Why do/don’t you read manga?

[Sakura Dragon]

I know a lot of people on this forum read manga so if like to ask why, you (yes, you) read manga. What is it about manga that you enjoy? Why choose it over the actual anime if there is one? Why would you ever prefer it solely over the anime?

I also want to ask those who don’t read manga why at their reasoning for that is. I personally do not read manga. I would so much rather watch something animated, voiced, music playing, and just giving the immersion I don’t feel manga can give me.

This isn’t mean to spark a debate on whether anime is better than manga. I am just curious as to why you do or don’t read it.

Edited March 12 by Sakura Dragon
Title change

[Animedragon]

I usually read manga to find out how the story ends because a lot of anime series only cover the first few chapters of the manga.

The other reason I read manga is because I want to read the source material that the anime was taken from. Sometimes this is quite a surprise as I sometimes find the manga better and other times I find the anime better.

[Nico Robin Fan 95]

I used to read manga many years ago. Even though it wasn't that often, but sometimes when i didn't want to watch the anime i read the manga instead like i did with One Piece and Fairy Tail in the past. But nowadays i only care about anime, and i like it more because in my opinion it's much more exciting than manga which i find boring these days. I still wonder why i even found manga interesting in the past because now i think it hasn't anything exciting to offer, even though people will probably tell me now the manga panels but personally even that is not exciting for me anymore. Like Sakura Dragon already said and i agree with her, i also rather watch something animated voiced music playing because it gives the immersion what manga doesn't give me at all. 

[Gale]

Actually, I'd like to read manga. As time eludes me, it's difficult for me to sit down and watch anime. But I've been out of the loop for a few years now, so I don't know any good manga apps/websites to use.

I've always had plans to read the Tokyo Ghoul manga. 

[Colu]

In my teens I was interested in reading manga, but the only place available for me to read manga from was the public library, and at the time the collection was quite small and often incomplete. So I read what I could and I enjoyed it. 

After I graduated from high school though, I was more focused on my post-secondary education and then after that just life in general. 
 

Lately I’ve been feeling more of an itch to give manga a try again, but I’m still a bit hesitant because I’m not super interested in sifting through everything to find something I *might* like and I don’t totally want to spend money on something I might not even enjoy. 
 

Sounds like I should see what the library is carrying these days! I’ll just need to make sure it’s one that I can get a few books of at a time, to make it worth my while (otherwise I’ll need to go there like every day to return one and get the next one lmfao)

[Wickett]

On 3/15/2025 at 11:21 AM, Colu said:

Sounds like I should see what the library is carrying these days!

Libraries are catching on that manga and anime are more popular and mainstream than they used to be but unfortunately our library doesn't offer much that I'm interested in yet.

[DylanMax]

Manga is such a vibe whether you're into the art, the stories, or just escaping into a different world. But hey, it's not for everyone, and that's cool too. 

[Nico Robin Fan 95]

@DylanMax

I have that feeling when i wach anime and feel like i escape into a different world. That's a vibe for me personally, but like you already said with manga it's not for everyone and that's cool too. Same with anime which is also not for everyone and that's cool too. 

Edited March 17 by Nico Robin Fan 95

[DylanMax]

On 3/17/2025 at 10:22 PM, Nico Robin Fan 95 said:

@DylanMax

I have that feeling when i wach anime and feel like i escape into a different world. That's a vibe for me personally, but like you already said with manga it's not for everyone and that's cool too. Same with anime which is also not for everyone and that's cool too. 

yeah right bro everyone has different perspectives on Manga.

[Moxie]

For me, it's because I can pull out a manga and read a meaningful amount anytime, anywhere. Plus, manga gives me the whole story as intended by the creator.

Edited March 26 by Moxie

[DylanMax]

1 hour ago, Moxie said:

For me, it's because I can pull out a manga and read a meaningful amount anytime, anywhere. Plus, manga gives me the whole story as intended by the creator.

