The Manga is always way better than the anime

[Gogeta Blue]

Hi, first post.
So DragonBall is my childhood favorite cartoon and now my favorite anime.
I did read the manga around 2008 and watched GT,Super,DB and Z and Kai around 2015 and i came to conclusion that the manga is way better.
regardless of the original DragonBall, the pacing of Z was very poor, and the filler was terrible.
some exemples :
[spoiler]In the Manga, it took Mastered SSJ Goku and Perfect Cell SOME PANELS to WARM UP but in the anime it took like 3 episodes along with Mr. Satan and his subordinates which were unnecessary for the tournament as they were absent in the manga, and Goku + Cell staring at each other for like 10 minutes with the rest following the movements for like 5 minutes, the Cell Games took whole 4 months for two fights to air in T.V, and the Art was terrible in the manga[/spoiler]
[spoiler]Freeza and c.o watching the fight against Buu in the hell created a PLOTHOLE to the story, as in Super he was surprised that Goku defeated Majin Boo/Buu[/spoiler]
but then again the anime created great characters like Paikuuhan, Janemba and Garlic Jr (JK).
then again in Super the manga surpass the anime too, which it will take a long time talking.

[PacificOceanDub]

I’m sure a ton of people on here are gonna agree that the Manga is better, but I definitely prefer the anime, and my reason is that I’m really lazy. When I get home from working, I don’t wanna read or play a video game. I’d much rather sit on my ass and watch a story unfold on the TV.

[ABED]

Pacing is vital but it's not the only thing. I love the performances and the music. Those are indispensable to my enjoyment of DB.

[sintzu]

The anime brings the story to life in ways a page never could through things such as animation, voice acting and music.

[Hawk9211]

Generally speaking,anime if done right will be preferred much more than the manga it’s adapting.
In case of dbs,they are two parallel products so they can’t be compared like other mangas and animes.

[Zephyr]

When it comes to the original run, I think the manga is, in a certain way, categorically better than anime, by virtue of the simple fact that it is the work proper, and not an adaptation. The main appeal of Dragon Ball, on a conceptual level, is that it's Akira Toriyama, the comedian cartoonist, drawing a fantasy martial arts serial. The story and visuals as we know them are directly the result of him:

- playing around with those Wuxia and martial arts concepts for the big picture (and toying around with a cornucopia of other pop culture concepts and tropes for particulars here and there)
- having no sentimental attachment to the work itself, and seeking primarily to entertain himself
- making things up as he went along, growing the story organically in ways he wasn't even anticipating, forcing himself into corners, and finding creative ways out
- actively drawing every bit of the action, and writing every bit of the dialog

The manga is the end result of that. This specific author doing these specific things in these specific ways with this specific mindset in this specific medium is what gave birth to Son Goku, Krillin, Piccolo, Vegeta, Freeza, the Saiyan lore, and so on.

---

ABED brings up the vocal performances and the musical score, which I think are absolutely stellar additions to the work itself. However, that's all they are: additions. I think the manga works perfectly fine on its own. While these additions can serve to elevate the work substantially, in a great, great, great many cases, the drastically dialed-back pacing radically changes the general flow of the story. Some would, ABED included, argue that in many (not all) instances, this is for the better.

I'd argue, if the core, main story is all you want, these additions are for the most part superfluous. There are times when these additions can bolster the core narrative in ways that it lacked, or could have used some improvement (I think everyone pitching in against Cell during that final beam struggle is the most salient example in my immediate memory), but I think that in most cases the additions don't really add much, and oftentimes serve to belabor certain points or build upon things inconsistently (a natural result of not being able to predict where Toriyama's going to go).

That said, if, rather than simply the core narrative, you want a more fleshed out take on the depicted events, I think the anime is a joy. It's much slower, but that's ultimately fine if you're trying to fill in as many cracks as possible, and aren't interested in simply seeing the original story for what it is. I still greatly enjoy the anime for this reason. The stellar vocal performances and genre-appropriate musical score, coupled with a more fleshed out depiction of the world Toriyama somehow managed to create, act as a really cool, and really big, expansion pack.

