AnimeSuki Forums

MeoTwister5 · 2010-10-16, 11:29

Definitely Touch, though I have a soft spot for H2.

Haven't read Rough yet.

BetoJR · 2010-10-16, 11:33

It's good. Even the movie version of Rough is good, actually (and I hate live-action adaptations of anime/manga, on a general premises kinda thing).

I also love H2, but seeing as some people tend to have very strong feelings against it, I tend to not recommend it much...

Guardian Enzo · 2010-10-16, 11:49

I started out with Cross Game, and I tried both Touch and H2 as an Adachi fix. I confess that I vastly preferred Touch, but that may be because the superficial similarities to CG are greater and made it an easier transition for me. I'll get back to H2 someday, but I can safely say I loved Touch - about 98% as much as CG (and that's a lot). Anyone who knows both properties knows that beneath the surface they're extremely different, and they provide a fascinating insight into the change in Adachi's outlook and his style as a writer. It strikes me that Touch is very much like a fairly tale, while Cross Game is a subtle, bittersweet reflection.

BetoJR · 2010-10-16, 12:10

What Enzo said. I even read some people referring to CG as the anti-Touch.

GrimJack · 2010-10-16, 12:19

It is funny I never read Touch though I have read many other Adachi manga....

Shiroth · 2010-10-16, 12:22

Alright so there's Touch, H2 and Rough. I'll go with Rough first, because i'm really liking the summary. :3

Thanks guys.

Newhope · 2010-10-16, 12:22

All his works are basically the same with minor alterations Touch and Cross game are a prime example of that.

BetoJR · 2010-10-16, 12:23

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Alright so there's Touch, H2 and Rough. I'll go with Rough first, because i'm really liking the summary. :3

Yay for girls in bikinis!!!

Shiroth · 2010-10-16, 12:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetoJR

Yay for girls in bikinis!!!

Okay i'll admit, that's one of the reasons.

BetoJR · 2010-10-16, 12:29

It's a good reason, nonetheless.

MeoTwister5 · 2010-10-16, 12:32

This is an important factor.

Guardian Enzo · 2010-10-16, 12:38

I would always recommend Touch as the first Adachi after CG, only because the fascinating contrast will be more apparent that way. But you can't really go wrong.

Shiroth · 2010-10-16, 12:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I would always recommend Touch as the first Adachi after CG, only because the fascinating contrast will be more apparent that way. But you can't really go wrong.

I'm reading Cross Game at the moment thanks to Viz's release, and looks like i will be for a while, so i'll get to Touch during that time. :3

ChainLegacy · 2010-10-16, 12:58

If you liked Cross Game you'll love Touch. It is very similar but explores a different relationship dynamic. I like how Adachi basically takes similar situations, and then explores how they affect different groups of people in different ways. Truly unique imo.

iamthewalrus · 2010-10-17, 03:48

Exactly. I too took the touch route after cross game and was amazed at how the similar events contrasted in a way the made the two series very different. Thats why I think Newhope's got it all wrong. No duh the mangas are similar, thats what adachi is trying to do.

The ones I think are worth reading are cross game, touch, rough, adventure boys h2 and miyuki in that order. Everything else was meh for me (including katsu).

Boby Lashly · 2010-10-17, 05:18

I love your idea but I would love a good Marvel vs. DC

GrimJack · 2010-11-22, 17:37

Volume 1 finally showed up in my local store and I bought it today.

So far I am loving it just to hold it in my hand make me happy, I may not put it down for the rest of today

problems I had with the VIZ edition...

Spoiler for Volume one issues:

other than that a great read

reprinted from the anime thread because i thought it would be better off here

ruurguy · 2011-02-22, 16:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ermes Marana

To be honest, I can't stand seeing Cross Game win so much because it is a failed adaptation of a brilliant manga. It actually made me sick a few times how much it missed the point and kiddified the story. I hate the idea of people watching the anime before reading the manga (thus never have the chance to get the full effect).

Hmm, this probably isn't the right place, but I read the manga and watched the anime and I thought it was a good adaption. The only parts that I felt were different were the 4th wall breaking parts which obviously weren't serious at all and a few plot points like the cousin finding her diary and such. For the most part though it seemed spot on to me. I did read the manga after the anime though if that makes a difference. Could you elaborate on this for me? Apparently you weren't the only person who felt this way based on Proto's comment. I personally loved both.

