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I read a comment in a forum somewhere like 'I want to read the manga
specifically instead of just watch the anime adaptation because I want enjoy
the illustration of [insert the manga illustrator's name].'

Are they really that different in general? Please provide examples.

Based on examples from my previous questions (see
[here](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/66757/1st-episode-why-does-
raiha-call-itsuki-by-1st-name-presumably-without-knowing),
[here](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/66561/what-does-konnichi-
sappo-mean-in-episode-8-of-kaguya-sama-love-is-war) and
[here](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/66660/whats-the-difference-
between-kaguyas-o-kawaii-koto-and-miyuki-shiroganes)), they don't seem to be
very different. I recall even like the Death Note and Bakuman manga seem to be
about the same...

Sure when it comes to _writing_ , the anime and manga can be very different
like I heard for The Promised Neverland and Umineko. But art?


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anime-production manga-production
How much does manga art/illustration differ from anime illustration?


Depends on the art direction of the anime. Sometimes they go for being close
to the Manga style. Sometimes they do not.

And sometimes the anime is just a very cheaply made weekly product on a cash
cow franchise, like One Piece, where you will notice that the Manga has just a
much higher quality than the anime, especially in the later (700+) episodes.
This is both because the mangaka got better at his job and Toei not really
bothering anymore, since it's already popular anyway.

Either way, if the mangaka had any type of unique style, that is usually lost
when translated to anime, unless the art direction makes an effort to stay
true to the original.

It's a joke image and the original of Youjo Senki is the Light Novel, but here
you have your picture:

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hg5bP.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hg5bP.jpg)

On the other hand, Made in Abyss is considered to be a really good conversion,
but still, here are differences:

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cwows.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cwows.jpg)


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This questions seems way too broad and I'm not sure if it should be answered
here, but I'll make some assumptions & try to clarify in a more technical way
than opinion. The term **art** here can mean a lot of things after all.

_(I think none of these are spoilery but lemme know if something needs to be
edited)_

Differentiating between anime & manga, anime is an animated medium that
involves a huge staff roll to produce, and in it the main ones regarding
art/animation include character designers (for the exact look they'll have in-
anime), key animators, background artists, and the in-between animators. When
people judge anime art/quality they can be referring to any of these areas
among others. When comparing adaptations to manga they'll often be comparing
character design and key animation or storyboarding (how the scene flowed). In
some cases they're almost identical (more common for action/shounen
adaptations coz fans expect the same thing just animated & changing things can
have huge backlash) while in others the anime has a noticeably or entirely
different art style (more common if the original source material wasn't a
manga).

[![comparisons of Naruto anime & manga
frames](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IdAsW.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IdAsW.png)

_Naruto looks the same_

[![comparison of Tokyo
Ghoul](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KhLGi.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KhLGi.jpg)

_Tokyo Ghoul is very different_

The key animators are usually responsible for the impact of key scenes that
e.g. the reader of the manga would be excited to see animated, them usually
being the only well known names on the artist credit list.

Manga on the other hand is largely made by a single artist (sometimes with a
few assistants) who may or may not be the author, and their **art** refers not
only to how they draw pictures but also their panels & page composition. This
creates a certain tone and flow to those scenes that can sometimes differ a
lot in adaptations.

## Key Differences

### Detail

Since manga is mostly static images across maybe two dozen pages artists have
more freedom to add a lot of detail to each illustration or character design
compared to the 7000+ frames needed for an anime episode. This isn't
necessarily common but many manga artists are known for their insane level of
detail for everything from vast background landscapes to impactful character
poses & environment destruction the likes of which only a few anime studios
have the capacity for animating. Others might have a unique visual style that
utilizes the monochrome ink style of manga pages. For animated adaptations
these character designs and environment details will often be simplified or
changed to suit the colourful animated medium.

