Do you prefer Anime or Manga?

[animanga72]

Okay, so what I want to know is do you guys prefer anime or manga?
I don't really have a preference but I usually read manga because it has a lot that the anime doesn't and is ahead. If. You prefer anime, Dubbed or Subbed?

[MegaAnimeFan]

Anime over manga whenever possible. Why waste time reading a book when you can be WATCHING TV?

[Ayu 「あゆ」]

I prefer anime, books, and visual novels over comic books.

[Ragenomics]

Honestly, I prefer manga over Anime for a few reasons.
- Firstly, there is a consistency with quality, unlike anime where budget issues can affect animation quality. Yu Yu Hakusho is an example of this.
- Secondly, there isn't a need to cut content so it can fit into a broadcasting time slot.
- Lastly, I don't have to worry about crappy dubbing if I'm watching in English, or reading subtitles with a moving picture (I've never been very patient or good with it) if I'm watching in Japanese.

[Baka Gaijin]

Anime all the way. I dont mind manga, but one of the most amazing things ( to me, anyways ) about anime is the music. For that reason alone, I love anime more than manga. Music draws you in to a story, in a way that pictures cant. It gives the entire story so much more feeling, emotion. Im a guy, 27 years old. I work for a masonry company, I drink beer, i shoot guns.... and I could name at least 10 tracks from animes that had me fighting back tears before I even watched the whole series. Sorry, you cant get that from paper. At least I can't. Thats why anime wins for me.

Oh! and subbed. Dub is awful, unless I really need a laugh. I speak and write japanese so its really funny to watch a dubbed anime. Japanese isnt the best lang out there for direct English translation.

[Mystelinth]

Anime, but if the series is still ongoing i get to curious so i just read all of the further manga asap. Furthermore i love watching subbed.. i hate watching dubbed because it just sounds fake or something :P. (well actually it is fake)

[Blade_Runner95]

Definitely anime, for sure. Id rather watch than read, and it lets me become more involved with the particular show a lot easier.

And definitely subbed, not dubbed. Some of the English dubs are absolutely horrendous D:

[Jasanime]

I prefer Anime cos I like to see the movement and hear the characters voices. When I read I prefer novels, or non-fiction.

[Elukien]

I personally prefer Anime but Manga has its merits too. Unlike manga, anime has more of an emotional response from me. Why? because the characters are alive, if you while, plus the music in the series helps make more better. Anime, subbed or dubbed? It really depends on the voice actors for that particular series. Though I like hearing it in subbed but I don't mind dubbed, that's if they get the right voice actors. Though, I do like manga because its have more content than the anime. However, there isn't much of an emotional response because they aren't moving. It's too static for me.

[Gjallarhorn]

Manga, always.

