There’s no denying that anime is an important artform that must be preserved and appreciated. But the manga industry must also thrive to give birth to new and exciting anime. And because the manga typically comes first and is not restricted by time or audience guidelines, it has more freedom to capture the true message of the story. And that’s why manga often ends up being better than the anime counterpart.

With so many things competing for our time, most of us only have enough time to invest in either a manga or an anime. So if you’re interested in a story, it’s important to pick the best medium to experience it. With that being said, here’s the list…

5 Manga that is better than the Anime.

Tokyo Ghoul

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While the anime version of Tokyo Ghoul does look stunning, the fact is that that the anime version deviates far from the original story depicted in the manga. Without spoiling anything, the second season of Tokyo Ghoul sees Ken Kaneki joining an entity, while in the manga he actually opposes them.

Changes like this are a big deal, and sometimes they actually pay off and make the anime superior to the manga. But in this case, the anime begins to lose substance as it focuses more on cool action scenes than story development. Therefore, if you want to experience Tokyo Ghoul in its true glory, you should stick to the manga.

Death Note

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Death Note is a series I hold close to my heart. Its unique twist of Sherlock Holmes-like physiological mind games is crack to me. I love it so much that after reading the entire manga, I relived the story through the anime twice.

To Death Note‘s credit, the anime is almost a 1-to-1 telling of the manga version, with not many deviations from the original story. However, the ending of the series is the major difference. In my personal opinion, the ending in the manga is much darker and twisted than the anime version. The anime chooses to grant a softer ending to the evil mastermind, while the manga doesn’t hold back on dishing out the punishment.

Ultimately, I feel like the manga’s ending does a better job of showing the brutal consequences to the chain of events that led to that moment. And within that uncomfortable ending is a valuable lesson about what happens when you abuse power. Therefore, the Death Note manga will always be superior in my eyes. But I do also recommend the anime if it’s what you prefer.

Berserk

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Not only is it confusing to piece together the anime versions of Berserk—with there being one in the 1990s and another in 2016—but there’s also a chunk of story missing from them. That means you’ll only get the full history of this story from the manga, which isn’t a bad thing considering it’s an incredible piece of art.

On top of the missing story content, the 2016 anime was also ripped to shreds for having very questionable looking animations, which is another strike against the anime.

Definitely stick with the manga on this one. But also be warned that Berserk is a brutally dark manga series that is not for the faint-hearted.

Akame Ga Kill

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There are some notable differences between the Akame Ga Kill anime and manga that have left many fans split over which is better. I’ll avoid some of the notable differences due to spoilers, but let’s just say that the anime misses entire story arcs from the manga, as well as interesting characters. There’s also a difference between some of the deaths in the story, and the ending is vastly different, with the manga expanding on the end much more than the anime.

The anime also leaves out the Wild Hunt story, and without this, viewers never get the full context of Run’s story.

I’ll also add that I found the anime difficult to take seriously, but whenever I read the manga it was able to catch my interest in a way that left me longing for more. Certain stories I feel translate to the manga format much better than on the screen, and Akame Ga Kill is one of them.

Gangsta

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Gangsta is a story with great depth, and a ton of nuance. Both the main manga series and the prequel—Gangsta: Cursed—do a great job of worldbuilding. But the anime misses out on some of the nuance. It also sets up a lot of story threads that never get tied up.

It’s important to note that the studio who worked on the anime went bankrupt, and these complications could certainly have been a factor in how it turned out in comparison to the manga.

If you want to experience this deep and meaningful story, make sure you priorities the manga version.

In the future, we’ll also look at some anime series’ that ended up being way better than the manga source material. For now, drop some of your thoughts on this list in the comments, and also share some manga series you feel outperform their anime.

20th Century Boys Volume 1 by Naoki Urasawa. Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

About 20th Century Boys

Written and drawn by: Naoki Urasawa
Genres: Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
Publisher: Shogakukan
Magazine: Big Comic Spirits
Original Run: 1999 – 2006
Pages in Volume 1: 416

Premise

In 1969, young boys Kenji, Otcho, Yoshitsune and Maruo build an empty field hideout that comes to be their base. In their base, they begin to store manga, pornographic magazines, and a radio. To celebrate the creation of their base, Otcho draws a symbol for the base that will represent their friendship. When new friends Yukiji and Donkey join their group, they come up with a plot in which villains would destroy the world where they would need to stand up and fight to save humanity.

In 1997, when the boys are grown men with responsibilities, their symbol begins to resurface, and it becomes tied to multiple suspicious deaths. This begins a mystery as to who is orchestrating these events, and what they have planned for the upcoming new millennium.

My thoughts on 20th Century Boys

Naoki’s mangas always read like an incredible literary feat but in manga form. 20th Century Boys reminds me of Stephen Kings work, in the sense that every page, and every character interaction serves to develop the feeling of uncanny. No matter how innocent or light-hearted the scene is, we’re constantly being told that something isn’t right and that there’s something dark brewing in the background.

