Highlights
- Anime adaptations sometimes surpass the original manga because they offer new layers and better execution.
- Attack On Titan and Mob Psycho are examples of series that have significantly improved on the original art style.
- The series Nichijou and Demon Slayer have already taken solid stories and made them much more emotional.
When it comes to anime or manga, fans debate which medium tells the story better. While some people appreciate the pure artistry of hand-drawn panels of a manga, the anime enthusiast probably prefers the kinetic, moving world brought to life through animation.
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Anime adaptations often strike a balance between being faithful to the source material and adding a few additions. There have been anime that have ruined great manga, but there have also been anime that have taken inspiration from the source material and taken it to new levels through quality and execution. These adaptations have shown that occasionally the big screen version can offer something better than the original manga ever could.
10 Rabbit Drops
Deviates significantly from the controversial manga ending
Thanks to the decision to conclude the anime before the controversial chapters of the manga, Bunny Drop shines as a real-life series that beautifully explores the true meaning of caring for someone.
The series begins with the healthy dynamic between Daikichi and Rin, his grandfather’s illegitimate daughter, whom he takes in and raises after her parents die. While the manga explores an awkward romantic subplot, the anime sticks to the early chapters depicting the father-daughter relationship between the duo. Fans were very relieved by this choice and ultimately cheered for the anime adaptation’s finale.
9 Initial letter D
Animations of racing cars that increase the adrenaline
The classic 90s street racing anime, Initial D, introduces us to 18-year-old Takumi Fujiwara and his evolution from laid-back delivery boy to top-notch street racer. When the anime first aired, everyone was impressed by its animation, which featured drag racing on empty streets and drifting cars on the winding mountain roads of Japan’s Kanto region.
While the manga relied on still images of racing cars, the anime managed to put the viewer directly in the driver’s seat with the characters.
8 Nichijou
If you have an unlimited animation budget and a real-life storyline
Nichijou is probably one of the funniest anime ever presented in the slice-of-life genre. It’s so memorable that you might have seen its funny, out-of-context clips floating around the internet even if you haven’t seen the show.
Nichijou captures the unusual daily life of the people of Tokisadame, focusing primarily on three childhood friends. As their day progresses, it somehow gets funnier as the absurdity keeps increasing. Although the anime shares many similarities with its manga, it is a complete package due to its stunning animation and an even sharper comedic edge.
7 Attack on Titan
Isayama’s creation became something legendary
Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama may be a master of unexpected twists, but the first few chapters of his manga leave a lot to be desired, and the first few storylines consist of nothing more than simple drawings.
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When WIT Studio took over the project in 2013, they transformed the source material into a visual spectacle that surpassed it in scale. The rapid movements of the 3D maneuvering gear, the crazy fight sequences, and everything Levi does come together to create a collage of gory animation that far surpasses what the manga offers.
6 Gintama
A pure comedy festival that will keep you laughing
One of the most defining characteristics of a great comedy character is their voice acting, and such characters make Gintama a series that fans can’t get enough of.
In the cartoon series, we could be shown a single still image of a character for a minute and the voice actor’s performances would still make us laugh.
The manga also had a lot of great moments and characters, but none of them would have come to life if it weren’t for the great dubbing. The show gave each character a lot more personality, making even the mediocre jokes laugh-out-loud moments.
5 HunterXHunter
The climax of the shōnen anime
Hunter x Hunter is undoubtedly one of the best shōnen series of all time and has received numerous awards, including the 2011 Anime of the Decade award.
The manga, illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi, gave us some amazing story arcs in the form of the exceptionally long Chimera Ant and Green Island arcs, but they wouldn’t be as epic if it weren’t for the anime’s adaptation. The vibrant animation and unique character designs set it apart from the manga and set a bar that few series have been able to reach to this day.
4 Demon Slayer
The animation team at Ufotable always delivers great content
Demon Slayer took off when Ufotable Studios adapted the manga in 2019. The series’ dark animation was a major draw, with some sequences leaving everyone’s jaws dropping.
The animated series had brilliantly choreographed fight scenes that turned such a simple narrative of Tanjiro’s revenge story against the classically evil Muzan Kibutsuji into something truly extraordinary. While the manga is just as good in its own right and helped establish many tropes and characters, it was really the anime that brought these elements to life and took the manga’s popularity to new heights.
3 Mob Psycho 100
Perfect portrayals of emotions and characters
When he started working on the Mob Psycho manga series, One’s art style was still quite rudimentary, but his creative concepts were so strong that he turned his manga into a world-class animation when the anime studio took him on.
Undoubtedly, Mob Psycho’s animation is top-notch and features some of the best action sequences ever produced. The anime also manages to pull off many of its emotional scenes perfectly, and Mob’s overall personality has been enhanced to make his character more realistic and believable, giving him the best anime polish we’ve seen in a long time.
2 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Truly bizarre in every way
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a hugely popular anime that has given us unforgettable characters like Jotaro Kujo and internet sensation Dio Brando, a villain like we’ve never seen before.
Originally adapted from a Japanese manga series, the bizarre nature of the anime with a strange animation style and the fresh concept of “stands” helped make the anime a unique masterpiece that is much better than the manga. There is no denying that the manga is full of witty comedy and overly bombastic dialogues, but we can’t imagine Jojo’s Adventure without all the improvements the anime studio made.
1 Freeze: Beyond Journey’s End
Breathtaking aesthetics that leave manga far behind
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is the story of an immortal elf girl, Frieren, who must watch her companions age and die before she truly gets to know them. Anyone who has seen the anime will agree that it was a near-perfect adaptation that stayed true to the manga.
One area where the anime really shined was in the elaboration of its aesthetics and attention to detail in the scenery, unlike the manga which progresses at a leisurely pace. The anime also improved the fight scenes with better choreography, making it a definite visual improvement over the manga and one of the best possible adaptations of a manga.
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