A lot of anime and manga fans spend a lot of time talking about the manga being better than the anime. This makes sense for a lot of stories. The manga is the original source material, and the story is being told by the person who created it in the way that they think is most ideal for it.

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So finding an anime that lives up to the manga is sometimes difficult. But there are definitely several cases in which the anime is much better liked, and held in higher regard by fans, than the manga, showing that the manga format isn’t always the best one.

10 FLCL

a must watch comedy series FLCL

While most franchises that have both a manga and anime series began as a manga and were later adapted into an anime. FLCL is actually the other way around. The bizarre Gainax anime is beloved by fans for its chaotic energy, incredible animation, and of course, the killer soundtrack by The Pillows.

The manga adaptation has its own flavor, and the story is actually slightly different. While it holds up well on its own as a unique adaptation, it doesn’t hold the same charm as the anime.

9 Ping Pong: The Animation

Ping Pong The Animation

Taiyo Matsumoto’s energetic manga about table tennis is nothing to sneeze at, and the Ping Pong manga is absolutely gorgeous and an amazing read on its own. But the anime has a leg up on the manga in one very specific way: the animation.

The anime was directed by iconic and visionary director Masaaki Yuasa, who is responsible for such anime as Devilman Crybaby and Lu Over the Wall, and he brings his kinetic energy and strange sensibilities to Ping Pong in the best way.

8 Pop Team Epic

Pipimi and Popuko Fighting Pokemon Style

Pop Team Epic is a satirical four-panel manga and web series which pokes fun at the very genre in which it takes part. As a manga, the gags are limited to what can be done in a single page (and in four panels), while the anime (if it can be called that, given its mixed-media approach to storytelling) has a lot more room for experimental animation techniques and more epic scenes as punchlines to their jokes.

The series works in different animation styles, giving the anime a real sketch-comedy show feel.

7 Lupin III

lupin III

It’s easy to forget that Lupin III started as a manga, since the series anime adaptations are so incredibly popular. And while the original Monkey Punch series definitely has its charms, with a no-nonsense Lupin who only looks out for himself, the anime is really what captured fans’ hearts.

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Indeed, for many fans, The Castle of Cagliostro, Hayao Miyazaki’s feature film directorial debut, in which Lupin is a lovable thief and hero, is the quintessential version of the character.

6 Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Wekapipo and Magenta Magenta JoJos Bizarre Adventure.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a hyper-popular manga that has been around for more than 30 years, with no seeming end in sight. So there’s no saying that the manga isn’t good. However, it is very hard for its flamboyance to really take center stage in a greyscale comic format.

The colorful anime, however, along with the energetic animation style, really seems to level up the outrageous Joestar family and their Stands to where they deserve to be.

5 Neon Genesis Evangelion

Gendo Shinji Neon Genesis Evangelion

Like its fellow Gainax anime FLCL, Neon Genesis Evangelion is another example of an anime series that actually came before its manga counterpart. And as anyone familiar with Evangelion knows, the anime series has a pretty wild (and divisive) ending.

The manga attempts to create a more linear and structured narrative, with a more straightforward ending. But for fans of the anime who love the chaos of the series, the manga doesn’t hold up quite as well.

4 Hunter X Hunter

Killua in Hunter X Hunter

As anyone familiar with the profession knows, working in manga is hard. It requires incredibly strict discipline and tight deadlines, with many manga creators churning out pages to meet weekly chapter deadlines for serialization. For this reason, most manga creators work with assistants, but Hunter x Hunter creator Yoshihiro Togashi isn’t among them.

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This means that in his hurry to finish his pages, they often come out unfinished and rushed (though he usually fixes them for the tankobons). From a consistency perspective alone, the anime holds up much better.

3 Mob Psycho 100

Anime mob psycho 100 ova

Mob Psycho 100 is one of two series listed here by manga creator ONE, both of which are comedy series. Mob Psycho 100 in particular leans into the joke-y nature of the series, with a very simplistic art style for much of the manga.

In the anime, however, this is used to juxtapose the comedy portions of the series against the action segments, when the animation blows the manga series completely out of the water, successfully manipulating the intensity and emotional beats of the story.

2 One-Punch Man

One-Punch Man

One-Punch Man began its life as a web series drawn by creator ONE. And anyone who is familiar with ONE knows, he isn’t much of an artist. So much of the art in the early chapters, before Yusuke Murata took over art duties, is incredibly simplistic.

Some of this style is still used in the anime for comedic purposes, but the anime allows all of the drama of the superhero story to really stand out.

1 Attack On Titan

Attack On Titan Eren Angry Yell

Attack on Titan’s manga is well-known as being not particularly good in the art department. But its epic scope and unique story captured the attention of audiences anyway, and the anime adaptation has become one of the most popular anime series of the past decade.

The long breaks between seasons means they’ve taken their time to make sure the story is tight and the animation is solid, and the graphic, unsettling nature of the wartime violence really pops on a screen.

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