Poll: Manga or Anime

[Murlin]

Depends where the original thing started. A Manga adaptation of Anime rarely feels good (Gurren Lagann) and Anime adaptations sometimes take unnecessary liberties with the story or leave out important elements, in my personal experience.
Sometimes it turns out all right though, the first FMA Anime's latter part broke away from the original story but was still pretty good.

 

[Richardplex]

Anime - I am a music whore. Prefer visual novels to books for the same reason.

 

[JWRosser]

Excluding old series like Pokemon and Digimon, the only Anime I have really watched are the Studio Ghibli films and stuff like Akira, which I absolutely love. I haven't watched any series though.
I also haven't ever read any manga. I love comics, but manga doesn't really appeal to me for some reason. So anime has my vote.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

Anime, I can just turn it there, and watch. No hassle turning pages and figuring out which way to read

 

[JediMB]

Comics or cartoons?

Cartoons will have to come first, because they can be a social activity. (Technically comics can be too, but then you'll probably all have to read them separately and discuss afterwards... so I'll disregard that.) Plus, they have music and are often more visually appealing for action scenes.

Now, for comics that are turned into cartoons in Japan, chances are that I'll prefer reading over watching for longer series. With shorter runs, the cartoons don't usually have the pacing issues that otherwise often occur, however.

In the end, I'd never want to just choose one and disregard the other. They're both great entertainment mediums.

 

[DrRockor]

Manga! I don't have to go search for dubs. Plus I read a lot of Shoujo manga and you don't find a lot of it being made into anime.

 

[rob_simple]

I prefer manga as a rule because it never has as much filler, they don't drastically alter the story to fit the 13/26 episode limit (Hellsing, Gravitation, Love Hina,) you don't need to worry about someone getting cast with an irritating voice for your favourite character, it's generally more violent and they keep the swearing in (depending on whose translation you read) and I can read it as fast as I like instead of watching each episode draaaaaaag on to artificially inflate the series (I'm looking at you, DBZ.)

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

Anime.

I do read some manga, but a lot of times they can ruin the anime for me. Plus as I read I'll always start imagining an anime adaptation of the manga. It's like me and English dubs, when they're available I'll usually just stick with that. Unless there's enough stuff that's different about the manga, or the anime only ends halfway, then I'd probably end up reading the manga.

 

[xplosive59]

Anime. I treat Manga as further reading after I have finished a series if I enjoyed it and would not pick up a Manga before watching the Anime (if it has one).

EDIT: I will add that I do not watch any long running animes (I usually watch between 26 - 60 episode long shows) which do not really have much filler.

 

[Kaavel1993]

See for me it depends. I find some Manga is better mainly because some just dont work as anime. Its like the series Chibi Vampire. It was a great Manga, But when it came to watching the Anime it just didn't work for me. But then you have series like Naruto and Death note that work perfectly as both. But it really doesn't work when they turn them into live action movies... like the Death Note films.... And they change most of the plot.... -.-

 

[ThunderCavalier]

I don't necessarily have a preference. I guess I could say I slightly prefer anime, but what the anime has in visual style, the manga often makes up for in its substance, so honestly my milage greatly varies.

 

[somonels]

I prefer the physical medium but the genres I tend to be interested in really benefit from good animation.

 

[ZehMadScientist]

Depends on the series.

Beelzebub for example, is probably the manga I look forward to most to come out every week. Its anime counterpart, however, was absolute shite.

On the flip side, there is Gintama. The manga is ok, but the anime with its voice acting and comedic timing is priceless.

Bottom line, I prefer animation if it is done right.

Anime - I am a music whore. Prefer visual novels to books for the same reason.

Also this.

 

[Richardplex]

Depends on the series.

Beelzebub for example, is probably the manga I look forward to most to come out every week. Its anime counterpart, however, was absolute shite.

On the flip side, there is Gintama. The manga is ok, but the anime with its voice acting and comedic timing is priceless.

Bottom line, I prefer animation if it is done right.

Anime - I am a music whore. Prefer visual novels to books for the same reason.

Also this.