It's a more bare-bones art form, and the detail of artwork in anime can't even compare. Try as it may, the anime of Mushshi could never capture the light, airy illustrations of the manga. A Blame! anime couldn't hope to capture the contrast and detail of the manga, a Pastel anime couldn't get the pastel/watercolor styling of the manga.
It's what the author intended. Anime gets censored to meet broadcast standards, it adds fanservice to draw the late-night crowd and general otaku, it gets moe-fied to draw in otaku, filler is added to maintain scheduling, character designs are changed to make them more suitable for animation, sometimes even art styles are changed. One of my biggest pet peeves in changing of colors, particularly black. A lot of anime studios avoid using black for clothing, hair, eye, or background coloring - even if it was part of a character design or scene. Instead it gets changed to dark blue or purple. This happened most recently with Tasogare x Otome Amnesia.
Voices not fitting characters. As you read manga, you develop a voice and a tone for characters in your head that is created from their character traits, the way they look, and context clues. Anime gives characters a solid, specific voice and tone that may not fit the perceived voice from the manga, or even fit the character itself. This has been why I don't like watching the Nazo no Kanojo X anime, despite the fact that it's been one of my favorite manga since it first began serialization.
Pacing becomes a big thing. In manga, the author has control of time. A single panel could contain half-a-second, 10 seconds, or a few minutes or hours. Anime is bound to real time. They can compensate for panels with a lot of content in a short time with slow-motion effects, but there's no way to accurately convey a 10-minute-time-span panel into anime. What they'll do is a show a few second of material, and then go into a montage of the sun going down or shadows growing or cars going by, and hop back to what was happening before in about 10 seconds.
Scheduling. Anime are generally produced with an amount of episodes decided before the series starts, with a few exceptions. This means if a manga has ended, in most cases they'll try to pack it into a standard length series - ~12 episodes, ~25 episodes, ~50 episodes. To do so they will cut content from the series, drag things out, or add filler content to make it fit into the anime's schedule. If a manga is still on-going when an anime is produced for it, the anime producers will either have a cut-off ending, or make up something to substitute for the end. Most recently, this was Zetman's problem. I looooove the Zetman manga, but the pacing in the anime was terrible. They're trying to cram at least a volume's worth of content into a single anime episode - a typical anime episode is equivelent to about 30-40 pages of manga, a volume is about 200 pages.
Budgeting. Anime is very, very sensitive to budgeting. Bigger studios or bigger projects can afford more animators and produce higher quality animation...but not all studios are Sunrise or GAINAX, and this means that either the anime as a whole is low/mediocre quality, or the budget is saved to make the more critical scenes high quality and the rest of the scenes are low quality. Look at the animation of Naruto Shippuden, One Piece during the Skypiea arc, or the original Shakugan no Shana series for examples. Naruto is a pretty good example - the quality of the animation during most scenes is sub-par, while the far-and-few-between fight scenes seem to receive most of the budgeting.
Waiting and selection. Even the most popular manga series don't get anime until more than a year after they begin serialization. Some series take much, much longer than that. The vast majority of manga series never get animated. The anime pool is small, and the manga pool is incredibly large.





i hate watching dubbed because it just sounds fake or something :P. (well actually it is fake)
It's no less "fake" than the Japanese dub; it's just a different language.

The English dubs of Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell (including both series, and all three movies), FLCL, Evangelion, Casshern SINS, Naruto (after the second season), Full Metal Panic, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Deathnote, Kikaider, Yu Yu Hakusho, or any Studio Ghibli movie is as good as or better than their Japanese dubs.


Some of the English dubs are absolutely horrendous D:

And some Japanese dubs will make your eardrums bleed. It depends on the anime.

[.:neuko:.]

In an ideal world I'd both read manga and watch anime, as both mediums have their unique qualities - but sadly, since I mostly can't find the time to do both, I go for anime.

[Mystelinth]

It's no less "fake" than the Japanese dub; it's just a different language.

The English dubs of Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell (including both series, and all three movies), FLCL, Evangelion, Casshern SINS, Naruto (after the second season), Full Metal Panic, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Deathnote, Kikaider, Yu Yu Hakusho, or any Studio Ghibli movie is as good as or better than their Japanese dubs.




Sorry might have said that out wrong but since im already a bit used to Japanse dubs
i dislike watching it in English (Although i begun with English).

And aint it a opinion that the English dubs from all the series above are as good or even better than the Japanese ones?

Sorry if after that you still think im completely wrong.

[Kaleohano]

Anime Dubbed. This is 'Merica, in 'Merica we read books normal like n'stuff. And we speak 'Merican!
in other words, idk why, but the whole reading books backwards thing with Manga really annoys me. And i don't watch TV to read, therefore i want Animes to be dubbed.
http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/merica_d74870_3238111.jpg

[Kagome]

Manga generally.

The story is usually better thought our and more consistant.

It's generally the original story line only therefore there are no fillers, filler characters or random plot holes.

The character development is usually more profound.

No change in the art style so to speak.

It usually has a much better and more rounded ending to it then anime.

*Ususally* it doesn't stop right in the middle of a series.

And...you don't havr to worry about which VA does it better, Japanese or English, because it doesn't matter.

[Ayu 「あゆ」]

Some English dubs like The Melancholy of Haurhi Suzumiya are great as they actually put a good dub for Americans. I read the novels of Haruhi Suzumiya, and the way it was worded just wasn't as great or as funny as its English-dub anime counterpart.

