Is the manga version of a series always better than the anime?
| ... do you always consider it a bad thing? Do you feel that the manga is always superior to the anime, simply because it was first? How far is the anime allowed to change before you feel it is overstepping its bounds? In the past, I've generally felt that the manga is almost always better than the anime, and that the anime should never stray from the manga, but more recently, I've found my opinion of that shifting. After all, I'm not sure why it should matter to me if the storyline is somewhat different, as long as it is enjoyable and true to the essence of the original series. I am less forgiving of significant OOC-ness, but if the anime goes in a different direction from the manga, I'm okay with it as long as it's still entertaining to watch. So, what are your thoughts? Are there any anime series that you have preferred over the manga, and in those cases, which did you encounter first - the anime or manga? If you did prefer the anime, what changes were made to the storyline and/or characters that you preferred? Just to clarify, I'm not really referring to filler episodes - that is, episodes only intended to lengthen the anime. I'm only speaking of noticeable changes made to the original plot. |
| This usually happens when the manga hasn't finished yet and they have to come up with some sort of ending for the anime. Ends badly in 90% (e.g. Soul Eater, Claymore). The only show where I thoroughly enjoyed an anime going it's own way was the original FMA. |
| I usually enjoy the anime more then. If I am reading both the manga and watching the manga at the same time I get bored of the anime. Why? It is because I know what is going to happen, so why should I sit though some the the scenes that I didn't like the first while listening to crazy fans complain about very little details missing. So if it is different I can enjoy both, other wise I stick with the first thing I found, be it the anime or the manga |
 Where there is no imagination there is no horror. || Arthur Conan Doyle || Happy Halloween! |
| Better than the Anime ending with a completely open ending. |
| I usually like the manga because, as the poll says, it's how the author intended it to be, and frankly, it's usually more enjoyable that way. Ex: Naruto. The manga is beyond excellent, whereas those 100 or so episodes of stupid filler before Shippuden were just ridiculous and a pain to endure. However, sometimes when the manga isn't enjoyable, the anime is. Hearing the music, voices, and watching episodes as they're spaced out can increase the emotional impact of any type of scene and make it better. Ex: Yu Yu Hakusho. The manga was good, but the artwork wasn't too great, and the ending was a little disappointing, but the anime was very good. The story had more to it and was portrayed better, so I enjoyed it more as an anime. |
| Sometimes, this "sticking to the manga" thing is either overrated or out-right unreasonable. |
| Click on this. I dare you. | MAL Fantasy Football League | Currently Watching List RWBY Club. RWBY is anime. Deal with it. |
KyuuAL said: Sometimes, this "sticking to the manga" thing is either overrated or out-right unreasonable. Overrated sometimes, when? The only anime I am aware of that don't get dinged by fans for going in a different canon direction than the original manga are FMA and people still wanted to see the manga arcs animated. Nurarihyon was just given a fresh coat of manga paint and all the better for it. |
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| "manga > anime. The story is as the author intended it to be." Ain't no fuckin way anybody is gonna make me think otherwise. |
| I don't read manga. Correction: I don't read manga that has an anime adaptation. Correction: I don't read manga that has an anime adaptation before watching the adaptation. = profit. And most manga sucks anyways. |
| One of the silliest comments I see from anime fans is if you cite something from the anime that wasn't in the manga, they fly into a rage and call you stupid because 'it never happened' so it can't be used in any arguments (like VS topics). I'm sorry, guess I just imagined all those episodes I watched. My brain has that problem of making stuff up I guess. I always like citing instances where the mangaka likes the anime more, or borrows things from the anime, or cites it as canon (like Detective Conan) in these cases just to annoy them. 'Filler' is one of the most misused terms in the anime fandom. |
| FMA didn't just deviate from the manga, it was almost a whole new story. And it was good. Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro's anime expanded really well on Yako's mystery, but everything else was inferior to the manga. Mahou Sensei Negima! was just a bad adaptation. Pretty much, it just depends, but the manga is probably better since that's what the mangaka intended. I just like watching the anime before reading the manga because I like having music and animation. It's good to acknowledge both though. |
| Manga > anime Its pretty much always like this. If it ain't like that then the manga is usually made after the anime.Like Kaze no Stigma manga which is nothing compared to the anime.Or Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica which manga version was barely more than average.Ofc there are exception like 5 centimeters per second.Manga was made after the anime but manga is still way way better.Soo it depends. Oh, and horror is probably a genre which anime version will always offer more than manga. seishi-sama said: And most manga sucks anyways. Most anime sucks as well. Shocked said: I just like watching the anime before reading the manga because I like having music and animation. I always listen music while reading manga.Just saying. |
| I definitely have superpowers. I can feel it in my balls. |