And this kind of storytelling splits your mind in two layers, one where you’re sucking in and enjoying the story unfold, and another where you’re working in overtime trying to figure out what’s really going on. And at the end of every chapter, these two layers of thought always link together as Naoki masterfully drops a new clue for us to decipher.

Put simply, 20th Century Boys is genius work for those who enjoy mystery and psychological thrillers. This series surprisingly has me more glued than Monster did previously and I cannot wait to continue reading it.

Verdict

Do not hesitate to read this series. Go and get it now!

Vinland Saga Book One (Hardcover): Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

About Vinland Saga

Written and drawn by: Makoto Yukimura
Genre: Historical Fiction / Adventure
Imprint: Kodansha Comics, Afternoon KC
Magazine: Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Original Run: April 13, 2005 – present
Pages in Book 1: 470
Volumes: 23

Premise

Vinland Saga is set in 1013 AD, when England has been mostly conquered by the Danish King, Sweyn Forkbeard. During this time a Northern European people terrorized the civilized world in their dragon-headed ships. From western Europe to Russia, North Africa, Greece, Turkey and even the Middle East. In old Frankish they were the Normanni, in England they were the Danes. In later years, they would simply be known as Vikings.

Vinland Saga: Book One focuses on the origins of a young boy named Thorfinn, who is taken in by the Vikings who killed his father to fulfill a contract. Thorfinn hopes to one day be skilled enough to defeat the gang leader in a duel and avenge his father.

My thoughts on Vinland Saga

Despite this manga being heavily recommended to me, I was hesitant at first as I’d never dived headfirst into a pirates / vikings story before. I wasn’t sure if it would be something I’d enjoy. And Vinland Saga Book 1 started out slow, making me wonder if it was going to be a 400 page drag.

But I was wrong to wonder about Vinland Saga because although it started out slowly, it did a superb job of building up the tension so that when the final conflict in this volume occurs, you really feel the weight of the moment.

The book begins by introducing you to the present day version of young Thorfinn. Thorfinn is out for vengeance, but his pride will only let him exact his revenge by winning a duel on the man he believes is responsible for his father’s death —Askeladd. Therefore, Thorfinn makes a deal with Askeladd to aid him in a siege in exchange for an honest one on one duel.

I will not giveaway what happens next, but I will say that the book also goes back in time to show the reader Thorfinn’s bond with his father, and the events that led to the tragic moment. It’s all very well built up. So well developed that I geek’d out when the final fight in this volume kicked off.

I’ve already ordered Book 2 for myself as I can’t wait to continue this story.

Verdict

If you’re after some kickass adventurous manga with a historical twist, read this series NOW. There’s also the anime if that’s what you prefer.

This series will really appeal to anyone with an invested interest in pirates, vikings and the 11th century. Even if you’ve never been interested in those themes, there’s enough range of emotion and drama here to suck absolutely anyone in.

If you’re into anime and manga, you owe it to yourself to try Vinland Saga.

Death Note is a psychological-thriller written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The premise of the story is that a shinigami named Ryuk from the other realm becomes bored and decides to pay a visit to Earth realm and drop a Death Note there to see what will happen, strictly out of amusement.

Protagonist, Light Yagami finds the Death Note at school and begins reading its rules. The Death Note is a tool of the shinigami to take human life and extend their own. When a human touches the Death Note, they’re granted the ability to write other human names in it and take their life. They’re also able to see the shinigami who owns it.

Ryuk makes himself known to Light Yagami, and makes it clear that he is simply there to monitor Light, and that Light may use the Death Note as he sees fit, and he could even discard it if he wishes.

Light, who is the son of a detective, has been studying hard in school solely for the purpose of bringing justice to the world like his father. So with the new found power of the Death Note, Light’s morality begins to shift into a gray area, as he starts using it to kill only criminals. But later in the series, an independent taskforce, led by a mastermind known simply as L, begins to notice the patterns of these criminal deaths, and therefore an investigation begins to threaten Light’s plans for justice. At this point, the public and the investigators begin to refer to the one behind the killings as Kira.

On the surface, Death Note comes across as a series grounded in fantasy. But although there are shinigami, this story feels more grounded in reality as it questions what justice really is and whether evil criminals deserve to die. And as the series continues, with Light (Kira) and L outwitting each other back and forth, we begin to see Light’s character and morals change significantly.

Throughout the series, more and more characters are introduced that take the story into new directions; such as my favourite, Misa Amane. Misa is introduced when another shinigami enters Earth, bringing another Death Note. I won’t spoil what happens when she’s introduced, but her arrival is a huge turning point in the mental battle between Light and L.

One of the elements of Death Note that makes it so engrossing is the chess-like battle of wits between Light Yagami and L (who goes by a few names). You can compare this psychological battle to Sherlock Holmes and his rival Moriarty. Both characters are thinking ten steps ahead on how to outsmart one another, and even when you think one of them is in the position of power, the other finds a way to pull the wool over the eyes of the reader.