[Darkhallows]

Anime. Dubbed.
First off, animation has been a huge interest of mine since I was little. Second, voice acting is also something I love, even when it's bad it draws me into the story so much much than not having it there at all.
I just can't connect with manga. I read it every now and then but it's not nearly as enjoyable.
(I'm such a hypocrite though, because I vastly prefer books to movies xD)

[Sasuke20]

I Prefer Manga over Anime.
Because you can basically make the character sound like whatever you want.
And Its ahead the Anime it self.

[Princess Cupcake]

I prefer to watch anime because I need color in my life and it is mindless entertainment where I can sit and relax with a big bowl of candy. Candy is like my version of popcorn ^^;

[HappyCloud]

I honeslty think both really cool. I love them all! and that. But only as long as the are on the as long as on the cartoon channels =D

[Ayu 「あゆ」]

What I will do sometimes with dubbed animes is just close my eyes and let it play. It's a way to relax but it's still like watching the anime bcuz all you really need is audio to know what's going on and if I have already seen the anime then I can just visualize that for myself. For me, listening to movies or anime that I have already watched is almost the same as just watching it all together.

[maan_11j]

Manga, its easier access and mostly has a longer but better and refined story.
Animes, kinda changes. But sometimes I do like seeing the actions in Anime and of course the awesome voices and songs of our seiyuus <3

[Chi The Sweet]

BOTH!!!!
Im going to be an otaku if you like or not im just starting to be one its hard to get those kinda things!!!!
Money and ...well um money is what i need!!!

[Jeevas]

I think my preference falls back on which series it is. I normally prefer watching anime over reading manga because I have a really short attention span. The voices and the soundtrack isn't something that you get in anime or manga and those things play a bit part in the series. This boils down to the reason why I enjoyed the anime for Death Note better than the manga - because of the fantastic sound track and voice acting.

I find that the majority of the time, I enjoy the manga with series like Black Butler and Fullmetal Alchemist. This is usually because the anime quickly catches up with a manga that hasn't been finished and goes off of the rail. Both anime significantly falterred after the episodes started to take their own path and not stick to the manga. This is why FMA:B was so much better that the original and the Soul Eater anime more than the manga.

[Clayton_n]

It depends on how good the story is in the anime or manga. Sometimes one isn't as good as the other.

[Spicedroses]

I myself like a little of both, but i can understand the appeal of anime over manga. I love seeing how the characters are brought to life in an anime. sometimes you just don't get the same feeling from reading the manga as you do watching the anime. Besides i find watching the animes really relaxing and they are just so awesomely cute to look at sometimes.

I like reading and watching both so that i can compare them. especially when i discover that the anime is so totally opposite from the manga. I mean that is not a bad thing, But sometimes it's not great either.

as for subbed and dubbed.. well a lot of anime i started watching was on television so i guess that would be dubbed and i got used to it. but then after a while i started watching more of them online like bleach and naruto and gundam and other random ones and i got so used to read the subs that when i would go to watching them on television now they sounded kinda funny to me. But I guess since i go back and forth between them, i am kinda used to both.. but honestly i think the subtitles ones are much better.

[AshureeChan]

I like both :)
that's all that need to be said for me :3

[SpeaR]

If I had to answer this question years ago I would have said Anime but my view has really changed since then.

This is the same as asking me if I prefer anime dubbed or subbed in the end my answer will really depends on a lot of things.

But if I had to choose one I would pick manga. The reasons being those already listed by everyone else.

[usagi444]

I like both, but if I had to choose, I would say anime. I only like to watch subbed. I think the dubbed versions take so much away from the original.

[Mugiwara-no-Basuke]

I prefer anime though I really like manga as well, and I always try to go along with the manga, even when both are already completed

[threewolves]

Anime right now, havent really tried Manga yet. I like Dubbed mostly, but thats cause I can concentrate on whats going on, on the screen and night trying to read what they said. I am sure that will change with the more japanese I learn, and i will prefer the sub then.

