The Art of Writing an Ensemble Cast Story:
There are different types of stories. Some are focused on one or two characters as the protagonists & how they function in a certain world. Others are focused on a number of characters struggling with a single or number of broad themes. Each type is fascinating depending on serving their purpose of creation. The second type is the focus of this post.
If you decide initially that you’ll be telling a story abt a theme/problem & have characters or a number of protagonists struggle/deal with it. You’ll need to divide the attention between such protagonists. This doesn’t mean that all these characters get the same amount of appearance, it just means that they shine either positively or negatively in their sub-plot/arc & their efforts don’t get hijacked/overshadowed by other protagonist within the show. This is one of the hardest writing techniques that even famous writers don’t executed well in famous shows/stories. Off course, you need to create two/three main protagonist to symbolize story/market the story so audience can focus on, but this doesn’t mean the other protagonists are less important. Notice, I still call the others protagonist not side characters because they have equal importance by their own for the plot to continue & the theme to be presented. They aren’t there to help your main protagonist, they are here for their own story. After all, that’s your purpose for creating ensemble cast.
There are two common flaws in ensemble-cast stories when creating protagonists:
Either writers focus on the main protagonist as the center of the story where the world of the plot revolves around him/her giving them 70% of the story’s lines/scenes/dialogue/discourse. Even tho the story is essentially presented as an ensemble/abt a theme not abt a single character. So these writers fail in showing that & the other protagonists essential value becomes to support the main protagonist while having weak/shallow side story to help the work pose as a multi-cast story. The other protagonists side stories/plots pale in comparison & or half-baked, sometimes even invented so the focused-on-main-protagonist can step in to contribute to further shed light on him/her rather than them. You see this in shows that carry thematic title & are meant to discuss deeper situations that a bunch of protagonists struggle with but discover that you are really following one character & the others tag along.
The other flaw is the total opposite. The main protagonist becomes one-denominational & carries one rigged theme/the main theme while the other protagonists have the most compelling stories which is layered & complex. You see this in some popular shounen stories where the protagonist is given a single role representing one theme only or even some shoujo anime where the female protagonist only exists to carry the theme of happiness/hope without any deeper personal exclusive struggle beyond the general theme or beyond her value/importance in others’ lives.
So as you can see, such stories can be tricky & not easy to write at all. However, that in particular makes them the most compelling stories if done right! Just look at Song of Ice and Fire where each protagonist shine in their own light while carrying out the general theme. Or the inspiration behind writing this post “ Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood“!! this anime wins the most-balanced multi-cast category with little competition from other anime!!! The story is about the Elric brothers! but the other protagonists are sharing the spotlight equal in importance in such balanced way that deserves praise all while maintaining that the Elric brothers don’t pale out in comparison.
I’m really amazed at how balanced all the plot threads are! How they all move simultaneously including the parts that are leading to hidden secrets, impending climax, & confrontation. They are visited every now & then with excellent symbolism to keep them at the back of the viewers mind! I’ve been studying this show for a couple of weeks now taking notes of the well-driven plots & the characterization.
Truly one of the most balanced story telling in anime! remarkable!