[![wide double page from Soloist of the Prison as an example of detailed
textured
shading](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qbvEC.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qbvEC.jpg)

_Soloist of the Prison_

[![edited wide double-page image from One Punch
Man](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PqvsT.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PqvsT.jpg)

_One Punch Man: going digital allows even more detailed rendering_

### Styles & technique

There are basically an infinite number of styles & techniques (anyone can make
one) but there are standard ones for different mediums. Since manga is static
monochrome images artists often use ink shading techniques like crosshatching
and line techniques that give the image _texture_ rarely ever seen in the
usually flat cell-shaded anime art, and it also usually looks more dynamic. In
anime the primary method of shading is picking a primary tone, then a shadow
tone and maybe a highlight tone and filling in the lineart. The simplicity is
often better for clarity & smoothness when things are moving around (you'll
notice most anime movies have simpler shading than anime but better animation)
but makes lots of anime look the same.

[![textured close-up illustration of Miyamoto
Musashi](https://i.stack.imgur.com/X3TzH.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/X3TzH.jpg)

_Vagabond_

[![manga page from One Punch Man featuring
Fubuki](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ibHiX.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ibHiX.jpg)

_One Punch Man_

### Visual narrative

Maybe the biggest piece of the puzzle for some is the fundamental difference
between the mediums which is in how they visually tell a story. Anime being in
video format the visual narrative largely depends on the storyboarding and
editing, where a shot can be stretch or cut short depending on how impactful
or significant it can is (worth the screen time?) and how much clarity is
needed for the viewers to follow it. In manga the main point of creativity is
in how panels are arranged on the page, the most creative authors have few
barriers in how they can use it and it's a pretty unique experience to manga
as far as I've seen

[![key moment from Vagabond anime of a sword swing by Miyamoto
Musashi](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kY87V.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kY87V.jpg)

_Vagabond_

This is often where the genius of a manga author lies, and I think it's also
what's lost in translation the most in adaptations as they have different
tools to work with. _**Manga manipulates space. Anime manipulates time.**_ The
artwork is more important in manga.

## Conclusion

Mind you this isn't an anime or manga is better kinda subject IMO, manga has
very little to work with and is a fiercely competitive industry so of course
the top manga will have to have top-class art to get attention and then the
story/narrative to attract readers. Anime has a lot more avenues to be
appealing and different studios/teams excel at different things. And when
you're a fan of a certain artist you just love to see any work from them which
is enough reason to go for a manga. Most of it is preference but if you're
e.g. an art fanatic you'd go for the medium that focuses on artwork and vice
versa for animation fanatics, or both.

As someone who just enjoys art, one of my fave things about manga is the
freedom to look at any particular moment as much as you want. You control the
pacing and when you turn the page and find a very impactful image you can just
breath it in which increases the impact, while in anime it controls the
pacing.

For more into manga art I can recommend [this video by Mother's
Basement](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKVP-5O4QCA&t=1210s)

For more into anime art & animation I can recommend the YouTube channel _The
Canipa Effect_ (can't add any more links atm)

_Was hoping to keep it shorter but alas_


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Art in anime adaptations is generally simplified compared to the source manga
(even more so from a light novel where each volume has only a handful of
sometimes very detailed illustrations) due to needing to be drawn and coloured
multiple times a second consistently by multiple people within tight time
constraints and to a budget. How much these designs differ is entirely case-
by-case depending on how detailed or unique the original art is, the anime
budget, and also stylistic choices* etc.

Anime all have a character designer who is almost always** a different person
to the original artist (who will be credited as キャラクター原案, usually translated
as “original character design”) and is also often the chief animation director
and is responsible for adapting the designs and creating character layout
sheets (settei) that the other animators refer to:

[![Chiyo-chan settei from Azumanga
Daioh](https://i.stack.imgur.com/p8s7V.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/p8s7V.jpg)

As you can see these feature solid lines and shapes. Most manga art is black &
white and shaded using one or multiple of a variety of methods from pencil
shading to ink hatching to applying screentone. Anime on the other hand (while
there are some that apply a digital texture, notably Gankutsuou) are largely
done as blocks of solid colour formerly painted onto the backs of the
animation cels but now done digitally using a paint bucket tool. There will be
a dedicated colour designer who creates colour versions of the character
settei for the colouring team to refer to:

[![colour settei of Ascoer from Kiddy GiRL-
and](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jWVnY.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jWVnY.jpg)

* there are some anime that in my personal opinion actually improve on the manga art, like Erased

** A rare exception is Mahouka, where they had an Ishida Kana, an animator by
trade, do the novel illustrations and she went on to be the character designer
for the anime also.


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