[Thefringedninja]

I like a bit of both.
Sometimes my eyes get too tired from looking at computer screens so I like to be able to read manga, but I find buying or borrowing manga from the library tedious.
Some animes do not follow the manga very well and miss out characters (e.g. Fruits Basket), so it's nice to have that choice. Also there's something about having the artwork in front of you in book form that I really like.

---------- Post added at 02:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 PM ----------

Also, in relation to anime I usually watch the subbed unless I've heard really good things about the English dubbed or one of my favourite voice actors is voicing a character in it (e.g. Vic Mcderpaderp)!

[Mugiwara-no-Basuke]

I like a bit of both.
Sometimes my eyes get too tired from looking at computer screens so I like to be able to read manga, but I find buying or borrowing manga from the library tedious.
Some animes do not follow the manga very well and miss out characters (e.g. Fruits Basket), so it's nice to have that choice. Also there's something about having the artwork in front of you in book form that I really like.

Same thing about me, when the eyes got tired about anime I go for some manga :P
For the series I've watched so far the animes tend to follow the manga very accurately, so haven't found that situation (but planning to start watching Fruist Basket in the near future)

[plumpuff]

Generally, I prefer manga, but it really depends on the series.

[Yurika]

I usually prefer anime. I have been getting into manga a little more lately.

[Disconnected Outsider]

Anime. Dubbed.
First off, animation has been a huge interest of mine since I was little. Second, voice acting is also something I love, even when it's bad it draws me into the story so much much than not having it there at all.
I just can't connect with manga. I read it every now and then but it's not nearly as enjoyable.
(I'm such a hypocrite though, because I vastly prefer books to movies xD)
I also started anime at when I was little. If it wasn't for my sister giving me the original Ghost in the Shell movie on my birthday, I wouldn't even know what anime was. My Mom was a little concerned and didn't really want me to watch it after my sister told her what she was giving me, but that's to be expected from any parent with the 1st movie. I watched it in Dubs, but I LOVED it!! I'm not even sure how little I was, I can barely bring up memories of it, but the anime just fascinated me. I didn't know what manga was until later in my life I was already getting into anime. I just grew up with anime, and I've also got a short attention span, so I just kept watching anime even after I found out about manga.

As for the language preference, I've always watched Dubbed, and when I found the option to change the language setting(which kind of took me a while, since I was still a little kid ^.^''), I just kept it on English. I tried Subs, but sometimes the words go by so fast that you can't read the whole thing. And I know probably 4 or 5 words in Japanese and absolutely no kanji knowledge, which I would've done anything to know about either of those when I was watching the Subbed versions(or started to). So, I'd have to say Dubbed. I've even caught and remembered the names of a lot of voice actors. ^.^


I prefer to watch anime because I need color in my life and it is mindless entertainment where I can sit and relax with a big bowl of candy. Candy is like my version of popcorn ^^;
Candy is definitely my popcorn too. ^.^ Watching anime is just easier than it is to try to read a manga. At least that's what I think. ^.^

[Mugiwara-no-Basuke]

Candy is definitely my popcorn too. ^.^ Watching anime is just easier than it is to try to read a manga. At least that's what I think. ^.^
Ah ah, same about me, I love gums and chocolate bars :P

And yeah, I think the same about animes though I like manga pretty much as well, still remember when I started reading manga to go further on the plot and being very strange to do it from right to left :P
Sometimes certain details are kinda difficult (at least for me) to understand and especially the fighting scenes are naturally much better animated

[Humblewretch]

I prefer anime subbed. If I like the anime I usually read the manga after I watch the show.

---------- Post added at 03:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 PM ----------

The first time I tried to read a manga I was confused because I had read it the wrong way:laugh:

[T-Stew]

Well I havent watched a lot of anime (dont think I've ever even seen one sub'd yet) but they both have their merits.

I'd say anime though. Just love the visual factor, and the sounds too. But often the mangas continue were the anime ends, and often it seems animes have different and worse endings. So one needs both...

[MariannaB]

I always prefer the original. I love the anime of Madoka Magica over the manga and the same with Code Geass, but I like the Death Note manga more then the anime.

