Poll: Books VS Manga

[Masika]

Personally, I am a HUGE book fan. I would much rather see the scene in my mind that seeing it on the page already. Books leave more room for imagination and are more worth the money I spend on them. Considering I think I'm closing in on 100 inn my library and rapidly growing. I have probably read near 500 or more books in 6 years. Don't get me wrong, I like manga and anime graphic novels. I have half of Chobits and a few others. But my preference is to a good solid book.

There seems to be a good number of people who are hardcore into manga here, but I want to see if there's any other book lovers out there.

 

[DND Judgement]

i think graphic novel would have been a better way of putting it than manga..

but personally i would go for manga... as i don't read very fast it's easier for me...

 

[The_Prophet]

books

 

[pigeon_of_doom]

Can't really say which is better. Although books have been more vigorously developed in the past few centuries than sequential art (which has also gained some unfavourable, and perhaps unfair connotations of immaturity).

 

[Abedeus]

Can't I like both? If I, however, had 30 PLN to spare on either of them, I would buy a new Terry Pratchett's book. Can't get wrong with him.

 

[DarkRyter]

Well books overall just kind of beat out everything. Putting it up against manga is like putting a tank against a taxicab.

Books vs movies, television, theatre, music, video games

Books win. They have had more of an effect on the world than any other invention save fire, and the wheel. And the wheel barely edges it out.

 

[teh_gunslinger]

Books vs Manga?
Seriously?
Why not Paintings vs Cartoons or Classical Music vs Hentai?

Hehe. I'd say it depends on the book. Earlier today I had a discussion about the literary qualities of Tom Clancy. (There are very few). So in some cases Manga is the better choice. But mostly I'll take a book any day.

*goes back to reading Watchmen*

Can't really say which is better. Although books have been more vigorously developed in the past few centuries than sequential art (which has also gained some unfavourable, and perhaps unfair connotations of immaturity).

*looks up from Watchmen*

Even if I love my comic books (I refuse to use the lame term 'graphic novel') I'll say books are more flexible as a medium to explore the inner workings of a character. Some comics blur the lines for sure, but at the end of the day the author of a book has more room to play if I can use that phrase to describe it.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

I read books mostly

sometimes its 50-50 sometimes 70-30

 

[Cylem]

As long as I have a clear idea of what the characters look like, I'm impartial. Manga has the pictures, books have better pacing. At least that's from the stuff I read. =/

 

[fix-the-spade]

Don't make me chooose!

I have a big old collection of 2000AD's, Graphic Novels and even some (eeurgh) Marvel comic's in my collection. Reading them is much faster than reading a normal book, but they tend to portray action much better. But I wouldn't like to choose between either, they're both very good way of telling stories (or instructions).

 

[McClaud]

I'm a bibliophile.

I collect comics on the side, and have a few manga, but in reality, a well-written book can last up to at least three or four days of reading pleasure for me. Whereas I can blow through one volume of manga in like 30 minutes. And comic books only last about 15 minutes.

To me, books can hold so much more than manga. Because manga are usually written to be a volume per chapter, whereas books contain at least a dozen chapters.

Room also plays a factor. I don't have room to store every manga I buy, since content-wise, 10 manga = 1 book.

 

[Masika]

I'm a bibliophile.

I collect comics on the side, and have a few manga, but in reality, a well-written book can last up to at least three or four days of reading pleasure for me. Whereas I can blow through one volume of manga in like 30 minutes. And comic books only last about 15 minutes.

To me, books can hold so much more than manga. Because manga are usually written to be a volume per chapter, whereas books contain at least a dozen chapters.

Room also plays a factor. I don't have room to store every manga I buy, since content-wise, 10 manga = 1 book.

In the context I get from what you are saying, I completely agree. Although there are some books that can last much longer. A Fine Balance written by Rohinton Mistry is one of those books because it is extensively emotionally hard to read and thus can take much longer.

 

[Aqualung]

In my humble opinion, novels take more skill to write than mangas. Not that developing plot and characters and whatnot isn't equally challenging and demanding for both genres, but books require constant reminders of visual aspects of the book. I've read books that take three pages to describe a tree, and mangas that can show you everything there is to know in one panel. Not that mangas don't have their own challenges, getting the proper look for each panel and fitting everything together in a neat, artistic, and meaningful way.

So books get my vote.

 

[forever saturday]

If manga includes any kind of comics, then I go with those. If just manga, not sure. So I voted for manga.

 

[McClaud]

I'm a bibliophile.

I collect comics on the side, and have a few manga, but in reality, a well-written book can last up to at least three or four days of reading pleasure for me. Whereas I can blow through one volume of manga in like 30 minutes. And comic books only last about 15 minutes.

To me, books can hold so much more than manga. Because manga are usually written to be a volume per chapter, whereas books contain at least a dozen chapters.

Room also plays a factor. I don't have room to store every manga I buy, since content-wise, 10 manga = 1 book.

In the context I get from what you are saying, I completely agree. Although there are some books that can last much longer. A Fine Balance written by Rohinton Mistry is one of those books because it is extensively emotionally hard to read and thus can take much longer.

Or when you read something like Battlefield Earth or Dune.

The immense size of those books themselves took me a week or two to get through them.

Graphic novels are nice, too. I have plenty of those. I also have entire comic/manga series in one book type things. They are nice, because I don't have to collect 10 manga or 20 comic books to get the entire story. I can wait and buy it to get the entire story at once.

 

[setsunafseiei]

Books by a long shot but that's not to say I don't like manga, I do very much so. With books your imagination does the work, with manga/manhwa/graphic novels it all there for you.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

I have an irrational hatred of Manga. Well, maybe not Manga, I havn't read enough to know (as in none). It's just everyone I've met who reads manga is creepy as hell.

I love my western comics though. Maybe I come across as creepy *shrug*.

 

[Masika]

I'm a bibliophile.

I collect comics on the side, and have a few manga, but in reality, a well-written book can last up to at least three or four days of reading pleasure for me. Whereas I can blow through one volume of manga in like 30 minutes. And comic books only last about 15 minutes.

To me, books can hold so much more than manga. Because manga are usually written to be a volume per chapter, whereas books contain at least a dozen chapters.

Room also plays a factor. I don't have room to store every manga I buy, since content-wise, 10 manga = 1 book.

In the context I get from what you are saying, I completely agree. Although there are some books that can last much longer. A Fine Balance written by Rohinton Mistry is one of those books because it is extensively emotionally hard to read and thus can take much longer.

Or when you read something like Battlefield Earth or Dune.

The immense size of those books themselves took me a week or two to get through them.

Graphic novels are nice, too. I have plenty of those. I also have entire comic/manga series in one book type things. They are nice, because I don't have to collect 10 manga or 20 comic books to get the entire story. I can wait and buy it to get the entire story at once.

That's entirely true. Although, I will be finishing off a book series this summer when I go to the States. Seven books for roughly $25 dollars. It makes me cry everytime I think about it.

In many cases, the longer the book, the better the story is. As is with many books that I have read.

 

[Firia]

I simpley cannot vote. I'm a novice comicbook artist, and literature is my friend. One is NOT better than the other, as they both have great merit in their own right.

 

[Madshaw]

i'll vote 4 pretty much anything over manga, i'm realy not into japan at all

but i'll also vote for books over almost any other medium, because its different for everyone who reads it. i like the way that by reading a book you imagine all the characters differently to how they would be in a film or a picture, its more personal