---

When it comes to Super, Toriyama's obviously very hands off. You could argue forever back and forth over which version of Super is the closest to "Toriyama's vision" or what have you, but ultimately, both takes offer their own additions and interpretations. What specifically makes me prefer the manga (outside of slowly starting to prefer that over anime, as a medium, in general) is that there's a singular author there: Toyotaro. Rather than a disparate team of writers, we have one guy writing and drawing the thing. I don't think he does nearly as good of a job as Toriyama, but I think his writing is worlds more consistent than what the anime as a full product offers. I also don't terribly care for a majority of the anime's music or its art style (and the voice cast isn't complete anymore).

As a consumer, Super contrasts with the original anime significantly, in my eyes. While I think the manga is the better work in both cases, in the original run I at least feel comfortable and satisfied paying money for the anime as a product. I think it's a strong positive addition to my collection. It offers a pleasant expansion on the core story, with a great vocal cast and soundtrack and an art style that's relatively-consistently close enough to the manga.

Super's anime, on the other hand, isn't something I'd ever be interested in paying for and owning and having occupy physical space in my collection. The voice cast is incomplete now (some are retired, others have passed away), the musical score doesn't hit that high note of genre-appropriateness, the artstyle is largely awful to look at, and, unlike the original anime, it doesn't have a complete, distinct, independent, consistently-written story serving as its narrative skeleton, so its additions to the world feel less organic and more far removed.

I guess if you bring the two films (Battle of Gods and Revival of F) into the discussion, they roughly serve as Toriyama's more directly-involved complete and distinct narrative skeleton. And so, on the narrative front at least, the two introductory retelling arcs of Super would escape that final concern of mine. And, indeed, when it comes at least to the expansions on Goku and Vegeta training with Whis, I really enjoy the additions to Toriyama's core story there. Unfortunately, the rest of the gripes I have (voice cast, music, and art) still apply.

[Sani007]

For Dragon Ball, manga is much better than anime. However, I still prefer the anime.

[GamerSkull]

I prefer the manga for the canon material but I think there are some filler stuff (not all) that improve the story and that's only there in the anime.

[ekrolo2]

The anime brings the story to life in ways a page never could through things such as animation, voice acting and music.

Frank Miller perfectly encapsulates this when he did that interview for the DD 2003 movie, comics, and manga by extension, simply cannot even begin to replicate what moving things with music and performances do. I don't agree with his assessment that a comic "can't move you like a movie" but the other stuff is pretty spot on.

[SuperCyan2]

Well, I agree that the manga is definitely better than the anime series but it lacks the original music by Kikuchi so there's always pros and cons about both versions.

[KBABZ]

When it comes to the original run, I think the manga is, in a certain way, categorically better than anime, by virtue of the simple fact that it is the work proper, and not an adaptation.

And yet most readers here will go Japanese anime over the dub because "the dub isn't the original version". Ironic, no?

I think the manga is the better interpretation. Lack of music and VO aside, it has the much better linework for the most part, and the anime becomes even more redundantly redundant when you take the Full Colours into account. As for pacing, I'd say I can read the manga faster than Z can get through it, although Kai might be a closer race. And I hear the voices in my head when I'm reading (and those from the anime too!) so I'm sorted from a sound perspective.

[Zephyr]

When it comes to the original run, I think the manga is, in a certain way, categorically better than anime, by virtue of the simple fact that it is the work proper, and not an adaptation.

And yet most readers here will go Japanese anime over the dub because "the dub isn't the original version". Ironic, no?

I understand the temptation to make the comparison, as they're both derivative of something else, but I don't think they're substantially analogous. The manga is the story. The anime is an adaptation of the story into a new medium. The dub is a localization of that adaptation into a new language.