Yeah I agree with you on that I also a love reading Manga too but most times i just want to see the action you cant really blame me on that

[Moxie]

15 hours ago, DylanMax said:

Yeah I agree with you on that I also a love reading Manga too but most times i just want to see the action you cant really blame me on that

Can't blame you at all . The action is what makes it so exciting

[FidelityBoss]

On the flip side, some people might skip manga because they prefer anime’s animation and voice acting, or maybe they just haven’t found the right series yet. there’s a whole world of awesome stories waiting! 

[DylanMax]

On 3/27/2025 at 10:42 AM, Moxie said:

Can't blame you at all . The action is what makes it so exciting

Yeah you cant actually blame on that.

[Guest]

There are a lot of interesting stories that don't get adapted or get adaptations years after publication. Homunculus and I Am A Hero come to mind. I'll also sometimes read the first volume or two of an upcoming adaptation as a way to suss out whether I'd be interested in watching. Plus the reasons others have mentioned about adaptations having altered or incomplete stories.

 

[giuls]

I can't read manga cause the only website that's unblocked by my guardian is in Spanish.. (my level 3 spanish is so bad..)

I used to read a lot of it, even the actual material ones - but when my guardian blocked everything I had to stop..

PLUS I read too fast, so fast that I couldn't buy more manga until I obtained more money

so I had to go on the websites, but now the websites are blocked, so now I am on an indefinite pause on mangas

[Whensmanly0o5]

eh, idk, i don't realy like reading (unless its capions to understan what there saying on a show or whatever with other things going on in the backround)

[Animedragon]

5 hours ago, Whensmanly0o5 said:

eh, idk, i don't realy like reading (unless its capions to understan what there saying on a show or whatever with other things going on in the backround)

This is sadly becoming a common trend these days as a result it's getting difficult to find book shops now.

Although I must admit that I don't read as much as I used to, when I was at work I spent my lunch break reading while I had my lunch. These days all I seem to read is the magazines I get from the various railway societies I belong to. I really want to change that and get back into reading books.

[Bulletje76]

I own a few Japanese Naruto collector items manga books. But they are in plastic. Almost never read manga. It is a bit the reading from right to left, and the no color (often). But the biggest party is that anime just works better with audio and video, synergetic.

[avensis]

I read manga because I like to take my time with stories and drawings. There are often more details than in the anime, especially when the adaptation cuts or changes things. I also like the quiet atmosphere of reading, without noise, just me and the pages. Sometimes I read a manga before the anime comes out, it makes me even more curious. But I like both formats! It just depends on my mood at the moment.

[fluffybug]

i absolutely love manga! i've been a very avid reader since i was probably 12-13? the reason i sometimes prefer manga over anime has to do just with artist intent ig? a lot of anime will cut things for time or budget or won't put as much care into a scene as i'd hope compared to the original in the manga. i like being able to see the story the way that the original artist intended. there are definitely some series that i prefer the anime adaptation more than the original manga like frieren due to pacing and music and etc, but theres a lot of series i prefer the manga

i also have crazy adhd and like being able to experience the series at my own pace, imo its a lot easier to sit down and read a bit of a manga because you can stop at any point, even in the middle of a chapter, without it feeling like a weird spot to stop vs with anime i feel weird stopping midway through an episode. watching something feels like a lot more of a time commitment than just reading a few chapters if that makes sense? 

also like someone mentioned earlier in the thread theres a lot of incredible manga series that just don't get anime adaptations or the anime will only get one season and never complete the story lol

[Moestub]

On 3/12/2025 at 4:16 AM, Sakura Dragon said:

I know a lot of people on this forum read manga so if like to ask why, you (yes, you) read manga. What is it about manga that you enjoy? Why choose it over the actual anime if there is one? Why would you ever prefer it solely over the anime?

I also want to ask those who don’t read manga why at their reasoning for that is. I personally do not read manga. I would so much rather watch something animated, voiced, music playing, and just giving the immersion I don’t feel manga can give me.

This isn’t mean to spark a debate on whether anime is better than manga. I am just curious as to why you do or don’t read it.

I don't reach much manga, like you i find that it doesn't give me the best immersion. It feels weird reading something where the pace is set in stone almost as much as an anime.

I do read some manga, especially those that come out in my native language, but it's much rarer than anime (or light novels, i tend to get absorbed in these even more than anime !)