Light Novel,Anime, or Manga ?
These are typical queries which come about at some point in any dialogue about an anime show. It's almost just like whenever a movie comes out based off a book, a usual question is,"Did you read the book?"
To tell the truth, this sort of disturbs me. Why? Well, there are a whole lot of light novel / manga readers out there which don't care if someone has done the same, but in the same time there are numerous that nearly take offense. These kinds of people usually answer any question or comment you make about a series with,"Well if your read the manga..."
It is quite annoying. Personally, I think that there is one large difference between a movie adaptation of a novel, and an anime version of a light novel or manga. What's that? Volume. Films take a long while to make. Anime do too, but they come air new displays four times a year (anime seasons). So, how do you compare a film, that's published once after a very long time, to anime which is released four times annually?
That is only food for thought. The real question, this article is all about, is what should you opt for? Or maybe you should pick up some manga? You know what, you should probably just watch the anime.
Let's discuss some pros and cons of each of them.
Anime
Anime is my go to whenever I hear of an interesting story. Why? It's easy. You can literally sit in your desk, lie in bed, and observe the beauty of animation and listen to this dialogue. You can see a story unfold before your very eyes, without having to navigate through the words of a light novel or piecing together pictures of a manga.
The downside, usually, is insufficient depth. There's only so much an anime can fit into the season, in addition to just so much they could show via the senses. You may easily miss out on some background things that got cut, or not fully comprehend a situation simply because you're unaware what condition the character is in.
That said it's still my personal go to.
If I enjoy the anime, then I usually go looking to the light novel. Of course, I have to await a translation. A light novel is quite an investment, as any publication is, so that I look at it as me enjoying the story enough to it back. I don't read diagrams on the web, I buy the book. One, since I love having the physical copy, and two, to encourage the writer.
The light novel, like normally any book, usually goes into quite a good deal more detail than the arcade version. You get a more detailed look at scenes. You may see what is going on in the background. The author can let you know what a character is feeling rather than you trying to decipher it yourself. In addition you get to exercise your creativity, creating the different scenes in mind. Obviously, illustrations help you with this too.
What is the drawback of any book? It's time consuming! This is why this is obviously my second option, to the anime. I want to understand I like the story before I go into more detail. Another downside could be the writing style. I could enjoy a story to death, but when the author's style is too odd for me, I understand I won't like it.
Manga
Then we have manga. I will be fair, I rarely buy manga, therefore my ideas are likely a bit prejudice. But, manga are generally quicker to read than the usual light novel, since you're managing pictures. Instead of attempting to make moments in your mind that may not accurately portray the story the way the writer intended, a manga puts the spectacle before you. You can literally watch it progress.
Much like light novels, manga are more in-depth than the arcade adaptation. The drawback to some manga, at least for me, is that you have to go right to left. The graphics could be welcome, however, like myself, I really like creating scenes in my mind with my own creativity, therefore a manga limits that to some degree.
Overall
So what is the best? Depends on your taste, obviously. Light novel and manga readers are always going to look down upon people that don't invest the time that they do into particular stories.
My thoughts are, if you discover a story interesting, go for the anime. Or, if you are somebody who enjoys a fantastic story, grab the light novel. From that point, you can go to one or the other, or go for the manga. Usually I see manga as something that is visually attractive once I understand the characters.
