Manga art styles you prefer over their anime, and vice versa

Neo Dead Moon · Post by **Neo Dead Moon** » Wed May 26, 2004 11:15 pm

What manga do you find the the art design better than its anime counterpart, and the other way around? Here are my picks:

Manga over anime art styles:

Chobits - the colors just look weird in the anime...I dunno why.

Ranma 1/2 - I didn't like how different the anime art design was than the manga, especially its giving the female characters noticeably bigger chests.

Love Hina - the characters and scenery are so much better and well-drawn than the anime.

Dragonball - granted, the manga and anime look almost exactly the same, but I find it just seems more natural in manga form.

Yu-Gi-Oh! - I didn't like the pointy hair designs, lack of animation, or funky coloring jobs (in BOTH anime series) they did to the characters. The manga just seems to look better.

Anime over manga art styles:

Sailor Moon - it is my personal opinion that 99.9% of all black-and-white Sailor Moon manga images look like an amaetur mangaka drew them (which, at that point in her career, Takeuchi Naoko was NOT). Rarely any eyes, hair that's everywhere (and inconsistent in length), eyes that both point in the same direction eerily when you DO see them, stick necks, breasts on girls as young as seven or eight years old, crappy use of computer graphics (Pharoah 90)..Takeuchi Naoko's art is vastly overrated, in my opinion. Only her recent color pictures are any good..

Kimagure Orange Road - the manga art is passable at best, but the anime character designs are very cute, and look slightly less retro.

Kodomo no Omocha - I like how the character designs look more colorful in the anime. Also, I prefer Sana-chan with ponytails instead of her hair being all down.

Post by **Tiff** » Wed May 26, 2004 11:42 pm

We're talking art design only? Okay..

Manga over Anime:

Chobits - Drawn gorgeously in the manga...chii's clothing is simply beautiful, along with the expressions on the character's faces..

Ranma 1/2 - I find the expressions FAR more humorous than in the anime. The anime irritates me...I just find the manga more comedic.

Anime over Manga:

Utena - I dunno why..maybe it's becuase it's directed by Kunihiko? The manga art is kinda ugly at times..and I really don't like Utena's blonde hair in some shots. Bleeeh. The pink hair DEFINES Utena.

Tie:

Sailor Moon - Sometimes I think the art is gorgeous..and then sometimes, it DOES look amateurish. Like the hands and feet..I'm sorry, Naoko, but you cannot draw hands and feet x_x But the eyes, the hair, and the clothing/fukus are usually beautiful.

Dinozore · Post by **Dinozore** » Thu May 27, 2004 12:25 am

Anime over Manga:

Saber Marionette J- The manga's style is wierd... so are the OVA's and second TV series' as well, but the first series is good.

G Gundam- They just didn't get it right...

Manga over Anime:

Just about everything else I've both watched the anime and read the manga of.

doodlebuguk · Post by **doodlebuguk** » Thu May 27, 2004 6:23 am

So, we aren't taking animation quality into account, right? I mean, how smooth the animation is.

Manga over Anime

Magic Knight Rayearth TV - I thought the style was too angular and not a good representation of Clamp's style, which was more rounded. The animators of Cardcaptor Sakura did a much better job in my opinion, they kept the feel of Clamp's illustrations much more.

Di Gi Charat - I just think Koge Donbo draws Dejiko et all in such a cute way, and her artbook pictures are simply beautiful.

Anime over Manga

Sailor Moon - Naoko Takeuchi drawings are so pretty, but at some points I found the drawings too whispy to tell what was happening. For example, in the first story arc, when Sailor Moon runs Endymion through with the stone sword, I didn't realise what happened until I read a summary of that chapter.

I really like the style the animators used for Sailor Stars, the larger, more expressive eyes look so pretty!

Cardcaptor Takato · Post by **Cardcaptor Takato** » Thu May 27, 2004 7:49 am

There's only one series where I prefer the anime's artwork over the manga's artwork and that's Yugioh. I don't know why, but the character designs just look strange to me in the manga. The rest of the series I've read are tied with their anime counterparts.

Starscream · Post by **Starscream** » Thu May 27, 2004 10:34 am

I'm gonna list the series that come to mind and then indicate which art style I prefer:

Sailor Moon: Overall anime. While the manga does have its shining moments, like many here have said, there are those nitpicky times when the hands, feet, and even expressions fall flat.

Dragonball Z: Manga. The art is a LOT more consistent (duh), plus Toriyama captures the grandeur of his subjects a bit better than his animators do.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Up to the Four Beasts arc, Anime. Very sharp and detailed, with really vibrant, appropriate colors. The author still seems to be fine-tuning his art, so this may change as the story continues.

Yugi-Oh!: Same as YYH. While there are times when the manga stands out and depicts the characters quite well, it's still a bit inconsistent up to this point in US Shonen Jump (intro of Bakura). The cartoon just shines in this regard.

All others I'm familiiar with (X, Kare Kano, Hana Yori Dango, Evangelion) are pretty much tied at this point.

