As a fan of anime and manga, my time and money are precious resources. Since they are limited, the question becomes “Is it worth experiencing the same story in another format?” The answer is complicated with plenty of exceptions and personal taste.
The first thing to clarify is that I am going to focus on adaptations where the story is practically identical. There are many adaptations where the creators decide to go a different direction to the manga. In these cases, you are experiencing a new story with different plot threads and arcs. Famous examples include the 2003 adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist where the latter half of the show is different from the manga and the 2001 series of Hellsing which featured stories not found in the manga.
Let’s start by saying that, theoretically, experiencing the same story in a different medium cannot impartially be seen as an efficient use of your time or money. If you wanted to maximise your time and money, you should choose to experience the story in one medium and then avoid it in other mediums, focusing instead on new stories.
I try to follow this rule, prioritizing stories that I have not experienced before. Yet, I find myself making exceptions all the time. After reading Bunny Drop (or Usagi Drop if you prefer), I found myself very disappointed at the direction it had gone. Instead, I found solace in the anime adaptation which only adapted the earlier portion of the series.
Different mediums are capable of using different techniques to tell their story. All too often, I feel that adaptations forget to take advantage of these, instead telling the story from the manga with little consideration for new techniques. The other night, I was watching Gundam: The Origin V, an adaptation of a story arc from the manga of the same name. There was a sequence where a character called Crowley Hamon played the piano and sang while we witnessed a montage of war and destruction. I was in awe at how this anime had taken a scene from the manga and reinterpreted for its own medium and wished that more anime would do the same.
I would be remiss if I did not mention live-action adaptations of manga. Admittedly, I have not seen as many as I would have liked (mostly due to lack of availability). When done right though, the results can be thrilling and serve as great companions to the original. Amongst the best I have seen is the Rurouni Kenshin trilogy which, while admittedly truncated compared to the manga, features thrilling action choreography and cinematography.
While there are many adaptations of manga that I avoid because it simply tells the same story again, there are also adaptations that I am drawn to because it offers the strength of its own medium. All too often, I feel that anime adaptations can feel restricted, telling the story and simply adding animation and music rather than telling it in a way unique to anime.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk, amazon.com or bookdepository.com for all of your needs!