Forum - View topicWhen the Anime is better than the Manga...
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ElementSun
Posts: 106 |
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This has become an undeclared rule: "The manga is always better than the anime". It's true for the large majority of series, where the manga is superior to the anime. However, there are those rare occurences where the Animated version outshines the original.
This may all be a matter of preference, but which series do you think the Anime was overall better than the Manga? Edited my opinion: I think the anime for Fullmetal Alchemist was much better than its manga counterpart. Although the manga is still an ongoing series, there are too many different details, plotlines, and characters thrown in, giving the manga a sense of lost direction. I prefer the Anime storyline to the manga one, because it's clear, concise, and yet introduces a new plot without adding extra ambiguous information. The story and character development is much more concise in the anime than the manga, and yet it still ends at 51 episodes. You also have a better sense of the main protagonists, and how they each shifted their perspectives from the beginning of the series to the end. I loved the pacing and each arc after the Greed forkroad didn't take an obscene amount of episodes to depict. Overall, I thought the anime was better than the manga because of a more coherent storyline, more effective at drawing out emotions, and a clearer sense of character development. Last edited by ElementSun on Wed Oct 17, 2007 3:40 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6902 Location: Kazune City |
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Before we get any further: as the thread-starter, what are your opinions on some anime that are better than the manga? And keep in mind that the animated version sometimes is the original, like with My-Hime and My-Otome.
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Since when is that a rule? I know alot of people complain the Anime differing from the manga, but I've never really encountered this overwhelming Manga is better sentiment you describe.
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7994 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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Well I think the Gunslinger Girl anime was superior to the way the manga told things, myself. I like the anime versions character designs better and to me it's got more impact when it's brought to life in anime form. Another example I'd list is the Seikai series anime adaptations, Crest of the Stars, Banner of the Stars, and Banner of the Stars II because both the anime and the manga are adaptions of the (even more superior) novels and the manga for each of these series are too short and condensed in a single volume. The anime versions just work better as adaptations.
Other than those I don't have any more considering I'm not really a big manga reader. I only follow 8 series, 5 of which are must haves as soon as they're released and the other 3 I just buy whenever I feel like it. |
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kizzmequik_74
 Posts: 302 Location: QC, Philippines |
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Different? Definitely. Whether one is superior to the other as a general rule is an entirely different proposition, however.
Off the top of my head, I'd say that the Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku Hen OVA is superior to the manga version of that specific story (roughly volumes 19-21? Right at the beginning of the Jinchuu arc). I say this, since the manga remained somewhat light-hearted through the first part of that story, while the anime took the drama that was to come later, ran with it, and ended up with something awesome. The more 'realistic' character designs of the OVA certainly helped to telegraph the seriousness of the core story that is being told. However, as Zalis mentioned, we just have to keep in mind that some manga was adapted from anime, and not the other way around. The My-Hime manga (as I recall) was not particularly well-received because of the various liberties taken from the anime. |
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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It's generally considered part of rule 3. Primarily that what you post needs to contribute to the discussion. If you open a discussion and contribute nothing from the start then that goes against the spirit of that rule particularly. It's just simply expected that if you're going to open a discussion that you're going to lay the groundwork for that. As for the question, I think for some it kind of boils down to which came first, the whole "chicken or the egg" scenario. Odds are one is going to be different from the other, and people will commonly view the original as the correct story and changes in the one that follows will be frowned upon and make it seem inferior in their eyes. At least that's a common bit of psychology at play, obviously it applies to some more than others. I don't have much manga exposure as I generally don't get in to them much, but I am familiar enough with the Gunslinger Girl manga to agree with Kruszer on that one. I think I primarily agree with him in the area that the visual, audio and music and all that really conveys the atmosphere and message more effectively than you see on paper. Sometimes a story just really benefits from the unity of several mediums that television/film provides as opposed to the more limited single medium manga offers. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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I think ikillchicken was asking ElementSun on his theory, not Zalis about ANN's forum rule. |
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Boomerang Flash
 Posts: 1021 |
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The example that immediately comes to mind is Angelic Layer. It's also the only example of an anime adaptation of a manga in which I find the anime to be vastly superior, though this is helped by the fact that I find the manga to be of quite low quality.