| I think it's better when the anime follows the manga. It's, like, respecting the author of the manga. Then again, when anime do diverge from the manga's plot, and do it in a fashionable and reasonably way, it can succeed. It just need to be done correctly. |
| Adaptation plot that diverges from the original is always going to be inferior for the same reasons that even "good" fan fiction has to be worse than it's source material. The medium of the adaptation and the original is irrelevant: the original is always greater than or equal to the adaptation. If you like an anime adaptation better than the manga original, then it's only because you prefer anime to manga and vice versa for a manga adaptation of an anime. |
| Even Nasu said the KnK movies were better than the novels he wrote in high school. |
| I always prefer manga not because it existed before the anime, but because I prefer the content. |
DrHouse said: Adaptation plot that diverges from the original is always going to be inferior for the same reasons that even "good" fan fiction has to be worse than it's source material. The medium of the adaptation and the original is irrelevant: the original is always greater than or equal to the adaptation. If you like an anime adaptation better than the manga original, then it's only because you prefer anime to manga and vice versa for a manga adaptation of an anime. I must respectfully disagree with you on all accounts. Fanfiction varies greatly in quality, but I have read quite a bit of very well-written fanfiction - even a few stories that are equal or greater in quality than its source material. These are very few and far between, but they are out there. And there are some cases in which I have seen an anime that is much more well-done and engaging than the manga. And, of course, this is not limited to manga and anime: an example of this in television is Dexter, which was based on a book series by Jeff Lindsay. The storyline of the first season of Dexter is only similar to the first novel to a point, and then it takes off in a different direction. Strangely, I found the plot of the novel a bit sloppy and unbelievable, and the characterization of the main character lacking. In fact, it's I think it's pretty amazing what the television series managed to do with the source material. I did see the series before I read the novel, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have mattered. Sometimes, someone else is able to take a promising idea and turn it into something much better than the person who originated the idea ever could have. Obviously, this is only my opinion, and such things are always subjective. But I prefer to give each an equal chance before I attempt to conclude which is better or more enjoyable. |
| studio BONES, pick any anime from them and its a perfect example of animes being better than manga, most notable is rahXephon which its manga was terrible while the anime is a masterpeice |
celestialocean said: I meant this more to mean that your chances of finding an adaptation that is better than the original is analogous to finding a fan fiction that is better.DrHouse said: Adaptation plot that diverges from the original is always going to be inferior for the same reasons that even "good" fan fiction has to be worse than it's source material. The medium of the adaptation and the original is irrelevant: the original is always greater than or equal to the adaptation. If you like an anime adaptation better than the manga original, then it's only because you prefer anime to manga and vice versa for a manga adaptation of an anime. I must respectfully disagree with you on all accounts. Fanfiction varies greatly in quality, but I have read quite a bit of very well-written fanfiction - even a few stories that are equal or greater in quality than its source material. These are very few and far between, but they are out there. And there are some cases in which I have seen an anime that is much more well-done and engaging than the manga. And, of course, this is not limited to manga and anime: an example of this in television is Dexter, which was based on a book series by Jeff Lindsay. The storyline of the first season of Dexter is only similar to the first novel to a point, and then it takes off in a different direction. Strangely, I found the plot of the novel a bit sloppy and unbelievable, and the characterization of the main character lacking. In fact, it's I think it's pretty amazing what the television series managed to do with the source material. I did see the series before I read the novel, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have mattered. Sometimes, someone else is able to take a promising idea and turn it into something much better than the person who originated the idea ever could have. Obviously, this is only my opinion, and such things are always subjective. But I prefer to give each an equal chance before I attempt to conclude which is better or more enjoyable. Of course all bets are off when the original is a complete piece of crap or the differences in production values relative to their respective media are absurdly different. Still, an adaptation is always limited by the original. The original has no such limitations. All other things being equal, original > adaptation. |
DrHouse said: Still, an adaptation is always limited by the original. The original has no such limitations. All other things being equal, original > adaptation. I mostly agreed with you up until this point. Now that you have rephrased your point about fanfiction, I completely agree, because good fanfiction is not easy to find. Likewise, I agree with your second point, although I should point out that I never intended to say the source material of Dexter is "crap": only inferior, in my opinion, to the way it was adapted on television. Also, not much changed in terms of actual content, perhaps with the exception of more sex (which I could do without). What makes the television series better than the original is mainly the characterization and the way the plot was handled. However, as stated in the first post, the question is regarding anime adaptations that do not attempt to stay within the confines of the original storyline - thus, both versions would be free to take the storyline in the direction they please. It's not really about the basic premise, but which one takes that premise into a more interesting direction. I will say that, as a whole, I also prefer the manga. But that is not always the case. I posted this mainly because I am interested in understanding the reasoning behind not even giving the anime a chance when it does differ from the manga. I would think, if done well, it actually could be more interesting to see a fresh take on a series rather than the same exact thing that you've already read. |
