# Manga Art Style?



## Ech?ux (Oct 8, 2010)

Do you guys let the art style of a manga help to let you decide whether or not you should look into it?

I know I do. I see manga like Berserk, Bastard, etc, and for some reason that art style just pushes me back. It makes me not interested, like reading a genre that doesn't fulfill your interests.

However art styles such as those found in Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, Bakuman And most recently my favorite as well:

*Switch*





Also, could someone maybe point me in the direction of other manga that have an art style similar to Death Note/Bakuman/Switch? Maybe post here, PM, or link to a thread? Much appreciated. What's your opinion on art style, and what are your favorites?


----------



## dream (Oct 8, 2010)

I really don't care about the art style when reading a manga.  A manga can have a mediocre art style, but be amazing in everything else.

Favorites:

All of Adachi's art:  There is a comfort in familiarity.



Vagabond:  Stands at the peak of manga art in my opinion.  By far my most favorite.


----------



## Proxy (Oct 8, 2010)

It does matter, usually. 

Still, if I hear a manga is good enough, and the art is different than what I'm accustomed to i.e. JJBA, I'll give it a go.



One of my favorite art styles.


----------



## Nuzzie (Oct 8, 2010)

Proxy said:


> It does matter, usually.
> 
> Still, if I hear a manga is good enough, and the art is different than what I'm accustomed to i.e. JJBA, I'll give it a go.
> 
> ...



i think his style looks cool but the use of photos looks awful


----------



## BVB (Oct 8, 2010)

I fell in love with Innoue's and Boichi's art style.


----------



## p-lou (Oct 8, 2010)

it looks like paper cut outs some 12 year old photoshopped in.  yeah the dude looks alright in the bottom panel but that top is terrible

and anyone trying to say art style/quality isn't important is a liar.  it doesn't have to be number 1 and it doesn't have to always be stunning, but it's always important.


----------



## dream (Oct 8, 2010)

p-lou:  Actually it really isn't important to me.  Tezuka's Buddha contains an art style that is horrible by today's standards, but it is an amazing manga.    

I learned to not care about the art style too much.


----------



## Nuzzie (Oct 8, 2010)

Yog-Sothoth said:


> p-lou:  *Actually it really isn't important to me.  Tezuka's Buddha contains an art style that is horrible by today's standards, but it is an amazing manga.
> *
> I learned to not care about the art style too much.



horrible to todays awful tastes sure but certainly not todays abysmal _standards_


----------



## p-lou (Oct 8, 2010)

how is it terrible?

the line work is clean, the landscapes are grand, the character's emotions are depicted clearly, and the paneling and framing is superb.  it's simple and a bit dated, but it isn't bad.

i'm not saying you have to love everything about the art style or the quality, but saying the visuals in a visual medium are unimportant is silly.


----------



## Gilgamesh (Oct 8, 2010)

There's no real reason for you to hate Bastard! or Berserk's art

You just have bad taste


----------



## dream (Oct 8, 2010)

p-lou said:


> how is it terrible?
> 
> the line work is clean, the landscapes are grand, the character's emotions are depicted clearly, and the paneling and framing is superb.  it's simple and a bit dated, but it isn't bad.
> 
> i'm not saying you have to love everything about the art style or the quality, but saying the visuals in a visual medium are unimportant is silly.



Perhaps I'm not getting what art style really means. What would be an example of bad a art style?


----------



## Proxy (Oct 8, 2010)

Togashi when he's lazy drawing HxH.


----------



## dream (Oct 8, 2010)

Oh god.  I forgot about that.


----------



## Proxy (Oct 8, 2010)




----------



## Lupin (Oct 8, 2010)

Just when I thought Pastel was bad 


Well, I liked Shi ga Futari wo Wakatsu made's art.


*Spoiler*: __ 








Nothing special but looks pretty cool.


----------



## Yakushi Kabuto (Oct 8, 2010)

Yes, artwork has a lot to do with if I choose to read a series. If I'm browsing something at the store I at least flip through a couple of the pages to see if the art is at least mildly attractive enough. This did result in my missing out in some good stuff early on. Like Magic Knight Rayearth and other early Clamp material I avoided at first because their twiggy thinness creeped me out. I also avoided Fruits Basket for awhile because I found the style to be incredibly unattractive. On the other side I've found quite a few mangaka with styles and stories I've found to be incredibly attractive. Like Kaori Yuki for one.


----------



## Kind of a big deal (Oct 8, 2010)

Shin Angyo Onshi is partially a manhwa, (Korean manga) though I believe it was published in Japan so it's kinda inbetween. Korean artists seem to be more diligent and artisanal than Japanese artists, their style is usually very sharp, and very detailed, even though the story suffers. 
A good example of this would be Veritas was incredibly well drawn, but the story was a mess, hard to follow and too much emphasis on random power ups. Kinda what cripples Bleach and Claymore too in my opinion.

Anyway Shin Angyo Onshi has a great story, though the first arcs are episodic rather than just a continuous story. The big bonus is that it also has great art.