LadyFlameSniper · Post by **LadyFlameSniper** » Thu May 27, 2004 1:25 pm

Sailormoon- I might be alone on this, but I always thought the manga's was much better, *especially* in the artbooks. Everyone's better looking the manga to me. Mainly in the facial features. There's also more detail in the character's clothing including the Sailor outifts. As well as the hair. Sailor Moon's hair is way more beautiful in the manga. I also like how it's all wavy. I love Naoko's style even though she tends to exaggerate their legs more than the anime. I'm not too crazy about some of the artists in the anime. There was this one artist who always messed up Ami's hair and she drew their noses too small, and gave everyone's eyes a sleepy look. My favorite art style in the anime is the one used in the SuperS movie. .

Utena- Sometimes the way they draw everyone's chins and noses overly pointy is really ugly in the tv series. The manga art is usually prettier, although I love the movie's art as well.

Fushigi Yuugi- Again it's just prettier than the tv series. The tv series art is ok overall. But there was one episode in particular (26 I believe ) where it looked like the art was rushed. It was horrid. The OVAs have some good art though, especially the 3rd OVA. The manga ties with it.

Well I almost always prefer the manga art styles anyway, or like them equally. I can't think of any cases where I thought the anime art was better.

RoastedTwinkies · Post by **RoastedTwinkies** » Thu May 27, 2004 4:07 pm

Manga over anime:

Sailor Moon: I'm with LadyFameSniper on this once. Though some of the pictures do fall flat, I generally think the overall appearance of the manga is more effective than the anime. Like LadyFlameSniper mentioned, I too, love how the hair, eyes and legs are overexaggerated. As far as the anime goes, I think Sailor Stars has the most beautiful animation in the series. Although, I think the animation looks crappy when Sailor Moon is doing her Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss attack, the overall animation is amazing and that part of it can be forgiven.

Chobits: I definately like the manga more than the anime because it really exaggerates Chii's expressions, clothes and hair. They look so beautiful to me.

Anime over Manga:

Read Or Die: I definately like the anime more than the manga. I think Yomiko's facial expressions look strange in the manga and I think the drawings look too rough for my liking.

ParaKiss_Groupie · Post by **ParaKiss_Groupie** » Thu May 27, 2004 4:13 pm

I prefer the Sailor Moon manga to the anime for all the reasons Lady Flame Sniper listed. In fact, Takeuchi-sensei is my favourite manga-ka because of her art style.

As for Utena, I have to say the anime. The manga art is beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it didn't suit the characters IMO. It was too beautiful.

I prefer CLAMP's art over the style in their anime. I like the rounded pretty characters, and it just appeals to me more overall.

Lastly (of the ones that really stick out) comes Excel Saga. Koshi Rikdo is a wonderful artist, but the anime art works better with the series.

DreamEmpress · Post by **DreamEmpress** » Thu May 27, 2004 5:54 pm

anime over manga:

Saint Tail-It just didn't quite look as good for a while in the manga. However the artist's work has improved some in Mink.

Manga over anime:

just about everything else!

Sailor Moon: I love the artwork. there is just a certain dance to it.
Fushigi Yugi, Ceres: humourous, but still very stunning.
Miracle Girls: colors are more flattering, also they look cuter.
Utena: It just looks more magical!
Vampire Princess Miyu: Far more haunting, the anime never gave me as many chills.
Clamp in general: their style could never be fully transfered to animation. However their anime is still quite good.

Tie:

Ah My Goddess: I felt it was equally matched.

Edit: (5/29) I'm an idiot. I put down Peach Girl and Alice 19th in the manga section. I'm not sure if they were ever even made into an anime. I was just thinking about art styles and it was late at night. Sorry about that to anyone who got the wrong idea. *slaps myself with the dumb stick repeating Baka Baka Baka* Once again, I'm very sorry for that.

yamijounouchi · Post by **yamijounouchi** » Sat May 29, 2004 8:30 pm

DreamEmpress wrote: Peach Girl: Beautiful work. love how everthing is just drawn with such emotion.

whoa! wait, are you saying peach girl actually has an anime? where can i find it?

anyway, for me it goes like this:

anime>manga

yu yu hakusho: for many reasons, but if i must simply talk about animation style... i really just don't like the way all the pictures are humorous looking, quite frankly. it seems every other picture is meant to look humorous no matter what the situation, it just takes away from what's going on way too much. and no offense to togashi yoshihiro or anything, but all of it is rather amaetur looking, honestly.

sailormoon: sometimes the animation style just makes it hard for me to tell what is happening. also, the characters are just so much more cutsey looking.

inuyasha: i don't know, maybe it's just because the manga is too shoujo looking for the story.

anime<manga

yugioh (first series): good lord! what were they on when they colored it?! the whole thing looks like one giant acid trip.

naruto: so many character just so much more suited for their personalities in the manga. not to mention, sometimes the colors aren't very well picked. it also looks much more "kid show" in the anime.

