Which is better, manga or anime? That is one of the questions. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration. It is, however, a debatable topic. Well, it’s a derivative of another debatable topic (like books verses the movie adaptation).
Seeing as I need to be in the middle, I will be the referee. Let’s look at each teams’ good points.
Note: We are focusing on adaptations only.
Team Manga
Eight times out of ten, the artwork in the manga will be better than the anime. Why? Because… I said so.
No, that’s not the reason. Manga must have great artwork (or decent at best) to capture the reader’s attention. The aesthetics (haven’t seen that word in awhile) of a manga is dependent on appealing artwork. If one, just one, panel is unpleasing, the entire page is ruined (or even the entire chapter). This is both good and bad, but it does create a competitiveness for the readers’ attention.
Anime doesn’t flesh out the characters features to the exact match as the manga, mainly because the attention is on the animation. Shadings and small details play a big role in manga, more so than anime, since the artwork is the main highlight as eye-candy. Anime usually gets away with okay artwork, but complains follow. Great artwork is a key to keeping readers and viewers.
For those who don’t know, “fillers” is a term used usually in anime to mean a segment, or an entire episode, which does not appear in the manga. In other words, fillers fill in the anime’s time with whatever until a specific point. It delays the original story for numerous reasons: the anime is catching up to the manga’s current chapter; a curial moment in the story is too soon; or just because. Manga can’t have that, unless they want people to stop reading.
Manga can safely say they have no bad voiceovers. The acting is always pitch-perfect… Okay fine, I’m giving manga way too much credit. But still, no voice beats a bad one.
Usually the manga is the original source material. Sadly that is something anime can’t claim (unless, of course, anime was first).
But being first means nothing if another medium can do it better.
Team Anime
Come on, you know you wanted to see your beloved manga story animated. SO STOP COMPLAINING! But seriously, there’s nothing wrong seeing your favorite scenes in action. A kick in the face isn’t as effective in manga as it is in anime.
The voice that is to represent a beloved character by many needs to meet certain requirements. It needs to have the right feel of the character. It needs to deliver the lines perfectly. But most importantly, it needs to sound like no one else can play it but that voice actor.
…
Maybe I’m asking too much. There is bad voice acting in anime, but when a voice meets all the above requirements, it’s a great work of art. That goodness helps out just one of the important aspects of anime. Honestly, have you heard Steve Blum’s voice? He could give airplane safety instructions and I’ll listen.
So artwork depends on the title of the series. Big deal. But when the animation department is able to afford great artists, the anime is magic. Ever seen Death Note? The anime is a close competitor to its manga sister.
For the “Lazies”
There are readers, and then there are viewers. You can make your own judgment calls on the two, but they’ll never change. Certain people prefer action rather than the reading material. Take the Harry Potter franchise. I can testify as a witness that many parents who saw those movies never read the book (but then it was followed by “We wasted money for that?”).
With most of the pros and cons laid out, which team won the debate? Neither. Okay, so I’m the worst at refereeing, but that doesn’t mean I’m not right. I don’t mind the two mediums, though I tend to lean towards manga (but am a big fan of adaptations). Each has their high and low points. But whether you prefer the anime or the manga is entirely up to you.
