Can an anime be as good as its source material? Well, yes — maybe not directly as good, but great in other ways. It can even be better than the source, actually. Let’s look at some of our favorite series and see which one is better for each of them.
Haikyuu!! boasts one of the most dedicated fanbases out there. While most fans were probably introduced to the manga through the anime, the adaptation is actually good.
Volleyball is a very dynamic sport, and it works great in animation — while the manga provides extra tidbits that were cut from the anime due to time constraints. The experiences are slightly different, but neither is better than the other: fans feel that both are valid and make each other better.
Okay, to be fair, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with the anime adaptation of Yona of the Dawn (Akatsuki no Yona). It’s a perfectly serviceable adaptation that… only adapts the prologue of the story.
Yes, the actual plot starts where the anime ends — which upset many fans when the anime was initially released. With no sequel to the anime in sight, the adaptation only teases the viewer before ultimately not having a proper ending.
What do Jujutsu Kaisen anime and manga fans have in common? The answer is — whenever a new chapter of the manga or a new episode of the anime drops, they are everywhere with new fan theories and discussions of crazy events that happened.
The anime is commonly considered to improve on the manga’s art (which is often rough, especially in its early stages), but people usually love both.
Bocchi the Rock! isn’t a bad manga by any means. It’s just not as impressive as its adaptation. We’re not just talking about the songs here, although it’s quite obvious you can’t really have them in manga.
A lot of the praise for the anime comes from its impressive animation and clever direction, which elevates it from its source material.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) received one of the most impressive adaptations in recent years. The animation and music are stellar, and the anime adding many shots of the scenery improves the already stellar atmosphere.
That said, the world of Frieren is just as magical in the manga, and the theme of how the perception of time affects your life is still found in both. Also, fans say that we haven’t even gotten to the best part of the series yet.
What’s wrong with the Tokyo Ghoul adaptation? Everything. Well, no, the first season is fine: it’s not as good as the manga, but it’s still decent. The second season is an anime-original storyline that makes no sense whether you read the manga or not… and it only gets worse.
The adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul:re picks up where the original manga left off, with no regard for the anime original events of Root A — the anime-only viewers will not understand it at all. It’s already rushed, and the second season feels like a fever dream — it adapts 121 chapters into just 12 episodes. And we’re not even talking about the horrendous animation of :re.
This is somewhat of a controversial take. After all, One Piece has been criticized for its slow pacing and padding of the episodes for too much. However, Wano is one of the most complex arcs in One Piece — many fans even found it too confusing (spoiler: it’s better when binged).
The arc is famous for its amount of characters and events, something the anime portrayed very well. The animation is some of the best we’ve seen in the series so far — this is the kind of adaptation people wanted.
The anime is better: K-On!
Similarly to the aforementioned Bocchi the Rock!, K-On! is an anime about girls playing in a band that is far better than its own manga. Kyoto Animation being responsible for the adaptation means two things: gorgeous animation and a lot of anime-original content.
Fans very much prefer the anime here. The manga is just another yonkoma which isn’t bad, but isn’t impressive by itself. The anime improves upon its source material and breathes life into the characters. Even the mangaka really likes it.
Yes, The Promised Neverland (Yakusoku no Neverland) really fumbled its second season. That doesn’t mean we should forget how great the first season was, however.
It was one of the most hyped anime for a reason — combining mystery and survival horror, it was a very entertaining story to follow. No wonder fans were upset about the sequel.
You probably already know: The Promised Neverland S2
This might be equal to beating a dead horse at this point, but it’s really impossible to talk about terrible adaptations without mentioning The Promised Neverland S2.
Most of the content in the manga was skipped or significantly cut down, cramming over a hundred chapters into just 11 episodes. The visuals were also significantly worse than in the first season. Of course, most fans just pretend it never existed.
Perfect adaptations actually exist.
Can an anime be as good as its source material? Well, yes — maybe not directly as good, but great in other ways. It can even be better than the source, actually. Let’s look at some of our favorite series and see which one is better for each of them.
Haikyuu!! boasts one of the most dedicated fanbases out there. While most fans were probably introduced to the manga through the anime, the adaptation is actually good.
Volleyball is a very dynamic sport, and it works great in animation — while the manga provides extra tidbits that were cut from the anime due to time constraints. The experiences are slightly different, but neither is better than the other: fans feel that both are valid and make each other better.
Okay, to be fair, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with the anime adaptation of Yona of the Dawn (Akatsuki no Yona). It’s a perfectly serviceable adaptation that… only adapts the prologue of the story.
Yes, the actual plot starts where the anime ends — which upset many fans when the anime was initially released. With no sequel to the anime in sight, the adaptation only teases the viewer before ultimately not having a proper ending.
What do Jujutsu Kaisen anime and manga fans have in common? The answer is — whenever a new chapter of the manga or a new episode of the anime drops, they are everywhere with new fan theories and discussions of crazy events that happened.
The anime is commonly considered to improve on the manga’s art (which is often rough, especially in its early stages), but people usually love both.
Bocchi the Rock! isn’t a bad manga by any means. It’s just not as impressive as its adaptation. We’re not just talking about the songs here, although it’s quite obvious you can’t really have them in manga.
A lot of the praise for the anime comes from its impressive animation and clever direction, which elevates it from its source material.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) received one of the most impressive adaptations in recent years. The animation and music are stellar, and the anime adding many shots of the scenery improves the already stellar atmosphere.
That said, the world of Frieren is just as magical in the manga, and the theme of how the perception of time affects your life is still found in both. Also, fans say that we haven’t even gotten to the best part of the series yet.
What’s wrong with the Tokyo Ghoul adaptation? Everything. Well, no, the first season is fine: it’s not as good as the manga, but it’s still decent. The second season is an anime-original storyline that makes no sense whether you read the manga or not… and it only gets worse.
The adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul:re picks up where the original manga left off, with no regard for the anime original events of Root A — the anime-only viewers will not understand it at all. It’s already rushed, and the second season feels like a fever dream — it adapts 121 chapters into just 12 episodes. And we’re not even talking about the horrendous animation of :re.
This is somewhat of a controversial take. After all, One Piece has been criticized for its slow pacing and padding of the episodes for too much. However, Wano is one of the most complex arcs in One Piece — many fans even found it too confusing (spoiler: it’s better when binged).
The arc is famous for its amount of characters and events, something the anime portrayed very well. The animation is some of the best we’ve seen in the series so far — this is the kind of adaptation people wanted.
The anime is better: K-On!
Similarly to the aforementioned Bocchi the Rock!, K-On! is an anime about girls playing in a band that is far better than its own manga. Kyoto Animation being responsible for the adaptation means two things: gorgeous animation and a lot of anime-original content.
Fans very much prefer the anime here. The manga is just another yonkoma which isn’t bad, but isn’t impressive by itself. The anime improves upon its source material and breathes life into the characters. Even the mangaka really likes it.
Yes, The Promised Neverland (Yakusoku no Neverland) really fumbled its second season. That doesn’t mean we should forget how great the first season was, however.
It was one of the most hyped anime for a reason — combining mystery and survival horror, it was a very entertaining story to follow. No wonder fans were upset about the sequel.
You probably already know: The Promised Neverland S2
This might be equal to beating a dead horse at this point, but it’s really impossible to talk about terrible adaptations without mentioning The Promised Neverland S2.
Most of the content in the manga was skipped or significantly cut down, cramming over a hundred chapters into just 11 episodes. The visuals were also significantly worse than in the first season. Of course, most fans just pretend it never existed.