..... i guess that's all for now.

Celexa · Post by **Celexa** » Sat May 29, 2004 10:36 pm

Wow, I'm glad I'm not the only one alone about loving the Sailro Moon manga more. Like LadyFlameSniper said, the sailor fukus are a lot better in my opinion. I liked how Naoko put in detail like the jewel on Sailor Mars' fuku and the little belts on Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus that I think were only pretty recently noticed by the PGSM staff. I also like the overexaggeration a lot, I just find something wonderful about how long the legs are, and thinking "Wow that's not possible." I don't know, I also like her eye style a lot better. While the anime was nicely drawn, the manga has it's special little flair the animators can't quite put in.

sailor53 · Post by **sailor53** » Sat May 29, 2004 11:15 pm

Manga over Anime:

Chobits- The artwork is better and Chi is prettier.

Sailor Moon SuperS- The artwork is considerably better. I love the way all the senshi are shown in their princess forms. Their dresses are so pretty.

Anime over Manga:

Inu-Yasha- I like the way the characters are drawn in anime the better than in the manga. Especially Kikyo.

Tie:

SMC,R,S,&STARS- Both the Manga & Anime are drawn beautifully during these seasons.

Post by **Tiff** » Sat May 29, 2004 11:43 pm

sailor53: PLEASE adjust your text colors. That bright blue is blinding.

Umino · Post by **Umino** » Sun May 30, 2004 11:56 am

The only thing I didn't like about the BSSM manga was the fact some of the panels look like they were drawn in SECONDS.

Characters would be without noses, eyes, mouths, etc.

The rerelease manga fixes all of these problems, and the art look MUCH better (even with very little changes).

However, I got to say I love Mrs. Takeuchi's art style now. ^^

crazydiamond · Post by **crazydiamond** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 10:21 am

Most of the manga I have I haven't seen the anime for, and vice versa, so mine will be pretty limited...

Sailormoon: I only have the Stars manga, but I've read the Dream Arc. For Stars...It's kind of a tie, but the style of the manga comes out just a little ahead. As for Dream vs SuperS...the anime, no doubt about it. One word: Pegasus. Naoko CANNOT draw horses. It looks like she didn't even TRY to do any research to get the pictures right. Half the time he's just a jumble of rectangles. And his legs bend the wrong way many times. He's hideous. Even in the artbook pictures. He's a lot better in the anime, tho he's still not stellar.
Yu-gi-oh: I'm gonna go with the anime on this one, too, because I love how angular and pointy everything is. The manga art is cute, tho.
Pokemon: the manga. It's more detailed (the characters have expressive eyes rather than just colored dots surrounded by white)
Shaman King: Something of a tie. I strongly dislike Manta in the manga because he's bowlegged. Yoh and Amidamaru look much better in the manga tho. I think the manga comes out ahead.

Neo Dead Moon · Post by **Neo Dead Moon** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:50 am

crazydiamond wrote: Pokemon: the manga. It's more detailed (the characters have expressive eyes rather than just colored dots surrounded by white)

Which one are you talking about? There's three or four in the U.S. alone (I assume you're talking about the one from Ono-san, though: Electric Pikachu Boogaloo, Pikachu Shocks Back, etc.) ^^;

yoshmaster5 · Post by **yoshmaster5** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 1:04 pm

Neo Dead Moon wrote:
crazydiamond wrote: Pokemon: the manga. It's more detailed (the characters have expressive eyes rather than just colored dots surrounded by white)
Which one are you talking about? There's three or four in the U.S. alone (I assume you're talking about the one from Ono-san, though: Electric Pikachu Boogaloo, Pikachu Shocks Back, etc.) ^^;

Yeah, I'm confused a bit too. I think there are 5 in all, I've read some of Ono-san's manga, and read summaries of Pocket Monsters Special. (Summaries of it on serebii.net)

(edit)
Manga > Anime:
Pokemon: Electric Tale of Pikachu: The drawings look better than the anime, plus some of the scenes are better. It's also a good thing this manga incorperates the different kinds of monster balls.

Tie
DragonballZ: Defianatly the best manga-anime transition ever. only added thing to the manga was color with DBZ.

DistantMemory · Post by **DistantMemory** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 3:17 pm

MANGA OVER ANIME:
~Shoujo Kakumei Utena: I don't know why, but I think the artstyle was captured more efficiently than in the anime.
~Pokemon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu: Exactly what crazydiamond explained (if that was the manga she was talking about).
~Magic Knight Rayearth

ANIME OVER MANGA:
~FLCL: The manga art is cute, but a little too sketchy for my tastes.

TIED:
~Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
~Cardcaptor Sakura
~Haunted Junction (even though I never read the manga)
~Dragon Ball/Z
~Cowboy Bebop (again, even though I never read the manga)

crazydiamond · Post by **crazydiamond** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 5:23 pm

*blink* I didn't know there was more than one. Yeah, the Electric Tale of Pikachu ones. It's much better.