Forum - View topicWatch The Anime or Read The Manga: The Eternal Dilemma?
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RedSwirl
 Posts: 344 |
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I think I come upon this problem pretty often now. I get interested in an anime, and wonder whether or not it's better to just read the manga.
Sometimes the manga is better because it doesn't have filler. Sometimes the anime didn't get to finish the manga's story. Sometimes one or the other is just better visually. Sometimes the manga just doesn't adapt the original story as well as it could have and the manga remains superior. Is there some kind of guide on a series-by-series basis for this? I guess it could also coutn for anime based on visual novels, light novels, RPGs, etc. I started asking around about Gangsta only to find out the anime didn't finish the manga's story, so I guess I'll just read the manga. I still wrack my brain on this in regards to original Dragon Ball, or Jormungand, or Black Lagoon, or Monster. Between the Akira manga and movie I'm honestly not sure which is better after seeing/reading both. |
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Vaisaga
 Posts: 13238 |
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Most of the time I'm introduced to something via the anime so I'll wait until the anime is over before I start on the manga. That way I can appreciate the anime on its own merits without constantly comparing it to the original.
There are plenty of times where I didn't want to wait a week to find out what happens next so I read ahead, though. |
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Touma
 Posts: 2651 Location: Colorado, USA |
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I never felt like I had to choose one over the other.
I watch the anime and read the manga. Even if there is a lot more in the manga, which is usually the case, the anime offers things that are not in the manga, audio and video if nothing else. I cannot remember ever enjoying one and not liking the other. I think that which I enjoy more is evenly split, and I cannot predict which I will prefer for any franchise. |
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CrowLia
 Posts: 5528 Location: Mexico |
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The Gangsta manga is not finished either and it's on an indefinite hiatus because iirc the author developed a very serious illness. In fact, I think the manga isn't that far ahead of where the anime ended
I usually watch an anime first, and if I like it A LOT then I'll check the manga. Hunting for scanlations is a lot harder than getting anime subs (for instance, I believe no one's scanlated Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju). I'll only make an exception if the creator is already someone whose work I love (like Bakuman, which I started reading since it was first published), or if a friend pesters me to get to it (happened with Reborn). I also think a lot of manga get severe improvement when turned into anime. Say for instance Assassination Classroom: the art for the manga is kinda bad, and the anime had great animation and FukuJun's work as Koro-sensei was brilliant. I think the anime outshines the manga by far |
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 10000 Location: Virginia |
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You forgot the third choice, the novel version if that is the source material. To me, it is not a big problem. If I like a series I will follow both or all three as the case may be.
The order I consume them in depends on when they become available. Take Strike the Blood as an example. We got the anime first so that is what I did first. It apparently covered the first six story arcs. Later Yen press brought out both the novel version and the manga. This week I got the fourth volume of each. The forth volume of the novels takes us half way through the fourth arc. The fourth volume of the manga takes us part way through the second arc. There is no one answer as to which version is better. As was noted above sometimes the anime improves on the source material, however I have found this to be rare. Regardless, the source material almost always continues on beyond the anime. If the source material is a novel it will usually contain more detail and clearer explanations of some points. The anime on the other hand adds color, movement and sound which may seriously enhance the experience. I would suggest going for whatever becomes available to you first. In many cases in the US that means the anime. If you really like it or feel that you want to see what goes on after the end of the anime, look up the source material. If both or all three are available, try the beginning of each and decide for yourself. |
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A Mystery
 Posts: 1888 Location: Netherlands |
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I'm not good in reading books and manga. I lose attention most of the time.
Anime gives me colors, sound and - at least nowadays - animation (remember how sparse animation could be in some shows  , like Karekano?).
A manga has to be really good for me to read it. |
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10000 Location: Virginia |
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@A Mystery
I'm just the opposite. I'm a reader at heart, it is my default activity. The fact that I enjoy anime is rather surprising to me as I'm not really into watching stuff. I had quit trying to watch much live action fiction long before I got into anime. The last movies I saw in a theater were the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and that was because I had been reading the books on occasion since the early 1960s. I have to deliberately pull myself away from my latest book to go watch an anime program. This is part of why I have such a backlog. |
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Lord Oink
Posts: 876 |
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Anime, then pick up the manga if the anime doesn't cover it all.
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Merida
 Posts: 1946 |
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I've never come across such a guide and even if there was one, it would probably be highly subjective. Personally, if an anime really gets me hooked and the manga is still ongoing, i'll often eventually start to hunt it down. But there are also cases like JoJo where i've never felt the need to check out the manga since the anime feels completely satisfying to me. If i've started to read the manga first and and anime adaption is being announced i'm usually equal part excited and weary since there are very few cases where the anime approved the source material (Gintama probably, though i love the manga as well) and quite a few where it gut butchered, rushed or otherwise ruined. There are plenty of good adaptions as well, of course. So, to answer your question, it depends? 
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Dessa
 Posts: 4438 |
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One of these days, I'm going to get around to making a guide like that for Sailor Moon, comparing all 4 main versions (manga, original anime, Crystal, and tokusatsu). I'm curious how it'll all line up (first arc only, obviously, for the tokusatsu).
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