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While watching Japanese anime is great fun, adding color and movement to the original manga’s material, something may be lost along the way. A surprising number of anime series will fail to adapt all the material, either by skipping some scenes or arcs to reach the ending sooner, or by stopping before the ending even happens. In either case, anime-only fans aren’t getting the whole story, which may lead to an unsatisfying watch.
A combination of complete and ongoing anime series fit this category, and in the former case, reading the source manga is the only way to finish the whole story. In the latter case, an anime might get future season to continue or finish the story, but fans might not want to wait that long. Whether or not future seasons of the anime are confirmed, it may still be a good idea to complete the story in manga form so the fan isn’t left in limbo for years.
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10
Berserk Only Works in Manga Form, As The Anime Leaves Out Major Details
The Berserk Anime Series Are Just Lengthy Previews
Technically, the Berserk manga hasn’t told the entire story either, since its publication has slowed down a great deal, but the fandom has made peace with that fact. Berserk is a special case, where fans consider its manga a near-complete story even if a true ending has not yet been reached. Realistically, this is the best anime fans can do if they want to see the full story beyond the two Berserk anime productions.
The 1997 Berserk anime followed the medieval Golden Age story arc, while the 2016 anime was a speedrun of the story, and with iffy animation besides. Neither is the true Berserk experience, with Kentaro Miura’s original manga having the full depth of Berserk‘s brutality, traumatic events, tender character moments, worldbuilding, and more.
Berserk
- Release Date
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October 8, 1997
- Directors
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Naohito Takahashi
9
Mahou Sensei Negima!’s Anime Didn’t Even Cover Half the Material
The Negima Manga Has Some of Everything For Shonen Fans
There have been two anime adaptations of Ken Akamatsu’s Mahou Sensei Negima! manga, but neither anime does the 38-volume manga any justice. The Negima! anime series have aged badly by now, and neither told the whole story by any means. This is a franchise where the anime media is just an extended preview of what the original manga has to offer.
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Negima!‘s manga is the whole story, which packs a lot of material into 38 volumes, including an ending that admittedly botched one character’s arc but is otherwise solid. Much more so than the anime versions, the Negima! manga will also treat readers to a stunning variety of shonen elements, including school life, a huge school festival, two major tournament arcs, a magical boy, light romance, and even a lengthy isekai sequence.
Negima!? Magister Negi Magi
- Release Date
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October 4, 2006
- Network
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TV Tokyo
8
The Quintessential Quintuplets Anime Left Out Some Story Arcs
The Honeymoon and Summer Specials Aren’t Easy to Find, Either
Between its two anime seasons and a decent movie, The Quintessential Quintuplets anime did arrive at the ending, but something was lost in the process. Fans may have noticed some odd jumps in the narrative, such as the tsundere Nino Nakano quickly shifting from disliking Futaro Uesugi to loving him, making it clear some of Negi Haruba’s manga chapters didn’t get their material adapted.
On the plus side, two bonus features helped fill in the anime’s gaps, those being the summer special and the honeymoon arc. However, neither is easy for Western fans to find, since they were primarily released in Japanese theaters. Instead, fans of Quintuplets are encouraged to dive into the manga to get a smoother experience where the romance blossoms at a proper pace.
The Quintessential Quintuplets
- Release Date
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2019 – 2020
- Network
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TBS
- Directors
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Fumio Maezono, Ippei Ichii, Youichirou Aoki, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Yasuo Iwamoto, Takuo Suzuki, Kazuomi Koga, Ryo Miyata, Akiko Seki, Yoshihisa Matsumoto, Yuki Morita
- Writers
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Mayumi Morita
7
Oshi no Ko’s Completed Manga is Tempting For Anime Fans
Fans Can Unravel the Biggest Mysteries Anytime by Reading The Manga
The subversive anime series Oshi no Ko is releasing new material at an acceptable rate for casual fans, but anyone who is fully committed to the story may want to check out Aka Akasaka’s original manga right away. Season 2 of Oshi no Ko teased fans with major mysteries and unresolved plot threads concerning the Hoshino family, and some fans simply can’t wait to get ther answers.
It may take several years for Oshi no Ko‘s anime to reach the end, but the source manga is done, and despite its iffy ending, fans are sure to be satisfied by what they read. At the very least, reading the Oshi no Ko manga can give fans of this dark drama franchise some closure so they can move on to something else.
6
A Silent Voice is a Great Movie But Had to Cut Manga Material
There’s Still More to Shoya’s Redemption
It’s true the anime movie A Silent Voice is an excellent romance/drama/slice-of-life story that is sure to satisfy anime movie fans, but there is still more. The original A Silent Voice manga is seven volumes long, so some material had to be dropped to make the movie possible. While the movie holds together well, the biggest fans want to see all the material, not just a highlight reel.
