What I hate is that when you read the manga and then watch the anime, you get dissapointed because what you liked in the manga may not appear in the anime and vice versa. I, however, like watching the anime rather than reading the manga. Nothing wrong with mangas, but i like seeing the action come to life.

Depends on the series but I tend to prefer the manga overall, since it's usually the original story and usually goes into more detail than it's anime counterpart.

Plus it's more convienent, cheaper and you could read it at your own pace.

Manga because the plot generally possesses greater depth and stronger character development.

It depends on the series really. Bleach anime and manga are both equally good. The anime actually has a whole arc separate from the manga; it was very well done despite not being in the manga. FMA anime and manga are both good, despite the anime being drastically different. Love Hina manga is much better than the anime though.

Give me manga any time of the day, the artists have their own liberty and complete control of their creation. Plus, they don't have to worry about deleting scenes because of the movie being allowed by the producers can be no more than 2 hours, when in manga the narrative can be as long as you want. Akira is good example, a friend of mine and i had already seen the movie but we got curious about the manga, so when we started reading we were completly blown away by it, it's just so much better and it's lot longer with great moments. WARNING, SPOILER: Who would have imagined that Akira is actually alive and one of the main characters.

I like manga more, since i dunno, the art is usally better, but animes add life to them soo its hard to choose.
I think I'll side with Manga though.

I'm going to agree with most people and say that it depends on the series. Sometimes the anime adaptation turns out to be better than the original manga. Anime has sound, color, and movement (duh lol). Still, usually I like the manga better because I can read it at my own pace and enjoy the art.

i'd say anime.. anime is more colorful and has sound, not like manga..

Oh but Manga usually have nicer artwork.
though yeah, anime brings it more to life.. xD

for me all depends on the original version, sometimes an anime (like code geass for example) is made before the manga, code geass is pure awesome, a great example of how anime can be brilliant, however when the manga is written first its very rare in my opinion for the anime to come close to the detail thats in the manga, fma would be a good example here, or sometimes they go to fillery like bleach. There are exceptions, im tempted to say that the elfen lied anime is better than the manga despite been short, i didnt really like the manga much that was just too sadistic, i didnt like the art or the story, the little differences in the anime which i normally dont like were all very good for the story, like the diclonis only haveing one hair colour and 4 vectors etc etc + great soundtrack *sheds tear* however i think this sort of exception is rare. I think the exact same for books, if a book is written first the film just can not rival the books complexity, but books written based on a film normally suck, also goes for games too, pokemon (specially early ones) are brilliant games, zelda too, but the anime and manga adaptations suck, similarly games based on anime and manga also normally suck, dubs are also annoying, the original no matter the language is always better. Anyway im going of topic but in general the original is nearlly always better XD

I think anime and manga are both as good as each other in their own right, I mean in anime you get to see everything in colour which is a really good thing but in manga you see the real plot line and their arn't as many fillers...

Anime is better than Manga...

in anime, it's like reality and expressions...like you can wish it was for real but
in manga, it's only descriptions and images without sfx or any thing....

Im not a bookworm but I love reading books with many pictures in it..... but action speaks louder than words ....

I think Anime is Better . . . It is well Illustrated . . .

Anime is a lot better, (I like anime better than manga) but it can also depend on the type of anime.
If the anime sucks, then manga would be better. I don't know, maybe its a tie between the two.

Manga.

For so many reasons that I can't be bothered to list, manga every time. Even though I adore anime very much.

Both are great, but the one I like most is the manga. In the anime, your point of view and your interpretation doesn't count as much as in the manga. Mangas depends of you. But animes are more colorful, and funnier than the mangas are.
In FMA, for example, I like the mangas most, but I download the animes too =D

I like both anime and manga, but I can easier read a manga series then watch the anime.
I don't know what it is, I just like the feel of a book, and how you can read it at your own pace, and stop to look at the artwork.
But what I love about anime, as a lot of people has said, is that it brings a lot more life to the series, with color, movement, and sound.
So I don't really know... I guess it depends on the series.