If you haven’t read the series, you’re probably thinking “why doesn’t Light just use the Death Note to kill L then.” But that’s the beauty of the story, as the Death Note’s rules create restrictions on how Light can act. For instance, Light must know his victims real name as well as have a visual of what they look like. Luckily for L, he tells no one his real name.

There is a major turning point in the Death Note series, and after this point the story and tone changes significantly. Some say this is when the story falls off. Personally, I wouldn’t say it falls off, but it’s definitely loses some of its edge after this turning point.

What’s also great about Death Note, is that it will question your own morality. Because the protagonist, Light Yagami is essentially the bad guy in this story (or is he?). But like me, many readers are rooting for Light to always come out victorious in the various mental battles. But that desire to see Light win, may also come from not wanting the story to end.

When the end finally does come, it hits hard in a shockwave of events. But the way in which the story ends feels less plausible than some of the earlier moments in the story, and that’s as much as I can say without giving it away.

I read Death Note Black Edition, which is probably the best way to read the series as it comes in 6 thick volumes that you can buy singular or in a collection.

Buy the Death Note Black Edition in the UK | Buy Death Note Black Edition in the US

The Death Note manga had me so hooked that I was often staying up way too late to read the series. It’s the most hooked I’ve been on a series for a long time and it was refreshing to read something so dark and morally gray.

I’ve been reading a ton of manga since Death Note, trying to find something with the same flavour. But it’s such a unique story that you’ll be looking for a long time to find anything that makes you feel the same as when you read Death Note for the first time.

I also watched the anime after reading the manga, but as I’m more of a reader by nature, I enjoyed the manga much more. The anime is still worth it though and has a slightly altered ending.

Whatever you do, just don’t watch the Netflix movie.

I’m currently reading three manga series’, including: Monster by Naoki Urasawa, Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata, and Gangsta: Cursed by Syuhei Kamo. While tearing through these manga series’, I made three observations that have hooked on them.

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The depth of storytelling

This is not to discredit comic writers from the western world, as I’ve read some incredible graphic novels over the years. But something I’ve found with manga writers is that the stories they tell are so layered. And because they go so deep with their stories, they’re able to spring incredible twists on the reader that feel authentic.

While some graphic novels read as though the writers are making things up volume by volume, mangas tend to feel as though the writer has mapped out every single instance of the story ahead of time. This may not actually be the case, but the stories are so well plotted that it feels that way. I also find myself being on the edge of my seat and talking out loud while reading, something I never do with books or comics.

Perfect example: in Death Note—(small spoiler alert)—when L’s task force is about to track down Higuchi, I was yelling the entire time because I knew L was about to learn all about the notebook.

What’s even more interesting about this, is that the book is essentially making me side with the wrong-doers in the story.

Light Yagami can be considered both the protagonist and the villain in the story, and that’s because these characters have so much depth that it creates a gray area on whether they’re right or wrong.

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Manga artists can do so much with so little

One of the most standout things about manga—besides the fact that you read it from the opposite way that you’d read a western comic—is that they have no colour. The books are inked completely in black and white…with maybe a few pages in each book having actual colour (including the front and back covers).

This is because it saves time and expense for the manga creators. Colourists are extremely expensive to hire, and the work can take months. So in order to get the stories to the readers faster, it was decided long ago that manga creators would ship their work in black and white.

But this in no way reduces the quality of the work. In many cases, it shows the true talent of the artist as they are able to do so much with so little. You could make a case for some of the artists that the black and white makes their work even more detailed. The way they shade the illustrations to account for the lack of colour is pretty incredible. And having no colour also makes them get more creative in terms of how they illustrate some elements where colour would be important.

To put it simply, the black and white manga style has become its own unique artstyle. And it has garnered respect globally, even though it was originally done to cut time and costs. And even with the lack of colour, artists are still able to develop their own distinguishable styles.

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Manga has darker stories

I love me some grim and gritty storytelling, and it seems that Japanese stories are grimer and introspective by nature. Both Monster and Death Note have shown me just how casually dark manga stories can get.

For a book with young adults, Death Note has some weighty subject matter that involves humans having the power to decide people’s mortality.

And in Gangsta: Cursed, the main character Marco Adriano has to battle with the question of whether it’s morally okay to murder Twilights, even if they are monsters disguised as people. These Twighlights never fight back or provoke humans, but the Cristiano Family believes that the Twilights must be slaughtered on-sight.

Death is a part of western comics also, but I’ve never seen these themes so casually embedded into the story, especially when it concerns younger characters. And as twisted as it may sound, I kind of enjoy these darker themes with morally gray areas. (I’m not a psychopath, I promise.)

What do you love about manga?

If you’re reading this and you also have a love of manga, please share what you love about them in the comments. Also, feel free to recommend some more manga series’ to a new reader like myself….