Large image: 1440x900


----------



## Fran (Oct 8, 2010)

Another one for SAO art.


----------



## ~Shin~ (Oct 8, 2010)

Sanctuary has delicious art.

In general, art style isn't that great of a factor when I'm reading something. Though, there are some exceptions i.e. the generic shoujo style. It's nice to read something with a unique art style but if the story is appealing enough I can get used to the art.


----------



## Dream Brother (Oct 8, 2010)

I was thinking about this the other day. I have to say that art style definitely is a determining factor in what I read -- that's why I still haven't bothered to check out _One Piece_, actually. I just cannot get past the style of those first pages. 

That being said, I place characters and story above art in terms of importance. I can live with artwork that I dislike as long as the narrative is strong. In terms of my favourite artwork, I'm torn between Inoue and Samura...


----------



## αshɘs (Oct 8, 2010)

Answering your first question, a brief plot synopsis is enough to make me check out a manga or not.


As for the art: it is important, but it doesn't have to be breathtaking for me to like a manga. 
If I can feel that the artist has put their soul into it, is enthusiastic about their work instead of just being lazy, drawing out of necessity.... 
Or if the artist can depict emotions or set up a great atmosphere (For example Blame! - there wasn't much emotion going on with the characters, but the atmosphere was brilliantly done)...
Or if the artist balances out any shortcomings with creative designs, neat ideas...
then I'm content with it.
Not forgetting the panel layout of course, since I need to understand what's going on .... not like Air Gear.


To me mangas with so called "out-dated" art like 
*Spoiler*: _Ode to Kirihito_ 







 or 

*Spoiler*: _Lone Wolf and Cub_ 








have personality and style that the likes of Bleach, Naruto etc. can never dream of achieving.


----------



## Ech?ux (Oct 8, 2010)

Isis said:


> There's no real reason for you to hate Bastard! or Berserk's art
> 
> You just have bad taste



Excuse me? So, because I don't agree with you I have bad taste... interesting notion there Watson. I'm sorry the world doesn't revolve around you and your personal [and apparently superior] taste than mine 

I find that different series' with distinct art styles can really help to make or break it. For instance I could hardly imagine One Piece with a grainy detailed art style, but it's pretty fun to see when characters are drawn in someone else's style. Here's some examples of highly acclaimed Dragonball designed by other popular manga artists:
*Spoiler*: __ 



Eiichiro Oda[One Piece]


Yoshio Sawai[bobobo]


Yusuke Murata[Eyeshield 21]


Tite Kubo[Bleach]


Kentaro Yabuki[Black Cat]


Yasuhiro Kano[Pretty Face]


Kenjirou Takeshita[Happy World]


Norihiro Yagi[Claymore]


Masashi Kishimoto[Naruto]




After seeing that one can find something to appreciate in all of them because you're looking at the very same characters with distinct differences in appearance and style but not really removing much from canon. It's pretty neat.


----------



## MdB (Oct 8, 2010)

I'm fine with anything, even if it isn't anatomically correct as long as it doesn't look generic as fuck.



Yog-Sothoth said:


> p-lou:  Actually it really isn't important to me.  Tezuka's Buddha contains an art style that is horrible by today's standards, but it is an amazing manga.
> 
> I learned to not care about the art style too much.



What standards? I've seen plenty of contemporary manga that look incredibly uninspired and dull.


----------



## Aiku (Oct 8, 2010)

Personally the art work matters to me.

If I don't like the style, I won't read it.

If I do, then I will read it.

Naruto for example, has great artwork. C:


----------



## Pacifista (Oct 8, 2010)

As long as it's not chicken scratch, I'll have no problem reading it---especially if it's a good manga. Still, it's good to have a manga that has great art and its own style.


----------



## Oberyn Nymeros (Oct 8, 2010)

Bad art wont turn me off. Generic art will (big colorful eyes skinny bodies and hair sticking straight up).


----------



## bubble_lord (Oct 8, 2010)

I like manga which is more funky looking than realistic. I love JJBA's art style the most, I think the look of something can entice you to read on even if you don't like the plot.


----------



## typhoon72 (Oct 9, 2010)

I really love Bakuman's art style. Its dynamic.

Oda's art style is great as well from Jaya up. (I liked it before then as well, but from Jaya arc forward it looks really good). Its cartoony yet realistic in its own unique way. Also, in One Piece the fight scenes always have a lot going on but you always know what the hell is going on. Unlike Reborn, which I think has great art during fight scenes but they are just so hard to follow.





I really liked Naruto's and Bleach's art at the beggining of there series. The characters were rough looking but now look too simple and meh.

too lazy to find pics


----------



## Owis (Oct 18, 2010)

Believe it or not it's possible to be both a cartoonist and a writer so therefore Kubo or Oda can be evalulated as writers since they are.

And comic books, visual medium.


