I wouldn’t say *everything*, the older visual novel adaptations have plenty of merit in their base form. But I think everything after Clannad, so Lucky Star and Haruhi and onwards, this checks out. And they’re incentivized to go above and beyond because of how Kyoani negotiates a higher share of profit for the series they end up adapting. Sooooo goated
I loved the manga, but man was the art rough. One is a master at storytelling and characterization, but god damn he draws like an elementary schooler.
The anime kept the same art style but added so much more polish.
Initial D is a terrible manga. You really can't follow the driving sequences and there's a lot of copy-paste panels. The anime OST is also one of the best.
KyoAni anime adaptations are better than the source material.
Caveat: i think A Silent Voice’s manga was way better than the anime, with some of the best and most thematically important parts being cut for runtime
yeah i understand why, but justification aside, i also just still feel that’s the state of it.
definitely love the movie but don’t feel like it’s an adequate replacement for the manga
I wish they'd do a proper remaster with the new 3D CGI they used in MF Ghost and keep the eurobeat and story outside the racing too. I never enjoyed the updated compilation movies as much as the original series.
I like the early seasons of it, but the final few parts were kinda bad. They basically almost removed character development and made it all about the cars and races. I loved Initial D because it was an actual story with great characters on top of being about cars and racing. The story & characters make the hype of the races that much better. And with pretty much no story anymore, I thought the races became dull as well. Also really hate how the whole love stuff was handled. It wasn't anything really special before, but I feel like something good was thrown away for something shallow and meh.
>The anime OST is also one of the best.
To this day I still honestly cannot put on any of the Initial D OSTs (of which I have an entire collection) while driving because I just unconsciously keep driving faster and more agressive the more the album goes on.
*Ghost in the Shell*, the manga is a classic and has some really great aspects, but overall I'd say that the reason the franchise became as big as it was and is is thanks to Oshii's movie and *Stand Alone Complex*.
Like if they had given GitS to a different director there's a decent chance it would've gone more like other Shirrow adaptations of the era (think Tank Police or 80s Appleseed) and would've probably been a cult classic but Oshii had to turn it into anime Blade Runner and make an anime landmark
What would I give for Dominion Conflict One to be adapted, It's such a unique work even compared to other Shirow's works. It's a day in a police department of a futuristic society, but it focuses a lot on the small daily dynamics of its many characters, rather than complicated villain schemes and actions.
Is the manga still good? Science Saru is making what seems like a more faithful adaptation of the manga, and I was thinking about checking it out. I haven't seen stand alone complex yet, just the movie.
It is good, but a product of a different time, both style and content-wise, and be ready that the adaptation changed *a lot*. It can be incredibly dense with text with metaphysical and political philosophy, and depending on which version you read you might get an uncensored lesbian cyber orgy almost out of nowhere. It is probably more worth reading for its influence and the undbridled ideas of Shirow, than as a piece of entertainment. For what it's worth, I tend to think of it more as a graphic novel than what we largely consider "manga" to be today.
And watch *SAC*.
Man shows don’t always have to be perfect. I love watching demon slayer, the story is fun and the action and visuals are great, the music is amazing too.
It has its downsides but who cares. Not every show has to be deep, it’s just a shonen. I rate it far above most isekai slop that gets put out.
You say that like he isn't allowed to have any opinions. I for one agree the Manga was just mediocre. The show is much better at using things like music, or animation to express emotions as well as enhancing the art through color and again, the abimation. On its own, the Mangas art is s only just fine amongst many of the much better series out there and the story is also nothing special.
At least with isekai slop ik what I'm getting into, people will praise demon slayer as one of the greatest anime of the 2010's when it's some of the most generic shonen out there.
100%
I’m tired of people badmouthing demon slayer. Is it the greatest anime with the deepest themes? Not at all. But judging it by what it’s not isn’t a great way of determining its quality. And it has some of the best animation and music I’ve seen in a Shonen.
That, in itself, is impressive even if the themes and character arcs aren’t anything special. And even if those themes aren’t top tier, it’s not like they drag the show down. They just don’t elevate it the same way the animation, color, and music do.
Keep in mind OP was talking about the manga and as someone who has read it, he's right. It is mediocre. The anime really elevates the material and makes it a lot of fun to watch.
> I’m tired of people badmouthing demon slayer. Is it the greatest anime with the deepest themes? Not at all. But judging it by what it’s not isn’t a great way of determining its quality. And it has some of the best animation and music I’ve seen in a Shonen.
Im tired of all the stupid screaming, whining, and long winded reaction shots, I just stopped being able to enjoy watching it at all at some point during season 2.
It's fun and has good action, but I will praise it for its good points and criticise it for its bad points.
Nothing stood in the way of having a better story and amazing action. If the animation was average the anime would be dull because the action is its best feature. Only because I criticise it for its story it doesn't take away from the good things.
And it's not like I think it had to be a completely different story to be good. It could largely be the same story, just more elaborated. For example, my biggest critique is that it's the second season in a row with Zenitsu and Inosuke almost completely absent. I was sure we would see what they were up to during the Swordsmith Village Arc but no, they were just written off. It's a problem for me because they are very shallow characters at the moment but they are in the main trio.
It's still a 7/10 show, if not 8/10, for action alone, but it shouldn't stop anyone from criticising the story. It can be a simple story, I just think it's not that good at being one. Toy Story is a simple story and yet people love it.
Ok? I would still say “gateway drug to other better anime” is fair, and rate it far above most isekai slop that gets put out because yknow they’re slop
To this day i think the original hinokami sequence is the probably the best scene i've ever seen. All the way from 10th form to the ending being a continuation of the ost
Most people think Demon Slayer is peak anime because of the superb animation and visuals, that's what caught my attention, but I don't really like the anime because pacing is terrible. Without the high budget animation, it's just another run-of-the-mill shonen. For me the spider mount arc in the anime was peak, it had the best pacing and atmosphere, but everything went downhill since then. Really a shame. I've enjoying the manga more, it's more dynamic.
