope everybody can have fun by testing how otaku they are about animation."
Momoi, whose recent voice acting work includes the anime Mission E, Tales of the Abyss and Seto no Hanayome, is going to tackle the Level 2 test.
"Passing the exam may give examinees a heightened sense of enjoyment as they get a special status among animation lovers," she said. "It is like you are playing in a kind of role-playing game. It can be compared to the good feeling you get as you are carefully served by a maid at a maid cafe," Momoi said.
Speaking of maids, the duties of such caretakers are also the subject of a kentei.
"People tend to have biased ideas when they hear the word 'maid' in connection with maid cafes or Akihabara. We want to get rid of such notions by spreading the correct image of maids through this competency test," said Taro Daimon, the chairman of Nippon Maid Association. The association was established last year and launched its Maid Kentei (www.n-m-a.jp/app.html) at the same time.
Association director Tetsuya Ono also said he recognized the need to establish the due status of maids from his experience of running a homemaker service that sends workers in maid costumes to customers.
"Women often applied for our maid jobs just because being a maid is kind of fashionable. But I want to popularize the idea that being a maid is a profession that requires particular skills," Ono said.
The last Maid Kentei for Level 2, in September, tested applicants who had passed Level 3 of the Maid Kentei in August. The Level 2 applicants were tested on maid manners, the history of maids _ which is, according to the association, based on the maid culture that flourished in Victorian England _ sewing, cooking, cleaning and washing clothes. (The last exam item is written.)
Those who pass the second level can proceed to the test for Level 1, which will be held in January.
"We hope those with the qualification will find it easier or advantageous to work not only at maid cafes but also places like hotels," said Daimon, an editor-in-chief of the cosplay magazine Cosmode. "Our ultimate goal is to turn maids from a mere boom into a real part of culture by spreading the real meaning of 'maid.'"
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Marin, a maid at the Candy Fruit Strawberry maid cafe in Akihabara, the area dubbed "otaku heaven," was one of 23 people who tried Level 2. She said she took the test in the belief that having the qualification would help her be more professional as a maid.
"I love this job, and want to continue to work as a maid," said Marin, clad in a maid outfit of white and pink and a headpiece with ruffled trim. "Having realized how profound the job can be, I came to hope to have deeper knowledge of maid lore," said Marin, before posing for a photo at the cafe together with Hatsumi.
Having worked as a maid for two years, Marin said she studied hard for the test. "I want to have more communication with customers. I believe being a maid is a job that can offer peaceful, relaxing moments to customers."
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Meanwhile, the organizers of the Manga Noryoku Kentei (www.manken.ne.jp/index.html), called Manken for short, hope that the passing of the competency test will help examinees find jobs in the manga industry despite the test being still in the fledgling stage.
"Manken, which started in June last year, is a test in which professionals objectively evaluate your manga drawing ability and creativity," said Kotaro Makino, a director at Nihon Manga Noryoku Kentei Kyokai association.
"We hope this kentei in the end will help people find a job in the industry. We are in a situation where even graduates of manga academies find it difficult to get a job in the industry due to the lack of criteria for manga industry workers," Makino said.
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The kentei, which will be held on Nov. 16 at about 30 locations around Japan, is divided into three categories _ mangaka assistant, manga characters and facial caricature kentei. The first category tests applicants on various skills required to be an assistant to a professional mangaka at three different levels. "You really have to be able to respond to various needs to work as an assistant to a mangaka. This particular test aims at examining talents capable of drawing different types of manga," Makino said.
The manga character kentei, which is divided into six levels, tests applicants' skills at drawing various characters in various settings. "This kentei is popular among students who love drawing manga and want to be professional mangaka," Makino said. "The caricature kentei is mainly for those who like to draw caricatures as a hobby and want to know how good they are at doing so."
The next Manken will be held on Feb. 22, and applications for it will start on Dec. 22.
Makino added that, although it has just started, a test done through mobile phones to certify voice acting skills has been enjoying greater popularity than expected.
"There is no doubt this type of kentei will help nurture resources in the manga or animation industries, both of which have a serious shortage of manpower," he said.
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(c) 2008, The Yomiuri Shimbun.
Visit the Daily Yomiuri Online at http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/index-e.htm/
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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PHOTO (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): wrk-anime
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Copyright ? 2008 The Yomiuri Shimbun
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