celestialocean said: It's because grafting a new plot onto existing characters, setting, etc. is creatively limiting. The original's characters, etc. are never made with the adaptations plot in mind, so it's already handicapped in that regard.DrHouse said: I will say that, as a whole, I also prefer the manga. But that is not always the case. I posted this mainly because I am interested in understanding the reasoning behind not even giving the anime a chance when it does differ from the manga. I would think, if done well, it actually could be more interesting to see a fresh take on a series rather than the same exact thing that you've already read.Still, an adaptation is always limited by the original. The original has no such limitations. All other things being equal, original > adaptation. |
DrHouse said: It's because grafting a new plot onto existing characters, setting, etc. is creatively limiting. The original's characters, etc. are never made with the adaptations plot in mind, so it's already handicapped in that regard. This doesn't make sense to me. While it is obviously true that a character is never created with the differing plot of an adaptation in mind, that does not necessarily mean that the character cannot adapt to the new situations that the alternate storyline presents. Regardless, to me, as the viewer, it is not about how creatively limiting it is or isn't (although I do not agree with that viewpoint), because that is not my problem. It is about which version takes the characters and the premise, and is able to make it work better. Good storytelling is a skill that takes quite a bit of practice and experience. Some mangaka are better at this than others, and the same is true of anime writers. It does not depend on the medium, nor does it even depend on who created the characters and storyline. It depends on who is a more masterful storyteller. |
| I think that FMA was worse than it's counterpart: FMA:B where following the manga made a better anime. |
celestialocean said: Good storytelling is a skill that takes quite a bit of practice and experience. Some mangaka are better at this than others, and the same is true of anime writers. It does not depend on the medium, nor does it even depend on who created the characters and storyline. It depends on who is a more masterful storyteller. I'll agree with this statement. Again... as most people say, FMA is probably the biggest name to really differentiate from the manga it came from... And while I'm sure there are tonnes of people who would claim the manga is better, I'm also sure nobody (or at least very few people) would try to condemn it for changing it up. I think its wonderful if an anime tries to change from the original story to make its own, it shows a lot more thought and effort was put into it. Of course... this goes terribly terribly wrong most of the time... and if an anime ends up so bad that people don't want to read the original... then maybe it was a bad thing. But really... I might as well just read the manga if the anime is going to be a copy paste of it. Why sit through the same thing twice? I think my favorite example of a good adaptation to anime (aside from FMA), is elemental gelade. Not gonna spoil anything, but at about the halfway point, the anime takes a bit of a detour from the main storyline. I wouldn't call the anime better by any means, but it offered a lot of quirks that the manga didn't cover (like a back story on Kuia that didnt really show up in the manga) and a much better cast of villians than the manga... not to mention a better reason for this whole journey to edel garden in the first place. Of course, the ending to the anime came up a fair bit before the ending to the manga was ever created... so its just a look at the creative qualities of the Anime writers vs. the mangaka of the series. Anyways, I'm pretty sure not that many people have followed the E-gelade manga and anime as thoroughly as I have... but I think its another example of a good transformation from anime to manga. So in the end, I think its great (in theory) when an Anime tries to adapt from a manga, just that its hard to pull off right. |
leingodf8Aug 8, 2011 11:30 PM
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leingodf8 said: I'll agree with that statement as well.celestialocean said: Good storytelling is a skill that takes quite a bit of practice and experience. Some mangaka are better at this than others, and the same is true of anime writers. It does not depend on the medium, nor does it even depend on who created the characters and storyline. It depends on who is a more masterful storyteller. I'll agree with this statement. |
Good storytelling is a skill that takes quite a bit of practice and experience. Some mangaka are better at this than others, and the same is true of anime writers. It does not depend on the medium, nor does it even depend on who created the characters and storyline. It depends on who is a more masterful storyteller. So long as a writer is dealing with someone else's characters/story the nTh writer will always be measured to the standards set by the 1st writer who defined the characters and story, because life is not in a vacuum. It is not about whether or not a character could adapt to different scenarios or possible what-if universes. The setup for adaptations of manga/novels into anime has the normal viewer expectancy that the adaptation be as faithful to the source as possible. There is no reason to gamble with a perfect package or rather an excellent package that warranted getting an anime adaptation. |
