Akira Anime vs Manga

Sep 12, 2007 11:43 PM

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Jul 2007

1335

It seems like it's sort of a general consensus that the manga is far better than the movie. Do you agree, and what are the reasons for your opinion?

Oct 21, 2007 8:45 PM

AriSky

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Oct 2007

150

Indeed. I found the manga far more informative than the movie. The movie seemed to take the first two and the last volumes for its content, without bothering to explain anything about who characters were and where they came from--or what was going on for that matter. While I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, I loved the manga to pieces.

Oct 22, 2007 7:10 AM

YourMessageHere

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Aug 2007

550

I've never read the manga, I hate reading scans and to buy it's just too expensive (£17 x 6 books = £102). While I do like the film (looks so good, but the actual story, or at least as the film tells it, is a bit generic scifi and meh) I'm not really motivated to afford to read the manga.

Nov 20, 2007 6:51 PM

xritax

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Nov 2007

106

I saw the movie...and I'm still very lost. O_o
But a friend told me the manga is much more informative, so i'm looking forward to reading it.

Nov 26, 2007 10:23 AM

Retired

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Nov 2007

182

The problem was that there was just too much ground to be covered within a reasonable movie length, so loads of content didn't make it in. It'll never happen at this point, but I'm sure a faithful retelling of the story in a 13-26 episode format would have made for a great watch.

Which isn't to say I didn't care for the movie - it's certainly up there within the ranks of what I like, but after reading the manga, I can't help but think of what could have been.

Dec 5, 2007 11:56 PM

removed-user

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Jul 2018

564125

I LOVED the manga. Parts of it were very touching, and it developed on characters much more than the movie did. :)

May 25, 2009 7:18 PM

Talvi

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Dec 2008

116

When you read the manga you are ashamed of watching the movie again. It's that good and the difference is that big.

May 25, 2009 7:28 PM

tehnominator

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Jun 2008

2785

I think people hate the movie since they read the manga first, and there are several differences.

I saw the movie first, and was completely blown away. Then I read the manga, saw several of the events were altered and that there was more focus on certain aspects.

However, I don't believe that one is necessarily better than the other. In terms of developing the story, of course people would most likely be inclined to the manga.

Given the duration of the anime, I thought it was exceptionally well done. The story fit, and in its own way, presented the universe of Akira through the medium of animation well, if not magnificently.

I don't think it was confusing, and actually, it dealt with the themes exceedingly well. With the script adapted for the film, the movie did its job and presented that amazingly.

Aug 20, 2009 6:09 AM

removed-user

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564125

I actually bought the movie before the manga, but for some reason ended up in my pile of unwatched DVDs for years. I then heard from someone with tastes similar to mine about how awesome the Akira manga is and how the animated feature wasn't as good as the manga.

I then began my hunt for the manga, and you can imagine how hard it was since at that time the Dark Horse edition was going out of print, but I then managed to get my hands on all the volumes by buying them from different stores and even from different countries XD

I must say, all that effort and money was worth it. Akira is unlike anything I ever read; the plot, setting and characters were all so engrosing, and by the time I reached vol. 4 I was in the point of no return and kept reading until I finished it. The manga is a masterpiece and I consider it one of my most prized items. There are actually very few works that matched the quality and the experience that the manga offerred me.

Now for the movie. while it was good on its own merits and featured ground-breaking animation and music at the time, the story and the characters had less impact on me, especially Tetsuo. Tetuo was more badass in the manga and ended up being more of an anti-hero than a villain like the movie portrayed him. Also one of the things that touched me about him in the manga was his bittersweet, but none the less beautiful relationship with Kaori, and in the movie I hated how she was his girlfriend from the start and the minimal role that she had in his character development.

There was also an absence of some of the coolest characters from the manga, like Chiyoko, Miyako, Joker and especially Akira--I couldn't believe for someone whom the movie was named after, he appeared for only a few seconds.

IMO, anyone will be doing themselves a disservice if they watched the movie before reading the manga.

removed-userAug 20, 2009 6:13 AM

Aug 23, 2009 10:05 PM

#10

TuzoAnime

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Apr 2008

428

The movie did a decent job considering the length of the manga. Clearly the manga is superior.

Aug 31, 2009 3:03 PM

#11

Linked

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Aug 2009

107

For me it's the case when both versions are real masterpieces in their own field - besides the anime is truly a gem even among the best live-action sci-fi movies!
Without question, they both deserve 10!

Mar 8, 2010 1:20 PM

#12

SDHFSDVSAD

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Mar 2010

152

The movie is good, but compared to the manga it sucks. So definitely, my vote goes to the manga.