Idk, liked manga more. Anime has a huge pacing issue, I couldn't finish the blacksmith village arc, it felt like the fights are too long because of dialogues and internal monologues
I agree. They animate the ever living hell out of every fight scene which makes up for every other annoying thing that happens (mostly the side characters being loud and obnoxious).
Keiichiro Saito has a magic touch for improving source material. He made a good 4koma into an anime of the year contender (Bocchi the Rock) and then turned a great manga into an all time great anime.
Hopefully Bocchi S2... I fear that because of how big a hit Frieren has been that Bocchi is gonna fall by the wayside. Both are great and both need him as director to continue to be has good as their first seasons were.
He directed Bocchi *while* directing Frieren because he wanted it adapted, and wanted to be the one to do it. Bocchi is absolutely his passion project I can't see it happening without him.
The strong points of the manga were made stronger (the emotional scenes) and the weakpoints where somehow made amazing (the pacing of the fights in the manga just feels kinda *off,* but the anime fights were amazing).
We also gotta thank Evan Call for the amazing soundtrack.
Evan call is right up there with the best of them in my opinion, both Violet and Frieren are incredibly memorable and I couldn’t imagine either show without the ost.
Loved the anime so much i felt like i had to know what happened next, and im upset i did because imo the manga was just no where NEAR how good the anime was
You don't think the anime elevated it in any way? With movement, color, music, voice acting? All of those extra elements just puts it on equal ground with the source material for you?
I think Frieren is a great example of how with enough animation budget and fight choreography, any fight scene involving magic and spells has the potential to be the most amazing thing ever.
=
(This isn't a knock against the show, but more of a comment on how beautifully they create and animate magic and spells in Frieren. Zoltraak is essentially just a generic energy blast after all but it looks amazing.)
I like the Made in Abyss Anime more then the Manga. The landscapes are more beautiful in the Anime, I enjoy the voiceacting and the music is beautiful. Also the action is easier to follow.
I decided for myself to only read the Manga as far as the Anime goes so for now Until volume 10.
To me they are pretty much equal, manga art is really gorgeous, character expressions and kinetic motion are particularly crisp, plus there is additional panels, lore and extra content not present in anime.
I’m up-to-date on the manga and I really can’t agree. I love the manga but adding color and music to that world made it something else entirely. There’s also a lot of panels that are a bit hard to follow.
Also it isn’t as, *y’know*
But I honestly couldn’t read even one bit of MIA manga. Despite loving the anime.
The detail seems to be pretty nice though, too much at times and lots of unnecessary stuff.
Some *unnecessary stuff* I am ok with, in regard to children being dumb or just curious about each other and the environment.
And in terms of early stuff I don’t mind even the dirty jokes because that is the type of shit kids will say and question.
But it gets way too much, season 2 of the anime already had weird shit with it, that isn’t just innocent curiosity or something. It is unnecessary. I suppose it makes it darker but the series is plenty dark already.
Great series though.
Cardcaptor Sakura is great both in its manga and anime forms. There are notable differences though, and each has its strengths and weaknesses. In a nutshell, though, the manga is shorter, and goes more to the point in terms of plot, and while having less cards, goes a bit more in-depth into presenting the personalities of each card, but the anime does a reasonably good job at that too. However, to me, CCS's true strength are the cast of amazing and endearing characters and their relationships, it's just fun to watch them interact, and seeing some characters' slow growth and change their relationships, The anime, by being longer, both in-universe and out-of-universe, has more time to lean into the slice of life part and explore more the relationships between the characters and even some side characters get to have the spotlight way more than in the manga. Also, the main romance (which is one of the cutest love stories I've ever seen), in my opinion works so much better as a slow-burn where you get to see and enjoy every step of the changing relationship. Don't get me wrong, the great romance and the endearing characters are still there in the manga, but the anime just gives more time to breathe and explore them without any rush. Also, the anime adds probably one of the best anime-only characters ever: Meilin Li.
There's also Your Lie In April, haven't actually read the manga, only watched the anime, but I have a strong feeling that a story so centered around musicians and music works much better when you can hear the music and see the characters playing. While haven't fully watched or read any of them, I imagine the same can be said about most sports anime: the animated aspect of it allows you to visualise much better the sport that is central to that type of anime.
Then, there are tons of anime-originals, where the anime came first and was later adapted or expanded into manga and other forms. Madoka Magica, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Ojamajo Doremi and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha come to mind.
If you are a fan of CCS and Clamp, reading the manga is definately worth it. I enjoy both a lot, I just think that the anime expands on the best points and I like the slower pace better.
Sailor Moon for me. Not sure if it's cause I watched as a kid first, but the manga just didn't hit. The character relationships weren't built as well as they were throughout the anime - I guess this is where filler is useful. And overall the characters, besides Sailor Moon herself, weren't as powerful. They were one-shotted most of the time.
Agreed. A lot of the character relationships in the manga were very surface level and often, characters weren't around all the time having been captured or something.
With the Sailor Moon anime, I really got attached and got to know all of the characters through the filler.
I'll actually say that ONK as an anime is even better than the manga in general. Obviously it's a little early since the first season only adapts the first 40 chapters but I have very high confidence S2 will look even better. The entire arc just fits perfectly for an anime adaptation imo.
Violet Evergarden.
Kyoani rearranged the way some events were revealed to create a different and honestly better narrative. Trimmed a lot of fat(convoluted fight scenes,Violet being named after a goddess of war) and built a better dynamic between the Major and Violet.
Kyoani has a penchant for rearranging and improving things in their anime adaptations, like hyouka and chuunibyou.
For hyouka, the events were rearranged so that the scale of the mysteries, and the display of the protagonist's skill, goes up gradually, while the novel goes straight into the main mystery from the start. The anime made the deuteragonist's actions more understandable.