Ermes Marana · 2011-02-22, 20:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruurguy

Hmm, this probably isn't the right place, but I read the manga and watched the anime and I thought it was a good adaption. The only parts that I felt were different were the 4th wall breaking parts which obviously weren't serious at all and a few plot points like the cousin finding her diary and such. For the most part though it seemed spot on to me. I did read the manga after the anime though if that makes a difference. Could you elaborate on this for me? Apparently you weren't the only person who felt this way based on Proto's comment. I personally loved both.

If you watch the anime first, you can never get the full effect from the manga (and the same is true the other way). You only get one chance for a first impression. If you want some reasons why I wish people would read the manga first, read on:

Spoiler for Cross Game Spoilers Inside!:

You cannot get the full impact of Wakaba's death from watching the anime. In the manga we grow to know and love her over time, and then get hit by an unbelievable blow. The added result of this, is we have a greater understanding for Kou and Aoba, and how much they miss her. For the entire series, you can never relate to Kou and Aoba's feelings as much, if Wakaba's death is spoilered for you like the anime does.

Then there is the story telling. Adachi is a master of subtle story telling, which allows you to figure out the characters in a natural way, and for things to sink in naturally. You fill in details yourself by observing and getting close to the characters. As opposed to the anime, which is heavy handed and aimed for kids. It gives things to you without the time for them to sink in properly, and not always the right things either.

Now, I can predict people would say "I don't care about subtle story telling, I just like the characters."

However... the story telling AFFECTS the characters.

For example, in the anime there are points (such as ep1 and ep31) where the heavy handed music creates a wall between you and the characters. I thought the music was totally inappropriate and dumbed down the complex feelings. If you read the manga first, I can almost guarantee you would agree the music was "off", and that in the manga you are much closer to the characters.

Another example, is that subtlety is part of the relationship between the characters. How much they understand about each other is very important. When you make it less subtle, that makes the relationship feel less special.

Then there are basic pacing issues. The manga gives the full amount of time for important parts (plus you can reread and stare at a page as much as you need to), but the anime (especially at the beginning and the ending of the series) crushes very, very important things into way too little time, while allowing time for less important things.

I'll stop here, since I doubt anyone would even have read this far.

Blue-kun · 2011-02-22, 21:53

Spoiler for Response to above post; Cross Game spoilers:

Actually, I've read the manga and watched the anime and I don't agree with most of your points, and I am quite a fan of Adachi's works.

First, regarding Wakaba's death, I don't think the anime did any worse than the manga. It's just a matter of adapting things to work on another medium. It's obvious you can take your time with a manga, since it'll be running for years and years. That's not true with an anime, so they needed a hook, something that would definitely get people back for the second episode. And what better way to do so than anticipating killing off a character which is presented as very likeable from the first to the last minute of the episode? With all things considered, the scene was handled very well, and again I must disagree: Using the ED for that scene was just a fantastic touch. Beautiful piece, fit perfectly, and actually helped people associate it to that tragic moment, which ended up improving the impact of other scenes later on a lot, like in the recap episode. Who didn't get teary-eyed at the time it played again?

That said, of course in the manga you got to know Wakaba before her death, and as such maybe it hit the viewer as a somewhat stronger scene (which is a trade off, the anime made it much more surprising if you ask me, in particular to people who already had some experience with other Adachi titlles), but claiming the viewer never got to understand whatever the characters felt due to the loss of their loved one is going too far. A lot of scenes from those first chapters were later on introduced as flashbacks throughout the following episodes, and people did figure out just how much of a tragedy the death of Wakaba meant to Kou, Aoba and everyone else who was associated to Waka in one way or another.

As for the subtle writing... I wonder. I cannot recall any scenes where I thought the anime did a poor job depicting whatever a certain character is. Not to mention it tackled certain key scenes masterfully, such as the moment Kou tells Aoba his small "lie", which aside from adapting the manga very closely, also had some very nice animation going on at the same time. And actually, I'll go even further: The anime managed to give Aoba even more character development through some very well done original episodes focusing on the female baseball side, which Adachi has been showing great support towards.

Overall though, I do respect your opinion, and as usual adaptations won't be able to please everyone. Personally, I think it did a heck of a good job with it, probably being even the most faithful adaptation any Adachi series has ever gotten. Touch might have had more slice-of-life material thrown into it due to higher episode count, but the staff took a lot of liberties with the story, even omitting things that were actually important to the ending. But oh well! To each his own, is it not?