The adaptation brings along with it new art forms like animation, voice acting, and music. Translation of the Japanese language into the English language, so that what is being said can be understood by foreign viewers, is already sufficiently handled with subtitles, and does so without completely replacing one of the major components that would draw one to an anime adaptation in the first place. A localization in the form of a dub is redundant at best, and destructive at worst. There's already voice acting inherent to the adaptation, performed by actors selected by the studio in charge of the adaptation (and in the case of Goku, Toriyama himself). This is the case even in an imaginary best-case-scenario, where the dub's script is a flawless translation with no embellishments or "creative liberties" being taken. I call this imaginary, because a script has never been done; even the Dragon Ball dub and the Kai dub have their share of Funimation Brand Blemishes.

But, on a certain level, I do agree with you. If someone wants to consume "Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball", I would wholeheartedly recommend they read the manga first, because that is what Dragon Ball is at its core. If they want to watch the anime adaptation of it, then I'm going to recommend the original Japanese anime, because that is what the adaptation is at its core. Dubs, and edits like Kai (and dubs of edits like Kai), are farther and farther down the derivative line, and farther and farther away from the core of the actual series that Toriyama actually made. The farther away it is, the less I could recommend it in good faith.

So, yeah, there's a certain kind of irony in suggesting the Japanese anime over a dub, and not suggesting the manga over the Japanese anime; but even still, the Japanese anime is much closer to the manga than any dub is, and the Japanese anime brings a lot more to the table, relative to the manga, than any dub could bring, relative to the Japanese anime. I think that whatever irony is there is fleeting and minuscule.

[KBABZ]

When it comes to the original run, I think the manga is, in a certain way, categorically better than anime, by virtue of the simple fact that it is the work proper, and not an adaptation.

And yet most readers here will go Japanese anime over the dub because "the dub isn't the original version". Ironic, no?

I understand the temptation to make the comparison, as they're both derivative of something else, but I don't think they're substantially analogous. The manga is the story. The anime is an adaptation of the story into a new medium. The dub is a localization of that adaptation into a new language.

True, but when most people here read the manga, how many of them are doing so in the original Japanese? ViZ's translation is also a step removed from the original material by way of converting everything into English, so unless you learn Japanese and get your hands on Japanese prints, you're not really reading the original. I additionally feel that this approach isn't present for foreign comics; if I were to ask around about how to best consume Tintin or Asterix, I would not be told to learn Belgian/French and grab the comics in their native language. Along the same lines I can't imagine fans of those comics being as upset about minor changes as we would be over similar ones in the ViZ translation.

There's already voice acting inherent to the adaptation, performed by actors selected by the studio in charge of the adaptation (and in the case of Goku, Toriyama himself)

I think that actually extends to the majority of the Dragon Ball gang; I suspect Bulma, Roshi and Krillin also fall into this.

[OhHiRenan]

I’ll take consistent art, amazing paneling, good pacing, and Toriyama’s great scene framing over the voices and music any day. I feel like people seriously overrate the importance of voice acting and soundtracks in anime versus manga debates. The manga carries enough weight on its own. Honestly, the manga carries far more weight. Toriyama’s action comes to life on the page in ways that the anime doesn’t always deliver on.

[Forte224]

Pacing is vital but it's not the only thing. I love the performances and the music. Those are indispensable to my enjoyment of DB.

Exactly. Manga will always be silent. Sure you can fill in the gaps with your own voices and whatnot, but it'll never match up to actually hearing it.

[Zephyr]

True, but when most people here read the manga, how many of them are doing so in the original Japanese? ViZ's translation is also a step removed from the original material by way of converting everything into English, so unless you learn Japanese and get your hands on Japanese prints, you're not really reading the original.

Right, the Viz translation of the manga is one more step down the derivative line from the original Japanese version of the manga.

As the Kanzenban is to the Tankobon, and as the Tankobon is to the original Weekly Shonen Jump serialization. So sure, if we want to go down the rabbit hole all the way, then the WSJ release of the Japanese version is the most original, close to the source, close to the core and Toriyama's hand, version of Dragon Ball. The truest version. Regardless, the Viz translation of the manga is the closest an English speaking fan can get to the core without learning a new language.