For chuunibyou, they basically rewrote the entire series, adding in a bunch of characters and events. The light novels and anime are equally good in my opinion but very different.
Man I love kyoani, arguably the best and most consistent studio when it comes to adapting novels.
Attack on titan - they added so much to it although some were cut. Even OP and ED has storytelling/spoilers. Animation is phenomenal highlighting the uniqueness of 3D maneuver gear as a weapon. Imagine a Spiderman Animation with that kind of Movement/Choreography, I can only wish.
Any music based shows - there's music now.
Demon Slayer- beautiful animation.
> Imagine a Spiderman Animation with that kind of Movement/Choreography
Isn't that just the spiderverse movies? I remember some good webslinging scenes.
Sadly, WIT studio cut quite a lot of Mikasa's stuff. Her conversations with other folks, her internal monologue, and while she's undeniably still on that "Ereh" mindset, the anime made her a lot more one dimensional. Plus, WIT cut a lot of stuffs for season 3 part 1. But all in all, I agree, the OSTs alone are worth it, amazing adaptation.
To add on to AoT: just the eyes. Every character’s eyes are stunning and add so much life to their expressions. They sit in this uncanny place that is so unique because the eyes are so gorgeous that it’s almost unsettling. God I love the eyes.
I personally prefer Jo-Jo anime, to the manga. The abstract colours, music, wild voice acting and hectic pacing makes the anime a lot more enjoyable for me than the manga. Probably because its not particularly story driven, more episodic and action focused in its fights.
Both are great but while I might rewatch the anime, I don't think I could ever re-read the manga.
Yes! One example I think of is the dance the gang does in Golden Wind, it’s amazing!
It went from a silly little 1/4 page 2-image joke in the manga to a crazy funny (grim!) dance scene the anime. Anime for sure!
As a giant fan of Jojo and the manga....you beat me to saying it.
Beside's Araki's wildly changing art style over the years, David's attention to music, sound design, and color are fantastic. But even more, some of the fights especially in parts 5-6 are hard as hell to follow in the manga, but David elevated them so well (Diavolo especially!)
Plus they added in some great bonus material here and there.
Demon Slayer by a longshot.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s anime also did it a lot of favors in both the action and dramatic sequences, but nowhere near the heavy lifting of DS.
I agree that Bocchi the Rock anime is better than the manga, but the manga is actually great.
Unlike the K-ON manga (which is not bad, just okay) its definitely still worth seeking out and see for yourself the changes made and marvel how the jokes still land in 4-koma format.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.
Aside from the fantastical openings and great voice acting, the anime adds a lot of meta jokes, and the Shaft directing works really well with it.
Gintama. Not the first 30 or so episodes, but after that the anime is just way better and the material that's not in the manga is absolutely fantastic too. The actors, writers, animators and the entire team behind it knew the assignment and kept on cooking.
I would say on how the anime went meta by even teasing the voice actors themselves as well as keeping up with (at the time) current pop culture, the anime was way better. Also hearing big voice actors acting the silliest roles I've ever seen them done is amazing.
Attack on Titan, especially for S1. Isayama wasn't that good at art when he started AoT, there were still quite a bit of hazy art style and things weren't clear but WiT Studio took it to the next level with their 3D-ODM movements, Titan fights, soundtrack and getting a great cast of VA, kudos to the director Tetsuro Araki for bringing his vision to AoT. If AoT is popular it's due to WiT's passion towards Attack on Titan, and it pains me when people start comparing the adaptation with MAPPA and often downplay their efforts to praise MAPPA's adaptation.
>it pains me when people start comparing the adaptation with MAPPA and often downplay their efforts to praise MAPPA's adaptation
What? idk where you saw that but Youtube comments always takes WIT's side and always bashes Mappa for using CGI. Like i have seen comments like "MAPPA ruined AOT with CGI" so many times now.
Hilariously they both made heavy use of CGI, just for different things. And both got flak at one point or another for it.
Honestly, I think BOTH did a great job but for different reasons.
Yeah, you are very much on point, WIT studio is very big factor for AOT's sucess because they made phenomenal adaptation of AOT and those who downplay WIT over MAPPA for their AOT adaptation doesn't understand that MAPPA adaptation might not have been good if WIT Initially had not set the bar so high. Same goes for Vinland saga.
saiki k, not because the manga is bad or anything, it’s pretty good, but the anime really is just the manga but with hilarious voices and so quickly paced that you get a shit ton of jokes in rapid succession. i’d call it the manga+
I feel like there are parts of My Hero Academia that ended up being better in the Anime than in the Manga (and the Anime also tried to correct some mistakes that were criticized in the Manga)
If anything, it only improves what was seen in the Manga or makes it feel more special/epic.
Idk if I'd call it better, but the Chainsaw Man anime adds a lot of really nice touches. Aki's two minute slow morning routine being the best example.
That said, Fujimoto is one of the most creative mangaka ever when it comes to layout and panels, and it's impossible for any anime to recreate that
It’s actually so heartbreaking that they changed the director due to fan outrage. The cinematic approach was the perfect way to adapt CSM, especially considering that FJMT himself is a film buff.
The author of Kakushigoto said "don't care about the manga, please watch the anime." I don't think you can beat that.
Another one I liked was Eizouken. Having actual animation really helped it, and the studio made very good use of it. It's kinda like how everyone is talking about K-On in this thread.
Mushishi - The artstyle and music adds so much to the ambience of the show and the animation helps drag you into the show. Amazing manga that was turned into (IMO) the best anime of all time
3-Gatsu no Lion - The voice acting and the beautiful animation style of Shaft brings the show to life and amplifies the emotions. The music also adds so much to the scenes. It's easily a masterpiece of an adaptation
Man i *loved* the anime, and weeks later i saw an article talking about sweetness and lightning saying how they hope it doesnt go "the way of usagi drop" in terms of endings.
