Warning: I wasted 6 months watching dubs before I tried the 'read the manga first' trick

I used to always watch the dubbed version of shows because I thought I couldn't keep up with subtitles. Then a buddy of mine at my shop told me to just read the manga for a few chapters before starting the anime. I tried it with Attack on Titan season 4 part 2 last spring and it totally changed how I watch. Now I know the story beats ahead of time so I can actually focus on the animation and voice acting without scrambling to read. Has anyone else tried this approach or am I just weird?

2 comments

2 Comments

mary46215d ago

Well don't that beat all, @rosek73! I actually do both - I'll read the manga chapters first to get the story straight, then after I watch the episode I'll flip back through the manga to see what got cut or changed. Did that with the Declaration of War scene in season 4 part 2, and it blew my mind how much extra detail the anime added to Eren's face during that speech. The manga panels are great and all, but watching it animated with the voice acting really makes those little moments hit different, don't it?

rosek7315d ago

Yeah the Attack on Titan season 4 part 2 was a game changer for me too, especially the episode with Eren's big transformation scene (you know the one, with the rumbling starting up). I actually read the manga chapters 128-131 first and it made the anime so much more enjoyable because I could just sit back and appreciate the insane animation quality instead of squinting at subtitles. So do you find yourself going back to reread the manga chapters after you finish the anime episode to catch any differences, or do you just stick with the manga as a preview tool and never look back?