We’ve all heard about Anime. The popular Japanese genre of cartoons. The most intriguing thing about Anime is its widespread appeal to both adults and children. Anime writers and producers have found a way of blending deep storytelling, heartwarming character development, and unique animation.
So why is Anime such a big global movie and TV phenomenon, and why is there nothing like it in the cartoon universe? Well, it boils down to the heartwarming and detailed stories that form the lore of Anime. But, before we discover the appeal of these Japanese cartoons. Let’s face it, the Anime lifestyle infiltrates every other creative industry, from fashion to music and food too.
We all know someone in love with Anime, and there’s nothing more awesome than surprising them with one of the many popular gifts for Anime lovers. In the Anime world, an “Otaku” is someone obsessed with all things Anime and Manga. A real Anime Geek.
We can’t talk about Anime without paying homage to Manga because most Anime (animated film) is based on Manga (comic books/graphic novels). In the Anime world, Otakus don’t just watch the beloved shows, they also dive deep into the lore of Manga. They read about the deep origins of the characters we see in Anime. This is real devotion and dedication. Anime often omits some of the details available in Manga because of the episode time and audience too. Manga can sometimes contain violent, gruesome themes that might not be friendly for younger audiences.
Here’s a list of 5 Anime that are different from their Manga.
Fullmetal Alchemist
The Fullmetal Alchemist series producers went in a different direction from the original Manga in 2003. The 2003 version may have retained the original characters, but it features a new antagonist called Dante. They also had an interesting ending that dropped the protagonist into world war 1. These changes led to a 2009 reboot titled Brotherhood.
Tokyo Ghoul
Season one of Tokyo Ghoul was loyal to the Manga, but when season two arrived, it had turned dramatically. Ken Kaneki works against Aogiri in the manga. The Aogiri organization tries to liberate the ghouls through war and terrorism in the manga. On the contrary, in the Anime Kanei takes the opposite approach by joining Aogiri instead. The story in the Anime may be fresh, but it leaves us with a lot of questions. Why did the showrunners take those interesting twists?
Yu Gi Oh
While Yu Gi Oh didn’t differ much from the Manga, we still can’t ignore all the filler added to the show. The boy is possessed by the soul of a pharaoh in both, which is cool. The main difference is the tone of the show. The Anime is targeted to younger audiences and therefore limits the dark moments. The manga on the other hand was written for teenage readers and includes more graphic scenes and images.
Boruto
The Naruto Anime has been known by Manga fanatics to contain a lot of filler in its episodes. This is pure because the showrunners are constantly running out of Manga to adapt. This ends up working against the show sometimes. Boruto is supposedly the solution to this Naruto problem. As a spin-off show, it was meant to bring a fresh perspective on the Naruto Universe by giving us the storyline of Naruto’s son, Boruto. A young Ninja academy apprentice.
Hellsing
The Hellsing Producers had to come up with a Villain for the Anime because they didn’t have a lot of Manga to adapt into a series. This led to the birth of the powerful Vampire Incognito. In the Manga, we see a group of war-hungry Nazis that only briefly appear in the action series. Incognito’s role takes the main villain arc over the Nazis. Five years after this version of the Anime was released, they delivered Hellsing Ultimate which eventually followed the Manga, word for word.
Conclusion
Do you think these changes were too drastic? Do you wish the show creators had stuck to the Manga storylines? Well, we’ll never know what the stories could have been if they kept the original lore. However regardless of the changes, some big, others small, we appreciate the effort that goes into creating all of these above Animes.
Let us know what you think about some of these changes. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
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