[Mugiwara-no-Basuke]

I always prefer the original. I love the anime of Madoka Magica over the manga and the same with Code Geass, but I like the Death Note manga more then the anime.

I guess this is the only thing I don't prefer the original :p I never watch subbed animes but instead the original japanese voice, just love it.
But when it comes to manga vs anime I prefer the anime as it has colour, voices and even more important movement, which the manga can't depict, particularly the fightings scenes that are very hard to try to imagine in the manga so as expression and stuff, at least for me.
However, being it the original, I was check the manga to see some diferences and also when the series is still ongoing, to be aware of the most advanced plot

[MariannaB]

I guess this is the only thing I don't prefer the original :p I never watch subbed animes but instead the original japanese voice, just love it.
But when it comes to manga vs anime I prefer the anime as it has colour, voices and even more important movement, which the manga can't depict, particularly the fightings scenes that are very hard to try to imagine in the manga so as expression and stuff, at least for me.
However, being it the original, I was check the manga to see some diferences and also when the series is still ongoing, to be aware of the most advanced plot

Sometimes I do find that the manga is a little boring because it doesn't have what anime has in regards to everything you mentioned. In those cases I chose not to read it, or I will only pick up the manga where the anime left off if the adaption is limited.

[Mugiwara-no-Basuke]

Sometimes I do find that the manga is a little boring because it doesn't have what anime has in regards to everything you mentioned. In those cases I chose not to read it, or I will only pick up the manga where the anime left off if the adaption is limited.

Yeah, I find it kinda boring sometimes as well and usually, besides some random reading throughout it, I usually only start reading the manga when I reach the anime last episode

[ACBlackJ0ck]

I love both. Although in recent times I've often a bit more interested in reading manga than watching anime

[Magician]

I generally prefer anime but I'm really just getting into manga, there's only two I'm reading and one I've read.

In regards to subbed anime or dubbed anime, subtitles tend to be better but there are a few good dubs.
Subs though can differ depending on the group who subs them so you have to get a feel to what type of subtitles you like.

[Sadrith]

manga hands down

[Mugiwara-no-Basuke]

I generally prefer anime but I'm really just getting into manga, there's only two I'm reading and one I've read.

In regards to subbed anime or dubbed anime, subtitles tend to be better but there are a few good dubs.
Subs though can differ depending on the group who subs them so you have to get a feel to what type of subtitles you like.

Yeah, I feel the same about subbed vs dubbed animes. I really like the english language (though still prefer japanese even that I don't understand almost nothing of it xD) but I've tried dubbed versions of some of my favourite animes and all the voices seemed really odd for their characters, so always watch subbed :p

[Hypatia]

I would have to say that I prefer manga because its easier for me to get my hands on and I really like the art.

[Aulos]

I prefer anime, because most of the time, me enjoying a series weighs on how emotional it makes me. Anime with its music and voice-acting can do that a lot better than manga.

[Kona Chan]

I like both but I usually prefer manga over anime.

- There is some issue due to adaptation and anime don't tell the story as well as a manga can do.
( when light novel exists, the same argument is valid)

ex: Trinity blood, the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya

- Sometime, the producers change the story

ex: full metal alchemist ( before brotherhood ), soul eater

-They add some useless episodes to earn time.

ex: bleach, one piece,...


However there is sometimes good changes like in death note:
even if I prefer the manga, L's death is beter in anime.

My last argument is more a feeling than a true argument:

The quality of an anime depends on the quality of the dubbers (japanese ofc ^^) unlike manga which don't need them for obvious reasons :)
In manga you imagine the voice that you want to ear and personally I usually prefer that. (there is some counter example like Hirano aya <3 ( misa (death note) ,
lucy (fairy tail) , haruhi suzumiya ( the melancholy ...), konata izumi (lucky star), ... )
The same argument is valid for video games : we don't really need to add voices to the characters ( shigeru miyamoto understands that fact )
for example look at the final fantasy ( 1~9 without voices )

[Maki the contractor]

i prefer anime over manga any day but i don't know why?

