Anime to manga, and vice versa.

N

Nemphtis

Hunter
I'm having trouble deciding on something to be honest so I wanted to see how others deal with this in order to help solve this dilemma for myself some time soon. As you know, some anime out there also has a manga with the same storyline and usually some minor changes, and there's also some manga which has an identical anime.

Now, if you watched an anime of something, would you say it's worth the money you're going to pay in order to buy the entire manga series even though you know the general story after seeing the anime series? I have the D.N.Angel and Negima manga books, but I wonder if it's going to be worth the cost to buy the anime versions minus the excitement of not knowing what's going to happen this time around, any comments on how you would solve this?
 
It really depends on the series. While the purists will tell you that the manga is superior, it really does vary from title to title - I prefer the manga versions of Naruto and Nausicaa, the anime versions of Beck and Plantetes, while both anime and manga versions of Fullmetal Alchemist and Trigun diverge into entirely seperate stories that are equally good for different reasons, and both formats of Azumanga Daioh display different nuances of the same jokes.

Generally though, I've noticed that shonen titles are better in their manga form, as there's none of the filler or padding that plagues them (Naruto, I'm lookin in your direction). Movie or OVA versions tend to suffer though, as they're confined to a tighter timeframe - Akira's a great film and all, but it barely touches the material of the books.

So, long story short - if you can, experience both - they both have their pros and cons. There are often enough differences to warrant seeing your favourite series in both formats. If that's not an option, you could try to seperate them - get the anime version of one title, and the manga version of another.

Hope that helped some :?
 
I must be a "purist" then... :p
Nah, I'll always think the manga is the original stuff as it's hard evidence being in your hand. Animes are a show that you watch, which look like it's been the original drawing done over and coloured etc. But that's my way of thinking.

I say they have their pro's and con's like Andy said.
I'd think the mangas have more chance to fill the full story up, since screening it is probably most costly, so hanging round will become a loss. Also, You can read any time and place since it's handheld and doesn't require a player. Plus, their cheaper than the DVDs (unless they're really long series, but if a steady cash flow, that's not a problem.)

As for anime, they have more "punch", simply due to the fact that there's sound and colour. The colour draws the people in and the acting is the key point to all anime. Everyone loves a show, depending on how good it is.

That's my conclusion (if basic...) Hope it helps. Just pick which you think is best.
 
hopeful_monster said:
This old debate, to which i'll give old argument. The original is usually better, with the remake often sub par.
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I generally agree. Series which were originally anime often spawn sub-par manga. (doesn't often happen this way round, but the Escaflowne manga was pretty damn awful :shock: )

If a show copies the manga literally panel for panel (like Naruto) then the manga's often the best, but if the anime's a looser adaptation which allows it to make its own story or style then that can be just as valid an approach as at least it'll be different. (3x3 Eyes and Akira ftw!)
 
Agreed original is usually better but then again some series don't do direct copies from one medium to the otrher, just look at Air Gear the anime and manga stories although going in the same direction take completely different routes and reveal important pieces of information at different points
 
To solve this just flip a coin.... if it's head buy the anime, if tails then don't... then go with the opposite of the result... a method that I usually used in a simple dilemma.... ^_^

a simple old method for an old debate....
 
Sounds good to me as I love both anime and manga and it comes down the series itself for which of them is the best one
 
hopeful_monster said:
This old debate, to which i'll give old argument. The original is usually better, with the remake often sub par.
Click to expand...

What about something like Ghost in the Shell, aren't both the manga and anime above average?
 
Nemphtis said:
hopeful_monster said:
This old debate, to which i'll give old argument. The original is usually better, with the remake often sub par.
Click to expand...

What about something like Ghost in the Shell, aren't both the manga and anime above average?
Click to expand...

There are alwyas series that excell at both manga and anime but for the majority of series one will always overpower the other
 
McIcy said:
Nemphtis said:
hopeful_monster said:
This old debate, to which i'll give old argument. The original is usually better, with the remake often sub par.
Click to expand...

What about something like Ghost in the Shell, aren't both the manga and anime above average?
Click to expand...

There are alwyas series that excell at both manga and anime but for the majority of series one will always overpower the other
Click to expand...

So what's the best way of knowing which is the better one?
 
well then how about if your unsure about an anime buy the manga first, its cheaper & you get the story in its orignal format.

I'm Just buying Manga cause there is no Anime out that really interests me much, appart from maybe Naruto & Gun X Sword
 
Nemphtis said:
So what's the best way of knowing which is the better one?
Click to expand...
Read reviews? Or ask people here :p .

While the general perception is that the original format is best, you still get oddities like Utena (the original manga is abysmal).

Often the content of the show determines the best way to experience it - the fight scenes in Champloo would never be as cool in manga format, for example, while more dialogue driven shows may be more suited to manga, where your own reading speed sets the pace.
 
I considered reading reviews, but unlike the video game industry there aren't many established websites out there that provide a good selection of reviews, or at least I just haven't found one yet. I should check out some of the American anime websites though, I've only searched for UK ones which are mostly quite small community and content-wise. AUKN is the only website I found which actually looks good, has a nice community and has a nice selection of content. :]
 
With me, I don't often jump from anime to manga and vice-versa (except in Death Note, where I watched even the movie) until I've finished one of them. It may seem weird, but I don't want to be thrown off the loop especially if the other version is completely or largely deviant from what I viewed or read initially.


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