Berserk , One-Punch Man, Attack on the Titans, Bleach are the manga on the basis of which the anime was created. Do animated adaptations introduce significant modifications to the original comic book?
I chose four popular titles published in Poland by JPF, they are Bleach , Berserk , Atak Tytanów , One-Punch Man . My goal is to juxtapose the originals with their adaptations to show interesting treatments that significantly affect the reception of a given piece. Therefore, there may be some slight spoilers. In the case of Berserk, I’m going to compare the manga to the first series from 1997. As for One-Punch Man and Attack on the Titans , I only limited myself to the first season.
More is better? – Bleach (Pierrot studio)
Fifty-four volumes of the manga have been translated into three hundred and sixty-six episodes of approximately twenty minutes each. Although in this case we can talk about a fairly faithful adaptation of the comic to the screen, there are two main differences that affect their reception. Namely, over a hundred episodes were created only to give Tito Cuba time to write the next chapters, hence we are dealing with more extensive material. Unfortunately, they mostly break the plot. While the first series about Bountu still fits into the whole story, the next ones usually take place between, for example, clashes (Ichigo defeats Grimmjow, then follows a series that cannot be reasonably placed in time; after it we return to the plot main one, i.e. until the next duel with Nnoitra starts).
Another difference is the matter of brutality. Anime is milder than the manga, for example in the series Gin Ichimaru only wounded the Gate Guard with his sword, and in the comic book he cut off his entire arm.
Best anime ending? – Berserk (OLM studio)
When in Bleachrather, it was focused on expanding the repertoire by adding new series, fillers, so in this case we are dealing with a few cuts. From the very beginning, manga brings the fantastic element to the fore. The first three volumes show Guts’ struggle with the Apostles. Only after that do we come to the Golden Age. The anime seems to focus on this act, as if trying to throw out everything related to fantasy, demons and apostles from the series. Of course there is Zodd, but the entire volume eleven (the second fight with the Apostle) has been cut. The viewer’s approach to Griffith is also different. In the case of the comic, we know from the beginning about the conflict between him and Guts. In addition, we see his dark form. In this respect, the series may be more surprising, because in each of the two media mentioned, Griffith is a character who can arouse sympathy.
The anime ending is just “brilliant”. It was cut at the worst possible moment. Not only is the viewer shocked after the massacre that took place during the Eclipse, it suddenly ends. First, I got acquainted with the show, so after the last episode, the first thing I did was dig into the manga to find out what happened next. Such a sharp ending, leaving the viewer in shock, might even be okay were it not for the first episode, which seems to be thrown on force. The first three volumes of the manga were an introduction to the dark world of Berserkand the next is a flashback about Guts’ growing up. In the anime, however, there is only one incomplete episode that is not known for what it is intended for. It is true that we learn that Guts survived the Eclipse, but to find out by some miracle, you have to reach for the comic (or movies that appeared later and told the whole story again).
Maybe we will change the chronology? Why not! – Attack of the Titans (Wit Studio)
The first volume of the manga was designed in an interesting way. It begins with the great slaughter that was started by the Colossal Titan. Some people, including the three main characters, miraculously survived. They decided to join the Scout Corps to fight the Titans. As things seemed to be getting better, the Colossal Titan reappears and the slaughter begins. It’s all in one volume, also Eren (one of the three main characters) is devoured. The first volume really makes a good impression, and the following volumes deal with the whole theme of the fight for Trost – Eren’s return, clogging the passage, etc. Meanwhile, the anime is linear. Instead of betting on flashbacks, as in the manga, they show everything in chronological order. So we won’t experience the Colossal Titan twice in the first episode. First the action will be loosened up so that we can see how the heroes were trained. Although the anime presents all the events of the manga, the different arrangement of events causes the story to be perceived completely differently.
Is it still the same Saitama? – One-Punch Man (Madhouse studio)
The main plot of the anime is handled in the same way as in the manga. Nothing was added, but side stories were cut. It doesn’t seem like much, after all, the story is the most important thing. Nevertheless, in my opinion, these fillers at the end of the volume are also a valuable complement. In my opinion, they are missing (e.g. such a great side story as Kotlet, i.e. the rivalry between POSS and the Police) significantly weakened the power of the series. Really One had great ideas, which is especially visible in the following volumes. However, the main character is the most important here. This is my private feeling, but I had the feeling that the Saitama from the anime is different to the one from the manga. Perhaps it is a matter of translation or I just felt the character and behavior of Bald in the cape completely differently. Unfortunately, the character from the series somehow didn’t convince me.
And the fight scenes … I will not hide that Yusuke Murata did a brilliant job. The animation is poorer in this respect.
Different medium… different feelings
It is clear that the adaptation will always be different from the original. Nevertheless, some interesting treatments have been applied to the anime listed here. The world of Bleach has been expanded thanks to the series. New characters and races appeared. Berserk shows how the original can be modified. The first episode was thrown in, out of context, and after it ended, we went into the Golden Age completely senselessly. In the manga, the first three volumes showed the most important aspect of the series, i.e. Guts’s conflict with Griffith – a flashback then made sense, in the series unfortunately not. Nevertheless, the anime is generally of a good level, it is dark, full of action, and the characters are fairly faithful. Attack of the Titansit is the abandonment of flashbacks in favor of showing everything in sequence, which led to the release of shares. One-Punch Man shows, on the other hand, that graphics also matter and what makes you fall in love with the manga (Yusuki Murata’s line) in anime is average.
We could talk about it for a long time, in any case if you read the manga first or watch the anime, you will learn the story presented in a different way. Otherwise, we will remember the plot, the characters and it will either encourage us to get to know the original / adaptation, or just the opposite.
Anime vs manga
The answer to the question in the title is: Manga. The solutions used in the originals are much better, in addition, they mostly present a higher artistic level. Of course, all four anime are not weak at all, but even good. Nevertheless, it is better to read Berserk than watch, if only for the sake of Kentarou Miura’s brilliant line. Yusuke Murata in One-Punch Man is able to create brilliant fight scenes, we will not experience it in the anime. Bleach is basically a choice between a shorter, more coherent and a bit more brutal story, and an artificially elongated one. If someone likes Bleach , he or she will probably be happy to watch episodes that did not appear in the manga. Attack of the Titansis unusual. While the plot solutions in the first volumes seem much better to me than those used in the anime, the average line does not encourage reading.
Each of the mentioned titles has something interesting to offer, and the choice of a given medium may also be influenced by other factors such as time, costs, place (eg Bleach is 74 volumes). Most importantly, however, both comics and series tell great stories that are worth reading.