And none of that serves as sufficient justification for suggesting the dub of the anime over anything else. The fact that you can't quite get to the core doesn't mean you should go into the stratosphere instead.

[Lord Frieza]

True, but when most people here read the manga, how many of them are doing so in the original Japanese? ViZ's translation is also a step removed from the original material by way of converting everything into English, so unless you learn Japanese and get your hands on Japanese prints, you're not really reading the original.

Right, the Viz translation of the manga is one more step down the derivative line from the original Japanese version of the manga.

As the Kanzenban is to the Tankobon, and as the Tankobon is to the original Weekly Shonen Jump serialization. So sure, if we want to go down the rabbit hole all the way, then the WSJ release of the Japanese version is the most original, close to the source, close to the core and Toriyama's hand, version of Dragon Ball. The truest version. Regardless, the Viz translation of the manga is the closest an English speaking fan can get to the core without learning a new language.

And none of that serves as sufficient justification for suggesting the dub of the anime over anything else. The fact that you can't quite get to the core doesn't mean you should go into the stratosphere instead.

On the subject of translations and dubbing, while they may not always be accurate lets not down play their importance.

To quote as best I can from a Godzilla Movie History Novel I once read, the author hated the dubs of the movies until he found himself watching them with his own children. He realised it was an important bridge into a franchise that would have otherwise been inaccessible for most. The majority of us would never have been anime fans, let alone Dragon Ball ones, without the them. And if you look up ported anime prior to the late 90's boom you'll realise that for all its flaws we actually had some ok dubs. The old funi dub is light years head in quality of a lot of what was put out prior, look up any of Manga Entertainment's old bargain bin anime if you wont proof. Only a select few such as Guyver and Dominion Tank Police had anything close to an acceptable dub.

And you've also go to remeber that it was all early day stuff. Nowdays we're pretty spoiled with not only what we can get but also how easily we can find informastion from the animes home contry that we forget the western anime industry was just getting out of its infancy back then.

Simple put don't look back on the old days to harshly, thats just how it was back then.

[Dbzfan94]

Goku and Cell “warming up” took not even 1 episode, not 3. Their entire fight was like 3 and a half.

[Zephyr]

On the subject of translations and dubbing, while they may not always be accurate lets not down play their importance.

To quote as best I can from a Godzilla Movie History Novel I once read, the author hated the dubs of the movies until he found himself watching them with his own children. He realised it was an important bridge into a franchise that would have otherwise been inaccessible for most.

I mean, if there's no subtitled version (and I'd have to watch it raw, in a language I don't understand), I'd be more willing to opt for a dub; or, hell, just watch something decidedly more worth my time (since I'd want to go back and rewatch it with subtitles, in the original language, once they were available, making the dub preemptively redundant). But if, in this scenario, there is a subtitled version, I wouldn't go for it. Were I to have children, I would acclimate them to that as soon as possible; these Godzilla movies could even serve as the perfect thing to help them learn! Or, hell, a children's cartoon like Dragon Ball.

It's not by any means this insurmountable barrier to transcend that a lot of people insist that it is. Just like any skill or task, you simply need to put some time and practice into cultivating it. Tremendously worth it in the long run, in my opinion. And speaking from personal experience, it's quite easy to do if you start off small by watching things in English with subtitles on (which I do for everything anyway, if at all possible, for a number of reasons).

For what it's worth, I indeed got into Dragon Ball through the dub on television, but that doesn't mean I would wish that initial viewing experience on others when a plethora of alternatives, all much closer to the core, are readily available.

[SSJ YUSUKE]

This is silly. They are two completly different mediums, comparing them doesn't make sense.
Manga and anime both have strengths and weaknesses compared to each other.
Its basically like comparing apples to oranges.
Its better to compare things that are the same format though. For example in my opinion the Super anime is better than the Z anime as it is far better paced and has a much tighter story and is easier to watch wihout all the slow pacing and silly power ups tland staring contests, I would say that the Original anime is also better than Z for similar reasons. On the other hand the original manga is a much better story than the Super manga.