It depends on the series for me too. But I feel like series that have a lot of action and fights scenes are better animated. Since animation makes the fight scenes go smoother.

But like comparing the book to the movie, I feel like manga can add in more story or plot detail than the anime. I also like how I can rest in my bed with a good manga volume to read.

It really depends on the story for the Anime or Manga to be better. If the story is very complexed, sometimes people prefer the anime cause they see, hear and don't have to figure out what sound is being made, what the mood is, the tone of voices, or any secret thing they might miss.

Then sometimes, if the story is simple, too simple in the anime, the manga may be better.

It's really back and forth for me...@_@

Even though I've watched more anime than I've read manga, I've gotta say manga.

Whenever I read a manga it's usually better than it's anime adaption. It's probably because it's the original story and it has everything in it and more that's in the anime.

I have to say that, in my opinion, the manga's usually better. I do love a good anime adaptation of a manga, and I think that some moments can be much more powerful when they're moving and in color and have music and sounds going on (and blah, blah, blah...). Plus, if the animators are really good, fight scenes can be really freakin' awesome. But I think the manga tends to be a lot more detailed in dialogue and plot lines.

Plus, I don't understand why some anime series find it so necessary to add pointless filler. I can't really can't stand when the makers of the anime think it's a good idea to add random stuff like that. The filler is usually never good and doesn't make any sense. At least in the manga, there isn't any of that. There's just pure story.

It really depends.

But usually the manga is better because the anime leaves some things out when it adapts the manga, or it stops halfway in the manga's plot (such as Ouran, Special A, and every other popular shoujo manga that has an anime adaption).
So I'd have to say the manga.

There are exceptions, though, like Toradora or Princess Tutu.

You can't really say one is better than the other, because you need a hot manga to make a hit anime. I love reading manga, but I love watching the animated versions because I can actually see what's happening. Especially action manga's such as Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece, I prefer to watch the anime episodes and then I read the manga until the anime catches up. SO I'm really a fan of both, but I would prefer to watch the anime versions, but that doesn't mean it's better.

To me this isn't even a question.

This is how it would go If someone came up to me and asked:
"Which is better, manga or a--"
"Manga. It has to be manga."

Honestly, I don't like anime in general. It always ruins the manga series (when it's based off one, that is. But when you think about it, a HUUUUUUUUGE amount of anime is from manga), it always seems to exaggerate the humor, and honestly half the time it feels so babyish. When the best humor you can think of is an odd face-fault, or a wonderful stirring romance consists of a few blushes here and there... *facepalm*

The only anime I like are Fullmetal Alchemist, Digimon, Pokemon (*cough* speaking of babyish *cough* I can't help it, some childhood things are forever good!), and Witch Hunter Robin.

That doesn't mean I'm not willing to try any though. I even go in with an open mind about it ("Surely this one will be rise above the usual junk~<3") it's just very hard for me to find one that I like.

I somehow tend to like manga a little bit more. That's just because manga sometimes seems more interesting to me and I kind of empathize with the mangaka.
However, anime is great too, because I think you can understand motion and the characters' feelings(that's because of the sound) a little bit better.

I would have to say manga, because the anime always leaves out at least one thing.

For me, it's anime, hands down. No offence to the manga though, this pretty much comes to the fact that I live up north and manga must be read online. And mind I tell you, since there are rarely any books available, reading manga online takes time. It's very frustrating. You need to know exactly when to press for the next page so that you won't lose the flow.

As for anime, well, I prefer it since it has everything. Music, Art style, COLORS, voices, it is better to me. And it's MUCH easier to watch online , once you know where to find anime, of course.

As for anime adaptations. Well, usually I expect the opposite from the manga fans. Usually manga fans expect a literal transition to anime form, I always expect more. I mean, if you're going to make an adaptation, why not do it well? You can add new scenes, some new pieces of dialogue. You don't have to alter the actual plot but you can create some new, exciting twists.
That's pretty much the reason why I prefer FMA 2003 to Brotherhood, and Sailor Moon anime to manga (although I admit, I have been watching the live action version and the anime version can be extremely stupid.) Really, Sailor Moon must one of the best adaptations ever. It has the overall plot of manga but adds new twists and characters and relationships. I especially like the last season.

