VNs vs Anime

[VirginSmasher]

It is time now to answer a question I have been wondering about for a while now. Which medium of entertainment is better, VNs or Anime? Both have masterpieces and mediocre trash, but which is the overall better medium when it comes to quality. I like VNs more because there are a lot more things that can be done with VNs. There can be a lot more world building, more development for the characters that you wouldn't have time for in an anime, most of it isn't cocktease garbage like ecchi and harem series are, and most importantly, it's more engaging to me. I've never been engaged in an anime like I have in a VN. VNs have you use your imagination more than an anime would too.

Your opinions are welcome here. Just don't go off topic again. It seems to be a habit with some people nowadays 

[Arcadeotic]

Well I think personally that Visual Novel medium is much better compared to anime medium.

They are much less ruled by tropes, are more adventurous (I'm looking at you doujinge and Darekoi), and don't always revert back to standard cookie-cutter formula.

Visual novel communities are also less cancerous, more allowing and welcoming.

[ヤミハナ]

VISUAL NOVELS \  /

I like them better because they have a better designed waifu than animes. 

And they are in a first person perspective, which has the realism of the player being the protagonist and do H stuff to them waifus.

And....Yeah, more like you are the person in the VN rather than being a third party perspective.

[mitchhamilton]

i imagine it depends on the genre but mostly vn's win. its just better at world building and character building. we spend more time in vn's and get invested in them. however, sometimes this can work against it at times. for instance Clannad. clannad the anime can suck you in emotionally like no other and although it is still long, it is no less effective. the visual novel on the other hand, while still doing a good job in getting the reader invested it can still break immersion and this is probably due to two things the vn is lacking that the anime isnt. one: a voiced mc. there are some visual novels where i question not using a voice for its main character and a visual novel without any sex is one of them. it can still be questionable for other vns like Conyu but right now we're talking about clannad. i know this is done so the reader, who japan figured they would be mostly male, to project themselves onto the mc, but again the vn kind of suffers from it. the second thing the vn is lacking is being navigable. with the anime its just as simple as sitting down, sitting back and just enjoy what unfolds. with the vn, you pretty much NEED a walkthrough. having to check a walkthrough everytime for the many, many choices in a vn to make sure youre on the right path can break the immersion a bit.

 

vn's better at world building but can suck you in a little too much. im sure we can all compare our backlogs to a blackhole that is growing at exponential rate and is gonna consume us till we're buried 100 feet under tsunderes and childhood friends.

 

still i prefer them.

[Down]

The comparison hardly makes any sense. I've seen this topic multiple times already and nothing I've seen in them ever convinced me you could say very meaningful stuff on that topic.

 

[Clephas]

To be honest?  I'm a reader first and foremost, so the answer is VNs from my perspective.  However, I do still enjoy anime immensely, and I occasionally wish certain VNs were animated, lol.

[Dergonu]

I´ve been watching anime far longer than I´ve been playing VNs, and so anime will always have a special place in my heart.

That being said, VNs is my favorite meduim of the two.

 

Just like Clephas said, I really wish some VNs were animated. Anime can do some stuff that VNs just cant, because they have a lot more animation in them. This especially concerns badass fighting scenes in VNs. Like, I love reading the narration and picturing it in my head, but actually seeing it animated in anime makes it soooo enjoyable.

 

But this is really the only thing anime does "better" than VNs.

Anime is usually a lot less in depth and so VNs just feels better overall for me, as I get pulled into the story much easier.

 

I guess short answer: I love both and its hard to compare them, but if I have to choose: VNs.

[DarkZedge]

In my opinion Vn's are the better medium.. their lenght allows for better character portrayal..better settings..build up and overall richer stories...it's not a coincidence that  a lot of animes come as adaptations from Vn's and such (often butchering them aswell).

That being said I love anime aswell and there are way too many great series there aswell...vn's are harder to sell to people because not everyone is a reader or wants to put 10/30  to 50 hours (medium to long vn's) reading... anime while people still hold prejudice over the art style and what not  it's easier to get into for those who don't read much or rather not put in the time, the shorter episodes, weekly releases and such make it more appealing to a wider population.

