Poll: Manga VS. Anime

[ILPPendant]

Generally I try to view media in their order of appearance. For instance, I played Fate/Stay Night, watched its anime and now I'm reading the manga. Occasionally I won't be able to find scans of a series so I'll just move straight to anime. Shows based on light novels are a problem since the amount of work that has to go into translating one of the damn things; invariably I'll have to just settle for the anime. "Offenders" include A Certain Magical Index and Shana of the Burning Eyes (as you can see, I refuse to use a series' Japanese name if there's a perfectly serviceable English variant available).

Do I have a preference for one or the other? Manga's more practical but portability isn't really something to judge a medium on. Ultimately it comes down to whether you prefer TV or books.

Dark Horse printed their translation of Blade of the Immortal that way because they started that series in 1997 (I think), and at that time, manga hasn't really taken off in the West (most manga at the time were mirrored), so they painstakingly cut and paste each and every panel of the manga to make it read from left to right, only mirroring the image when it's impossible to cut and paste (explains why sometimes, Manji's scar is on his right eye, instead of the left and vice-versa). This was done as a request by the author to keep the "integrity" of the art. They kept at it for ten years. Luckily for them, Hiroaki Samura almost always had rectangular panels.

I'm a huge fan of Dark Horse already since I found their adaptations of 3x3 Eyes and Oh My Goddess! (can someone please explain why the name has morphed into "Ah! My Goddess"?) to be pretty good but my opinion of them has just gone up even further. No real purpose is served by keeping things right-to-left save to cut costs. It's a shame because it's just another example of the manga localisation industry's Lelouch-strength desire to kill itself off.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

Some Jap manga are also guilty in this, Veritas is also read in the opposite order.

And it helps no one when western imprints like Dark horse print manga series, like Blade Of The Immortal, and it's left to right again. Confusion for all.

Double-check: what you've been reading could be Manhwa, the Korean variant! Manhwa follows the left-to-right format.

Also, from what I've read of DH's titles, they don't flip the manga: they certainly didn't for Gantz.

Blade of The Immortal is Japanese, it was done by Hiroaki Samura, and Dark Horse flipped it. The only Manwha I've read is Ragnarok, I haven't found one that is interesting enough yet, but the main series I read of Manhua, the Chinese variant, is Fung Wan, but it's a bit daunting, there are 500 issues total.

I've seen the Gantz series and i've read all the chapters that are currently released, if you check it out you'll see how badly they fucked up at some points. Also the manga is still on going, and all we got in anime is a blunt ending that left a "wait, what?" feeling.

That anime was garbage, and a prime example of how brutal the anime networks are in Japan when it comes to cancelling runs of shows. If it doesn't hit a certain number of viewers, they wrap it up and leave it at that. It's why Tenjou Tenge is terrible as an anime and (was) great as a manga (until Oh Great! lost the plot and started to deviate to god knows what, I have to read a whole tankobon back before I know what the hell is going on sometimes)

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

Like all the Lurichio/Captain Amagai crap in Bleach?

Honestly Bleach would be far better if they stuck to the manga a little more, as they cut the crap. Honestly, the whole two sagas dedicated to the Bount were hopeless, very little character development for any main character and nothing changed from beginning of the saga to the end.

The best anime I have seen recently was Darker than Black, which came from a Manga I haven't seen, but the storyline and concepts are really good.

True, Darker than Black was very good, and very twisted at the end.

As I was saying, that was by filler standards. If you don't get filler episodes, you get hopelessly stretched out canon episodes with very little going on, and that's something you really don't want. Just take them as a necessary evil and lower your standards for an arc, you may be mildly entertained.

 

[scotth266]

Snip!

It was explained to me above that DH did that before manga really caught on over here, so they were still in the habit of "Americanizing" it. They seemed to have stopped that practice at least, though apparently they need some new translators if some people in this thread are to be believed.

Also, damn straight on the Tenjou Tenge thing. I refuse to buy the manga here because it's AWFULLY censored. I got into the anime first, and I have to say that it was pretty decent: just not nearly as awesome as the manga was... up until that whole "zap back to the past" shit. Up until then, it was legible at least: now it's just pure insanity.

 

[Gerazzi]

I prefer reading, although most manga lack almost any unique character development, it's still kind of interesting to find out what's going on in other cultures.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

-snippety snip-

No doubt in my mind that he was the cop out king from that chapter, I thought the Naruto storyline was going to change completely after that, because it had to, but it was just like 'oh, let's pretend it didn't happen, gold stars and toffee for everyone!'. It's a shame really, but I can see it going in a good direction again, I don't really doubt him. There's still a lot of things to cover, like Kabuto, and the 8 tails and whatnot.

Oh, by the way, I'd put your info in spoiler tags just for those who are watching but not reading, or reading but not up to date. that's {spoiler}info here{/spoiler} but replace { with [

 

[Sharpeye42]

manga is for spoiling the story and anime is for seeing it move

 

[Dartinin]

If a series is completed as both a Manga and an Anime, I'll watch the anime and just skip over the filler episodes. However if it is not completed I'll read the Manga as [del]most[/del] all Animes are based off of Manga and not the other way around.

Corrected that one

there are exceptions to that rules actually, none come to mine off the top of my head but i do know they exists and honestly the only reason u should not like manga if u like anime is if u don't have the imagination to fill in the blanks and if u don't then watch the anime and feel dame lucky that/if it exists.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

Snip!

It was explained to me above that DH did that before manga really caught on over here, so they were still in the habit of "Americanizing" it. They seemed to have stopped that practice at least, though apparently they need some new translators if some people in this thread are to be believed.