Oh god Beelzebub. I dislike Shounen, but I thought Beelzebub was fairly good as a manga, at least for the first school arc. That first episode of the anime though.... [sub]they didn't even do the hilarious faces the main character did right[/sub]

 

[SckizoBoy]

That sounds like a very good idea. I may have to give that a quick look-see.

Yes, do that!! The good thing about Nodame was that the series exposed the younger Japanese generation to classical music, in a big way. If you watch the anime, there is at least one new piece introduced every... freakin'... episode. And even though it's set in a conservatory, it doesn't feel forced at all.

If I could find more Manga/Anime like FMA (with the good plot, great characters, and less GIANT GIGGLY BOOBS! PEDO PEDO PEDO!) then I will be a very happy camper.

Nodame fits the bill once again. There is a distinct lack of fan-service in it and no real action either.

I'd point you towards Gunslinger Girl as well...

I also loved Ouran Highschool Host Club, funny as hell (I watch my anime subbed) and I don't even know if there is a manga of it!

Yes there is, yes there is, YES THERE IS!!

And Renge-chan is just as mad in the manga as in the anime (though she doesn't appear as much until post-vol10). Eighteen volumes and it accelerates big time towards the end. Loads of little extras (random sidestory chapters) as well, and it involves the half-dramatic/half-comedic central storyline that is hardly alluded to in the anime. In fact, the anime only covers the 'pretense' to the manga's principle plot at best. There's a lot more emotional investment in the manga, especially when the relationship between Tamaki and his mother is involved.

Random, if insignificant, spoiler: Anne's character design seems a tad young though... :/

 

[TehCookie]

Whatever is closer to the original. If it was originally a manga I like that more but if it's a LN adaptions I tend to like the anime more. If you're talking about a manga and anime of equal quality, then I'd say depends on how much time I have. I can breeze through manga quite quickly so I can read more of it but anime does have the whole animation in it's favor.

 

[DrRockor]

I also loved Ouran Highschool Host Club, funny as hell (I watch my anime subbed) and I don't even know if there is a manga of it!

Yes there is, yes there is, YES THERE IS!!

And Renge-chan is just as mad in the manga as in the anime (though she doesn't appear as much until post-vol10). Eighteen volumes and it accelerates big time towards the end. Loads of little extras (random sidestory chapters) as well, and it involves the half-dramatic/half-comedic central storyline that is hardly alluded to in the anime. In fact, the anime only covers the 'pretense' to the manga's principle plot at best. There's a lot more emotional investment in the manga, especially when the relationship between Tamaki and his mother is involved.

Random, if insignificant, spoiler: Anne's character design seems a tad young though... :/

The manga is so much better than the anime. I love the anime but the various relationships are explored is so much more depth and you get actually closure at the end. I understand Tamaki's grandmother and Kyoya's father after reading the manga. Haruhi goes through a lot more character development. The twins become so much more complex as well. Mori-senpai is an actually character as well, he's so 2 dimensional in the anime. Read it! If your a fan you need to read the manga.

I should really stop gushing about this now.

 

[SckizoBoy]

The manga is so much better than the anime. I love the anime but the various relationships are explored is so much more depth and you get actually closure at the end. I understand Tamaki's grandmother and Kyoya's father after reading the manga. Haruhi goes through a lot more character development. The twins become so much more complex as well. Mori-senpai is an actually character as well, he's so 2 dimensional in the anime. Read it! If your a fan you need to read the manga.

I should really stop gushing about this now.

No, no! Continue gushing, and no need to tell me to read it, I really like it too!

And the side story with Mori's pets! Yeah, in fact, Mori overall is so much cooler in the manga (tired Mori! Ha, that was hilarious...).

And Shima (bit-part player though she is) is simultaneously badass and sagely.

...

Better stop there before I get started... >_> ...

 

[Chemical Alia]

Isn't that the stuff with the annoying art from Japan? I try to distance myself from both of them about equally. A lot of good discussion value here. Though if I were born a few years later, I'd probably be drawing the stuff.

 

[Lunatic High]

Both (evenly), although its mostly anime cause this town doesn't have a decent manga section and I prefer not lugging my laptop around just to read.

specially with animes such as Elfen Lied which was good but not as good as the manga, and anime without closure is like sex without the costumes.