In one of the most popular discussion forums reddita new question caught the attention of thousands of users: «We've all heard the phrase 'Read the manga', but what series would you say 'Watch the anime' to?». This discussion quickly became a trend, attracting numerous comments and suggestions from the community. The opening question specifies a crucial rule: the source material must be a manga, not a light novel.and original anime series that later received manga adaptations, such as Code Geass or Cowboy Bebop, should not be included.

The debate that this issue has sparked is nothing new to anime fans. The phrase “Read the manga, the anime is poorly adapted” is commonly used by those who feel that anime adaptations often fail to capture the essence or quality of the source material. These criticisms arise when an anime omits important parts of the story, alters narrative elements, or simply fails to capture the atmosphere that made the original manga so popular. As a result, many fans suggest that others leave out the animated version and focus on the manga for a more authentic experience.

However, the question posed on Reddit takes the discussion in the opposite direction: which series, based on manga, have anime adaptations that surpass the source material? This approach has opened up a space for fans to debate not only successful adaptations, but also how animation, soundtrack, and other visual and auditory elements can enrich a story that, in its original form, may not have shined as much.

• «Bocchi the Rock!, Kakushigoto and Asobi Asobase».
• «Your Lie in April: The music is much better in the anime because it's real music».
• «Chihayafuru: As good as the manga is, the anime elevates it in every aspect».
• «K-On!: The manga is good, not bad, but the anime is better in every way and also, the second season has about 75% of original content, which improves the programming.».
• «Any musical anime: I think they're better than the manga».
• «Initial D and MF Ghost: Running without eurobeat just doesn't feel right».
• «Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen: These are two that instantly come to mind, both greatly improved by the adaptation.».
• «Shingeki no Kyojin: This is probably in the same group where I would recommend the anime over the manga, but in this case the quality is more similar.».
• «Gintama: The voices are great, and some things just don't come across as well in still images as they do when animated, whether it's jokes or character interactions.».
• «Call of the Night: The visuals with different color schemes and the music used in the anime add a lot to the story that more or less only takes place at night.».
• «Drop Usagi».
• «Takagi-san».
• «Sousou no Frieren: It's definitely my choice. The thing is, I actually started the manga, but it didn't grab me as much as I expected. Then I watched the first episode of the anime and was immediately hooked. I'm also in a phase where I don't watch a lot of anime because I'm using this time for manga, so this really impressed me a lot.».
• «Possibly heresy, but Sailor Moon: I watched and loved the anime in the 90s, but when I finally read the manga, I was surprised at how much of what I liked was original to the anime.».
• «JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The Manga Is Great, But The Voice Acting And Music Elevate It Even More».
• «The Disastrous Life of Saiki K».
• «Land of the Lustrous: I mean, it adds an extra layer through the unique sound effects, but… The problem is that the anime adaptation isn't the complete story, and it probably never will be.».
• «Girls' last tour: Watch the anime (then read the last 2 volumes because they will never be adapted)».
• «Dororo: Without a doubt.».
• «Demon Slayer: The anime takes the success of the manga».
• «Nichijou and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei».
• «Kaguya-sama: Definitely. It uses the medium much more intelligently than just an adaptation.».
• «The 2003 adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist: While it's nothing like the manga, it's still a good story. Also most of the Gundam shows, since with the exception of side stories and spin-offs, most of the manga are adaptations of the anime.».
• «I really think Frieren's anime is better than the manga».
• «Controversial opinion, I know, but Death Note: The story improves infinitely when it swaps dark monologues for being brought to an audiovisual medium. I don't have a high opinion of the author of Death Note».
• «Well, they're all mainstream for a reason, but Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Oshi no Ko: the first two because the manga's drawings are really bad, while the anime adaptation gives more "justice" to the construction site. For Oshi no Ko, the manga is very well done and great to read, but the anime adaptation with music conveys more feelings and emphasizes certain scenes better; this reason can be applied to most musical anime, I think.».
• «Revolutionary Girl Utena: Damn, the manga is bad. The Made in Abyss anime is exponentially better than the manga. Frieren's manga is good, but the anime is excellent.».
• «Ouran High School Host Club: I always pick up the manga where the anime left off (before the ending), but I've always preferred the overall atmosphere and art style of the anime over the manga.».
• «Sailor Moon: I grew up listening to 90s anime, so maybe I'm biased, but I just liked the overall atmosphere, comedy, and characterization more.».
• «Gintama: I haven't actually read this one, to be fair, but I always hear that the anime is the way you should experience it, since the joke delivery works really well with the voice acting, and the anime-exclusive episodes are good.».
• «World Trigger: translates better to anime».
• «Vinland Saga: The manga is pretty good, but the anime is a masterpiece, all things considered. They even added a few extra scenes here and there in the anime to improve the pacing of the story, and it worked out really well, in my opinion.».
• «Made in Abyss: I'm pretty sure the manga is good too, but the anime is amazing, thanks in large part to Kevin Perkin's soundtrack.».
• «Akame ga Kill: The anime has a better ending».
• «Onimai: Now I'm Your Sister! (Oniichan wa Oshimai!): The anime is a significant visual improvement (the manga's art is simple but consistent), especially in the background department. The pastel palette works really well for the night scenes and the two-tone hair helps the characters stand out more. The animation is also of high quality and some material is expanded, other parts are changed and some are omitted (some are redundant, others would need a different art style). There was a slight rearrangement of the source material to have a more shocking ending.».

Source: reddit