; ?>.jpg)
is the first taste always the best?
I have a question for you.
Whenever there is a comic and an animation available for a title, which do you prefer?
I seem to favor the form in which I first experience a title. Personally I think that sucks because I would like to think that I can objectively review a work and like it for itself and not be influenced by my first take.
Kodomo no Omocha? Watched the anime first and LOVE it. I tried the first volume of the manga and couldn't STAND it.
Chobits? Read the manga first and LOVE it. I tried watching the anime for awhile and stopped. The anime is not that bad, but just not as deep as the manga was taking me.
Saikano? Read the manga first and LOVE it. I picked the first volume when it just came out at a Japanese bookstore based soley on the pencil scratch cover artwork and the intriguing quotes written on the back. I am so happy this is so popular today. I thought that this would be a story impossible to make an anime out of due to the themes and scenes. I watched the first few anime episodes and thought it was very nicely done, but did not go out of my way to get the rest.
Some noteable exceptions are Fruits Basket and Karekano. I watched the anime for these first and love them to death. The manga for these are also wonderful. Maybe my feelings are colored by the fact that the manga is continuing the story for me where the anime left off.
After reading the stuff I wrote, maybe my taste is more along the lines of manga first, anime not as good and anime first, manga is good too. waitaminit, kodocha blew that out of the water. Oh yeah, I think KOR anime rules over KOR manga.
Then you have anime that inspires manga.
FLCL! anime:LOVE IT! manga: kinda like an american independent comic, totally different take, so I can enjoy this as a separate work.
COWBOY BEBOP! anime:ARE YOU KIDDING ME? manga: why bother?
Evangelion! anime: I'm a tool of Gainax. manga: I have not read much but what I have is great and people tell me it is great. PLUS MORE SADAMOTO ILLUSTRATIONS!
So you got an answer to my question already?
Posted by izumi at December 17, 2002 01:53 PM
In terms of anime that's better than the manga, don't forget Trigun. The manga's okay, but the story was edited and tweaked all over to make it MUCH BETTER (Meeting Knives during the August City incident instead of having him remain in shadows until the end? Finding out Wolfwood's secret right after meeting him instead of waiting until the end? And I'm not sure they ever get into the floating ship part). At least during the early parts, anyway: I haven't read past the fourth volume of the manga, so I can't vouch for the ending, but it's hard to see it being better (or even as good as) the anime, seeing as how they've already killed several things (like the cordial way Vash and Knives greet each other, showing that they really love each other as brothers even if they can't stand each others ideology) that made the last few episodes of Trigun pretty much the best anime ending ever.
Posted by: David at December 17, 2002 07:21 PM