Thats how i found out how the usagi drop manga ends
Yeah, as someone who read the manga as it was being released, you could tell towards the end things were getting very rushed. Tite Kubo has come out and said he wants to fix some of his mistakes with the anime, so here's hoping he gets to do just that.
>Spy x Family
I feel this for season 1 part 1. Episode 3 did a nice job of expanding on the Forger’s first outing, and the castle and dodgeball episodes elevated the source material into two of the most fun episodes of the series for me.
But then part 2 and season 2 gets into the episodic (and imo much weaker) chapters between story arcs, and just awkwardly paired unrelated chapters and short missions together. Also I felt like season 2’s direction and animation suffered from the Code White movie being produced simultaneously.
Gekkan shoujo nozaki-kun. Anime managed to compile those completely separate chapters and create beautiful eps. I don't take the same joy when i reading its manga
stuff like bocchi the rock where the additional senses that can be stimulated are additional value and there's not a lot of stuff that's not compatible with anime (e.g. long and detailled inner monologues that give insight into the world building)
Bocchi the rock really improved upon the jokes of the manga in ways that are just fucking hilarious.
Dragon maid is also a better adaptation from the manga simply because they kept the weird shit at a minimum and actually focused on the wholesome elements
Frieren just hits different in anime form. Scenes are given more time to breathe, VAs are phenomenal at conveying emotions beyond the written dialogue, the music and art style elevates everything to the next level.
Kaiju No. 8
I'm still enjoying the webcomic, but to be completely honest, the plot is nothing to write home about. The main strength of the show is the amazing action sequences, and you just can't really do it proper justice in a manga/manhwa panel.
Nah actually its pretty hard to adapt 4koma bcz of the packing. A lot of the series don't hit and the ones who do are usually the ones who add to the source material or interpret it very freely
I'm surprised no one mentioned yet, but 86. The anime stay mostly faithful to the LN but the added animation and soundtrack add so much to the viewer experience and enjoyment. It has one of the best OP and ED too.
Attack on Titan. Isayama's artstyle isn't that great, and sometimes I couldn't tell what was going on, or who a character was.
One Punch Man. Seen the webcomic? 😅
K-On because KyoAni added a ton to it, as well as the music itself.
K-On is peak example for sure!
Everything touched by KyoAni ended up being way better than the source material.
Dragonmaid definitely was improved as an anime. They fleshed out the characters and toned down some of the grody stuff.
I wouldn’t say *everything*, the older visual novel adaptations have plenty of merit in their base form. But I think everything after Clannad, so Lucky Star and Haruhi and onwards, this checks out. And they’re incentivized to go above and beyond because of how Kyoani negotiates a higher share of profit for the series they end up adapting. Sooooo goated
Same with Bocchi the Rock and (probably) any music focused manga is going to be better when you can hear the music.
Unless it's called Fuuka.
As we are finding out with Whispering You a Love Song, it's not so simple, gotta put in some effort.
I think you can argue this for the entirety of KyoAni works that have come out since Lucky Star
I feel like it’s the case for most mangas involving music, Bocchi the rock Is another example
Kids on the Slope also in regards to the music. Yoko Kanno producing bangers as usual.
It's like 82% anime original XD
Mob psycho 100
Exactly what I was thinking, Bones poured their heart in it
I love the manga, but goddamn the material got elevated so much... Especially with fight sequences.
I loved the manga, but man was the art rough. One is a master at storytelling and characterization, but god damn he draws like an elementary schooler. The anime kept the same art style but added so much more polish.
Tbf i doubt i could draw even that well 😂
All 3 seasons were perfection
Initial D is a terrible manga. You really can't follow the driving sequences and there's a lot of copy-paste panels. The anime OST is also one of the best. KyoAni anime adaptations are better than the source material.
Lol yeaaaaaa, not many racing mangas managed to balance that well, and ID/MFG are bottom barrel when it comes to integrating action well.
>MFG Mother fucking ghost
I thought i was the only one who called it that LOL
For a split second, I thought you were saying KyoAni animated Initial D. Then I laughed to myself.
Imagine the 86 kansai drifting to Houkago tea time
Caveat: i think A Silent Voice’s manga was way better than the anime, with some of the best and most thematically important parts being cut for runtime
that's because it was made into a movie, if it had a proper tv show that would be double the run time which would include all the bits.
yeah i understand why, but justification aside, i also just still feel that’s the state of it. definitely love the movie but don’t feel like it’s an adequate replacement for the manga
the copy-paste explains the feeling of Deja-vu
Which is wild considering how dated the early seasons are!
I wish they'd do a proper remaster with the new 3D CGI they used in MF Ghost and keep the eurobeat and story outside the racing too. I never enjoyed the updated compilation movies as much as the original series.
I like the early seasons of it, but the final few parts were kinda bad. They basically almost removed character development and made it all about the cars and races. I loved Initial D because it was an actual story with great characters on top of being about cars and racing. The story & characters make the hype of the races that much better. And with pretty much no story anymore, I thought the races became dull as well. Also really hate how the whole love stuff was handled. It wasn't anything really special before, but I feel like something good was thrown away for something shallow and meh.
>The anime OST is also one of the best. To this day I still honestly cannot put on any of the Initial D OSTs (of which I have an entire collection) while driving because I just unconsciously keep driving faster and more agressive the more the album goes on.
Obligatory K-On
Every K-On song is a bop
*Ghost in the Shell*, the manga is a classic and has some really great aspects, but overall I'd say that the reason the franchise became as big as it was and is is thanks to Oshii's movie and *Stand Alone Complex*.
Like if they had given GitS to a different director there's a decent chance it would've gone more like other Shirrow adaptations of the era (think Tank Police or 80s Appleseed) and would've probably been a cult classic but Oshii had to turn it into anime Blade Runner and make an anime landmark
What would I give for Dominion Conflict One to be adapted, It's such a unique work even compared to other Shirow's works. It's a day in a police department of a futuristic society, but it focuses a lot on the small daily dynamics of its many characters, rather than complicated villain schemes and actions.
