There are many different animes out there that first started as manga. While this enriches many who are unable to get manga for a large number of titles they would otherwise miss out on, the differences between manga and anime have long been controversial between manga lovers and anime lovers, especially in the same canon universes. The differences between a manga and the anime based on it can be as simple as a few character costume changes, to a complete overhaul of the plot, characters, and even the world where the story takes place. From the minor changes of Sailor Moon, to the massive changes of Escaflowne, it can be difficult to decide which a person likes better between the manga and the anime, and which is the true form that the author intended, as many manga authors are also involved with the anime.

So which is the true form? The one someone discovered first, or which was written first? If you go with the first hypothesis, that the form that a fan discovered first is the true form of the story, then the line between which is the more original version blurs, because an anime may not be produced until years after the manga has been published, and yet, that may be what a fan sees first. If the second hypothesis is correct, then the manga will almost always be the original canon, and that may be an idea that bothers some fans, considering they may like the story the anime tells better, or they may just never have the chance to read the original source material.

But why are there so many differences between manga and the anime that is spawned by it? The differences come down to several factors, which include the ease of making a more concise story, and the ability to continually animate certain parts of a manga which are accomplished simply with nothing that has to really move. The story of a thirteen or thirty volume manga could easily take up several seasons. When a season is commissioned, it is generally only commissioned for one season, and thus the story of the manga is condensed, cut up, or changed so it only lasts for a limited number of episodes, in case the anime is not successful.

The difficulty of character design and backgrounds can also be a reason to change character designs from the original manga for the anime. Genres like mecha, magical girl, and fantasy have frequently changing, layered costumes, massive monsters, huge machinery, and other things that can make it nearly impossible to continually draw by hand. In the end though, the finished product, while something different, may also be something that is a mixture of the two. The anime is its own story, and yet part of the original source material.

Yet, manga is not always the source material. For example, Devil May Cry and Kingdom Hearts are both manga titles, but began gaining popularity because they were first and foremost video games. Then the question is once again which counts as the original for a fan. Changes are again made to make the story fit into the length of the books, without needing the fighting or traveling game play that these games-turned-manga are famous for. Of course, this shows the point that the argument of what is the original and which is just an accessory to the canon.

The argument of what is the original when it comes to manga and related anime, or video games and related manga can be a point of contention between fans for all kinds of reasons. But the point of the stories are to entertain, in any form that they take. Thus, when deciding which is the original form, decide for yourself, and not what is most popular or what other people like.