----------



## Ech?ux (Oct 18, 2010)

I agree. To me different art styles is like different writing genres. It has to appeal to you stylistically in order for it to catch your interest. In this aspect it's a lot harder to get hooked on a manga than a regular book because you have two mediums, genre and art, to look at before making a decision.


----------



## Hiruma (Oct 18, 2010)

The art does matter, but in general story matters a lot more. Loads of people managed to get past the art in One Piece, Adachi's works such as H2 Touch etc, or Nobuyuki's works such as Akagi and Kaiji, but you don't see too much manga that get by mostly on art (well, Air Gear comes to mind


----------



## Owis (Oct 18, 2010)

OP's art is decent enough early on and becomes even better around Crocodile so it's not like getting past the art is that big of a deal.


----------



## Moon (Oct 18, 2010)

It matters a good bit to me. Have to have a really good story to make up for bad art. As mentioned earlier, HxH is this at a lot of times. Art is generally the first impression I get when reading, sure it takes 6-7 chapters to really flesh out a gist of the story and plot, but the art is there from page one. So if it isn't an art style I can get into I'll generally drop it early fairly.

Favorite art style at the moment is probably the Ao no Exorcist, Soul Eater (though I knocked the art in the first few chapters), Defense Devil and so on model of modern inking and tone. Not much in terms of background and certainly not as detailed or artistic as Vagabond or Lone Wolf and Cub, but I just find it more entertaining to read. Certainly don't consider myself to have the greatest of taste of course.


----------



## KazeYama (Oct 18, 2010)

Art isn't an issue mostly but I think the art has to fit the story that is being told. For a serious story or darker plot the art has to reflect that. Also if the art is bad enough it can actually take away from the story, there is a degree to which bad art is passable but if it is a story driven manga the art has to function to convey the action and characters and if it is sloppy or not detailed you will miss out. 

I look at Kishimoto's art now and sort of cringe because while the designs and how he draws the characters have changed over time his actual skill as an artist is about the same and as the manga got more serious and story driven his art really became a let down because he wasn't adapting. Compare to someone like Oda who had pretty basic and amateur art at the beginning of the story but the beginning was more light hearted anyway, now that the overall plot and characters have matured it is reflected in how he draws everything and you see his skills as an artist clearly progress from earlier chapters. 

Obviously comedy manga isn't really story driven so alot of the time it doesn't require great art but good art never hurts a manga since it is a visual medium at its core. I can appreciate art from Mashima and Oda that some people don't like and also really like more realistic or darker stuff from Inoue or Urasawa.


----------



## Owis (Oct 18, 2010)

I ask you, would Berserk or Vagabond be as good as they are if the way they looked was overall worse than they do currently?

Backgrounds matter. Character designs matter. As does coloration and panel usage. The way comics are drawn matter, so sayeth Moore.


----------



## TeenRyu (Oct 18, 2010)

To me Negima's Art is absolutely astounding. Art you'd think you would only find in games like Final Fantasy. From the start it was like this; A decently drawn, touch of realism and focus on detail like manga that felt..unrefined. but still good

CH. 16


Then you get the more recent chapters, which the detail has gotten tremendously better, to an amazing rate-- 

CH. 16

And continuously gets better, as shown here

CH. 16


----------



## riki-oh (Oct 19, 2010)

wow dude negima has such awesome art


----------



## riki-oh (Oct 19, 2010)

holy shit those characters are so life-like


----------



## TeenRyu (Oct 19, 2010)

Riki-oh, watch the double post. next time just edit your latest post.


----------



## riki-oh (Oct 19, 2010)

i would really appreciate it if you didn't capitalize my name


----------



## MdB (Oct 19, 2010)

i love the generic anime look

it's so creative and original


----------



## Owis (Oct 19, 2010)

Hey there MdB.


----------



## ichigeau (Oct 19, 2010)

MdB said:


> it's so creative and original


the anime in your sig is


----------



## Darth Nihilus (Oct 19, 2010)

Gotta love dat Inoue.


----------



## MdB (Oct 19, 2010)

Owis said:


> Hey there MdB.




hi

who r u?


----------



## Owis (Oct 19, 2010)

Dude from Naridofan.


----------



## Mist Puppet (Oct 19, 2010)

It's not _that_ important to me. I may not like the art, but if the story or characters are interesting, I can deal with it.


----------



## Punpun (Oct 19, 2010)

Negima is realism at his finest.


----------



## Gain (Oct 19, 2010)

TeenRyu said:


> To me Negima's Art is absolutely astounding. Art you'd think you would only find in games like Final Fantasy. From the start it was like this; A decently drawn, touch of realism and focus on detail like manga that felt..unrefined. but still good
> 
> Link removed
> 
> ...



I am giving you positive reputation points for this very good post


----------



## Oxymoron (Oct 19, 2010)

I think that was a very successful troll.


----------



## Owis (Oct 22, 2010)

Look at OP.

It wouldn't be as good if Oda was worse at cartooning.

The plot and characters are part of the equation. But neither one of them are the most important thing. Especially considering how 2-dimensional the people are.


----------