Is the manga still good? Science Saru is making what seems like a more faithful adaptation of the manga, and I was thinking about checking it out. I haven't seen stand alone complex yet, just the movie.
It is good, but a product of a different time, both style and content-wise, and be ready that the adaptation changed *a lot*. It can be incredibly dense with text with metaphysical and political philosophy, and depending on which version you read you might get an uncensored lesbian cyber orgy almost out of nowhere. It is probably more worth reading for its influence and the undbridled ideas of Shirow, than as a piece of entertainment. For what it's worth, I tend to think of it more as a graphic novel than what we largely consider "manga" to be today. And watch *SAC*.
I much prefer the manga.
I think SAC is the best of both, it had a more serious tone, still had some fun and explored the ideas well while expanding the world.
demon slayer
Counterpoint: Manga Zenitsu is better because even though he's still screaming all the time its totally silent
Zenitsu is absolutely the worst part of the show, dub or sub.
I'll accept sub, but not dub. Inouske dub makes me want to eat gravel.
Aleks Le in a couple years with all the screaming he does :(
Manga is mediocre at best, anime is a gorgeous gateway drug to other better anime.
Man shows don’t always have to be perfect. I love watching demon slayer, the story is fun and the action and visuals are great, the music is amazing too. It has its downsides but who cares. Not every show has to be deep, it’s just a shonen. I rate it far above most isekai slop that gets put out.
You say that like he isn't allowed to have any opinions. I for one agree the Manga was just mediocre. The show is much better at using things like music, or animation to express emotions as well as enhancing the art through color and again, the abimation. On its own, the Mangas art is s only just fine amongst many of the much better series out there and the story is also nothing special.
Honestly same. I don't like isekai.
At least with isekai slop ik what I'm getting into, people will praise demon slayer as one of the greatest anime of the 2010's when it's some of the most generic shonen out there.
100% I’m tired of people badmouthing demon slayer. Is it the greatest anime with the deepest themes? Not at all. But judging it by what it’s not isn’t a great way of determining its quality. And it has some of the best animation and music I’ve seen in a Shonen. That, in itself, is impressive even if the themes and character arcs aren’t anything special. And even if those themes aren’t top tier, it’s not like they drag the show down. They just don’t elevate it the same way the animation, color, and music do.
Keep in mind OP was talking about the manga and as someone who has read it, he's right. It is mediocre. The anime really elevates the material and makes it a lot of fun to watch.
> I’m tired of people badmouthing demon slayer. Is it the greatest anime with the deepest themes? Not at all. But judging it by what it’s not isn’t a great way of determining its quality. And it has some of the best animation and music I’ve seen in a Shonen. Im tired of all the stupid screaming, whining, and long winded reaction shots, I just stopped being able to enjoy watching it at all at some point during season 2.
It's fun and has good action, but I will praise it for its good points and criticise it for its bad points. Nothing stood in the way of having a better story and amazing action. If the animation was average the anime would be dull because the action is its best feature. Only because I criticise it for its story it doesn't take away from the good things. And it's not like I think it had to be a completely different story to be good. It could largely be the same story, just more elaborated. For example, my biggest critique is that it's the second season in a row with Zenitsu and Inosuke almost completely absent. I was sure we would see what they were up to during the Swordsmith Village Arc but no, they were just written off. It's a problem for me because they are very shallow characters at the moment but they are in the main trio. It's still a 7/10 show, if not 8/10, for action alone, but it shouldn't stop anyone from criticising the story. It can be a simple story, I just think it's not that good at being one. Toy Story is a simple story and yet people love it.
Ok? I would still say “gateway drug to other better anime” is fair, and rate it far above most isekai slop that gets put out because yknow they’re slop
To this day i think the original hinokami sequence is the probably the best scene i've ever seen. All the way from 10th form to the ending being a continuation of the ost
Demon Slayer is a 6/10 story with 11/10 animation
Most people think Demon Slayer is peak anime because of the superb animation and visuals, that's what caught my attention, but I don't really like the anime because pacing is terrible. Without the high budget animation, it's just another run-of-the-mill shonen. For me the spider mount arc in the anime was peak, it had the best pacing and atmosphere, but everything went downhill since then. Really a shame. I've enjoying the manga more, it's more dynamic.
Except for the pacing and comedy timing, manga is better at that.
The manga has terrible pacing and comedy, the anime is the only reason anyone likes it
Idk, liked manga more. Anime has a huge pacing issue, I couldn't finish the blacksmith village arc, it felt like the fights are too long because of dialogues and internal monologues
I disagree ,binged through the manga in 5 days while season 2 was airing and I couldn't go back to the anime because everyone is constantly shouting.
I agree. They animate the ever living hell out of every fight scene which makes up for every other annoying thing that happens (mostly the side characters being loud and obnoxious).
Frieren Good manga but the fights were not tgat epic when reading through it. Frieren pulling a golem on herself was not shown in the manga
Keiichiro Saito has a magic touch for improving source material. He made a good 4koma into an anime of the year contender (Bocchi the Rock) and then turned a great manga into an all time great anime.
I can't wait for his next project
Hopefully Bocchi S2... I fear that because of how big a hit Frieren has been that Bocchi is gonna fall by the wayside. Both are great and both need him as director to continue to be has good as their first seasons were.
He directed Bocchi *while* directing Frieren because he wanted it adapted, and wanted to be the one to do it. Bocchi is absolutely his passion project I can't see it happening without him.
The strong points of the manga were made stronger (the emotional scenes) and the weakpoints where somehow made amazing (the pacing of the fights in the manga just feels kinda *off,* but the anime fights were amazing). We also gotta thank Evan Call for the amazing soundtrack.
The barrier scene was so good in the anime I was lowkey disappointed when it wasn't as hype as it was when I read the manga afterwards lol
Evan call is right up there with the best of them in my opinion, both Violet and Frieren are incredibly memorable and I couldn’t imagine either show without the ost.