Jul 21, 2010 2:08 AM

#13

Neiru2013

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Sep 2009

663

I probably like the manga better, but I love the movie a ton too. They're both among the best in their respective mediums. Akira will probably always remain my favorite anime movie.

Tumblr * Other Web Shrines I made * My Anime/Manga page

Aug 2, 2011 2:53 PM

#14

gumrats

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Sep 2009

144

I think for a movie they did a pretty good job covering as much ground as they could with the time allotted. Although I would have preferred a series.

Feb 7, 2012 4:45 PM

#15

SSJLuffy

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Mar 2010

112

Do you guys recommend movie first, then read the manga? Thats how I usually do things since the manga is honestly always better. This way I get to enjoy both the movie and the manga.

I'm just wondering if already knowing how everything ends will ruin the manga experience.

Feb 7, 2012 8:57 PM

#16

removed-user

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Jul 2018

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SSJLuffy said:
Do you guys recommend movie first, then read the manga? Thats how I usually do things since the manga is honestly always better. This way I get to enjoy both the movie and the manga.

I'm just wondering if already knowing how everything ends will ruin the manga experience.

I read the manga before watching the movie, and I would've beaten myself if I did the opposite. The manga came first and is way superior to the movie. The movie is good on its own merits, but it only covers the first half of the manga and alters a few things, still worth watching after you finish the manga, though.

Apr 23, 2012 1:34 AM

#17

Arjman89

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Mar 2012

Both are amazing, but I don't agree with the fact that the movie seems to be 'underrated' in comparison to the manga. I still think it is the definitive anime film and among the best sci-fi films ever made.

The film is incredible in the way that it is able to fit an incredible amount of stuff into its run time. I really want to read the screenplay as it must have been full of crazy detail! If you watch closely you will find that each seeming moment is meant to create the atmosphere of decay and decadence in the city and in the hearts of its people. While everything might not be covered in the script, it is all there in the scenery and events. Even the minor character's actions and lines are extremely illustrative of the story as a whole, and unlike many (not all mind you) major anime films that followed it really tried to push the envelope in many different ways (animation, soundtrack etc). And while I would agree that if the adaptation was longer (even an hour longer) it could have been even better, but really it remains so powerful in the fact that it really seems enigmatic ('I am Tetsuo") and subversive towards conformity and the cult of anime in general.

Of course, the manga is probably the definitive manga too, but it might have been even more effective if it had been pruned a bit. Either way, this is an incredible story.

Oct 27, 2012 8:27 PM

#18

anime_daisuki

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Jul 2008

Has anybody saw the movie first but hated it, but read the manga and loved it?

Nov 14, 2012 4:39 AM

#19

GloriousHawk

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Apr 2011

593

The anime was great but the manga is even better. Perhaps I enjoy the anime for the wrong reasons. The manga is more informative and expands on a lot of things.

These 6 giant tomes are magnificent and manages to tell a large complex story. When you try to condense this into a 2 hour film, it just doesn't work as well.

The anime has an amazing, brave and unforgettable soundtrack, accompanied with beautiful art and animation. If Otomo decided to touch Akira again, I hope it will be a 6 part OVA included with the merits of the film I mentioned above.

Mar 23, 2014 12:26 PM

#20

RedDoomGuy

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Mar 2014

I kept hearing people say that the manga explains a lot of the film. These people are liars and should be cast to the depths of hell.
The manga gives an entirely different, far more complicated story. I would probably say the manga is better simply because it has more time on its hands- it can give a more detailed version of events.
However, the manga leaves the reader to fill in far more gaps than the film and, after my first re-read, I'm left with plenty of questions. Most of these questions involve the deciphering of some pages toward the end of volume six where Kaneda watches suppressed memories of Tetsuo's (much like in the film). I would kill a child to hear those pages explained in detail.

Nov 16, 2016 11:33 AM

#21

Pixel_Vapour

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Nov 2016

2981

Saw the movie. I found it extremely overrated and didn't enjoy it as much as other people have. I found it extremely convoluted. I still gave it a 7/10 on MAL and it gets an extra point (not 6/10) because I can't deny the influence it had in the west.

That said I have got the first volume of the Akira manga on my Christmas list and am very much looking forward to reading it.

Feb 20, 2018 2:00 AM

#22

MichaelJackson

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Aug 2016

3758

mmmm---- I prefer the anime by far

MichaelJacksonFeb 20, 2018 2:13 AM

Feb 1, 2020 12:18 PM

#23

Isvi_Berserk

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Sep 2017

564

I loved this manga from beginning to end, although the film is very good and has aged extremely well to undoubtedly become an animated cult film, its manga goes a step further by developing the story much better and present characters and scenarios better, obviously at much more time.

The manga was another experience!!

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