There’s a One-Punch Man anime, so why even read the manga, right? Right? Um, no. Just no.
Anime has a slew of strong points! It brings editing, voice acting, and moving pictures to manga adaptations. Anime is good. We like it.
One-Punch Man started out as a webcomic and then was adapted into a brilliantly illustrated manga. Many viewers are enjoying the anime, which is terrific, so this isn’t to slag off the animated versions. Rather, this is to compare the visual impact of both and underscore the everlasting importance of manga.
Of course, manga will always be an important source for anime, because to make a manga all you really need is paper and pen. This allows a wide variety of new talent to emerge. But there are also intrinsic elements in manga that will keep the medium going into the end of time.
Twitter user Myuutasu pointed out that the manga version actually “moves” more than the anime. This GIF comparison shows how dynamic the framing is in the manga compared to the anime. Thank illustrator Yusuke Murata for that!
[GIF: Myuutasu]
Murata pulled this off with a series of static drawings. Via Kinisoku, here are more comparisons:
[via Kinisoku]
[via Kinisoku]
Manga has certain obvious advantages, such as using double page spreads.
[via Kinisoku]
[via Kinisoku]
Multiple images on the page cause your brain to fill in the in-between anime, creating an engaging interaction between reader and artist.
[via Kinisoku]
[via Kinisoku]
Stark black-and-white images pack a punch that’s hard to match.
[via Kinisoku]
[via Kinisoku]
[via Kinisoku]
The anime is being well-received by fans, and for good reason. It’s a lot of fun.
You can watch it on Daisuki, Hulu, Viz, and AnimeLab (AU). Or, you know, read the manga.
Top image: Jump
To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter@Brian_Ashcraft.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.