[Henshin_Ikeda]

Always prefer anime over manga, it was never really much of a choice but more of an addiction tword anime in general.
(hard to explain)

[PinkGalaxies]

I generally enjoy the manga more. The anime takes away from the art, and the voice actors tend to suck. Hellsing and Code Geass are exceptions.

[Henshin_Ikeda]

I generally enjoy the manga more. The anime takes away from the art, and the voice actors tend to suck. Hellsing and Code Geass are exceptions.

Depends if you watch most of your anime in Japanese or english...
(most anime series in english dub are not that well made in my opinion where their Japanese counterparts are perfect to a point)

In the 1980's and early 1990's Manga was not that obtainable in the US so their was a shortage on it's popularity till the internet and of course handheld devices became more active.
(Manga has been around since 1945 (a more actual date would be 1874) - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga), just not that accessible till our technology finally caught up w/ us)

Manga in general wasn't available to the US till the 1970s and early 1980s, mostly because the translation process was slow till more were released in the 1990's.

[PinkGalaxies]

Depends if you watch most of your anime in Japanese or english...
(most anime series in english dub are not that well made in my opinion where their Japanese counterparts are perfect to a point)

In the 1980's and early 1990's Manga was not that obtainable in the US so their was a shortage on it's popularity till the internet and of course handheld devices became more active.
(Manga has been around since 1945 (a more actual date would be 1874) - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga), just not that accessible till our technology finally caught up w/ us)

Manga in general wasn't available to the US till the 1970s and early 1980s, mostly because the translation process was slow till more were released in the 1990's.

I first started getting comics when I was 4, and I started getting manga when I was 7. I traveled a lot.

I usually don't like the anime in Japanese or English. I'm sort of rusty on my Japanese, so I have to look at subtitles every now and then. It's very annoying when you're trying to do something. If I'm going to read, I might as well read the manga. I have several book shelves full of manga.

[Hokuten]

I would say I prefer manga. With manga I can read at my own pace and it's generally more relaxing.

[swordie]

Well anime was the reason i got into anime and manga and i've always watched anime since i was little but i really enjoy reading manga because it has things that they don't show in the anime adaptations and you can read manga anywhere you want. I don't have to be on a computer to read manga but with anime i do but when i'm watching anime i feel more connected to the story and i enjoy more the art in the anime than in the manga.
I like more anime but i also enjoy reading manga :)

[AnimeFrost]

I Enjoy reading manga more because there is MORE :D I am not a fan of my anime ending so i read the manga version for MOOOOOOREEEEE!!!! But I still like anime :D

[Gantza]

manga over anime if the content is plot driven: death note, bakuman

anime over manga if the content is action driven: dragon ball, naruto, bleach

but if the original is actually light novel, i prefer light novel way over anime/manga: accel world, sword art online, sakura sou no pet kanojo

[Elezzina]

Definitely Anime :) I prefer to watch than read :P

[IluvAllison]

I also prefer to watch over read, unless its a book. I dont know why but manga doesnt work for me, neither does comic books. I just cant get into it, I cant feel the flow I cant feel its alive, its just pictures to me. I've tried and tried to like it but I accept now that I dont ;D I still try to like it once in a while tho ^^

Anime is animated and when its done well its just fantastic, couple that with great soundtrack and what I feel is amazing japanese voice actors. Thats the big reason I dont like manga, I want my japanese voice actors! ;> They are integral to the character imo!

[PhantomPhD]

Prefer anime c: just because i enjoy watching something while i'm playing WoW or doing homework while reading is more of a singular task :p.

[IluvAllison]

Prefer anime c: just because i enjoy watching something while i'm playing WoW or doing homework while reading is more of a singular task :p.

Really? You watch anime while playing WoW or even doing homework? I gotta ask how thats even possible? ;D If you're watching it subbed you have to read dont you? How can you do homework while watching and reading an anime? ^^ Unless you are watching with super low concentration and miss 50%? lol ;D

[TheDeathGod]

I choose anime because they do more details in the animation!