That's a tough call - but if pressed, I'd have to go with anime. If only for the visceral potential of moving pictures and sound, I feel the audio/visual dimensions of a properly executed animation elevate it above its less dynamic, paper-bound counterpart.

While I appreciate both traditions of popular entertainment, I find the quickening of still frames through artistic skill, visionary direction, and human ingenuity far more alluring than the more traditional techniques of manga.

By the previous observation, I do not mean to imply that all - or even most - anime achieves a level of artistry above manga simply because they showcase images in motion while manga presents choice frames to achieve the allusion of motion. True artistic excellence is rare in both mediums. However, when done properly, the emotions it has elicited from me go far beyond anything I've every experienced from reading a manga.

To clarify further: while reading a particularly elegant manga panel, action scene, or plot point, I am often struck by how cleverly a scene is envisioned, how skillfully it is rendered, or the unexpectedness of a plot twist with a feeling of satisfaction or giddiness. Yet, these emotions pale in comparison to the visceral response my entire body undergoes when enveloped in a truly masterful anime. The combination of music, unlimited artistic expression, and the knowledge that everything I am witnessing in motion is the result of countless man hours of sweat, dedication, and perseverance often gives me chills, occasionally even moving me to tears.

Examples of the transcendent power of animation to which I refer include:

- The collapse of Steam Castle in Steamboy
- The dramatic reveal of Heintz' personal tragedy and destruction of the space station in Magnetic Rose
- The visceral depiction of speed in Redline (or the lesser known but equally excellent Running Man OVA)
- The final sword fight in Sword of the Stranger
- Row, Row, Fight The Power opera rendition from episode 25 of Gurren Lagann
- The mixture of comical sensibility and dynamic action in the final chase of Tokyo Godfathers
- The technical mastery of Akira's opening biker sequence and final confrontation
- Major Kusanagi's bare-handed battle with a tank as a visual metaphor of her desire to transcend the limitations of her physical body from the original Ghost in the Shell movie
- The philosophical quandaries inherent to the final confrontation with Zorndyke and the excellent integration of early CGi to realize massive underwater battles in Blue Submarine No. 6
- The build-up and thematic layering of Spike Speigel's fist fight with Vincent Volaju as well as the phenomenally animated spaceship dogfight in Knockin at Heaven's Door
- Asuka's last stand in End of Evangelion
- The synergy between animation and music in the climactic episodes of X'amd: Lost Memories
- The visual storytelling of 5cm per Second and The Place Promised in Our Early Days
- Sara Ringwalt's escape from bondage in Now and Then, Here and There
- The liftoff sequence from Royal Space Force Honneamise
- The visual representation of mental breakdown in Perfect Blue
- The discovery of Laupta in Miyazaki's fantastic Castle in the Sky
- Wrath versus Gluttony in Conqueror of Shamballa
- Otomo's inspired juxtaposition of Ray Charles and apocalyptic destruction in the 2001 reinvisioning of Fritz Lang's classic Metropolis
- The gradual build and tragic resolution of Sky Crawlers' generational narrative
- The animation of Hubb's agony, loss and desperate perseverance in Wolf's Rain

For all my preference of anime, I will concede that manga/anime adaptations often resolve in favor of the original source material, due to decreased constraints on time and increased potential to realize three dimensional characters. Yet, even this trend is not absolute. Monster, which I consider to be one of the best anime ever produced, is a frame perfect adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's manga and an improvement on the original in almost every way. Perhaps a more controversial opinion (on this board, especially) would be the assertion that FMA-1 surpasses FMAB, or even, dare I suggest it, the manga story line itself. While certainly not a majority position, I nonetheless find such a preference artistically and thematically defensible, lending further credence to the fact that anime adaptations are not always inferior to their manga counterparts.

In my experience the manga series are always always always better than their anime adaptations, at least 90% of the time.

The manga was better than the first anime. But I prefered Brotherhood to both cos it had the good story of the manga.