I can't honestly say that the anime has superb all round animation. There are some obvious corners that were cut, but those are mostly unimportant aspects--the audience cheering, for example, is done using the sound and a still image. The fighting itself, however, is gorgeous, both in animation and choreography. There are some quite significant plot changes, but they were for the better--much more realistic and touching than spoiler[the bathetic excuse they gave for the mother's absence in the manga.] |
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Keonyn
Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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Ah, you may well be right. I read Zalis' reply and then ikillchicken right after and I guess I put them together. With that we'll just consider it a PSA of sorts then. |
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britannicamoore
 Posts: 2618 Location: Out. |
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I disagree with the "rule" the manga is better.
Times when brit thinks the anime is better than the manga Fruits Basket- The manga is much more indept on the situation and theres a lot more charcter development, but the anime moves at a better pace Princess Tutu- The anime gets the ideas across better. Plus its a lot more addicting- with its colorful backgrounds and beatiful music Le Chevalier D'eon- the manga is kinda boring but the anime is a lot richer and not so boring Evangelion- i think just being able to hear Shinji scream is enough to make this better. Cowboy Beebop- the manga is so slow. Spike is better seen not read. If you'd like other instances let me know. |
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ikillchicken
Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Yes thanks Dormcat, thats what I meant. Zalis posted while I was posting I guess. Sorry for the confusion Keonyn.
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Char_Aznable
 Posts: 33 Location: Philadelphia |
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I have to go with FLCL here. I haven't read much of the manga, but from what I saw it was kinda confusing, jumbled, and unattractive. The anime benefitted ENORMOUSLY from the soundtrack by The Pillows, as well.
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Moomintroll
 Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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As far as I recall none of the My-Hime versions is the "original". It was always intended to be a multi-media platform and the manga, anime and video game teams all got the same background info and parameters to work with but then developed their own interpretations independently. Evidently the anime team did rather better with the same premise than the manga author (never seen the video game so I don't know how that came out) but neither one is based on the other. |
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Murasakisuishou
 Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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I'll have to disagree with the statement about Fullmetal Alchemist. While I did like the direction the plot took in the second half of the anime (when compared to where the manga went after spoiler[Hughes died]), I think that the manga did a better job of presenting the key plot elements than the anime did. For example, in the anime, they immediately rush into the backstory of the Elric brothers, so you know everything about them by episode....5, I think. However, in the manga, the backstory is just hinted at for almost five volumes. Obviously they briefly explain why Ed has automail and Al is a suit of armor, but there's no heavy-duty flashback until the end of volume 5 of the manga. I prefered this approach, since there's really no logic in giving away all the backstory up front and then converting the fight on the train, Youswell, and the whole thing with Tucker and Nina into backstory too (it wasn't a flashback in the manga, and it worked just fine). Also, when I look at all the things in the manga that I really wish they'd been able to work into the anime (especially the more recent - or at least they were recent when I stopped reading scans - arcs, like spoiler[Riza's story about being involved in Ishbal], and then spoiler[Mustang's team getting split up on the orders of the Fuhrer]) I really can't say that one is better than the other. They're both good, they just tell different stories.
Another series along those lines is my darling Shaman King; I usually say the anime is better, just because it's definitely more entertaining (with all the totally off-the-wall filler episodes), it has more of a conclusive ending, and, aside from the beginning (but just a bit) it doesn't drag. However, I don't think it's quite fair to compare the manga so harshly, because once again it's a different story serving a different purpose. The anime is more entertaining and exciting, but the manga is more deep, thoughtful, and emotional. Because it's longer, the manga fleshes out many characters who were just sort of stuck in the anime as 'bad guys', or who just didn't get any backstory because there was no room for it. While it moves rather slowly at times, I enjoy the manga for its deep insights regarding all of the characters, not just the main ones (although the Osorezan Revoir was heartbreaking). I also like how there are more strong female roles in the manga, as most of the ladies in the anime seemed to have had their spines surgically removed (-coughJuncough-). Overall I do think the anime is better, but the manga has its merits too. |
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Polly E.
 Posts: 140 |
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I thoroughly enjoy both, but I felt the anime and the manga covered up for one anothers' faults in a way. The anime did a better job at fleshing some things out, spoiler[for instance the entire Elsa story didn't feel as cold and rushy as the manga.] I felt that the manga had a fair bit more action spoiler[and the Pinocchio arc (confirmed for season 2!), which is beyond the anime's story, I understand, but there's still more action going on.] |
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