2010-10-16, 11:29	Link #1541
MeoTwister5 Komrades of Kitamura Kou Join Date: Jul 2004 Age: 39	Definitely Touch, though I have a soft spot for H2. Haven't read Rough yet. __________________ Medical Student vs. Anime Last Exile - Fam the Silver Wing -

2010-10-16, 12:19	Link #1545
GrimJack Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009	It is funny I never read Touch though I have read many other Adachi manga.... __________________

2010-10-16, 12:22	Link #1546
Shiroth Beautiful fighter. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: England, UK Age: 37	Alright so there's Touch, H2 and Rough. I'll go with Rough first, because i'm really liking the summary. :3 Thanks guys. __________________ MyAnimeList Twitter

2010-10-16, 12:32	Link #1551
MeoTwister5 Komrades of Kitamura Kou Join Date: Jul 2004 Age: 39	This is an important factor. __________________ Medical Student vs. Anime Last Exile - Fam the Silver Wing -

2010-11-22, 17:37	Link #1557
GrimJack Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009	Volume 1 finally showed up in my local store and I bought it today. So far I am loving it just to hold it in my hand make me happy, I may not put it down for the rest of today problems I had with the VIZ edition... Spoiler for Volume one issues: Can't get used to Nomo saying "mew" either Meow or keep it as Nya please the joke at the end of the chapter Nightmare doesn't work in imperial should be in metric other than that a great read reprinted from the anime thread because i thought it would be better off here __________________

2010-10-16, 12:22	Link #1547
Newhope Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008	All his works are basically the same with minor alterations Touch and Cross game are a prime example of that.

2010-10-16, 12:58	Link #1554
ChainLegacy 廉頗 Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Massachusetts Age: 34	If you liked Cross Game you'll love Touch. It is very similar but explores a different relationship dynamic. I like how Adachi basically takes similar situations, and then explores how they affect different groups of people in different ways. Truly unique imo.

2010-10-17, 03:48	Link #1555
iamthewalrus Member Join Date: Feb 2008	Exactly. I too took the touch route after cross game and was amazed at how the similar events contrasted in a way the made the two series very different. Thats why I think Newhope's got it all wrong. No duh the mangas are similar, thats what adachi is trying to do. The ones I think are worth reading are cross game, touch, rough, adventure boys h2 and miyuki in that order. Everything else was meh for me (including katsu).

2010-10-17, 05:18	Link #1556
Boby Lashly Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2010	I love your idea but I would love a good Marvel vs. DC

2011-02-22, 21:53	Link #1560
Blue-kun Che! Che! Che! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Brazil Age: 34	Spoiler for Response to above post; Cross Game spoilers: Actually, I've read the manga and watched the anime and I don't agree with most of your points, and I am quite a fan of Adachi's works. First, regarding Wakaba's death, I don't think the anime did any worse than the manga. It's just a matter of adapting things to work on another medium. It's obvious you can take your time with a manga, since it'll be running for years and years. That's not true with an anime, so they needed a hook, something that would definitely get people back for the second episode. And what better way to do so than anticipating killing off a character which is presented as very likeable from the first to the last minute of the episode? With all things considered, the scene was handled very well, and again I must disagree: Using the ED for that scene was just a fantastic touch. Beautiful piece, fit perfectly, and actually helped people associate it to that tragic moment, which ended up improving the impact of other scenes later on a lot, like in the recap episode. Who didn't get teary-eyed at the time it played again? That said, of course in the manga you got to know Wakaba before her death, and as such maybe it hit the viewer as a somewhat stronger scene (which is a trade off, the anime made it much more surprising if you ask me, in particular to people who already had some experience with other Adachi titlles), but claiming the viewer never got to understand whatever the characters felt due to the loss of their loved one is going too far. A lot of scenes from those first chapters were later on introduced as flashbacks throughout the following episodes, and people did figure out just how much of a tragedy the death of Wakaba meant to Kou, Aoba and everyone else who was associated to Waka in one way or another. As for the subtle writing... I wonder. I cannot recall any scenes where I thought the anime did a poor job depicting whatever a certain character is. Not to mention it tackled certain key scenes masterfully, such as the moment Kou tells Aoba his small "lie", which aside from adapting the manga very closely, also had some very nice animation going on at the same time. And actually, I'll go even further: The anime managed to give Aoba even more character development through some very well done original episodes focusing on the female baseball side, which Adachi has been showing great support towards. Overall though, I do respect your opinion, and as usual adaptations won't be able to please everyone. Personally, I think it did a heck of a good job with it, probably being even the most faithful adaptation any Adachi series has ever gotten. Touch might have had more slice-of-life material thrown into it due to higher episode count, but the staff took a lot of liberties with the story, even omitting things that were actually important to the ending. But oh well! To each his own, is it not? __________________ Last edited by monir; 2011-02-22 at 22:09.