Just Anime

It has been a long time since I have been here. I have felt compelled to write about something that is bothering me. I just finished watching Deadman Wonderland and it was a pretty good but gruesome anime. It only lasted 12 episodes and the manga is currently at 51 volumes. What!?!?

Yep. The things I hate the most, never having any real closure like in Mass Effect 3. I don't mind reading manga but sometimes when I have spent a good number of hours watching an anime series, its hard to pick off where it ended in the manga. I have found that sometimes (more often than not) anime based off manga will lose a character or two, just like in Deadman Wonderland.

I started to read it where the anime left off but there is a character that the protagonist met really early and I have no idea who the hell she is. This forces me to read the parts of the manga that the anime covered and of course there are differences. I hate that. When an image gets burned in the back of my mind, its hard to change that image. Its like relearning a subject "right" the second time around.

But the biggest letdown so far had to be Elfen Lied. That anime was only 12 episodes or so and explained nothing with a too happy ending. After I had finished reading the manga I was like "wow." Now if they had made a 50 something episode series that was entirely based off manga that would be just pure awesome. But watching the anime is nice but pales in comparison to the rest of the manga.

Gai Rei Zero is another. I know that it was supposed to be a prequel of Gai Rei but damn, it was so awesome! I would have liked for it to go on but alas it won't, at least for the time being I hope. They explained everything but left me hanging. I guess its sort of a bait and switch, love the anime series but to continue its awesome story just read the manga. NO!

I personally like to watch anime much more than I would like to read manga. Oh well.

@tacosRcool: It's because making anime is a business. Put yourself in the shoes of a business man. What seems like the better move to make:

• Finance 11-13 episodes to be created. If they are profitable then you make more. If the series tanks financially, you can cut your loses at only 11-13 episodes.
• Finance a 50 episode series. If they are profitable, good stuff. If they tank, you've just lost an amount of money on one series that could have been used to test the profitability of 4 series.

ANN ran a good article series a few weeks back about the economics of making anime. As fans, I think people often think that everyone making anime is paid in love and heart, that every anime series is a huge success (or at least break even), and the only reason companies don't make more episodes of a series is to thumb their noses at fans. The reality is that pretty much every choice comes down to money. Most anime doesn't even break even, people are paid in dollars and cents, and ongoing manga adaptations that only got 13 episodes and no more likely had that happened because the first 13 weren't successful and companies don't want to throw money down the trash can.

Money effects everything, even down to what gets made. Ever wonder why the vast majority of anime is an adaptation of a manga, light novel, or visual novel? It's not because the Japanese consider those to be the artistic peaks of creativity and quality. It's because they are products that have been financially tested and succeeded in their own mediums, making them less of a financial risk to adapt to another medium (the same reason why adaptations are dominating big budget Hollywood films).

Whenever you have a question about why something in the anime industry works the way it does, think about it from a money perspective and you'll probably find your answer.

My Examples of Short Animes based off Long Mangas

• Descendants of Darkness (13 episodes to 12 volumes)
• Beelzebub (60 episodes to an ongoing of 16 volumes)
• Shaman King (50 episodes compared to 30 volumes)
• Rave Master (50 episodes to 30 volumes)

All of these animes ended already.

I thought about Blue Exorcist, but its manga series is short and ongoing.

@tacosRcool: @sickVisionz:

I agree what sickVisionz said. It's all about money. Anime needs high ratings and money in order to keep going.

Edit:

Glad to meet another fan who loves Deadman Wonderland. I have read the manga, but I haven't watch the anime. It's sad to see that the anime has stopped short.

I figured it was all about money. But what about those series that only lasted for 1 season? Good article though.

One thing I hate is that I don't get the personal connection while reading manga like I do anime.

And btw, I never was big into reading manga until Elfen Lied ruined it for me since the anime was too short and it forced me to read manga. Well guess I am sticking to reading again...