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Anime_Name said: Exactly, and what kind of writer would willingly subject themselves to that? A second-rate one who doesn't have a choice. Or, alternatively, if it's the same writer, then why would they chose to write a story that will be directly compared to their old work rather than a new one with more creative freedom and that will only indirectly be compared to previous work? Because they don't have a choice. And why wouldn't they have a choice? Because, regardless of the fans' expectations, the goal of an adaptation is to give a story a wider appeal. celestialocean said: Good storytelling is a skill that takes quite a bit of practice and experience. Some mangaka are better at this than others, and the same is true of anime writers. It does not depend on the medium, nor does it even depend on who created the characters and storyline. It depends on who is a more masterful storyteller. So long as a writer is dealing with someone else's characters/story the nTh writer will always be measured to the standards set by the 1st writer who defined the characters and story, because life is not in a vacuum. How is that accomplished? Pandering. Ergo, original ≥ adaptation. |
| I prefere an anime to stick to the manga, yet if it doesn't, all is fine aslong as it's good... Often, the problem with storyboard crew's in anime production is they priorities what will sell and often show little signs of so much as following the story (as if they aren't interested in the story and have never been); by this, I mean loading a series with cliche's and cutting couners dispite always having room for fanservice (all forms of fanservice). I do feel production (not just anime - look to everything that was based on; a book, comic or play) companies shoud invest properly in something when they hope to cash in; this involves being faithful to the original, yet still, I won't be-grudge alterations untill I'm certian they're garbage. Now and then, you may get an anime adaptation that's better then the original: - FLCL anime is far more detailed then the manga - Durarara anime is faithful to the novels yet light novels look like a series of notes; not too detailed |
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| FLCL manga came out after the anime. LONG after. And even then, the manga is pretty good on some of it's own merits. It's darker, explains certain other points, and helps increase characterization. The two should really be used as two in a whole. |
| I don't really consider this an issue, since I tend to treat manga and anime versions of a series as separate entities (unless the anime adaptation is ridiculously close to the original like Death Note or Monster). I was able to enjoy shows like both seasons of Kuroshitsuji because I knew at a certain point that the series would divert from the original. |
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notsureifsrs said: FLCL manga came out after the anime. LONG after. And even then, the manga is pretty good on some of it's own merits. It's darker, explains certain other points, and helps increase characterization. The two should really be used as two in a whole. Forgot about the manga afterwards (worded it wrong), yet still, I prefer the anime. There are a number of anime only stuff I'd like to see in manga (vise-versa to the topic, sorry) and I'm always willing to take anime and manga into consideration in order to enjoy both (as a whole to a degree like you), yet FLCL for example is one case where the manga was dreadful IMO. |
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Anime_Name said: It is not about whether or not a character could adapt to different scenarios or possible what-if universes. The setup for adaptations of manga/novels into anime has the normal viewer expectancy that the adaptation be as faithful to the source as possible. There is no reason to gamble with a perfect package or rather an excellent package that warranted getting an anime adaptation. If the series is truly a "perfect" or "excellent" package, than I agree 100%. Why mess with a good thing? However, that is not always the case. Also, I have doubts as to whether an anime adaptation is typically attempting to cater towards fans of the manga? I would think that any changes would be made with the consideration of what would appeal most to the target audience, regardless of whether they were familiar with the source material or not (as it is likely that a large number of potential viewers have not read the manga). Again, I don't think that the anime adaptation is always better than the manga - far from that, in fact. All I'm saying is that I don't think the opposite is true in every case. |
| For me, it's really a series-to-series basis. There have been times when I watched the anime, thought it was really good, and then found out it deviated significantly from the source material. Usually this is a result of either the manga not being finished at the time (Fruits Basket, Soul Eater), or it's just the result of the director or whomever is in charge deciding to deviate from the original material for whatever reason, good or bad (Rosario+Vampire, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Also, the Cadcaptor Sakura manga only featured 19 cards while the anime had 52 and events were changed a lot but it was still a great anime). In either case, the anime does turn out very well a good amount of the time regardless, although the open-ended conclusions are a Grade-A pain in the ass usually. I'm a completionist so 90% of the time if I find out the story differs from the anime I'll feel compelled to go read the manga. Additionally, I feel some anime directors may not care about deviating from the source material to do their own thing though if they feel like people will only watch the animated version and aren't going to go out and read the original material. Final thought: action stories are far superior in anime than in manga. I much prefer seeing the fights be moving and animated than trying to figure out what's going on with the confusing drawings and sound effects in the manga versions. |