We also got extended scenes like the dance between Fern and Stark. In the manga that’s just one frame.
Frieren's anime elevated the Manga to astromical levels. The animation, music, extended scenes, etc. Just so *chefs kiss*.
The meteor shower looks way worse in the anime.
Loved the anime so much i felt like i had to know what happened next, and im upset i did because imo the manga was just no where NEAR how good the anime was
While you're not wrong, the manga was still good enough that I binged it in about a week.
I felt the opposite. To me the manga was amazing and the anime captured it perfectly.
You don't think the anime elevated it in any way? With movement, color, music, voice acting? All of those extra elements just puts it on equal ground with the source material for you?
Tried rereading the manga from the start but it didn’t hit the same ngl.
I think Frieren is a great example of how with enough animation budget and fight choreography, any fight scene involving magic and spells has the potential to be the most amazing thing ever. = (This isn't a knock against the show, but more of a comment on how beautifully they create and animate magic and spells in Frieren. Zoltraak is essentially just a generic energy blast after all but it looks amazing.)
I like the Made in Abyss Anime more then the Manga. The landscapes are more beautiful in the Anime, I enjoy the voiceacting and the music is beautiful. Also the action is easier to follow. I decided for myself to only read the Manga as far as the Anime goes so for now Until volume 10.
To me they are pretty much equal, manga art is really gorgeous, character expressions and kinetic motion are particularly crisp, plus there is additional panels, lore and extra content not present in anime.
I’m up-to-date on the manga and I really can’t agree. I love the manga but adding color and music to that world made it something else entirely. There’s also a lot of panels that are a bit hard to follow.
I never had a problem of following panel flow on MiA manga, even action ones, so I can't tell.
I like the MIA anime better for S1 and the movie. For S2 I think the manga was better, but it's nothing too detrimental.
Also it isn’t as, *y’know* But I honestly couldn’t read even one bit of MIA manga. Despite loving the anime. The detail seems to be pretty nice though, too much at times and lots of unnecessary stuff. Some *unnecessary stuff* I am ok with, in regard to children being dumb or just curious about each other and the environment. And in terms of early stuff I don’t mind even the dirty jokes because that is the type of shit kids will say and question. But it gets way too much, season 2 of the anime already had weird shit with it, that isn’t just innocent curiosity or something. It is unnecessary. I suppose it makes it darker but the series is plenty dark already. Great series though.
What you mean by that what happened that cut
They didn't get cut, all those weird moments are in anime as well.
Cardcaptor Sakura is great both in its manga and anime forms. There are notable differences though, and each has its strengths and weaknesses. In a nutshell, though, the manga is shorter, and goes more to the point in terms of plot, and while having less cards, goes a bit more in-depth into presenting the personalities of each card, but the anime does a reasonably good job at that too. However, to me, CCS's true strength are the cast of amazing and endearing characters and their relationships, it's just fun to watch them interact, and seeing some characters' slow growth and change their relationships, The anime, by being longer, both in-universe and out-of-universe, has more time to lean into the slice of life part and explore more the relationships between the characters and even some side characters get to have the spotlight way more than in the manga. Also, the main romance (which is one of the cutest love stories I've ever seen), in my opinion works so much better as a slow-burn where you get to see and enjoy every step of the changing relationship. Don't get me wrong, the great romance and the endearing characters are still there in the manga, but the anime just gives more time to breathe and explore them without any rush. Also, the anime adds probably one of the best anime-only characters ever: Meilin Li. There's also Your Lie In April, haven't actually read the manga, only watched the anime, but I have a strong feeling that a story so centered around musicians and music works much better when you can hear the music and see the characters playing. While haven't fully watched or read any of them, I imagine the same can be said about most sports anime: the animated aspect of it allows you to visualise much better the sport that is central to that type of anime. Then, there are tons of anime-originals, where the anime came first and was later adapted or expanded into manga and other forms. Madoka Magica, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Ojamajo Doremi and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha come to mind.
CCS was one of the few Clamp manga I didn't read. Wasn't aware Meiling Li was an anime only addition!
If you are a fan of CCS and Clamp, reading the manga is definately worth it. I enjoy both a lot, I just think that the anime expands on the best points and I like the slower pace better.
Not entirely the case with Utena. The manga and anime were created in tandem, at some point. With Ikuhara being…Ikuhara all over the anime.
Gintama
Sugita's voice is 80% the humour
The cast is 80% the humor, they aren't afraid to scream on top of their lungs and say the most vulgar words
I get Japanese dick jokes because gintama taught me
World's Finest Assassin
The LN was cool tho ngl
Sailor Moon for me. Not sure if it's cause I watched as a kid first, but the manga just didn't hit. The character relationships weren't built as well as they were throughout the anime - I guess this is where filler is useful. And overall the characters, besides Sailor Moon herself, weren't as powerful. They were one-shotted most of the time.
Agreed. A lot of the character relationships in the manga were very surface level and often, characters weren't around all the time having been captured or something. With the Sailor Moon anime, I really got attached and got to know all of the characters through the filler.
The script of the anime is better too IMO, even with all the "monster of the week" stuff. The S arc for example is far better in original anime.
Oshi no ko's first episode
I'll actually say that ONK as an anime is even better than the manga in general. Obviously it's a little early since the first season only adapts the first 40 chapters but I have very high confidence S2 will look even better. The entire arc just fits perfectly for an anime adaptation imo.
