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Poll: Anime That Are Better Than the Original Manga

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Often when you see an anime, you might think the original manga was better. But do you ever feel the reverse is true? That the anime is more interesting than the source material? A recent Japanese poll asked just that.

According to website My Navi, five hundred adult men and women were asked which anime they thought were more interesting than the original source material. The poll was conducted this past February, and the resulting data did not provide an age breakdown other than that everyone who participated was a "working adult." (So, these aren't student replies!) Looking at the poll replies listed on My Navi, however, many of those who participated appear to be in their 20s and 30s.

Okay! Let's get right into it. Here are the top five anime that those who took part in the poll thought surpassed the source material, whether that was a manga or even a light novel:

5. Sword Art Online: 3.8 percent

4. One Piece: 4.8 percent

3. Gin Tama: 7.2 percent

2. Dragon Ball: 9.2 percent

1. Attack on Titan: 11.6 percent

As you noticed, the top five came in at seemingly low percentage among those polled. That's because replies included a whole myriad responses, including Sailor Moon, K-On!, Terra Formars, Ghost in the Shell, and more.

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Some fans might concede that the Dragon Ball anime is more interesting than the manga, simply because of how well the battle scenes were animated (though, there is an argument that the anime loses some of the manga's humor). But! Attack on Titan coming in first could definitely be a source of dispute.

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When explaining why the Attack on Titan anime surpassed the manga, reasons included everything from the music to the action scenes. Other reasons were that the animated version elevated the already interesting original work with improved character design and top-notch production.

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Agree? Disagree? Which anime do you think felt surpassed the manga source material?

Top image: McAnime

To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.

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