| Harems don't exist in America. If one guy is constantly surrounded by beautiful girls, then he's probably the gay friend. |
celestialocean said: If the series is truly a "perfect" or "excellent" package, than I agree 100%. Why mess with a good thing? However, that is not always the case. Then that begs the question why are people investing in an anime adaptation of a product that is not good enough in their eyes. Also, I have doubts as to whether an anime adaptation is typically attempting to cater towards fans of the manga? I would think that any changes would be made with the consideration of what would appeal most to the target audience, regardless of whether they were familiar with the source material or not (as it is likely that a large number of potential viewers have not read the manga). Sounds like someone is trying to chase two rabbits at one time. Being familiar or unfamiliar with the source material is actual an important point that should not be swept away as irrelevant. Changing the canon story for people that have not read the original material is completely unnecessary and by definition change for the sake of change. Again, I don't think that the anime adaptation is always better than the manga - far from that, in fact. All I'm saying is that I don't think the opposite is true in every case. I have not said that canon manga stories are always better than anime only stories but history shows that is the case most of the time. Given enough time, surely a monkey could write an equal or better story but who is going to pay for the bananas and electricity until he does? I much prefer seeing the fights be moving and animated than trying to figure out what's going on with the confusing drawings and sound effects in the manga versions. Confusing fights? You are looking at a still picture showing one character hitting another.Plus since it is a manga you can look at it however long as you need, unlike animation where that frame is gone in a second. How the fuck is that confusing. |
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longshoremanX said: studio BONES, pick any anime from them and its a perfect example of animes being better than manga, most notable is rahXephon which its manga was terrible while the anime is a masterpeice Uhhhh, Rahxephon's anime ran from Jan 2002 to Sept 2002 Rahxephon's manga ran from July 2002 to Feb 2003 When BONES made the Rahxephon anime, there was no manga for them to base it off of! If anything, the dates indicate that the manga came as a result of the anime. The thread topic is "plot of an anime diverges from the manga it is based on" but in this case, RahXephon wasn't based on a manga, so I think your point is moot (not that Rahxephon is good, I agree there, just realize that not all series are based on manga or light novels in the first place) My rule is usually "whoever came first", which is often the manga, sure, but in cases like RahXephon and Princess Tutu, it's the anime (and indeed trying to shove 26 eps into 2 or 3 volumes has predictably terrible results). Buuut, I don't necessarily decry all gecko endings. I, much like others, liked the first FMA adaptation (I've only read halfway through the manga btw, no spoilers!) but if the writers are able to completely split off and make something good in its own right, I don't see the problem as long as the mangaka is alright with it. Bleach's Bount arc is a bad example, not as bad as their single ep filler if you ask me, but any semblance of quality of plot and writing was pretty much tossed out the window for that arc compared to the last few (I dropped the series for other reasons though). Way I see it, good writing is good writing regardless if it's closely following the original to freakish levels (like Monster) or barely following it at all. If you don't like it, just go read the original manga, heck sometimes you can both watch the gecko ending and enjoy the original, you just get more out of the series. |
| Anime_Name: It is possible to invest in something that you see potential in rather than perfection. In some cases, it may not be about what it is, but what they think it can be. Since I am not involved in the industry, I don't know how they decide which manga series to adapt - but I doubt that, in every case, it is because they are thinking, "Wow, this manga is a masterpiece." I think that while they must have a good reason to create an anime adaptation of a manga series, they must have an equally good reason to make alterations to the storyline. As a few have already pointed out, this is sometimes because it is necessary when the manga storyline is not complete. However, it seems that in some cases, they make the changes because they think it would be better a different way. I've seen this where it has worked, and I've seen it where it hasn't. It seems that you may have misunderstood what I wrote regarding the audience's familiarity with the source material. All I meant to say is that I doubt that anime writers are overly concerned with the expectations of those who have already read the manga. Also, I don't think it's "change for the sake of change" if their goal in making alterations is to make it more intriguing or appealing to the greatest number of people in their target audience - and I assume that is their goal, as a larger number of viewers = more money. |
