When anime overtake the manga, what approach do you prefer?

A

apshawnhunt

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In a perfect world, anime wouldn't begin until the manga version was finished or nearly so. But we don't live in a perfect world. We live in the world of the "Gecko Ending", where anime end on vastly different notes from the manga. Anime adaptations like "Monster" and "Death Note" are the exception, not the rule (and even DN changed a few things).

This is inevitable, particularly with adaptations of monthly and bimonthly manga. Over the years, however, there has been two signature approaches to adapting a title that isn't going to become a long-running shonen.

1. Follow the manga religiously until it is no longer possible to, then come up with a new ending with however many episodes remain, or just STOP in the hopes of future renewal. This allows the manga to be covered as much as possible, but can result in rushed conclusions once the break happens. Examples: Claymore, Soul Eater, Kekkaishi, Eyeshield 21.

2. Deliberately alter the existing manga material in order to fit in the new storyline and ending. New characters may be introduced to help fulfill this task. Often manga chapters are skipped or distorted to help set up the new direction. Sometimes even origins, personalities, or "rules" are changed to make the new direction work. This can have very mixed results. Examples: Kurokami, Fullmetal Alchemist, Chrono Crusade, Black Cat.

Which approach do you find has been generally better for adapting a manga into the anime, and is there any anime that took the former (religious) approach or latter (loose) approach that would've been better off with the alternate approach?
 
I'd say Soul Eater fits in the second category more than the first. They started changing the story after episode 35 which was early enough to prevent it from being like Claymore's ending.

Usually I'll take it second approach; it leaRAB itself to better endings and more conclusive plots. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood showed us they might always do a remake so giving it a new plot/ending doesn't matter. Most shows don't get a remake, however, so you should make the show as complete as you can. Claymore would have benefited greatly if they deviated earlier and started wrapping things up earlier.
 
Well considering that Inuyasha is the textbook example of the first one (and I hated that), I have to go with the second one. Depending on who's doing it, like Bones, these kind of endings usually don't leave me with an incomplete feeling because I know they tried to finish it. Now, whether or not they do a good job of that (I was iffy on Chrono Crusade's anime ending) is debatable but I can't deny that having a proper conclusion is preferable to me.
 
A series that did this that I had a problem with was Zatch Bell. The way the final anime arc was done, they altered SO much that a continuation to cover the final manga arc is impossible. But they had also covered so much so faithfully that a remake would be redundant.

Shaman King ended along the same lines, except the result was more stupid than irritating (they just casually haulted the tournament, even after all of that "IT HAS TO BE HELD NOW OR ELSE THE WORLD WILL FALL INTO RUIN!!!" talk earlier in the series?). Then again, this was unavoidable, as the mangaka didn't even get a proper conclusion published until just last year.
 
This, this, this many times over. Mostly due to my love of Guyver, which probably won't end for another 10 or 20 years, if ever. Yes, the tv show illustrated that they might come back, but it also stopped far short of tying things up, leaving fans to wait again for another 10 years.
 
I would kinda just prefer the adaptation be put on hold until the manga is over. No, not midway, I mean no adaptation at all.

My problem with method 2 is that it leaRAB to a sort of "Uncanny Valley" effect, in that the series seems to adapt the manga panel-for-panel (which in itself leaRAB to problems), so when the story takes a sudden detour, it can be jarring.

I can honestly say I wouldn't mind there being more anime adaptations that altered the source material from the get go if the manga isn't finished. FMA's bizarre plot threaRAB wouldn't have been nearly as jarring if it had gone a different route right from the getgo.
 
I thought FMA had always planned to have a different second half. You can see alot of the changes rather early on as well, just look at the 5th laboratory arc, or the Shou Tucker episodes, or even barry the chooper.
 
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