 

In my opinion being the reader that i am and enjoying great stories i gotta say that to me Vn's are the better medium even if i love anime aswell

[Guest]

Do you prefer apples or oranges ?

[Dergonu]

Just now, maefdomn said:

Do you prefer apples or oranges ?

Apples. Oranges are annoying to peel and the taste is meh.

[DarkZedge]

Just now, Dergonu said:

Apples. Oranges are annoying to peel and the taste is meh.

You love peeling though

[Arcadeotic]

2 minutes ago, maefdomn said:

Do you prefer apples or oranges ?

Oranges

I'd probably end in the hospital if I ate apples

[Dergonu]

Just now, DarkZedge said:

You love peeling though

Are you saying you want to be peeled little kouhai?

39 minutes ago, VirginSmasher said:

Your opinions are welcome here. Just don't go off topic again. It seems to be a habit with some people nowadays 

Um ... Uh... Its all Maef´s fault.

[Clephas]

lol... something to keep in mind is that we are talking to a community of VN readers... for some reason, I think most people are going to answer 'VNs' in the end.  *smiles dryly*

[Arcadeotic]

Exactly, this is why it makes this entire post superfluous

I mean look at the vote ratio.

But hey, opinions are always welcomed 

[DarkZedge]

10 minutes ago, Dergonu said:

Are you saying you want to be peeled little kouhai?

Not what i meant....Hentai senpai....Ecchi

[Dergonu]

Well its still interesting to see people´s thoughts on it. Maybe they still like VNs more, but for different reasons

I´ll add one more reason I like anime. The ecchi scenes are a lot more ... Detailed

(Ecchi, panty shots etc, not H, obviously.)

EDIT: As in different angles etc, unlike just a singular static CG.

[Belmakor19]

The pole needs an option to vote equal  Each medium is good at different things. VN's have the potential to tell a longer and uncensored story (at least if you're not buying them off steam...) but they only reach a very niche market. Anime has the opportunity to present the story to a much broader audience, and really bring action scenes alive (have you seen f/s ubw), but obviously are limited by time and budget constraints in telling a story. I'd actually really like some VN's like G-Senjou no Maou to get an anime adaptation so more people can experience its story. 

[Nosebleed]

>Asking if VNs are better than anime in a VN centered forum.
Boy, I can't predict what the results will be.

I don't really think asking which is better is a valid question because it always comes down to personal preference.
There's things that make anime great and things that make VNs great, the question should be which one do you prefer and why.

VNs tend to have better narratives and longer stories with branching paths and I think that's their biggest asset. Also eroge.
Anime on the other hand has the animation that gives you the ability to sit back and watch it instead of having to read through it, it's easier to get into it than it is to get into a written medium.

They both cater to different interests but overall they can both excell in their specific areas.
I personally prefer VNs because of the diversity and the possibilities they have, but I'll always love watching a good anime too.

[CeruleanGamer]

Anime is the cancer of the Japanese entertainment industry. Because you got greedy bastards who make poor production decisions and screw them up especially if they are adaptations from light novels or visual novels. 

Also, 90% of them are bullshit high school plots with no progression on romance. If you like getting tortured by fanservice and cockblocking, then go ahead and watch animes. They are perfect for masochists. 

[Nosebleed]

6 minutes ago, CeruleanGamer said:

Anime is the cancer of the Japanese entertainment industry. Because you got greedy motherfuckers who make poor production decisions and screw them up especially if they are adaptations from light novels or visual novels. 

Also, 90% of them are bullshit high school plots with no progression on romance. If you like getting tortured by fanservice and cockblocking, then go ahead and watch animes. They are perfect for masochists. 

Be like me and watch animu targeted at little girls. Can't go wrong with some idol activities in your life.
Wouldn't this face brighten up your day?

(I'm actually not kidding this time, anime for kids generally doesn't have a lot of the BS anime for teens has, and even though they tend to have lighter themes like friendship, they're still pretty damn fun if you can get into them)

[CeruleanGamer]

1 minute ago, Nosebleed said:

Be like me and watch animu targeted at little girls. Can't go wrong with some idol activities in your life, wouldn't this face brighten up your day?