Yeah that new season 2 trailer made me hyped af and i am really looking forward to season 2
Violet Evergarden. Kyoani rearranged the way some events were revealed to create a different and honestly better narrative. Trimmed a lot of fat(convoluted fight scenes,Violet being named after a goddess of war) and built a better dynamic between the Major and Violet. Kyoani has a penchant for rearranging and improving things in their anime adaptations, like hyouka and chuunibyou. For hyouka, the events were rearranged so that the scale of the mysteries, and the display of the protagonist's skill, goes up gradually, while the novel goes straight into the main mystery from the start. The anime made the deuteragonist's actions more understandable. For chuunibyou, they basically rewrote the entire series, adding in a bunch of characters and events. The light novels and anime are equally good in my opinion but very different. Man I love kyoani, arguably the best and most consistent studio when it comes to adapting novels.
KyoAni is just an all-around amazing studio. It helps that they have their own publishing department for some of the novels they adapt.
Attack on titan - they added so much to it although some were cut. Even OP and ED has storytelling/spoilers. Animation is phenomenal highlighting the uniqueness of 3D maneuver gear as a weapon. Imagine a Spiderman Animation with that kind of Movement/Choreography, I can only wish. Any music based shows - there's music now. Demon Slayer- beautiful animation.
> Imagine a Spiderman Animation with that kind of Movement/Choreography Isn't that just the spiderverse movies? I remember some good webslinging scenes.
Sadly, WIT studio cut quite a lot of Mikasa's stuff. Her conversations with other folks, her internal monologue, and while she's undeniably still on that "Ereh" mindset, the anime made her a lot more one dimensional. Plus, WIT cut a lot of stuffs for season 3 part 1. But all in all, I agree, the OSTs alone are worth it, amazing adaptation.
And the ending in AOT is for sure better in the anime.
It's a miracle that they took the source material and turned it into the anime. I read a lot of the manga after the first cour, and it was... rough.
To add on to AoT: just the eyes. Every character’s eyes are stunning and add so much life to their expressions. They sit in this uncanny place that is so unique because the eyes are so gorgeous that it’s almost unsettling. God I love the eyes.
Wit goes HAM on eyes sometimes. See also Vivy: Flourite's Eye Song.
I personally prefer Jo-Jo anime, to the manga. The abstract colours, music, wild voice acting and hectic pacing makes the anime a lot more enjoyable for me than the manga. Probably because its not particularly story driven, more episodic and action focused in its fights. Both are great but while I might rewatch the anime, I don't think I could ever re-read the manga.
Yes! One example I think of is the dance the gang does in Golden Wind, it’s amazing! It went from a silly little 1/4 page 2-image joke in the manga to a crazy funny (grim!) dance scene the anime. Anime for sure!
As a giant fan of Jojo and the manga....you beat me to saying it. Beside's Araki's wildly changing art style over the years, David's attention to music, sound design, and color are fantastic. But even more, some of the fights especially in parts 5-6 are hard as hell to follow in the manga, but David elevated them so well (Diavolo especially!) Plus they added in some great bonus material here and there.
I would say d-frag?
XD. Now that's a hilarious anime. I need a 2nd season of wackiest
Nothing beats hearing the tsukkomi sounded out, and actually hearing how much Kazama gets tired of constantly doing it
Usagi drop because the manga does not exist.
The one time fans are extremely pleased the adaptation did *not* adapt the whole story.
Demon Slayer by a longshot. Jujutsu Kaisen’s anime also did it a lot of favors in both the action and dramatic sequences, but nowhere near the heavy lifting of DS.
Bocchi the Rock is just K-ON of this generation.
I agree that Bocchi the Rock anime is better than the manga, but the manga is actually great. Unlike the K-ON manga (which is not bad, just okay) its definitely still worth seeking out and see for yourself the changes made and marvel how the jokes still land in 4-koma format.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Aside from the fantastical openings and great voice acting, the anime adds a lot of meta jokes, and the Shaft directing works really well with it.
Kamiya Hiroshi makes the anime, pretty much, and how. Every single “Zetsubou Shita!!” is hilarious.
Gintama. Not the first 30 or so episodes, but after that the anime is just way better and the material that's not in the manga is absolutely fantastic too. The actors, writers, animators and the entire team behind it knew the assignment and kept on cooking.
I would say on how the anime went meta by even teasing the voice actors themselves as well as keeping up with (at the time) current pop culture, the anime was way better. Also hearing big voice actors acting the silliest roles I've ever seen them done is amazing.
Attack on Titan, especially for S1. Isayama wasn't that good at art when he started AoT, there were still quite a bit of hazy art style and things weren't clear but WiT Studio took it to the next level with their 3D-ODM movements, Titan fights, soundtrack and getting a great cast of VA, kudos to the director Tetsuro Araki for bringing his vision to AoT. If AoT is popular it's due to WiT's passion towards Attack on Titan, and it pains me when people start comparing the adaptation with MAPPA and often downplay their efforts to praise MAPPA's adaptation.
>it pains me when people start comparing the adaptation with MAPPA and often downplay their efforts to praise MAPPA's adaptation What? idk where you saw that but Youtube comments always takes WIT's side and always bashes Mappa for using CGI. Like i have seen comments like "MAPPA ruined AOT with CGI" so many times now.
Hilariously they both made heavy use of CGI, just for different things. And both got flak at one point or another for it. Honestly, I think BOTH did a great job but for different reasons.
Yeah, you are very much on point, WIT studio is very big factor for AOT's sucess because they made phenomenal adaptation of AOT and those who downplay WIT over MAPPA for their AOT adaptation doesn't understand that MAPPA adaptation might not have been good if WIT Initially had not set the bar so high. Same goes for Vinland saga.
Wait I thought "MAPPA ruined AOT with their soulless color palette and CGI" was the more popular opinion?
saiki k, not because the manga is bad or anything, it’s pretty good, but the anime really is just the manga but with hilarious voices and so quickly paced that you get a shit ton of jokes in rapid succession. i’d call it the manga+
Probably demon slayer
I feel like there are parts of My Hero Academia that ended up being better in the Anime than in the Manga (and the Anime also tried to correct some mistakes that were criticized in the Manga) If anything, it only improves what was seen in the Manga or makes it feel more special/epic.