| I didn't mean perfection only that some measure has to be used to determine what does and what does not get an anime adaptation. A manga getting the green light for an anime adaptation means some level of excellence was obtained that warrants investors taking a chance. While a new story is untested and would cause problems with established fans while attracting an unknown amount of fans who again may or may not approve deviating. The contingent that just wants change for the sake of change is not the audience being targeted. However, it seems that in some cases, they make the changes because they think it would be better a different way. I've seen this where it has worked, and I've seen it where it hasn't. Right. I am sure you are willing to leave it at what you've seen in order to keep it vague without any hinting of frequency. You are like those redneck losers that think they can win the lottery because they have seen other winner's faces plastered across billboards and newspapers. It doesn't happen often. Also, I don't think it's "change for the sake of change" if their goal in making alterations is to make it more intriguing or appealing to the greatest number of people in their target audience - and I assume that is their goal, as a larger number of viewers = more money. Attempting to appeal to the greatest number of people possible is a lofty and idiotic expression to get a company to chase ghosts and proves they don't know their audience. |
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| Anime_Name, I am only interested in having a civilized discussion. I respect your opinion, and the fact that you have a different perspective than I do. However, I don't appreciate your hostile tone, and I think it is unnecessary to stoop to insults. I have already stated that I don't believe it happens frequently - several times in fact. This was never an issue of how frequently it happens, but if it is possible for it to happen at all. I don't even know how to address your last paragraph, because it doesn't make sense to me. I do not see how "attempting to appeal to the greatest number of people in their target audience" can be considered a lofty and idiotic notion. Any reasonable individual or company trying to sell a product would do this. It's common sense. Naturally, they have ratings and demographics to base their creative decisions on. Unless you wish to return to having a civil discussion, I think there is nothing left to say. I'm sure we've both stated our opinions very clearly, in any case. We disagree; that's okay. I'm not asking everyone to agree with me. |
| You're just talking about possibility then ignoring likelihood is to your benefit. What you are spouting doesn't ring true in application. The majority of the target audience want a close as possible adaptation of the source material. |
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Anime_Name said: You're just talking about possibility then ignoring likelihood is to your benefit. What is the point of conversing on a forum when you do not even bother to read what the other person is saying? I've responded to this argument already, more than once, very clearly. Since the rest of your post is also merely rehashing the same argument without providing evidence to back up a supposed fact, I don't even see the point in attempting to discuss it further. |
| I already stated how many adaptations(one in 30 years if anime?) that deviate canonically from the source that have a generally accepted good story but people still wanted a more faithful adaptation. There is simply more deviations that have not fared as well. My point requires frequency to matter as my point refers to application, not theory. |
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| In regard to the majority of viewers desiring a faithful adaptation: my issue with this is that it really does not represent the entire audience - only a certain (and mostly likely, relatively small) percentage of fans who are inclined to voice such an opinion online. It excludes the more casual viewers that still bring in ratings, and possibly purchase merchandise, but are not at all compelled to visit anime forums or websites to discuss their opinions. It is hard to know the opinion of the majority when it is very possible that the majority of viewers have not actually expressed their opinion in a public forum on the issue. From a business standpoint, ratings and demographics are more compelling than opinions expressed online, as they give a stronger and more accurate indication what is successful and what isn't. Even the small sampling here doesn't support the idea that the majority of fans make such demands of an anime adaptation. Surely, a good number of fans do, particularly when they are very attached to a particular series. However, at present, 43 of the 63 who have voted in the poll stated that their opinion of which is better "depends on the quality of the manga and anime versions in each case." This isn't hard evidence of anything, but it does make me inclined to believe that not everyone cares that strongly about a faithful adaptation, so long as it is enjoyable. Also, many viewers are not familiar with the manga, and are not interested in the manga. Even among the fans that I have known and been acquainted with, there are many who have had absolutely no interest in reading manga despite very much enjoying anime. An example of the point I am trying to make that immediately comes to mind is The Vampire Diaries, a television series based on a trilogy of books written by L.J. Smith. I am a fan of the author and I'd already read the trilogy, but many of the viewers were not familiar with the series at the time the first episode aired. Many changes were made to the existing characters, other characters were added, and while the premise is the same, the plot went in a different direction. Many (possibly even most) fans were not upset by the changes because they were unaware of them. I'm sure some devout fans were quite upset by the many changes that were made, but the producers are more concerned about how the series is received overall, which is determined based on ratings. Despite the changes, and in spite of some disgruntled fans of the trilogy, it is one of the network's most successful shows. Although the example used is not an anime series, the same principle applies. As I've stated many times already, I do agree that anime adaptations that deviate significantly from the manga plot do not often or even usually work - but that was never really what this topic was about. |
