When any idea is translated to a new format, it’s liable to experience changes to fit the new structure and to fit the standards of a new industry. That said, some genres of adaptations experience different levels of change to make them appropriate for a new form.
Animein particular focuses on different points than most other television adaptations. This is because they are almost always adapted from manga, an already visual format, as opposed to novels. Thus, the level of effort that would usually go into effectively imagining and representingthe visual appearances of the charactersand the worlds can instead be used to focus on strengthening the details, to create an even more vivid telling of the story.
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One of the strengths that anime adapted from manga have over other series adapted from books is that they already have an outline made for them. Of course, those writing the anime series still have to do a lot of mapping and condensing to make the storyline work in a new time frame and over a certain span of episodes. However, the story is usually pre-determined by the manga.Shows that are adaptedfrom print books still have a foundation to base their adaptation on, but it is extremely difficult to accomplish visual representations that viewers will agree with. Because manga already have visual blueprints of the characters, anime creators know exactly what to achieve.
There are several other perks that come with a manga being adapted to an anime. An anime brings the characters to life, giving them a voice and observable behavior, making them feeleasier to connect to. Also, little moments that weren’t in the manga can be introduced into scenes to liven up or highlight characters and moments. Additionally, pacing has to change to fit a TV structure, which can sometimes improve the story. Plot holes or loose ends from the manga even have the opportunity to be addressed in an anime adaptation. Finally, moments with intense emotion or action are more enthralling, as they feel more alive when animated and voiced.
There are significantly more benefits to manga being adapted to anime than there are books being adapted to shows, and certainly fewer risks. Manypopular manga storylines are easy to adaptinto episodic narratives. Each episode doesn’t have to hold significant relevance to the greater story, allowing for a longer span of episodes. One way that this is beneficial in an anime format is that some manga storylines can be prolonged by extending beyond the story written in the manga. They do this by incorporating episodes or moments that don’t take away from the greater story, but add to the quality of entertainment in the show.
However, nowadays, it is much more common for anime to be adapted more directlyfrom their manga sources, which has its own benefits. Anytime cutting back is required to adapt a story, content usually gets cut somewhere, upsetting fans. When animes follow their sources more directly, more of this detailed content is left in the story, giving fans something to look forward to when watching the series.
This obviously works best for anime based on manga series that have already been completed, because they at no point have to halt or incorporate filler storyline until the remainder of the manga is published. This point is no different forother television shows based on book seriesthat they’ve caught up to, but has a particular impact on anime if they follow the manga storyline closely. Just like with books, when a manga is made into an anime greatly depends on the success of the story in its written format.
There are still anime that take more creative liberty when adapting a story from a manga, much like creators must when translating a print story to film format. Generally, these anime are adapted to be slightly different from the manga for a reason, usually with intentions of bettering the story. Sometimes it’s a matter ofthe story not having been received well, so it is re-written in an anime. Sometimes, the structure in which the story was written not function well as a manga, so it has to be reworked as an anime. There are plenty of reasons that the story of a manga may need to be reconsidered to be a successful anime, but regardless, it’s done because it’s necessary for the success of the tale in a new format.
If anime adaptations have proven anything, it’s that any written storyline can be recreated in a new format and function well if theystay true to the original contentand characters, — the heart of the story. While anime may have the benefit of being adapted from a written form with visual accompaniments, it is their ability to maintain the essential essence of the manga they’re adapting that makes them so successful. What sets anime apart from other book-to-television adaptations is that it focuses on bringing a pre-existing story to life, rather than trying to make a new work of art from the seeds of someone else’s ideas. Anime trulygives manga fans what they want, at a rate that is much higher in satisfaction than other fans of book series that have been adapted to shows generally are. This point alone makes anime adaptations a genre that book fans everywhere can appreciate.
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