Could anyone give me an example where the adaptation of something (manga, movie, game, novel or whatever) is better than the original. Not a sidestory/sequel or something like that, but the original main story remade in another media.

(Not like Fullmetal Alchemist Anime/Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Hellsing Anime/Hellsing Ultimate... remakes/reboots are not exactly what I'm after...)

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~4400 manga completed
~1700 ongoing...

Excel Saga, X(tv),Kure-nai, Trigun are betters animes then mangas. The Eva manga is better from a storytelling standpoint. The original Ghost in the Shell manga is only ok but the adaptations are gold. The Witcher games tower over the books. Silence of the Lambs the movie is better then the book. The first 2 Hannibal books are good but the new tv show is Breaking Bad good.

Just look at this good list for movies based on books:
http://www.totalfilm.com/features/50-movies-that-were-better-tha n-the-books/cape-fear-1991

So yes adaptation can be better then the source.

Last edited by residentgrigo at 4:51 am, Oct 15 2014

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
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Looked through the list... Can't say that I agree with it completely since it listed some of my least favourite book-to-film adaptations, Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park and Harry Potter (though the Harry Potter movies does it better than the other 2). Just too many differences compared to the source material... but that's just my personal opinion (know some of my friends thinks otherwise)

But I can agree with some of it though, some things just gets better when things move...

Oh yeah, and I actually enjoyed the Trigun manga more than the anime... but I guess it's more because of personal preference... again

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~4400 manga completed
~1700 ongoing...

I wouldn't say these are better than the original, but they're on par with them, at least.

Baccano!
The Law of Ueki
Noragami
Rozen Maiden (2013) (the one based on Rozen Maiden II)
Saiunkoku Monogatari
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun

Also I would argue that FMA (2003) was a fantastic anime adaptation, especially considering that it managed to make a completely coherent and independent story when the manga hasn't even ended yet.

I also find the Hamatora manga a lot better than its anime original, but I hated the anime, so my opinion might be a bit biased. The K Project manga (K - Memory of Red, K - Days of Blue, K - The First) all seem to be better than the anime too, probably because they don't have the same abysmal pacing. This is only if you buy into the whole K thing, of course.

The Tokikake manga was pretty good as well, if I remember correctly. It had a slightly altered ending, which I actually preferred (though I still love the original movie ending). The same for The Voices of a Distant Star, but I didn't actually like Shinkai's original movie for this one...

Can't think of any book-to-screen adaptations right now, since I don't watch that many movies...

Oh, if it counts, Gakutsuou since it was based on the novel The Count of Monte Cristo.

Shugo chara! anime is better than the manga, much better in my opinion.
Yu-gi-oh! I can't say for sure about this, but the trading card games was named the top selling trading card game in the world by for selling over 22 billion cards worldwide.
Zetsuen No Tempest anime passed the manga for me.
Gegege no kitaro also.

But the adaptation exists because of the original thing, so I prefer original ones most of the time. And most of the time the original one is better anyway.

Lovely Complex because of the ending and no dragging.
Seto no Hanayome. Same.
Welcome to the NHK. Same.
Outlaw Star the original manga is not too good.
Same to Golden Boy. Do NOT read the manga.
To a degree Nodame Cantabile and Mushishi because they have music. Debatable.
K-On on the anime because it has content lol but i don´t care in any way about it.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure´s first 2 part come of better animated.
Usagi Drop has the shit(epic vomit) part missing.
Titans has better art.
Asura the movie is better put together then the manga to tightening up.
Flower fo Evil is well directed but i still find it mediocre. The manga´s second not adapted half is ok.
Gunsmith Cats the ova is better(the mangaka does hentai and it shows) but i don´t care.
Black Lagoon´s ova had way better pacing and a better ending.

I find FMA´s gecko ending problematic in retrospect. Moved to fast and had a weird tone.
The Count of Monte Cristo the novel is minimaly better but too bloated(payed by the word).
The Voices of a Distant Star the manga is better. Baccano(anime of the 00s) yes but debatable.



Last edited by residentgrigo at 10:52 am, Oct 16 2014

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

Kaze No Stigma anime is better than the manga...but, I would rather not compare it...

The story(better story telling + details + extra info + history to the depth) of the Four of The K Project mangas', which are K - Memory of Red, K - Days of Blue, K - The First, K - Stray Dog Story, are better than Anime...though the art isn't not trash either...if the art on the anime is 10/10, it would be 8.5/10 on manga...
So, overall awesome...I enjoy both...

it's same for D. Gray Man, Tokyo Ghoul, Shingeki no Kyojin(Attack On Titan), Akame Ga Kill!, 07 Ghost...etc mangas as well, they are better than anime...though, they are ongoing except one...^

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Tv Tokyo - Anime & Manga ~ MinatoAce

For anime and manga, usually I read/watch the original and avoid the adaptation. Out of the ones where I've seen/read both, I thought the Inuyasha anime was better than the manga. The Death Note anime gave the manga a definite run for its money too.

It's pretty much impossible IMO to base anything off a good novel and make it better than the book, since novels have complexity that doesn't translate into other mediums. Probably the best based-on-novel movie I've seen is Hitchcock's adaptation of Rebecca. Again though I tend to avoid adaptations and denied all invites to see Ender's Game.

I should have mentioned that books that were written before the novel form was "invented" tend to be a bit unreadable. I remember almost nothing from a Journey to the West for example. I am an atheist and am interested in world literature due to my job as an librarian and to be "cultural". So i don´t want to offend anyone but the Bible for example is basically a chronicle and has almost no characterization, suspense and so on. The Bibel´s Noah for example isn´t really defined in any way so from a storytelling and audience interest level standpoint the Aronofsky version(cool movie but his comic was a bit better) is way better. Same goes for the story of Jesus. What happens in the Bible is interesting but the writing style was hard to get through in unabridged audiobooks form. So i like Martin Scorsese´s and Mel Gibson adaptations more. I really would like to see big budget R-rated Book of Revelations movie from a real director.
The best Stephen King adaptations are sometimes better then the book because that man writes like some people do shopping lists. Don´t get me wrong he has written many good novels but he need an editor who isn´t his wife.
The Kickass movie is better the comic for shure. Same goes for the Oldboy movie based on the generic but pretty manga. The Ender's Game movie is like a bunch of videogame-cutscenes cut together by the way. The marvel Enders adaptations were good till the last horrible prequel comic.
The Halo books by Eric S. Nylund have a better story, world then the games and Master Chief is a real character. The next Game of Thrones seasons could fix the book´s structural problems in part 4 and 5.

Last edited by residentgrigo at 8:33 am, Oct 17 2014

________________
I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

I liked the Cardcaptor Sakura anime more than the manga.