Manga is huge, but anime adaptations are hit or miss. Some butcher the source material, while others elevate it. Thebest anime seriespreserve the heart and soul of the manga while enhancing key elements through the medium of animation.
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The worst adaptations, on the other hand, commit the sin of hubris by introducing extraneous plot detours, silly filler content, and characters that were never meant to have the spotlight. These missteps detract from the core of what made the manga memorable in the first place.
10Planetes
While the manga, created by Makoto Yukimura, is excellent in its own right, the anime adaptation rises above the source material to become a masterpiece. It condenses and streamlines the sprawling manga story into a tight 26-episode run. It also removes side plots to focus intensely on the growth of the main characters.
This gives more screen time to develop the subtle bonds between Hachimaki, Ai, Fee, and the rest of the debris haulers. Their small acts of kindness and humor turn what could be a dour sci-fi story into an uplifting human drama.
9Kuroko’s Basketball
Allsports animecan have that edge against their manga counterparts with their amazing dynamic scenes. In Kuroko’s Basketball, every slam dunk and three-pointer is rendered with cinematic flair. The anime features a rocking soundtrack that amplifies the excitement during games.
It never feels rushed but still moves at a steady clip, wasting little time on tangents. Key story beats and character arcs, like Kuroko and Kagami’s partnership or Seirin facing off against the Generation of Miracles, are given more emphasis and screentime.
8Made In Abyss
The anime embraces the graphic nature of the story without censoring the strange, dark, and sometimes downright “disgusting” stuff that makesMade In Abysswhat it is. However, it also made the right decision by omitting the more controversial scenes involving our underaged characters. The other key factor contributing to the anime’s success is Kevin Penkin’s evocative and atmospheric score.
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Kevin took inspiration from various sources, including European folk music, classical music, and even some elements of early 20th-century music. In addition to European influences, he also incorporated various ethnic instruments and vocal techniques from different cultures, which further enriches the soundscapes of the anime.
The anime adaptation of Bakuman was produced by J.C.Staff, a studio known for its diverse range of animation styles. They are known for various popular anime series, such asToradoraand Food Wars. Bakuman follows two high school students, Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi, who aspire to become professional manga artists.
The anime series faithfully adapts the manga, following the key plot points and events in the boys' journey to weekly serialization in Shonen Jump magazine. While the story focuses on making manga, it also has good doses ofromanceand humor. The romance between Moritaka and Miho is what keeps the story from feeling too heavy.
6Mob Psycho 100
ONE, the creator ofMob Psycho 100manga, is known for his simplistic and unpolished art style. Stick figures, messy panels, and slapdash art make his manga look like a kid’s art book. ONE’s art in the Mob Psycho 100 manga can only be described as “abstract expressionism,” if one is being extremely polite.
Panels are overloaded with unnecessary details and asymmetrical arrangements that obscure the flow of action and dialogue. In contrast,Studio Bone’s anime reorganizes each scene with perfect visual clarity. Through creative choices of color palettes, excellent comedic timing, and coherent storytelling, the anime transforms ONE’s manga into a modern supernatural classic.
5Yona Of The Dawn
Both the anime and manga follow Yona, a princess in a fantasy version of ancient Korea. After her father is murdered by her lover, Yona flees from the kingdom of Kouka. She sets out on a journey to find thereincarnationsof the legendary dragons of old, who come together to support the king of Kouka.
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The anime is pretty much the same as the manga, despite covering only a small part of the whole story. Even so, it does a great job of making Yona and her friends grow as characters. The series ends by showing everyone at their best, which is awesome. Sadly, the anime never got any more seasons, so fans are left wanting more.
4Ping Pong: The Animation
The anime follows two ping-pong prodigies, Peco and Smile, as they deal with competitions, growth, and change. It is not necessarily considered avant-garde, but it doesstand out from traditional animewith its art style and metaphysical themes. This is because the director is none other than Masaaki Yuasa, known for works such asThe Tatami Galaxyand Devilman Crybaby.
Masaaki preserves the rough and expressive lines of Taiyo Matsumoto’s original artwork from the 90s with bizarre proportions and psychedelic visuals that give it ultra-modern touch. The psychedelic animation style creates visual metaphors for the mental states and emotions of characters. Their inner thoughts and feelings directly influence how movement, matches, and the ball itself are portrayed.
As a heavy dialoguecomedy, the manga is often cluttered with excessive speech bubbles, making it difficult to follow the flow of conversations and jokes. Gintama anime builds upon the manga’s solid comedic foundation and elevates it to new heights through stellar voice acting and additional gags.
Tomokazu Sugita is brilliant as Gintoki, flawlessly delivering everything from deadpan snark to his tear-jerking monologues. The anime even flawlessly manages to keep the distinct and exaggerated accents given to characters like Tsukuyo and Catherine that should have gotten lost in translation from page to screen. Most of all, it understands the soul of its characters in a way that surpasses the original manga.
2Demon Slayer
The Demon Slayer manga tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado’s quest for vengeance against demons that slaughtered his family. Ufotable’s involvement in Demon Slayer has significantly contributed to the anime’s top-notch production quality. Each episode of this series feels like a cinematic experience.
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While the manga is by no means inferior, it’s undeniable that diving into it may detract from the immersive experience that the anime offers. The anime has recently wrapped up itsSwordsmith Village Arc, and fans now eagerly anticipate therelease of season 4.
1Attack On Titan
Attack on Titan by Wit Studio (Seasons 1-3) andMAPPA(Season 4) is bound to be modern classic. When MAPPA took over the production for the fourth and final season, there were concerns regarding the change in animation style. However, MAPPA managed to maintain the series’ visual identity while bringing its own flair to the table.
The studio continued to deliver high-quality animation with impressive fight scenes and a more mature, realistic art style that aligned with the story’s progression. MAPPA even adopted the vertical dark lines on the characters’ faces from the manga to emphasize their intense psychological turmoil.