(I'm actually not kidding this time, anime for kids generally doesn't have a lot of the BS anime for teens has, and even though they tend to have lighter themes like friendship, they're still pretty damn fun if you can get into them)

Recommendations would be great. I lost faith in animes centuries ago. 

[EcchiOujisama]

3 minutes ago, CeruleanGamer said:

Recommendations would be great. I lost faith in animes centuries ago. 

Give Pita Ten a chance.  It's the perfect amount of cuteness and absurdity wrapped up in one hilarious package.  If you're not sold after the first episode I don't know what to tell you.

Anime vs. VNs is no longer a fair comparison, because they have come to serve two very different purposes from the business side of things.  Back in MY DAY, when we walked to school in the snow, uphill both ways, anime was the end product and it didn't get any better than having a genuine Japanese laserdisc in your hands.  To this day Kimagure Orange Road remains among the elite of the elite in its genre.  Even though there was a manga out there, the anime was its own complete product, that gave you the entire story and was an end product you would buy unto itself.  VNs do that today.  When you are asked for 10,000+ yen, it is to give you the whole story in a complete and fulfilling way (in theory).  You don't go through a 2 hour VN as a teaser for a 200 episode anime series.

Over the last decade plus the business model for anime has changed.  The run of anime has gone from 26+ episodes to 13 to 12 to now even 10.  With 26 episodes it is possible to establish 5 or 6 or more characters and give them a story tell.  This is no longer the endgame.  For the most part, anime is no longer an end product to deliver a compelling, entertaining and satisfying story.  12 episodes are pissed away on a few gags and introducing the characters with no intention of giving a satisfying conclusion.  It has become a commercial for the manga, or light novel, or game, or wall scrolls, or cell phone straps, or whatever else.  

It's not even that you can't tell a compelling story with riveting characters in a relatively short period of time, as the great OVA series of the 90s can attest.  The problem is that anime is no longer designed to do so.  As such a fair comparison cannot be made.  It's like expecting a better story from a trailer than the full film (I realize with the shittiness of American films the trailers are often more entertaining, but you know what I mean).

Compare the Majikoi game and anime and it's obvious that game is a much more rewarding experience.  Give the writer 100 episodes to tell that kind of story and we can make a more informed comparison.       

[Nosebleed]

10 minutes ago, CeruleanGamer said:

Recommendations would be great. I lost faith in animes centuries ago. 

Well, if you're serious, watching Precure is probably a good way to start. @Down would probably be better at suggesting which one of the series is best to start with, but Heartcatch Precure is generally considered the best Precure anime. Ojamajo Doremi is also pretty cool if you want more magical girls (well, technically they're witches, but who cares).

A bit more on the serious side you have Shugo Chara, it does have some heavy drama towards the end but I think it's overall a solid series and even has a conclusive ending. (DO NOT WATCH SEASON 3 THOUGH)

On the other side of the spectrum you have idol shows, which are my personal favorites, and for those I'd recommend either Aikatsu or PriPara (although since season 3 Aikatsu has lost some steam).
Aikatsu is about cute girls chopping down giant fir trees and using them as a sled to go down a mountain (this is an actual episode)
PriPara is more fantasy-like, set in a world where every girl can become an idol. It's based off of Pretty Rhythm, which I'm watching right now and really enjoy too.

[VirginSmasher]

1 hour ago, CeruleanGamer said:

Anime is the cancer of the Japanese entertainment industry. Because you got greedy bastards who make poor production decisions and screw them up especially if they are adaptations from light novels or visual novels. 

Also, 90% of them are bullshit high school plots with no progression on romance. If you like getting tortured by fanservice and cockblocking, then go ahead and watch animes. They are perfect for masochists. 

I see where you're coming from. Nowadays, there are only 2 or 3 anime that are worth watching per season. I mostly stopped watching as much as I used to because of over exposure which I tend to do to myself a lot 

 

5 hours ago, Clephas said:

lol... something to keep in mind is that we are talking to a community of VN readers... for some reason, I think most people are going to answer 'VNs' in the end.  *smiles dryly*

I had an idea that it would be uneven but it's good to see why other people find the medium better than anime.