celestialoceanAug 10, 2011 4:02 PM
celestialocean said: In regard to the majority of viewers desiring a faithful adaptation: my issue with this is that it really does not represent the entire audience - only a certain (and mostly likely, relatively small) percentage of fans who are inclined to voice such an opinion online. It excludes the more casual viewers that still bring in ratings, and possibly purchase merchandise, but are not at all compelled to visit anime forums or websites to discuss their opinions. It is hard to know the opinion of the majority when it is very possible that the majority of viewers have not actually expressed their opinion in a public forum on the issue. From a business standpoint, ratings and demographics are more compelling than opinions expressed online, as they give a stronger and more accurate indication what is successful and what isn't. Even the small sampling here doesn't support the idea that the majority of fans make such demands of an anime adaptation. Surely, a good number of fans do, particularly when they are very attached to a particular series. However, at present, 43 of the 63 who have voted in the poll stated that their opinion of which is better "depends on the quality of the manga and anime versions in each case." This isn't hard evidence of anything, but it does make me inclined to believe that not everyone cares that strongly about a faithful adaptation, so long as it is enjoyable. Also, many viewers are not familiar with the manga, and are not interested in the manga. Even among the fans that I have known and been acquainted with, there are many who have had absolutely no interest in reading manga despite very much enjoying anime. An example of the point I am trying to make that immediately comes to mind is The Vampire Diaries, a television series based on a trilogy of books written by L.J. Smith. I am a fan of the author and I'd already read the trilogy, but many of the viewers were not familiar with the series at the time the first episode aired. Many changes were made to the existing characters, other characters were added, and while the premise is the same, the plot went in a different direction. Many (possibly even most) fans were not upset by the changes because they were unaware of them. I'm sure some devout fans were quite upset by the many changes that were made, but the producers are more concerned about how the series is received overall, which is determined based on ratings. Despite the changes, and in spite of some disgruntled fans of the trilogy, it is one of the network's most successful shows. Although the example used is not an anime series, the same principle applies. As I've stated many times already, I do agree that anime adaptations that deviate significantly from the manga plot do not often or even usually work - but that was never really what this topic was about. Seems like a lot of fair and truthful points were made with supported evidence. |
| Harems don't exist in America. If one guy is constantly surrounded by beautiful girls, then he's probably the gay friend. |
| celestialocean Right I was talking about sales and ratings for most of my posts. The target audience shows they want a faithful adaptation for anime TV series. It goes without saying that they want to watch something "good." Adaptations that are not anime TV series have little to do with this as those have a different target audience who have different expectations and aspirations for TV shows inspired by other works. You have sections of your post that seem irrelevant to the topic or pointless. Viewers that are unfamiliar with manga and/or uninterested in reading manga don't seem to be able to provide answers to your opening post, so what is this group of people doing in the middle of your most recent post? Nothing, dangling around being pointless. As I've stated many times already, I do agree that anime adaptations that deviate significantly from the manga plot do not often or even usually work - but that was never really what this topic was about. Yeah, part of your request was for us to populate this thread with examples of anime that deviated from the canon story and that are preferred over the manga. The poll is clearly biased in favor of the third and middle options since both provide a lot of gray area and the first option is an extreme. So you know the answer you want and are just muddling around and removing important factors until you get it. |
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| In my experience it is usually the manga, though mostly due to the fact the anime deviates towards the end because it catches up to the manga. In the case of Claymore & Soul Eater it was painfully obvious they just decided to finish it off, rather than incorporate a plan to deviate it from the start. Though i did not mind the ending to the original FMA anime as they executed that well imo, but brotherhood was still great as well. ~ |
