What Is The Difference Between Manga And Anime? The Ultimate Comparison

If you’re new to the anime and manga scene, then you’re probably having some trouble figuring out what the difference is and where you should start your journey into the fandom. In this article, I’m going to break down all of the differences and help you decide where to start.

The main difference between manga and anime is that mangas are books / graphic novels that are meant to be read while anime is animation that is meant to be watched. Manga and anime are both Japanese forms of art and entertainment and they share the same style. Anime is the animated version of manga.

Anime

Origin - Japan

Medium - Television / Streaming

How It’s Consumed - Watched

Stories - Shared

Western Counterpart - Cartoons

Manga

Origin - Japan

Medium - Books / Comics

How It’s Consumed - Read

Stories - Shared

Western Counterpart - Comic Books

Have you ever read a book and then been extremely excited when a TV series or movie was released about that book? Manga and anime share a very similar relationship. Usually, a Japanese company will publish a manga that will become extremely popular. Once it’s popular enough, an animated version of the manga (AKA an anime) will be created.

The nice thing about manga being turned into anime, though, is that the anime usually follows the manga extremely closely. Sometimes the anime has to add in some extra “filler” when the manga is an ongoing series. One of the most popular manga ever, Dragonball Z, is actually notorious for how much filler was added into the anime.

If you’re a fan of comic books, then manga is literally Japanese comic books. A manga series will release new volumes every few months or so and collectors will read the series as it comes out.

Anime, on the other hand, is just literally Japanese animation, although it has a very notable style (the manga style). Many anime series are just manga series that have been animated, but not always.

Keep in mind that just because manga and anime have a cartoon style, they are usually much more serious than cartoons. Many manga are rated for older teens and even adults, so don’t let the artstyle fool you. The stories can be just as complex, suspenseful, and horrific as any gritty story you’ve read / watched.

Are Manga And Anime The Same Thing?

Manga and anime are not the same things. Manga refers to Japanese comic books and graphic novels, while anime refers to Japanese animation / cartoons. Manga and anime share a very similar style and many anime series are actually animated adaptations of popular manga series that were created first.

So while manga and anime are not the same things, they’re forever intertwined. If you choose any random anime out of a hat, there’s a good chance that it was a manga first. For example, if you take a look at the immensely popular Spy x Family anime, you’ll see that it was predated by an immensely popular manga first. When this happens, many fans like to compare the manga to the anime to decide which is better and debate about how true the anime kept to its source material (the manga).

In a very abstract way, you can think of anime and manga like Harry Potter. The books were written first, followed by the movies. Except, manga are comic books, they’re much shorter than a novel most of the time, and they usually follow one large overarching plot / story. When a manga becomes popular, usually an anime is made that follows the manga’s plot, characters, and art style very closely. Anime and manga stories are usually much closer to live action television shows than they are to typical cartoons.

Anime is more popular than manga in most of the world. Anime is more popular because it is easier for most people to consume (watching is easier than reading), it’s easier to get immersed in a series with full animations, sounds, and voice acting, and it is also more accessible for many people.

There are a lot of arguments for which is truly more popular, but without a doubt anime is consumed more than manga because it is just so much easier to consume. Anime has slowly seeped into mainstream culture over the past decade, so much so that just about everyone has seen an anime or two in their life (even if some people have only seen Dragonball Z or Naruto).

I could head to Walmart right now, walk into the clothes department, and find Demon Slayer, Naruto, and Dragonball Z hoodies. These are mainstream anime and they’re extremely popular with kids and young adults alike. However, most people I know that enjoy anime have not actually read manga. Don’t get me wrong, they think manga is cool, but it takes a lot of time, effort, and even money to collect and read manga. It’s much easier to lay down and throw an anime on the TV, especially with streaming services like Netflix adding more and more anime to their catalog.

With all of that being said, manga is definitely growing in popularity (at least over here), because my local bookstores have been stepping up their game. So, maybe in another 5 or 10 years, manga will be more popular!

You should read the manga of a series first and then watch the anime afterwards if you want to. The manga will almost always have more details than the anime and the manga will also be more true to the artist / writer’s vision of the story and characters. Manga series are also usually completed before anime.

Personally, if I’ve seen an anime it’s super hard for me to get into the manga. For example, I absolutely loved the anime Dr. Stone, I rewatched it countless times and had it on in the background while I worked for literal months. I loved it so much that I had to buy the first 4 volumes of the manga as soon as my bookstore got them in. Unfortunately, when I tried reading the manga, I was already so used to the anime and knew the plot so well that it was frankly boring. I tried again with One Punch Man, which I’ve only seen once, and still couldn’t get very far into the manga before losing interest.

On the other hand, I read the manga The Way of the House Husband before even knowing there was an anime adaptation on Netflix. After reading and loving the manga, I literally couldn’t wait to check out the anime and see what direction the creators went with everyone’s voice, the animation, the effects, etc. Something about reading the manga made me appreciate the anime a lot more, even though the story basically stayed the same.

So, without a doubt in my mind, it’s better to start with the manga if you plan on checking out both. However, there’s nothing wrong with being solely an anime fan or solely a manga fan. You can even be a mish mash of both. For example, I love slice of life and horror mangas, but when it comes to action packed shonen (like One Punch Man), I usually stick with the anime.

It’s okay to watch anime without ever reading manga. Anime and manga are very different and there is nothing wrong with watching a series as an anime without ever having read its manga. Anime is usually very accurate to the source material that it is based on so you will still get the full, unaltered story.

As with every fandom, there are some purists out there who say you need to read a manga before you watch the anime version. The reason they say this is because a lot of the time, manga will include tiny little details that do not make it into the anime. However, most of the time, those details just honestly don’t make a huge difference.

If you have the time to read manga and actually enjoy doing so, then you’ll probably enjoy the anime of a series even more after reading the manga. However, there’s nothing wrong with just wanting to sit down and watch an anime.

I enjoy reading manga, and whenever I come across an anime that looks interesting, funny, suspenseful, etc I usually check out Amazon or my local bookstore for the first manga volume. I do make an exception, though, for shonen and action packed anime. I prefer watching the action, hearing the sound effects, the intense music, etc, so I will almost always watch the anime version series with a lot of action and fighting.

In the end, manga and anime are all about escaping the real world and getting lost in a story for a little bit. While the story of a particular manga and anime may be the exact same, there’s a huge difference between reading a story and watching it and everyone will have their own preference. So just do whichever one you love!

Okay, so by now I hope that you fully understand the difference between manga and anime. I also hope that I’ve sparked your interest in trying them both out! Anime and manga are both awesome forms of entertainment, and if I’ve encouraged just one person to try them out then I’ve done my job. Take care everyone!