Also, damn straight on the Tenjou Tenge thing. I refuse to buy the manga here because it's AWFULLY censored. I got into the anime first, and I have to say that it was pretty decent: just not nearly as awesome as the manga was... up until that whole "zap back to the past" shit. Up until then, it was legible at least: now it's just pure insanity.

It was just ridiculous. Granted, this is the ONLY manga that has haunted me with the detail of gore in it (I mean seriously, this beats out Gantz), but CMX literally censored everything heavily to begin with, from gore, to nudity, to panty shots and all. And while it's not to say I couldn't read it without such things in there, but it's the principle, effort and work is being butchered while CMX are spouting garbage about how they want to 'broaden the audience' meaning they want more money, and these edits are coming from an imprint that claimed somehting along the lines of 'pure, unadaulterated manga'.

There were even people who threatened to boycott all CMX titles because of the edits, and now they are claiming that they are editing far less, but that still doesn't really work does it?

As for the flashback, I don't even think that Oh! Great knows what he's doing any more, this seems to be a habit of his manga, he starts off great, then flies off the handle for no reason. Not to mention sometimes he will take like six month hiatuses for reasons unknown.

And the Anime? The fact that they were going to start the tournament soon (or so we thought when watching the anime itself) and they stopped it was savage. Like I was saying if they don't get enough views it's all over for the show.

Whew, rant over.

 

[bushwhacker2k]

I generally prefer anime because it lasts longer and gives me something to watch while eating, but the manga is often better than the anime and dubbed versions often SUCK bad enough that a rampage in 4Kids's offices with a pump shotgun wouldn't surprise me much.

 

[JackCayman]

Realy, if you like the other, why like the other too, there good points for both

Manga:+No sickening fillers
+Original, nothing alterred

Anime:+Its moving and "action" sequences better
+You can skip without having to recap much

 

[scotth266]

And the Anime? The fact that they were going to start the tournament soon (or so we thought when watching the anime itself) and they stopped it was savage. Like I was saying if they don't get enough views it's all over for the show.

Whew, rant over.

Better to stop BEFORE starting the next arc than in the middle of it though. And at least they didn't pull a Gantz. "Hur hur letz end in a filler arc where everyone dies hur!"

There is a lot of ranting to be had about the censorship of manga and anime though. I know one hell of a One Piece fanboy, and back in the days when 4kids ran it on Fox Box, it was all we could do to keep him from going on a killing spree. Ever since Funimation took it back, he's been a lot brighter about it: he was actually able to watch the English version without ripping his eyes out.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

And the Anime? The fact that they were going to start the tournament soon (or so we thought when watching the anime itself) and they stopped it was savage. Like I was saying if they don't get enough views it's all over for the show.

Whew, rant over.

Better to stop BEFORE starting the next arc than in the middle of it though. And at least they didn't pull a Gantz. "Hur hur letz end in a filler arc where everyone dies hur!"

There is a lot of ranting to be had about the censorship of manga and anime though. I know one hell of a One Piece fanboy, and back in the days when 4kids ran it on Fox Box, it was all we could do to keep him from going on a killing spree. Ever since Funimation took it back, he's been a lot brighter about it: he was actually able to watch the English version without ripping his eyes out.

It just makes me sick because they just want more money. I understand profit is the first port of call for a business, but don't forsake one audience to gain another, there are many many more series that are aimed at such audiences.

 

[FishSama]

Oh I love manga more by far. The art is so much better, because it's a larger focus on it the majority of the time. The images are much more graphic, in the way of staying in your head for a long time because of the typical black and white layout. Story usually has a lot more involvement as well.

I just think Manga can be a bit more immersive.

 

[nashty13]

Both enjoyed for different reasons, so no real debate- like saying whats better between books and film.

 

[scotth266]

It just makes me sick because they just want more money. I understand profit is the first port of call for a business, but don't forsake one audience to gain another, there are many many more series that are aimed at such audiences.

Spoiler: A little something I mad to summarize my frustrations with 4kids. Pity it didn't turn out bigger.

I mean, come on. Pulling stunts like this cheapens the message and feel of the anime. Not to mention the terrible one-liners...

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

It just makes me sick because they just want more money. I understand profit is the first port of call for a business, but don't forsake one audience to gain another, there are many many more series that are aimed at such audiences.

Spoiler: A little something I mad to summarize my frustrations with 4kids. Pity it didn't turn out bigger.

I mean, come on. Pulling stunts like this cheapens the message and feel of the anime. Not to mention the terrible one-liners...

When they removed Helmeppo's gun and replaced it with a hammer on a spring, and replaced Sanji's cigarette with a lollipop, I lost faith in humanity that day. Even Naruto is far worse in English than Japanese, does he really have to say 'BELIEVE IT!!!!!11!1' EVERY TWO MINUTES??

 

[CloudKiller]

Anime is better at times when you want something more captivating and when you want to know what colour something is (seriously I never got why all manga is black and white). But manga has no stupid filler.

 

[scotth266]

When they removed Helmeppo's gun and replaced it with a hammer on a spring, and replaced Sanji's cigarette with a lollipop, I lost faith in humanity that day. Even Naruto is far worse in English than Japanese, does he really have to say 'BELIEVE IT!!!!!11!1' EVERY TWO MINUTES??

To be fair, in the Japanese version he says "Dattebayo!" all the time, which is a nonsense word. So you can't hate them for trying to fill that time with SOMETHING... Rather, you can hate them for filling it with something INFURIATINGLY ANNOYING.

Also, hooray for Fotoflexer: it's like a free internet version of Photoshop. It's what I used to make that image, and edit out the Fox Box logo.