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Anime_Name said: Right I was talking about sales and ratings for most of my posts. The target audience shows they want a faithful adaptation for anime TV series. Yes, I remember. I responded to that by saying that this is only speculation. You have provided no evidence to suggest that this is actually the case. Anime_Name said: Adaptations that are not anime TV series have little to do with this as those have a different target audience who have different expectations and aspirations for TV shows inspired by other works. Except that they do, because the specific target audience is irrelevant to what we are discussing. It is only one of many examples that could be used to support the fact that producers are primarily concerned with making a product that sells. They are likely to go with what they think will garner the highest ratings, rather than avoid making changes that could potentially increase the product's appeal just to appease fans of the original series – who, in most cases, are not the majority of their viewers. Anime_Name said: You have sections of your post that seem irrelevant to the topic or pointless. Viewers that are unfamiliar with manga and/or uninterested in reading manga don't seem to be able to provide answers to your opening post, so what is this group of people doing in the middle of your most recent post? Nothing, dangling around being pointless. Rereading my post, I do agree that this seems a bit out of place in its own paragraph, so your confusion is understandable. I apologize for the lack of clarity. It is an extension of the thoughts expressed in the first paragraph – that not every fan of an anime series is a fan of the manga; that many or most of an audience will inevitably be unfamiliar with the original storyline and therefore be indifferent to any changes made. The point was not directly related to the first post. Rather, it was elaborating on the reason why producers would not typically care about catering to fans of the original series. Anime_Name said: Yeah, part of your request was for us to populate this thread with examples of anime that deviated from the canon story and that are preferred over the manga. The poll is clearly biased in favor of the third and middle options since both provide a lot of gray area and the first option is an extreme. So you know the answer you want and are just muddling around and removing important factors until you get it. You seem to think I have some sort of hidden agenda or that I only want people to agree with me. This is not the case. I do welcome opinions that differ from my own. It doesn't mean that my own opinion will change, necessarily, but I am genuinely interested in other viewpoints or else I would have never created the thread. I intended those questions to serve as prompts – it was meant to encourage more elaborate and detailed responses, rather than one that mostly consists of a simple "yes" or "no." It was not an attempt to influence anyone's opinion. As for the poll – I really don't see how it is biased. Either people think that the manga is always better, or that the anime is always better, or that it depends on the anime and manga versions in each case. Regardless of whether or not it could be improved, I do think that the poll does allow users to pick an option that most closely resembles their opinion. Anyone is free to elaborate by participating in the discussion. |
Anime_Name said: The poll is clearly biased in favor of the third and middle options since both provide a lot of gray area and the first option is an extreme. So you know the answer you want and are just muddling around and removing important factors until you get it. Poll said: What do you mean? That poll look's like a model for objectivity. Not even Fox News could claim to be more fair and balanced.Yes, manga > anime. The story is as the author intended it to be. No, I usually enjoy the anime more. It depends on the quality of the manga and anime versions in each case. Not at all related to the rest of my post, but which is better: FullMetal Alchemist, FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or the manga? |
DrHouseAug 10, 2011 10:06 PM
DrHouse said: Not at all related to the rest of my post, but which is better: FullMetal Alchemist, FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or the manga? I don't think the Fullmetal Alchemist anime is better than the manga/Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - but I prefer it. I did watch the anime first, so that is surely part of it. But I never got bored watching the anime series, and I liked that it primarily focused on Edward and Alphonse. In the anime, you get more a sense of an "it's us against the world" mentality. They like other people, but ultimately, it is about them. They're almost always trying to help each other, save each other, or find their way back to each other. To some people, I'm sure this would be considered a bad thing. It is a pretty selfish and self-centered attitude to have, after all. However, to me, it seemed to make sense given their circumstances, and it makes their ultimate goal of restoring each other's bodies seem more poignant and meaningful. I stopped reading the manga after a point because I was utterly bored. For me, there was way too much of a focus on too many other characters. It's like a novel that jumps back and forth between numerous points of view - it can be done well, but usually, it becomes tiresome for me. In this particular case, for me, it resulted in the lack of the emotional quality that I loved so much in the anime. Even aside from this, I felt that the storyline was just not as engaging. (This is merely my own opinion; it is not my intention to offend anyone by it, nor do I particularly wish to debate it.) |
| It depends... sometimes the anime will make a HUGE change and then try to go back on track with the manga, which never works... Like FMA. When it started out the same and then just shot into a different direction. In the end it really didn't make a lot of sense...and I ended up not liking it a whole lot (sorry to all FMA fans.) On the bright side, they made FMA Brotherhood which was really amazing because they kept to the manga! But in some cases, I like the anime better than the manga and they're completely different. But really, not very many I can think of. |
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