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 Lost in Transition: The Manga and Anime Connection
Written by Lisa Anderson
How often has a fan of manga waited months to buy that all-important final volume to a series, only to have the ending ruined by a friend who has already watched the anime? Once such a problem was a rare occurrence, in the days when a single title rarely reached western fans in both manga and anime form. Now industry crossover is growing, and with is grows the underlining problem. The book versus movie debate has been given fresh light, the argument easily converting to manga versus anime.
The relation between the two mediums certainly has its own set of pros and cons. One of the biggest problems, as addressed by the creators themselves, is the release timeframe between manga and anime. With the growing pressure to release new anime in the west, release dates are constantly being pushed up. Some manga titles are already scheduled for conversion to anime before the second volume has even been released. Such a fast pace often has the anime finishing production long before the manga reaches its final volume. Not only does the early end help ruin things for manga followers, but it also leaves room for error. Often the anime ending will be different than the manga ending, leaving fans of both confused. Fans question which was the true ending, which in turn gives both conclusions a rather hollow ring.
Another problem lies in the content itself. While many manga titles transition well from their novel counterparts, the anime doesn’t stand on such firm ground. Despite the added benefit of animation, which should allow more room to expand on the still panels of a manga, anime rarely takes advantage of the opportunity. Stories are dramatically shortened, with entire sub-plots cut and many characters removed. The new holes are replaced with filler episodes, which do more to pad the series than to improve it.
These drastic changes leave many fans with a sour taste in their mouths, and many assume the manga must be equally as poor. Many manga titles are overlooked, simply because the anime OVA version didn’t pan out. For fans that started following the manga first, the problem often leaves them in the position of defending a beloved title.
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