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Conveniently, that seven-volume manga is long enough to expand on the drama of Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya while being short enough and cheap enough for any fan to collect. That gives the story a little more time to breathe, adding new scenes between the major plot points so the characters can feel better rounded and not just rush to the big, dramatic finale.
A Silent Voice
- Release Date
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October 20, 2017
- Runtime
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130 minutes
5
Kaguya-Sama’s Anime Still Hasn’t Finished the Battle of Wits
Kaguya and Miyuki Must Get Their Happily Ever After
With three anime seasons and a movie to its name, the Kaguya-Sama: Love is War anime is in decent shape, offering plenty of material to let new fans decide if they want to finish the story in manga form. The Kaguya-Sama anime builds up serious momentum as Kaguya and Miyuki gradually quit the battle of wits to get to the serious stuff, such as Kaguya grappling with the different sides of herself to decide if love is worth abandoning the ice queen persona she’s “supposed” to have.
Still, for all the anime’s progress, it leaves the biggest plot twists on the table, such as how to handle Miyuki Shirogane’s eventual move to California to study at Stanford. While the anime’s teasing about this developing romance is fun, longtime viewers probably just want to get that sweet payoff in the manga’s final chapters. Then, they can move on to the next wonderful rom-com, because all games must end eventually.
4
Maid-Sama! Only Gets a Strong Ending in Manga Form
Misaki’s Endgame Never Arrived in the Anime
Maid-Sama! is a classic example of an anime only adapting the first major chunk of the original anime’s story, thus serving as an oversized preview of what the manga’s story is like. The overall Maid-Sama! franchise is popular, and deservedly so as a delightful shojo romp, but the anime’s ending is a poor reward for that enthusiasm. The anime doesn’t have a true ending — it just stops dead.
The original 18-volume Maid-Sama! manga does everything the anime does and more, continuing the dramatic love games as Misaki Ayuzawa and Takumi Usui go from annoying each other to uncovering dire secrets about each other’s families. That’s the focus of the manga’s original final arc, with Misaki intervening in Takumi’s family drama in England and eventually securing her happily-ever-after with that “pervy space alien” to the tune of wedding bells after a time skip.
3
Death Note’s Anime Rushed the Second Major Arc
The Anime Shortened the Battle Against Near and Mello
Death Note did reach the ending of the original 12-volume manga, but the anime’s second major arc cut some material and accelerated the story. In the manga and anime versions of Death Note, the first arc is longer than the second, but the ratio is closer to 1:1 in the manga than the anime. It would take more than 11 episodes to properly explore the battle between Light Yagami, Mello, and Near.
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Even if the second half of Death Note isn’t as popular, anime-only fans are still encouraged to check out the original manga so the second major battle can fleshed out more. A series like Death Note thrives in the little details and not just the major plot points, since it’s a crime thriller and psychological thriller. That may also help readers get a better picture of what Near and Mello are truly like as antagonists.
Death Note
- Release Date
-
October 4, 2006
2
Mashle: Magic and Muscles Saves its Best Fights For Later
Anime Fans Haven’t Seen Half of Mash’s True Power
So far, the Mashle: Magic and Muscles anime has been doing fairly well with its production values and pacing, but if fans just want to reach the explosive ending and move on, the 18-volume manga is ready for them. While Mashle is a decent series, it’s not quite good enough to be worth waiting years in limbo to see how the story of Mash Burnedead ends.
The story of Mashle is silly and straightforward, so there aren’t any major mysteries for fans to mull over while waiting for new anime seasons. Only hard-hitting magical action awaits, so fans may as well jump right in with the manga and see how much further Mash the himbo hero can go while proving the entire magical world wrong about him.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles
- Release Date
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April 8, 2023
- Directors
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Shin’ichi Watanabe, Masayoshi Nishida, Shin Katagai
- Writers
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Riichiro Inagaki
- Franchise(s)
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Eyeshield 21
1
Bleach Ended in 2016 and Has a Bonus Chapter After That
Impatient Fans Are Welcome to Check it Out Before Cour 4 Airs
The long wait for a final Bleach anime ended in October 2022, relieving Bleach anime fans of the decade-long hiatus, but those fans are still encouraged to check out the source manga. There isn’t long to wait for the Bleach anime to end, but after waiting for so many years, fans owe it to themselves to see the ending now and later enjoy the new anime’s fourth cour when it finally arrives.
The Thousand-Year Blood War arc, and Bleach as a whole, have reached their final climax as King Yhwach threatens the world, and now isn’t the time to wait to see how the anime will resolve that incredible conflict. The manga will provide closure as fans read the final handful of chapters, and what is more, the one-shot Hell chapter will continue the story in ways the anime probably won’t. Besides, for all of the Bleach anime’s visual glamor, the manga looks even better.
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War
- Release Date
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October 10, 2022
- Network
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TV Tokyo
- Showrunner
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Tite Kubo
- Directors
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Tomohisa Taguchi, Mitsutoshi Satô, Hikaru Murata, Hodaka Kuramoto