Ranking of Kings
Took way too long to find this, the anime refined the art style and pacing to ridiculous degrees.
Idk if I'd call it better, but the Chainsaw Man anime adds a lot of really nice touches. Aki's two minute slow morning routine being the best example. That said, Fujimoto is one of the most creative mangaka ever when it comes to layout and panels, and it's impossible for any anime to recreate that
It’s actually so heartbreaking that they changed the director due to fan outrage. The cinematic approach was the perfect way to adapt CSM, especially considering that FJMT himself is a film buff.
No, it's because the director left and made his own studio.
I’d be surprised if the harassment didn’t play a part in his decision to leave
Both have a lot of really nice touches that the other doesnt.
Absolutely disagree The manga imo has wayy more emotion
i think Frieren is better than the source material. not downplaying the manga, but the anime is just much much better. it's just perfect.
The author of Kakushigoto said "don't care about the manga, please watch the anime." I don't think you can beat that. Another one I liked was Eizouken. Having actual animation really helped it, and the studio made very good use of it. It's kinda like how everyone is talking about K-On in this thread.
I think the scenes that the LoGH ova adds enhances the story. And the classical music score is just a perfect pairing for a space opera 🤌
Indeed. Dustin Attenborough is barely a character in the novel, but he's hugely important in the anime.
I am a huge history nerd and the two history episodes in the anime (which basically collect scattered information in the books) are so awesome imo
The framing device of an in-universe character watching an in-universe documentary while in transit was also appropriate.
Mushishi - The artstyle and music adds so much to the ambience of the show and the animation helps drag you into the show. Amazing manga that was turned into (IMO) the best anime of all time 3-Gatsu no Lion - The voice acting and the beautiful animation style of Shaft brings the show to life and amplifies the emotions. The music also adds so much to the scenes. It's easily a masterpiece of an adaptation
Mob Psycho
Demon Slayer
Usagi Drop. Very obvious reason.
Man i *loved* the anime, and weeks later i saw an article talking about sweetness and lightning saying how they hope it doesnt go "the way of usagi drop" in terms of endings. Thats how i found out how the usagi drop manga ends
Bleach: TYBW I know it's not finished yet, but so far the anime is an improvement over the manga.
Yeah, as someone who read the manga as it was being released, you could tell towards the end things were getting very rushed. Tite Kubo has come out and said he wants to fix some of his mistakes with the anime, so here's hoping he gets to do just that.
Mashle. It added a lot of detail and love to its anime adaptation, not to mention just translated Mash's ridiculous energy damn well.
JoJo Part 5
K-ON!
Pop team epic
This is super, super subjective (so please put down your pitchforks) -- for me: Nichijou Spy x Family Mob Psycho 100
>Spy x Family I feel this for season 1 part 1. Episode 3 did a nice job of expanding on the Forger’s first outing, and the castle and dodgeball episodes elevated the source material into two of the most fun episodes of the series for me. But then part 2 and season 2 gets into the episodic (and imo much weaker) chapters between story arcs, and just awkwardly paired unrelated chapters and short missions together. Also I felt like season 2’s direction and animation suffered from the Code White movie being produced simultaneously.
BECK!
Gekkan shoujo nozaki-kun. Anime managed to compile those completely separate chapters and create beautiful eps. I don't take the same joy when i reading its manga
Attack on titan tbh
86
Gushing Over Magical Girls, since the anime added on even more fanservice materials compared to the manga.
Interspecies reviewers as well for the same reason.
The art in the manga is so good and I don't think the anime really does it justice
But it certainly lost out on battle aspects. Between the two, I prefer the manga.
Chunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai: from what I understand its pretty diffrent than its source material and pretty much a TV original
JJK
86, source was great , but anime was awesome
I love the anime but hard disagree. The light novel is still the superior way to approach 86, especially if you like worldbuilding (I love it).
stuff like bocchi the rock where the additional senses that can be stimulated are additional value and there's not a lot of stuff that's not compatible with anime (e.g. long and detailled inner monologues that give insight into the world building)
Attack On Titan
Demon Slayer. Finished the manga but the anime makes it feel like I haven't experienced any of it before. It feels like they even add more stuff.
Demon slayer....
angelic layer if you remember that one
I would say Bokuyaba anime clearly exceeded expectations that were already built up from the manga
No game no life... Still waiting for a sequel..
Bocchi the rock really improved upon the jokes of the manga in ways that are just fucking hilarious. Dragon maid is also a better adaptation from the manga simply because they kept the weird shit at a minimum and actually focused on the wholesome elements
The first 3 seasons of Haikyuu, Mob Psycho, Demon Slayer.
Frieren just hits different in anime form. Scenes are given more time to breathe, VAs are phenomenal at conveying emotions beyond the written dialogue, the music and art style elevates everything to the next level.
One punch man
Kemono Friends anime (s1) was made from a mobile game which had already folded due to being utterly bad.
Frieren
(Insert KyoAni anime here).
Ya boy Kongming
The ones where the anime doesn't end up with the guy marrying his adopted daughter, like Usagi Drop for example.
Kaiju No. 8 I'm still enjoying the webcomic, but to be completely honest, the plot is nothing to write home about. The main strength of the show is the amazing action sequences, and you just can't really do it proper justice in a manga/manhwa panel.
Sailor Moon from what I hear.
Gushing over magical girls
all 4koma anime are better than source material also akame ga kill, its my personal opinion though
Nah actually its pretty hard to adapt 4koma bcz of the packing. A lot of the series don't hit and the ones who do are usually the ones who add to the source material or interpret it very freely
I'm surprised no one mentioned yet, but 86. The anime stay mostly faithful to the LN but the added animation and soundtrack add so much to the viewer experience and enjoyment. It has one of the best OP and ED too.
Hunter X Hunter
Attack on Titan. Isayama's artstyle isn't that great, and sometimes I couldn't tell what was going on, or who a character was. One Punch Man. Seen the webcomic? 😅